In her talk, Liz Dozier describes how “decolonizing” her mind from others’ ideas about culture and behavior allowed her to bring positive change to the lives of her students. As principal, she learned that replacing her rules-and-consequences mindset with a trauma informed outlook led to improved graduation rates, and reduced dropout rates and arrests school-wide. A former educator, Liz Dozier has spent her career working to disrupt the pervasive culture of inequity in urban neighborhoods. In 2016, she launched Chicago Beyond, an impact investor backing the fight for youth equity by fueling ideas, organizations, and people. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx