Nicholas Bradford is the founder and Executive Director of the National Center for Restorative Justice, where he and his team help schools across the country transform discipline systems into spaces for healing, accountability, and connection.
A former teacher in Vermont and Washington and a 24-year Coast Guard veteran, Nicholas brings a grounded, compassionate, and deeply practical approach to what it means to build emotionally safe schools. His work challenges educators to replace punishment with purpose and to see conflict as an opportunity for growth rather than control.
In this episode, Ashanti and Nicholas unpack what it truly means to create restorative systems that work for kids, for teachers, and for entire school communities.
Together, they dive into:
The difference between punishment and consequences and why most schools confuse the two
How restorative justice actually builds accountability and belonging
Why “slowing down” conflict helps kids (and adults) process and grow
What it takes to shift school culture from compliance to connection
The masks educators wear: confidence, productivity, and quiet doubt
How identity, harm, and vulnerability show up for both students and teachers
Why apology and repair are essential leadership skills
How Nicholas’s own journey from teaching to restorative work reshaped his view of justice, empathy, and education
Nicholas challenges us to rethink a core question:
Are we trying to get even, or are we trying to get better?
And what might happen if every classroom became a space where accountability was human, not punitive?
Timestamps:
(0:00) Welcome & introduction
(0:22) Nicholas on his path from teaching to restorative justice work
(3:44) Why suspensions don’t change behavior, “Kids just get better at not getting caught”
(6:40) Punishment vs. consequences: Nicholas breaks down the difference
(14:06) The masks Nicholas wears: capable, caring, productive, and the doubts underneath
(19:17) How restorative circles help students take off their masks
(25:23) What restorative justice really looks like in schools
(29:56) Building connection as prevention: belonging, relationships, and safety
(34:12) Personal work before systems work: why adult regulation matters
(38:55) “An unregulated mind can’t regulate another unregulated mind”
(43:19) Accountability as an off-ramp from punishment
(46:18) Restorative justice in action: student stories of harm and repair
(48:07) Resources, books, and mindset shifts for educators
(50:31) Closing reflections: conflict as opportunity for learning
Connect with Nicholas Bradford
Website: National Center for Restorative Justice
LinkedIn: Nicholas Bradford
Book: A Real World Guide to Restorative Justice in Schools
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