March 28-30th, 2023

Who: Administrators, District Leaders, Teachers, School Counselors,
& anyone else in education.

What: Three days of conversations focused on mental health & well-being. Leading experts sharing strategies and ideas on how to intentionally support student mental health in our schools and communities. Speakers come from a wide array of backgrounds including authors, researchers, district leaders, and award-winning administrators and educators.

Speakers / Presenters
Click on the photos to read their bios

Dr. Michele Borba

Best-Selling Author of Thrivers & Unselfie, Parenting & Child Expert, Educational Psychologist, On-Air Media Spokesperson

Beth Houf

Principal, Fulton Middle School, Author, NASSP’s 2022 National Principal of the Year

Dr. Russell A. Sabella

Professor in the Department of Counseling in the College of Health Professions & Social Work, Florida Gulf Coast University. President of Sabella & Associates. Former President of ASCA.


Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where is the Summit being held?
    - The Whole Child Summit is a free, virtual event. Each day of the summit we'll send you interviews from experts on mental health.
  • How do the videos get released?
    - Each morning at 5am you will receive an email with a link to a page that will have all of the videos for that day.
  • Are they available all week?
    - Yes! The videos for the Whole Child Summit will be available the entire week of the summit for you to watch at your convenience.

Your Hosts For The Summit

John Norlin

Co-Founder, CharacterStrong

John Norlin is a Co-Founder of CharacterStrong. He was a high school educator for 10 years and a Program Administrator for the Whole Child for five years at the district level before co-founding CharacterStrong. John holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership with a Servant-Leadership approach from Gonzaga University and consults with schools, districts, organizations, leaders, and teams on infusing social emotional learning and adult relational practices into the daily fabric of their district and schools.

Houston Kraft
Co-Founder, CharacterStrong

Houston Kraft spent nearly a decade speaking in over 600 elementary and secondary schools about culture, kindness, and leadership. In 2016, he co-founded CharacterStrong and helps lead content development with a focus on curricula that is engaging, unique, and easy-to-use. In 2020, his first book, Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness was published by Simon & Schuster. He has been featured on CNN, Hallmark, Live Happy, Katie Couric, and more as an expert on developing a more empathetic, kind world.

Kat Pastor
Director of School Supports & Outreach, CharacterStrong

Kat has passionately served as a student and educator advocate for over 20 years in the roles of coach, student council advisor, school counselor at the secondary level and financial aid counselor/coordinator of student employment and adjunct professor at the post-secondary level. Through Kat’s leadership, her school counseling department received both state and national recognition, including ASCA RAMP recognition in 2020. Kat has facilitated professional development with various state and national associations, along with individual schools and districts. Kat exudes a commitment to community, having served on numerous local, state and national associations, boards and committees. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Masters in Education in Student Affairs and School Counseling from Northern Arizona University. Kat was named the ASCA 2016 National School Counselor of the Year and Northern Arizona University’s President’s Alumni Awardee in 2021.