Claire de Mézerville López welcomes Mushtaq Ahmed Malla to the Restorative Works! Podcast.

Mushtaq joins us and shares his journey that weaves together youth education, mental health counseling, child rights advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to creating humane, relationship-centered systems of justice. He discusses how his Fulbright–Humphrey Fellowship at the University of Minnesota introduced him to restorative practices and connected him with a global network of practitioners. He explains how those insights sparked innovative programs inside his facilities in the Jammu and Kashmir Prisons Department in India, including Writing to Victims, a reflective writing initiative inspired by apology-letter models he observed in the United States. By turning this concept into a structured competition and a circle-based process, he invites incarcerated people to confront their choices, articulate their emotions, and begin the difficult work of self-understanding. The initiative has already led to powerful personal breakthroughs. Mushtaq plans to compile selected writings into a future publication.

Throughout the episode, Mushtaq reflects on what relationship-building means in a prison context, why indigenous cultural knowledge matters, and how restorative approaches can shape policing, schools, reentry, and even national criminal justice policy. His vision points to a future where restorative justice becomes a recognized and respected alternative that supports safety, accountability, and dignity across communities worldwide.

Mushtaq currently serves as the Superintendent in the Jammu and Kashmir Prisons Department, a role he has held for over 12 years. He is responsible for the administration and management of a prison as its head. As a leader in the prison system, he has focused on young offenders and their reformation, with special attention to their access to education. Before working in prisons, he worked in the field of child rights protection for 6 months with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, India, and in the field of mental health counselling and awareness with organizations Médecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Action Aid in Kashmir, India. He holds a bachelor's degree in science and a master's in social work (MSW) from Kashmir University.

Tune in, as this conversation shines a light on how restorative practices take root in some of the most challenging environments and how they open pathways to accountability, healing, and hope.

Email: Sakb.mushtaq@gmail.com

Claire de Mézerville López welcomes Nikki Fynn, Ed.D., to the Restorative Works! Podcast.

We are joined by Dr. Nikki Fynn, a restorative education and leadership consultant whose journey through guilt, grief, and shame has reshaped her approach to healing, leadership, and human-centered systems. She shares with us a pivotal moment from 2018, when a mentor's story about a monkey trapped by its own grip opened a new path for self-examination. That metaphor sparked a deep exploration into the "pulp" she was holding, false beliefs about worthiness, over-functioning, hyper-independence, and the emotional labor she thought she owed the world. Her narrative invites us to reflect on the stories that keep us stuck and to imagine what becomes possible when we finally let go.

She explains how expressive arts, attunement, and holding space became essential tools in her healing and now shape her consulting work with nonprofits, leaders, and communities. Dr. Fynn reminds us that transformation doesn't happen through correction, but through connection, presence, and being truly seen.

With 20 years of trauma-informed education experience, Dr. Fynn taught inclusion to pre-service teachers, supported neurodiverse students through transitions, and secured funding for education and enrichment programs that serve youth of all ages. Equipped with a doctorate in education leadership, a certification in expressive arts, and a master's in public health, she hosts "Words of Heart" sessions for adults to help them with relational issues that influence their professional success. Dr. Fynn's personal restorative work has shaped her leadership approach as a compassionate disruptor in dysfunctional systems. She applies her expertise to grant writing, capacity building, and burnout prevention in nonprofit organizations.

Tune in to hear Dr. Fynn's message: when we reclaim our nervous systems, embrace our differences, and examine our patterns with compassion, we build healthier teams, stronger communities, and more humane organizations.

• View "Words of Heart" sessions: https://restorativeducation.carrd.co/
• View art from restorative sessions: https://www.redbubble.com/people/GrowthUP/shop?asc=u
• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GrowthUpEducation
• Email: growthuped@gmail.com
• LinkedIn @ Nicole Penelope Fynn

In this special collaborative episode, Claire de Mézerville López is joined by cohost Bridget Johnson, current IIRP graduate student and founder of the Deans' Roundtable, an organization that supports student life professionals. Together, they dive into this collaborative episode on Restorative Practices That Move the Needle. Through the power of storytelling and the exchange of in-depth experience, they engage leaders to talk about the implementation of restorative practices, focusing on what it looks like to experience a significant collective transformation that centers community and group empowerment. They are joined by leaders in education: Javaid Khan, Erin Dunlevy, and IIRP Vice President for Partnerships, Keith Hickman.

The panel names a truth many schools and workplaces struggle to confront—hierarchy and efficiency often overshadow relationships. Guests explore why slowing down feels risky, why vulnerability can unsettle leaders, and why communities still default to punitive systems even when they aspire to healing. Erin highlights how true restorative work demands time and trust-building, emphasizing that you cannot restore what has not yet been built. Keith moves the discussion toward the deeper paradigm shift required, urging leaders to move from "fixing to facilitating" and from "power over to power with." He shares how structures of belonging, thoughtful preparation, and shared norms transform spaces into communities capable of meaningful change.

Javaid brings a practical lens, illustrating how schedules, routines, and institutional habits, though inanimate, behave like living barriers unless leaders approach them with curiosity and intention. He shares the transformative power of modeling vulnerability and staying present with staff as they navigate new ways of working. Bridget and Claire guide the dialogue toward the heart of the issue: restorative practices are not quick solutions. They are long-term commitments to culture change, shared language, and humanizing one another in everyday moments, not only in times of harm.

Tune in to find inspiration and clear direction for educators, leaders, and communities seeking sustainable transformation.