"The greatest contribution you can make to the world is to 
grow in self-awareness, self-realization, and the power 
to manifest your own heartfelt dreams and desires. 
The next greatest thing you can do is to help others do the same."
~Jack Canfield

THE PATHWAYS BLOG

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Our Work

Ultimately, the Pathways to Success for Youth Project will be a comprehensive menu of reproducible products that can be easily distributed across the US in the form of professional development for teachers, administrators and youth service workers as well as for credit courses, 8th to 9th grade transition retreats and success principles workshops in school, community and online settings. Call Trisha Jacobson at 603-986-6076 for more information.

Here's where we started, where we are now and what's next:

When Trish was first introduced to Jack Canfield's Success Principles work at a live event in August 2010, she was at a crossroads and considering a career change. But after the first day of the event, instead of focusing on her own future, she found herself so inspired by the training and excited about the impact it would have on her middle and high school students that she went back to her hotel room and began enthusiastically incorporating the success principles into the health curriculum and peer education program she was already teaching through the White Mountain Community Health Center in New Hampshire.

As she learned about subconscious limiting beliefs and how powerful they are in blocking us from what we want to accomplish in life, she began to see how the young people she worked with could benefit from clearing limiting beliefs, thus clearing a path to create a vision for their future. She learned simple yet powerful heart-centered tools that resulted in a deepened connection to self and others and support a culture of personal responsibility, collaboration, respect and support and added to some basic success principles and learning how to intentionally create a blueprint and action plan based on passion and purpose to support creating the life of their dreams.

​Trisha's inspired enthusiasm continued for the entire seven days of the event as she witnessed amazing transformation in herself and the other participants that came from all over the world to train with Jack ... and she knew deep down in her heart and soul that she was onto something.

Jack Canfield has been teaching the principles outlined in his book, Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, to adults interested in personal development, leadership development and business success. Jack began his career in the high school classroom in inner city Chicago where he used the power of story to connect with his students and engage them in learning. This experience was the inspiration for Jack to create the world famous Chicken Soup for the Soul series and write the teacher guide  Building Self Esteem in the Classroom. 

Jack's success principles work is a compilation of over 30 years of research, experience and powerful content including activities, strategies, exercises, tools and techniques designed to build self esteem, manage stress, overcome limiting beliefs, expand creativity and harness the power of the brain and the heart to create a life of passion, purpose and success, however we choose to define it. In addition, this powerful work provides participants with the foundation necessary to successfully pursue entrepreneurial businesses and collaborations and increase joy and happiness.

"Why aren't we teaching these principles to our young people?", Trish wondered as she went through the training. Her head spun with possibilities of developing a full course curriculum, freshman transition program, student leadership retreats, heart centered and empowering workshops to teach and promote connection and positive school culture to replace "anti-bullying" assemblies and professional development workshops for teachers. By the end of the week Trisha had a vision to work to bring this work to schools across the country.

And when she returned to the classroom after the training, she began!

• In September of 2010 she incorporated a few activities into her health classes and peer education training.
• In the summer of 2012 Trisha trained a group of Teen Clinic peer educators using the Pathways to Success for Youth model and incorporated the principles into the clinic.
• In the October 2012, Trish completed a year long Success Principles Train the Trainer course and was personally coached and mentored by Jack Canfield. She obtained Jack's permission to use his entire success principles body of work and adapt it for use with young people.
• In the Spring of 2013, she piloted a full two week curriculum in middle school health classes. The response from students was positive and feedback about several activities were described as "life-changing".
• In the August of 2014, Trish brought a team of young people ages 15-24 to do an intense success principles training with Jack so she could begin to train teachers, youth service providers, parents and youth leaders in the model ... the Pathways to Success for Youth program was born.
• In the Fall of 2014, Trish, along with her youth team, piloted a full two week curriculum in high school health classes. The feedback from her students was overwhelming and totally convinced Trish to pursue her vision for expansion.
• In the Summer of 2015, Trisha became one of Jack's first Certified Success Principles Trainers.
• In the August, 2015 Trisha began building her team's capacity and brought a team of 14 teens, young adults and youth serving professionals to prepare for the next steps in bringing the Success principles to young people.
• In January, 2016 the Pathways to Success for Youth Team received funding to support an 8th to 9th grade transition program to support students and faculty in creating positive school culture and developing success skills during the initial transition to high school and throughout the school year. Stay tuned as this project unfolds and results are reported!
• In August 2016, the team expanded to include adults with important skills (financial management, grant writing, curriculum design, marketing and design) to be part of the Pathways team to help move the vision further along. New members attended BTS and are excited about what's next!
• Currently, Trisha and her the Pathways to Success for Youth Team are working with a school district in NY to implement a professional development series for teachers, a success principles course and an 8th to 9th grade transition program. This program will serve as a model for other high schools. The focus is on creating positive school culture that supports connection and a learning environment that motivates students to take personal responsibility for their own success while developing meaningful relationships with themselves, each other and adult support systems.
• In response to the widespread incidence of school violence as well as the current initiative to create trauma sensitive school culture, Trisha and her team have joined forces with Dr. Deborah Sandella of the RIM Institute to help facilitate education and implementation of RIM as a intervention tool as part of the early identification of risk and preventing school violence.

Trish continues to work with key stakeholders to develop a funding plan to fully develop the curriculum and develop a teacher training program to prepare for further expansion. The goal is to create both live and online curriculum materials that will be readily available and easy to replicate in schools and communities across the country.

In the meantime, Trish continues to incorporate the success principles in her classes, trainings and workshops as well as her mentoring and coaching work with individuals and groups. 

Our Founder

Trish Jacobson is a teen expert, teacher, coach, mentor and best selling author who has worked with teens and young adults in academic and health care settings for over twenty years. She currently coordinates the Teen Clinic, Community Outreach Education and Peer Education programs at White Mountain Community Health Center in Conway, NH where they have one of the very lowest teen pregnancy rates in the US.

​Trish is very proud of the work she and her outreach team are doing to support that fact. She is grateful for the support of the White Mountain Community Health Center clinical staff and administration for standing behind this important work and serving as the 501(c)3 fiscal agent as the Pathways to Success for Youth Project expands.

Over the years of working with young people in the Mount Washington Valley, Trish has noticed that lack of connection, limiting beliefs about what's possible and lack of a vision for the future seem to be related to low self esteem and decreased engagement in academic and social settings as well as in the workplace ... all of which is linked to increased risk behavior, including substance use and unintended pregnancy.

Here's what Trish says about the Pathways to Success for Youth Project:

This work is sooooooo powerful and exciting! In addition to providing proven success principles, this curriculum teaches the tools and techniques to identify, reframe and clear the subconscious blocks and barriers that hold us back from reaching our full potential while communicating from a heart centered place where we easily connect to ourselves and others, thus enhancing self esteem, connection and empowerment, creating a culture of community and collaboration.

This work helps to improve academic engagement, increase motivation, enhance work readiness, support healthy decision making and helps students connect with their unique purpose and personal vision of success and and tools they can use to reach their fullest potential. 

Students participate in exercises, activities and projects that help them develop personal assets and self esteem while they learn effective stress management, communication and success skills.

I see HUGE application in reducing unintended pregnancy, enhancing academic success, and reducing substance use in teens by giving them the tools to clear subconscious blocks to success and connect with themselves and others from a heart centered place guided by love, compassion and joy while also learning how to take 100% responsibility for their thoughts, words and actions while learning how to set goals and develop action and accountability plans that lead to success.

At the same time, the success principles teach practical tools, skills and the mindset necessary to be creative employees or successful entrepreneurs, in today's changing workforce.

"Did you know that studies indicate that 50% of adults in the US don't enjoy their work. Imagine a world where everyone was in line with their passion and purpose for being on the planet. This content has the potential to transform youth, adults, families, workplaces, communities and the world! In fact, it already has!"

Not only is Trish passionate about the success principles, she is also passionate about skiing. For the past 18 years she has taught skiing at King Pine Ski Are in Madison, NH. She currently serves as the Director of the Ski and Snowboard School at King Pine. Click here to read an article about how Trish incorporated some of the success principles into her department  and the impact it had on her staff and customer service they provided.

​Get a copy of Trisha's latest book here

Forward by Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and the Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Trisha and Jack

Click on the Success Principles book cover below to go into into the classroom with Trish and a class of middle school students to get a glimpse of the power of the Pathways to Success work in action. Even though Trish has been teaching this work to kids and adults for 5 years, she is always surprised at the transformation she witnesses in her classrooms and workshops. This  story was published in the 10th Anniversary edition of the Success Principles.

Trish loves to talk with groups, decision makers and youth service professionals about her experience with this work and her vision to expand the Success Principles on a national level as she continues to explore funding venues and collaborative partnerships to do just that. Trish also consults with educators, trainers and administrators to help them implement this work in their schools and communities.

Click here to find out the many ways you can help support this project!

In addition, Trish recently purchased a wonderful property in the beautiful White Mountains on the shore of Silver Lake in Madison, NH. Due to a series of amazing synchronicities and and family memories, Trish has named the property Ripple on Silver Lake. (Read the story about how it got it's name here.) In addition to providing guests with a unique vacation venue during the summer, Ripple on Silver Lake will be the site of community gatherings, mastermind meetings, writers retreats and other multi day events designed to support the expansion of human potential and transformation.

This winter Trish is excited to host a unique gap year program for college students who are entusiastic about snowsports and success. Details can be found here.

Our Team

Meet Mikayla Cerney. She is the lead peer educator at the White Mountain Community Health Center and serves as the Pathways Team Leader. Mikayla has been working with Trish for over ten years. They first met in 7th grade health class when Mikayla was 12 and Trish was teaching in her health class. Today, Mikayla often joins Trish in the classroom and helps to facilitate Pathways activities and exercises. She is a graduate of Jack's Success Principles Train the Trainer Program and truly embraces the power and potential of bringing this work to our youth.

Here's what Mikayla has to say about this work. 

Patty Aubery, President of The Canfield Training Group interviews members of the Pathways to Success for Youth Team about the impact of this work on young people.

​Meet the Pathways to Success for Youth Team

Marissa, Molly, Marianna, Grace, Jack Canfield, Trisha, Mikayla, Meg and Faith at BTS 2014

Front: Jen, Olivia, Lea, Marianna, our friend and supporter Forrest, Mikayla and Chance. Back: Jacqueline, Nichole, Whitney, Drea, Meg and Kelly at BTS 2015

Top: Jen, our newest members Sue, Lexi and Linda, Trisha along with (bottom) Marianna, Marissa, and Mikalya

The original team, formed in the summer of 2014, recently welcomed ten new members to add to our existing skills, expertise and experience to expand our reach and build capacity as we move forward with our vision to bring the Success Principles into the classroom.

 Most Pathways team members have worked with Trish in some capacity and all have a strong desire to further develop the Pathways to Success for Youth curriculum and help get this work implemented in schools across the country. 

The team successfully raised over $9500 to train new members at Breakthrough to Success in August 2014, $6000 in 2015 and $5200 to train the newest team members through several fund raising events and campaigns. We now have 21 team members comprised of teens, twenty-somethings and older adults who bring a variety of life experiences, skills and talents who are ready to support our next steps in this powerful project.

Our next big goal is to raise $100,000 to support the creation of a youth friendly video series, curriculum, student workbooks and teacher guide to accompany the content. Visit How You Can Help! to learn more.

A bit more about our Success Principles training adventures ...

Here's a glimpse into the training room and the impact this transformative work has on young people and how they connect with themselves and others while clearing blocks and creating their vision for a successful future.

Patty Aubery, President of The Canfield Training Group interviews members of the Pathways to Success for Youth Team about the impact of this work on young people.

Bringing a little BTS love to TSA at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

And a side trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon!