Rooted & Rising: Flourishing Leadership in Tough Times - Season 1, Episode 2.
Building Connection: Music, Neuroscience, and Community with Julia Edwards
What does it look like to teach—and lead—with creativity, compassion, and curiosity in a time of collective stress and disconnection?
In this engaging and hope-filled episode of Flourishing Leadership in Tough Times, host Deborah Owen sits down with Julia Edwards, 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year and choral music educator, to explore:
✅ How music builds bridges across generations, cultures, and identities
✅ Why understanding the brain is essential for compassionate, effective teaching
✅ Creating a classroom culture of safety, inquiry, and belonging
✅ Leading through change while staying rooted in joy and purpose
✅ Using music and somatic tools to stay grounded as a leader
Julia’s passion for neuroscience, equity, and creative education shines through as she shares how music can be a vehicle for community-building, healing, and transformation.
🎧 Listen now to be inspired by a leader whose classroom is a sanctuary for growth—and whose leadership flows from deep integrity and heart.
🔗 Subscribe for more episodes on staying rooted with integrity and rising with courage: https://debbieowen.substack.com/
🔗 Learn more about Julia Edwards and her work: https://juliaedwardsmusic.com/
🧠 What role has music played in your own story of resilience or connection? Share your thoughts below!
THE BOOKS MENTIONED in the middle of the show can be found here.
The new books for Lent should be available by the end of January, 2026.
Tags:
leadership, flourishing leadership, Julia Edwards, Deborah Owen, neuroscience of learning, music education, community, resilience, education leadership, Maine Teacher of the Year, teacher well-being, somatic practices, creative leadership, middle and high school education, trauma-informed teaching, rooted and rising, education podcast, inclusive teaching, choral education, public education, classroom culture
