Movement Up LLC

TUESDAY | CONNECTION IN PRACTICE 🤝🏾

Sometimes we appreciate people in our heads and in our hearts…but never actually tell them.

Yesterday’s was about remembering that visible results are often built on invisible moments of connection.

Today, let’s put that into practice.

Think about something going well in your life right now.

Your family.
Your marriage.
Your school.
Your team.
Your organization.
Your personal growth.

Now ask yourself:

Who helped make this possible?

Somebody encouraged you.
Somebody listened.
Somebody challenged you.
Somebody prayed.
Somebody corrected you.
Somebody offered a perspective you couldn’t see for yourself.
Somebody simply kept showing up.

Their contribution may have seemed small at the time, but it helped you get where you are today.

🎯 TODAY’S CONNECTION IN PRACTICE:

Identify ONE PERSON whose contribution could easily go unnoticed—and acknowledge them.

📱 Send the text.
📞 Make the call.
🚶🏾‍♂️ Walk down the hall.
🗣️ Tell them what they did and why it mattered.

Don’t just appreciate people in your heart. Let them know their contribution mattered.

That little moment of acknowledgment might become an invisible moment of connection they need today.

Alright…let’s go to work. 🤝🏾

We love celebrating the big moments.

The grade.
The championship.
The promotion.
The breakthrough.
The test score.
The accomplishment.

And we should celebrate them.

But sometimes we get so focused on the visible result that we miss the invisible moments that helped create it.

Somebody had a conversation with you when nobody else was around.

Somebody encouraged you when you were doubting yourself.

Somebody listened.

Somebody challenged you.

Somebody corrected you.

Somebody prayed.

Somebody stayed.

Somebody believed in you before there was anything visible to celebrate.

That’s why connection matters.

Visible results are often built on invisible moments of connection.

So here’s your Monday Moment of Connection:

Look at something going well in your life, your family, your school, your team, or your organization and ask yourself:

“Who helped make this possible—and have I acknowledged them?”

And if somebody comes to mind… don’t just think about them.

Text them.
Call them.
Thank them.
Give them their flowers.

Because sometimes the person who helped create the moment deserves to know that they mattered in it.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE GET STUCK IN ONE PART OF THE CYCLE?

Your strength isn’t always what the moment requires.

The Cheerleader encourages—but encouragement without challenge can become avoidance or enabling.

The Counselor listens—but listening without movement can leave someone stuck.

The Coach provides direction—but action without understanding can create resistance.

None of these roles is wrong. The problem is getting STUCK in one.

Connection means knowing when to shift:

📣 “I believe in you.”
👂 “Help me understand.”
🎯 “What are we going to do about it?”

Don’t get stuck in your strength. Learn when to move.

📖 The Cycle of Connection is available now.

Which role comes most naturally to you: Cheerleader, Counselor, or Coach?

#1 AMAZON BESTSELLER IN 8 CATEGORIES. 🤯📖🏆

Man… I’m still processing this.

First and foremost, ALL glory belongs to God.

This past weekend we launched The Cycle of Connection: Every Student Needs a Cheerleader, a Counselor, and a Coach—my first book as a solo author.

And y’all showed up in a MAJOR way.

Because of your support, The Cycle of Connection became an Amazon #1 Bestseller in EIGHT categories!

Not one.
Not two.
EIGHT.

To my wife, my kids, family, friends, everybody who came to the launch, bought the book, shared the link, prayed, encouraged me, and believed in the mission God has given me through MovementUP…

THANK YOU.

Thank you to Sugar Ray Destin Jr., BestSeller University, and 413 Publishing for helping me navigate this journey as a first-time solo author.

One thing this process has reminded me:

There is something powerful about waiting on God’s timing.

I’ve written other books, but I never felt released to put them into the world.

This one was different.

God allowed me to teach it, test it, develop it, rewrite it, pray over it, and watch these principles impact real people BEFORE it ever became a book.

Now it’s in the world.

And as grateful as I am for the bestseller recognition, the mission was never simply to sell books.

The mission is IMPACT.

I want these ideas in classrooms, homes, locker rooms, churches, mentoring programs, youth organizations, and anywhere adults are helping young people grow.

I want more young people surrounded by adults who know when to say:

“I believe in you.”
“Talk to me.”
“Let’s get to work.”

So today we celebrate.

🏆 Amazon #1 Bestseller — 8 Categories.

Tomorrow?

WE KEEP BUILDING.

Because this is just the beginning.

📖 The Cycle of Connection is AVAILABLE NOW.

1 DAY. 📖

Tomorrow.

The Cycle of Connection becomes available.

And as we get this close, I keep thinking about who I wrote this book for.

For the educator who’s ever wondered:

“How do I reach the student who keeps pushing me away?”

For the coach asking:

“When do I push harder, and when do I listen?”

For the parent wondering:

“Does my child need encouragement or accountability right now?”

For the mentor asking:

“How do I help without enabling?”

For the counselor, youth leader, administrator, volunteer, and every adult trying to positively impact the life of a young person…

I wrote this for you.

Because caring about young people doesn’t mean we always know what they need from us in the moment.

Sometimes they need a Cheerleader who reminds them who they are and what they’re capable of.

Sometimes they need a Counselor who slows down, listens, and seeks to understand.

Sometimes they need a Coach who challenges them, provides direction, and holds them accountable.

And sometimes they need us to know when to move between all three.

That’s the Cycle.

Tomorrow, I finally get to share it with you.

📖 1 DAY until The Cycle of Connection: Every Student Needs a Cheerleader, a Counselor, and a Coach.

We’re almost there.

3 DAYS. 📖

It’s kinda wild to even type that.

In three days, something I’ve carried, taught, tested, rewritten, prayed over, and watched impact real people becomes available as a BOOK.

And yeah…seeing my name on the cover means something.

But that’s not what excites me most.

I’m thinking about what could happen when the ideas inside the book get off the pages and into real relationships.

🏫 Into classrooms where an educator is trying to reach that one student.

🏠 Into homes where a parent is trying to figure out whether their child needs encouragement, a listening ear, or accountability.

🏀 Into locker rooms where coaches are developing more than athletes.

⛪ Into churches where youth leaders and volunteers are helping young people discover who God created them to be.

🤝 Into mentoring programs where somebody has decided to show up consistently for a young person.

And into everyday conversations where a kid simply needs somebody to say:

📣 “I believe in you.”

👂 “Talk to me.”

🎯 “Let’s get to work.”

That’s what I’m excited about.

Not just a book being released.
A framework being put to work.

If these ideas help one more adult connect intentionally with one more young person, we’re accomplishing the mission.

📖 3 DAYS until The Cycle of Connection: Every Student Needs a Cheerleader, a Counselor, and a Coach.

Let’s get these ideas off the pages and into the places where young people need them.

THIS BOOK ISN’T ABOUT BECOMING A “PERFECT” EDUCATOR.

Because perfect educators don’t exist.

And The Cycle of Connection isn’t another attempt to tell hardworking educators everything they’re doing wrong.

It’s an invitation to become more:

Aware of how you naturally show up.

Intentional about how you respond.

Curious before making assumptions.

Adaptable when what normally works isn’t working.

Connected to the students you’ve been entrusted to serve.

One of the most powerful things we can do as educators and leaders is develop the courage to ask:

“Could there be something I need to adjust?”

Not every student behavior is about us.

Not every difficult classroom situation can be solved by us.

But we can always examine what we bring into the interaction.

Our assumptions.

Our communication.

Our expectations.

Our responses.

Our willingness to listen.

Because sometimes the biggest change in a classroom doesn’t begin with getting the student to change.

Sometimes it begins with the adult being willing to examine themselves first.

That’s growth.

And growth—not perfection—is the goal.

📖 4 DAYS until The Cycle of Connection: Every Student Needs a Cheerleader, a Counselor, and a Coach.

We’re almost there.