He’s back! The great Vernon Mason returns as one of the podcast’s most popular guests to help celebrate this milestone 200th episode. He and Kris reflect on leadership, legacy, and what it really means to be present.

In this episode, Vernon shares his beautiful wisdom and journey from growing up in an in-home child care program to building and selling a five-site child care business, and now helping grow The Nest into a 52-location powerhouse. Together, he and Kris chat about the realities of leadership today including accountability, toxic positivity, turnover trends, universal pre-K challenges, and financial uncertainty. They also remind us that every day is a gift, and leadership is all about showing up authentically, building real relationships, and staying grounded in gratitude.

Key Takeaways:

[6:15] Kris, the bucket list queen, talks about her adventure to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

[8:09] Vernon is the only person to be on the podcast three times!

[9:19] Vernon talks about being the “trifecta” in child care. He shares how he grew his child care company from one to five centers before selling, and how that transition shaped his leadership.

[16:18] Is labor starting to stabilize?

[22:04] The mindset to get out of fear-based leadership, crisis mode, and the scarcity mindset.

[24:26] The difference between toxic positivity and effective leadership and management.

[27:33] Strategies for accountability and preparing for the unknown in the future.

[30:15] The importance of both staying optimistic and taking action in the right direction.

[34:15] Building a parent referral reward program.

[38:29] Vernon talks about The Nest and maintaining relationships with leaders.

[42:47] Incentivizing teachers to stay present and view the classroom as a safe space.

Quotes:

• “We don’t have a dress rehearsal for this. This is the real show here, right? There are no do-overs, right? This is the life we’ve been given, and I want to make an impact. I want to be the best person that I can be.” — Vernon [15:17]

• “Accountability without a relationship is viewed as harassment.” — Vernon quoting Stephen [19:22]

• “Your people will never be more enthusiastic than leadership.” — Vernon [22:04]

• “Whatever you focus on most, you get more of.” — Vernon [25:57]

• “To me, presence is everything. That’s it. We only have this moment, so we’ve got to just juice it up and just be here for it.” — Kris [42:16]

• “The kids, they have that sixth sense, that intuition, they’re going to feel that whether the teacher is coming to the day with the energy of openness and presence or worry and stress and fear and arms crossed.” — Kris [44:41]

• “I really feel as if this industry is in my DNA.” — Vernon [46:52]

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

Don’t Waste a Crisis, by Vernon Mason

The Nest

Jessica Harris is the owner of Four Sisters Childcare in Linden, Utah - a thriving center named after her four daughters. Alongside her husband, she’s built a program that’s now serving 91 full-time equivalent students with a capacity of 86 and a waitlist. But her real work goes beyond enrollment.

In this episode, Jessica shares her journey from running a home daycare to leading a full-blown center, all while growing as a leader, navigating fear, and learning how to truly step into her power. She opens up about the deep personal habits that ground her, the way she teaches resilience to her staff, and how she learned to treat herself like the CEO of her own life with systems, policies, and boundaries.

She talks with Kris about how she rebuilt from burnout, found peace in structure, and created a culture where small daily wins add up to big growth.

Key Takeaways:

[2:58] Kris is heading to Bali to work on her leadership, mindset, and spiritual growth.

[7:02] Jessica and her husband run Four Sisters Childcare, named after their four daughters. The center started as an in-home program and now serves 91 FTE students with a waitlist.

[8:28] A push from Kris at a conference inspired Jessica to expand into a center - an idea that changed everything.

[11:42] Jessica was never someone who dreamed big, but learning to shift her mindset has helped her move from fear to confidence.

[16:59] The past year brought clarity: her center’s “why” is teaching resilience, not just to children, but to her staff.
[19:04] Personal growth, including spiritual habits and consistency, helped Jessica move through fear and burnout.

[22:02] Missing her daily practices for just two weeks during Summit reminded her how essential small habits are for inner peace.
[23:29] Jessica teaches her staff to create “personal policies and procedures” the same way a company would, down to details like where to leave a retainer at night.
[26:51] Her team resonated deeply with the message, and starting small helped them follow through on goals they’d struggled with for years.
[28:09] Jessica applies the CEO mindset to social media habits too: setting systems and supervision helps her stay accountable without cutting Instagram out entirely.
[30:46] Systems = success. Whether it’s the gym or your phone, adjusting your system helps you follow through.
[36:41] Just like sharing your brownies, it’s important to share your strengths and successes.
[38:17] Marketing strategy: strong Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram stories, a busy road, rotating banners, and word-of-mouth from alumni families.
[41:56] Jessica and her husband pursued a second location but learned through the process that they needed a little more time to prepare.
[44:25] Not getting the building was a hard lesson in acceptance but also an opportunity for growth, reflection, and systems testing.

Quotes:

• “Get comfortable being uncomfortable, and you'll see the growth.” [12:30] - Jessica

• “I have slowly been learning my passion and realizing that resilience, along with communication, is just huge. It’s huge.” [19:05] - Jessica

• “We are our own CEOs, and we have to have policies and procedures for ourselves, and we have to follow them just like a company. If you don't do that, it fails.” [23:29] - Jessica

• “If you do what you say you're going to do, then you have a higher level of deservingness, self love and value.” [27:50] - Kris

• “When things either go my way or don't go my way, it's like, I'm not going to put power into wanting to claw at it and control it and need it and be in resistance to the fact that it's not working. It's just to be in acceptance and it'll flow.” [45:08] - Jessica

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

Four Sisters Child Care