Christy Belz welcomes her friend and fellow Colorado advocate Mindy Watrous, President and CEO of the Tennyson Center for Children, for a conversation that moves between the personal and the profound. From becoming a foster parent at 23 to leading one of Colorado’s most impactful children’s nonprofits, Mindy’s path was never planned — it was pulled, thread by thread, by a love for kids the world too often overlooks. This is a warm, candid conversation about trauma-informed care, the courage to follow your passion, and why second chances aren’t just a philosophy at Tennyson — they’re the whole point.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts!
Key Takeaways
- One Choice That Changed Everything: Mindy traces her entire career — and her family — back to an accidental placement at a therapeutic foster care agency at age 23.
- What Trauma Actually Looks Like: She breaks down how trauma shows up in children — from acting out to complete withdrawal — and why something as simple as a closed door can send a child into crisis.
- When the Building Itself Heals: Mindy shares how Tennyson partnered with trauma-informed architectural firm Shopworks to design a space where everything — colors, textures, open doors — communicates safety.
- Second Chances as a Practice: She explains how Tennyson operationalizes second chances for kids and staff alike, through restorative justice and incident debriefs.
- The Mistake That Reshaped Her Leadership: Mindy opens up about a high-stakes error at Special Olympics, and how a board mentor’s grace — and a story about a semi-truck full of outdated stationery — permanently changed the way she leads.
Resources Mentioned:
Crossroads Event – Journey of Rebecoming: https://visitdenver.com/event/crossroads%3A-the-journey-of-rebecoming/138692/
Connect with Mindy Watrous:
Website: https://www.tennysoncenter.org/
Email: mindy.w@tennysoncenter.org
Paths to Healing Spring Luncheon: https://e.givesmart.com/events/Mlh/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-watrous-9833195
Connect with Christy Belz:
Website: https://christybelz.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/