Dr. Crystal Goins is an educator, mom of five, founder of Heartwise Scholars Microschool, and lead consultant for Teachers as Partners. She pioneered relationship-based classroom management, transforming classrooms into socially motivated learning ecosystems. As the Resilient Teacher Mom, she authored When Relationships Matter: A Socio-emotional Approach to Teaching and Learning in 2021 and published research in 2024 on the impact of her approach on teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction.
Inspired to meet her family’s educational needs, Dr. Goins founded Heartwise Scholars to nurture socially motivated scholars ages 3 to 11. After serving six families and 13 scholars in its first five months, she relaunched Teachers as Partners to share the benefits of relationship-based learning with educators, families, and organizations seeking to foster meaningful growth and connection.
Company: Teachers As Partners LLC
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Crystal Goins: Hi! I’m Dr. Crystal Goins from Chesapeake, VA, and I’m passionate about faith, family, and education. Growing up as the daughter of Filipino immigrants, I often struggled to navigate social norms, but embracing my introverted nature has shaped my approach to building meaningful relationships. These experiences inspired me to create a relationship-based classroom management framework, PART, which I share through my blog, The Resilient Teacher Mom, my consulting service, Teachers as Partners, and my microschool, Heartwise Scholars.
Through these ventures, I document my journey, share research, and demonstrate how socially motivated classrooms can transform 21st-century learning. Outside of my work, I enjoy writing articles on Medium, bargain shopping, and creating family adventures.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Crystal Goins: As a consultant with Teachers as Partners, one significant challenge I faced was establishing credibility for my relationship-based training model while still working full-time as a public school teacher. Many viewed me simply as “just a teacher,” and the line between my own innovations and district-mandated strategies often felt blurred. I knew my approach was a blend of my training and personal insights. Still, it wasn’t until my doctoral research year—when I collected data from four teachers who successfully implemented my framework—that I gained clarity and validation of its effectiveness.
Publishing my book, When Relationships Matter, in 2021 helped solidify my intellectual property, and I later secured a copyright for my framework. With these milestones, I now approach my trainings with confidence, clearly articulating how my model empowers teachers, students, and parents to create pro-social learning environments that foster innovation and collaboration in 21st-century classrooms.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Crystal Goins: I didn’t fit the mold as an Asian, married public school teacher with five young children, especially once the COVID-19 pandemic hit. As an outsider to the norm, I expected failure to be a part of my story. Yet, I chose this profession because I felt a divine calling to teach.
As I navigated life as a wife, a mom, and eventually an entrepreneur, I often waited for failure to overtake me and make my profession feel impossible. However, each new relationship venture—from motherhood to entrepreneurship—propelled me to innovate ways to balance and succeed in my personal life and teaching.
Today, I’m a living example of my own work and research. Through my life story and businesses, I share an approach that empowers educators, moms, and professional leaders to live practical and productive lives while fostering healthy relationships both inside and outside the classroom.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Crystal Goins: When building my team, I look for individuals who value relationships both in and out of the classroom. I seek team members with strong rapport with friends and family, as their character and teaching style should align with my values. They should be just as passionate about relationship-based classroom management and high-quality academics, but also adaptable—allowing students space to express themselves and innovate. Lastly, I want someone who has interests outside of work, as this helps them connect more deeply with the students and families they serve.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Crystal Goins: I maintain my personal resilience through my faith. In 2019, I committed to blogging and living by Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” My husband and I are deeply involved in a church that supports us through prayer, scripture, and encouragement to live more like Christ daily. Faith is my lifeline—it drives me and gives me the freedom to innovate and serve, especially during challenging times of navigating parenthood and business post-pandemic.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Crystal Goins: To manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis, I rely on a few key strategies. First, I create time and space to retreat. As an introvert, I recharge by spending time alone, whether it’s in a quiet corner of my home or at a hotel for a solo retreat. Writing is another tool I use—I love sharing my thoughts on Medium as The Resilient Teacher Mom, especially as I navigate my new microschool venture and the lessons I’m learning about homeschooling and parenting. Finally, I utilize my phone like a personal assistant, using apps for note-taking, task management, content creation, and voice memos to organize my life on the go. For me, managing stress is about creating systems that allow me to work smarter, not harder, so I can carve out time for what truly matters.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Crystal Goins: In a crisis, I prioritize phone calls to communicate with my team members because it’s the most personal form of communication outside of in-person conversations. After the call, I follow up with an email to document what was discussed and any next steps. This ensures clarity and provides a written record for both parties.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Crystal Goins: Be authentic and don’t gatekeep what you’re called to share. Once I gave myself permission to be 100% my authentic self—without apology—I fully embraced the value of my research, my approach, and its impact on schools, families, and communities. Now, I lead with confidence, knowing that God chose me to create, innovate, and train others to build healthier social ecosystems in 21st-century classrooms. To build resilience in your organization, be the kind of leader who embodies your mission, illuminates your product or service, and inspires positive change that’s so contagious it can’t help but spread.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Crystal Goins: I protect my business from future crises by investing in smart support systems while we’re still small and relaunching services. For the first time, I’ve built personal relationships with a local lawyer, banker, accountant, and coach who all value relationships as much as I do. I also leverage LinkedIn and YouTube to market my services, share expertise, and connect with new professionals. Lastly, I’m intentional about creating streamlined systems and a supportive team that works across all my business ventures, ensuring everything runs efficiently.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Crystal Goins: The most important lesson I’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis is that someone always looks to you as a role model, even when you don’t feel worthy. Whether we realize it or not, our lives influence others toward hope or fear. I aim to inspire hope and have learned not to let circumstances or others dim the light of hope that’s been in me for a long time.
I also learned that leaders thrive in the right environment. My mentor once told me, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, get out of the room.” That advice pushed me to seek out circles of innovators and thought leaders who are more seasoned than I am. I can ensure my leadership remains relevant and impactful by continuously learning, adapting, and feeding my leadership skills.
