Exploring Life & Business with Lulu Buck of Buck’s Books Consulting

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lulu Buck

Hi Lulu, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been in education for 25 years now. I’ve always been someone who loves to teach and I always want to make a difference in kid’s lives. Being an educator also has always forced me to have a side business or other work. Throughout 25 years I have owned many private businesses. For the past 2 years, I have landed on my favorite personal business, a children’s book author. I feel this is my calling and purpose. “Buck’s Books Consulting” has been an amazing journey in supporting districts, schools, and child environments in creating safe spaces. I have been training staff and implementing my children’s books to create a community within these places for kids. Knowing that this work makes such a difference in kid’s lives is very rewarding.
Creating these books wasn’t easy. I had to heal a ton and piece myself back together when all odds were against me. In December of 2019, my husband passed away from stage 4 colon cancer. At the time I had young kids depending on me and I had to leave the job I loved to be more present for my children. The job I had required a lot of travel and it would not be possible with young children. My late husband was an incredible parent always being present for our kids and taking care of our home while battling cancer. He was amazing, supportive, and a warrior. In February of 2020, I had to change jobs back in a school district I call my home. Then the following month, COVID-19 impacted the world. I was at the beginning of my grief journey. All resources for dealing with grief and the loss of my spouse were no longer available because of the pandemic. I was lost and needed something to keep me together.
I began writing the book “Sue’s Sky” a book about acceptance, friendship, and community for kids. I was putting together the manuscript in addition to writing a curriculum to support educators in teaching acceptance, bullying, bias, teamwork, and community. Writing and creating this book and curriculum gave me the breaks from the reality I needed. In September 2020 I self-published the book and a year later opened up the business “Buck’s Books Consulting”.
The book has taken me on many adventures and I am very grateful for this new journey. My international debut was teaching “Sue’s Sky” in partnership with the Mwebaza Foundation in 4 schools in Uganda in the summer of 2023. I loved teaching the book and painting with almost 700 students in Uganda with 3 other educators. I am looking forward to releasing another book this fall and continuing putting smiles on kid’s faces with this work.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It just isn’t easy work to publish a book of any kind. My respect goes to all who have done this kind of work. In addition to the workload, my mental health at the time was very fragile. I remember crying most of the day panicking about if I could do all of the responsibilities alone. It still is overwhelming doing a life that two people built. When 2 people are running a household you can chase your dreams easier with the support.
Now that I am an author, I really am chasing this dream to the fullest. My sons have really stepped up in being a huge support at home doing all the chores and things that my late husband did. They love and support me so much and I couldn’t chase this dream without them.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My consulting firm has all of my years of experience combined in one. I consult with districts, schools, daycare centers, and any organization that wants to make their kid environments friendly and accepting. Some environments require additional training and guidance and I am confident to provide this service. I also train companies and businesses who are looking for more inclusive practices to implement.
I’ve been doing specialized equity work now for the past 10 years. Prior to opening up my consulting business, I held the position of English Language Development and World Language Senior Consultant at the Colorado Department of Education, where I also contributed expertise to the Standards and Instructional Support Office. Notably, I served as a state trainer for cultural responsiveness and equity, impacting thirty-eight Colorado school districts. I’ve always been a language teacher. At the department, I supported many school districts with language programming, The Colorado Seal of Biliteracy, Dual-Language Immersion, Bilingual Programming, and supporting students who are learning English. Training staff to be more culturally responsive to the many populations they serve is my favorite training to deliver and experience with people.
I truly enjoy being a part of people’s journey and growth in these areas.
What I am most known for in my training is people leave with a sense of community and trust and are ready to grow both personally and professionally.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love that our city is very welcoming and ahead of most cities when it comes to inclusiveness and acceptance. I feel that my work in equity gets to be ahead of most places and it pushes me as a professional to get our city to the next level. What I like least about our city is that we can not keep up with growth. Many people are coming here because it is a wonderful place to live, but at the same time we need to stay ahead of the growth.

Pricing:

• Prices is customized based on need, area, mateirals needed and more

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lulubuck.org/
• Instagram: @lulubuckster
• Facebook: @BucksBooksConsulting
• Twitter: @c_lu_lu

Image Credits
R&R Vision
Lafayette Public Library