About

Welcome to Next Step Collab

We are a space created for those seeking their next-first-step in education. Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, or simply someone who feels out of sync with traditional models of learning, this is a place to pause, explore, and reimagine what education can look like when it’s rooted in the needs of the individual.

At Next Step Collab, we believe that learning should be personal, embodied, and sustainable. If you’ve ever felt that the conventional system doesn’t quite fit — for yourself, your children, or your students — you’re not alone. We’re here to support your journey with thoughtful resources, honest dialogue, and a community that values curiosity over conformity.

Grounded in Experience

My name is Laurie Glazener, founder of Next Step Collab. This work is shaped by a blend of professional study and personal experience. I bring a background in education, nervous system regulation, and sensory development to this project, not just as a researcher or practitioner, but as someone who has lived these questions in real time.
I’ve spent years in schools and educational spaces, wearing many hats from educator to advocate. But what drives me most is the understanding that expertise isn’t just about credentials. It’s about listening, adapting, and being willing to hold space for the complex realities of learning and growing. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I do promise to meet you with transparency, curiosity, and care.

Our Mission

Center the Individual

Uplift diverse voices, share lived experiences, and co-create resources that empower families, educators, and curious minds to rethink what education can be.

Foster Nervous System-Safe Learning

Integrate principles of regulation, sensory awareness, and emotional safety into how we teach, parent, and support development.

Build a Collaborative Learning Community

Honor each learner’s unique needs, rhythms, and strengths by exploring educational paths that support authentic growth and self-understanding.

Collaborative Approach

This isn’t just a project — it’s a collaboration. Through guest contributions, shared experiences, curated readings, and full-length books, we aim to amplify voices that challenge the status quo and invite us to consider more human, sustainable ways of learning.

More than anything, I hope this space becomes a place of encouragement and possibility — where you can breathe, reflect, and remember that education doesn’t have to look just one way.
Together, let’s create supportive, meaningful ways to educate our youth and ourselves in ways that truly fit.

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