This week, Kris welcomes LaVonda Paul, a trailblazing early childhood leader and fourth-generation entrepreneur, for an inspiring conversation about legacy, leadership, and the power of showing up. As the owner of Small Impressions Child Development Center in Taylors, South Carolina, LaVonda has spent 19 years building a community-first program. In the episode, LaVonda talks with Kris about how she's cultivated deep trust with families, built a rock-solid team culture, and gone all-in on advocacy, helping shape policy while showing up for children, parents, and educators alike. She opens up the community programs she's launched and why she might just run for office one day. This is a powerful look at what it means to lead with heart, purpose, and unapologetic commitment.

Key Takeaways:

[7:37] LaVonda shares the origin of Small Impressions, which she's led for 19 years. With 90 students currently enrolled, she prioritizes quality over quantity and deep relationships with families.

[8:57] Her journey in early childhood education began at the Urban League of the Upstate and in after-school programs, where she realized the impact she could make by working with younger children.

[10:13] LaVonda reflects on launching her center while going through a divorce, raising a one-year-old. Her leap of faith led to a thriving business — now co-run with her husband, Curtis.

[11:40] Fun fact: LaVonda is afraid to fly, but that doesn't stop her from being a world traveler!

[13:34] LaVonda details what sets her center apart: low staff turnover, deep parent engagement, teacher-parent conferences, onsite therapy, and advocacy for families.

[17:27] She's active at the state level, working with lawmakers and Chambers of Commerce to advocate for childcare investment and workforce development in South Carolina.

[18:06] LaVonda explains her entrepreneurial drive as generational — a fourth-generation business owner who didn't want to live with "shoulda, coulda, woulda" regrets.

[19:41] LaVonda explains running her school like a real school, where she acts as more principal than babysitter.

[21:53] Kris and LaVonda talk about the importance of taking ownership when mistakes happen.

[31:59] Lavonda's advocacy work includes training for childcare workers, as well as expanded services and access for children with behavioral or developmental needs.

[33:06] What's next for LaVonda and Small Impressions?

Quotes:

"I'm about quality as opposed to quantity. I don't want to pack out my classroom because I don't want to lose my sense of being able to connect with my students, um, being able to connect with my families." — LaVonda [8:10]

"That speaks volumes within itself, that children and families believe in our program here, that they stay with us, five, six years. I have a family here that's been here for 12 years." — LaVonda [9:02]

"I'm a risk taker. I'm gonna jump off that cliff. One or two things are going to happen, either God's going to catch me before I fall, or he's going to give me wings and teach me how to fly, but he's taught me how to soar." — LaVonda [10:40]

"It's better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. So why not try to create something special with my own ideas?" — LaVonda [18:32]

"Take ownership when you screw up. Take ownership when you don't always get it right." — Kris [22:34]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

@iamkrismurray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: Use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

Small Impressions

Small Impressions Facebook

First Steps South Carolina

It's solo episode time! Kris shares insights from her new book, The Antidote to Fear, and outlines three practical ways to trust yourself and the process. She talks about embracing fear and self-doubt, including her "yoga mat" moment that changed her career direction. Kris discusses manifestation as a giving process and highlights the importance of creating quiet spaces for intuition and growth. She also gives an update on her recent women's retreat in Maui.

Key Takeaways:

[2:22] Kris explains the concept of "trust the process" from the Success Academy's guiding principles.

[11:11] How fear can come in and stop us from taking action on following our intuition and going towards our calling.

[14:28] The yoga mat moment that came from a moment of stillness and changed Kris's life.

[15:00] Hug your fear? Why going towards your fear is actually one of the best things you can do to alchemize it.

[17:25] The importance of tapping into gratitude.

[18:08] Overcoming self-doubt.

[21:24] Calling out the "B.S." in your life, and why having a coach or mentor to help you through the process is great.

[22:04] Manifestation as a giving process.

[33:26] Kris talks about manifesting a fun book club where she is surrounded by sisterhood, and her beautiful partnership.

Quotes:

"When you feel fear, the ultimate strategy, the ultimate antidote to fear, is to move towards it. It's to actually embrace it and to feel it and hug it." — Kris [15:24]

"The opposite of fear is actually love. So the way to alchemize the fear is to love it, and to tap into gratitude." — Kris [17:25]

"Manifest from the giving energy, the loving energy, and everything in your world can change." — Kris [33:26]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

@iamkrismurray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: Use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

Mana Awakening

The Antidote to Fear

Kris welcomes Vance Morris, former security guard turned Disney leader and successful entrepreneur, for a trip to the happiest place on earth — great customer service! Vance helps business owners get, serve, and keep clients for life through creating experiences and response-required marketing. He shares real-world strategies to delight customers, build community buzz, and drive word-of-mouth referrals.

In this episode, Vance breaks down Disney's hiring and training magic and the "why" behind it, how it transforms the customer experience, the role of linertainment, and how to make operational consistency actually fun, all with a lens on how these lessons can translate to the early education business. He also walks through the steps to Disney-fy your business and opens up about how to navigate loneliness in leadership.

Key Takeaways:

[2:53] Kris and Vance agree — no cell phones out in the water, unless you are playing music!

[7:11] Vance talks about the changes at Disney, including the increase in employees and the impact on customer service.

[15:22] The importance of addressing leaky holes in the business process and improving customer experience through small changes.

[15:30] Gifting and reciprocity in building customer loyalty and trust.

[16:57] Disney's "linertainment" or the entertainment that helps people stay energized and happy while they wait in line.

[19:09] The "what, how, and why" at Disney and the importance of running things on a system and process.

[20:07] Systems give you freedom, and the importance of consistency and efficiency.

[26:43] What we can learn from the hamburgers at McDonald's!

[27:07] Having an engaged team and empowering people.

[32:23] Building trust and reciprocity through gifting and special "thank you" treats.

[37:03] Vance Morris introduces his coaching program and the concept of systematic magic, which helps businesses map out the customer journey.

[39:50] Finding your community when you are an entrepreneur, and the downside to isolation.

[41:50] Vance's Disney event business and the unique experiences he offers, including a nine-course wine pairing dinner.

[50:06] What's next for Vance in the future?

Quotes:

"I much prefer to work with the mom and pop, Main Street business, where we can have an immediate, noticeable impact, not only on the experience, but on the finances and how profitable customer experience can be." — Vance [10:55]

"What is the company doing to entertain you during that wait period and make it not feel so bad?" — Vance [18:08]

"The secret sauce behind all of the experience stuff at Disney is that Disney runs on systems. And literally runs on three words: what to do, how to do it, and why do we do it that way? And everything has a what, how, why behind it, and the reason for this." — Vance [18:39]

"Systems give you freedom. You're not locking down creativity." — Vance [20:07]

"The boss doesn't always have the answers, and asking your employee, well, what would you do? And you'll be surprised a lot of times, because, you know, they're pretty smart." — Vance [25:57]

"Isolation kills entrepreneurs." — Vance [39:18]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

@iamkrismurray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: Use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

Vance Morris

52 Ways to Wow Your Customer Without Breaking the Bank

Deliver Service Now Institute