BuildingBlocs Academy

BuildingBlocs Academy is a dynamic online learning platform developed by Dr. Lori Pisani &  Aaron B. Kershaw. Built on the belief that emotional intelligence and financial literacy are just as essential as academic knowledge, the Academy offers modular, trauma-informed courses designed for lifelong learners, including veterans, reentry participants, caregivers, and young professionals.

Every course is grounded in a standalone book, like Budget Like a Boss, Built from the Inside, or Strategic Empathy, and combines storytelling, workbook activities, reflection prompts, and quizzes. Learners receive a Certificate of Completion, but more importantly, they gain practical tools to make immediate change in their lives. The experience is described as “a conversation, not a lecture,” with an approachable tone and veteran-led delivery.

Key learning pathways include budgeting, veteran transition, reentry healing, leadership, career readiness, and mindfulness. Whether taken as a mini-course or a full-length intensive, each journey is SEL-aligned, emotionally grounded, and designed to build lasting capacity.

What sets BuildingBlocs apart is its mentor-first philosophy, where learning is relational, growth is scaffolded, and change is rooted in real life, not theory.

• Audience: Veterans, parents, young adults, professionals, reentry participants
• Core Focus: Emotional intelligence, finance, leadership,  life transition
• Format: Book-backed courses (mini/full-length) with workbooks, quizzes, certification
• Tools: Reflection exercises, templates, case-study videos, quizzes, certification
• Pathways Offered: Budgeting, Veteran transition, Career, Business, Mindfulness, Leadership
• Setting: Fully online, self-paced with community support and optional cohort learning
• Spiritual Lens: Values-driven and inclusive, with a warm, mentor-style tone

• Audience: Transitioning veterans
• Core Focus: Civvy-life readiness ,  financial knowledge, leadership, compliance, and workplace success
• Format: Multiple self-paced courses (e.g., Budget Like a Boss, Money Adventure, Strategic Empathy, EEO training, industry-specific modules)
• Tools: Budgeting courses, leadership training, compliance guides, career      onboarding resources
• Setting: Online courses + optional coaching and peer community 
• Outcome: Builds financial confidence, career strategies, and emotional regulation      for post-service life

• Audience: Adults, veterans, job seekers, young families
• Core Focus: Budgeting, debt management, saving, wealth foundation
• Format: Mini-to-full courses (Budget Like a Boss, Money Adventure), with Spanish version and companion workbook
• Tools: Budget templates, debt payoff tools, financial quizzes
• Setting: Online, integrated into various pathways 
• Outcome: Builds lifelong financial skills and confidence

 Family Reset Pathway

• Audience: Parents, caregivers, blended families, youth navigating family change
• Core Focus: Communication, emotional regulation, trust rebuilding, conflict resolution
• Format: Mini-to-full courses (Before It Spills, Steady in the Storm, Say It Anyway), with companion guides and worksheets
• Tools: Conversation starters, family activity plans, repair scripts, self-reflection exercises
• Setting: Online or in-person, adaptable for workshops, counseling, or home use
• Outcome: Restores connection, strengthens resilience, and builds lasting family trust

FosterWorks Pathway

• Audience: Foster parents, kinship caregivers, teens in care, social workers
• Core Focus: Trauma-informed care, youth voice empowerment, trust and relationship building, stability in placements
• Format: Mini-to-full courses (Steady in the Storm, Say It Anyway), with youth and caregiver tracks
• Tools: Healing activities, trust-building exercises, journaling prompts, communication frameworks
• Setting: Online learning with printable resources, ideal for agencies, training sessions, and home integration
•  Outcome: Improves caregiver-youth relationships, reduces placement disruptions, and supports emotional healing for all parties

• Audience: Entrants into workforce, professionals, small business employees
• Core Focus: Job-readiness, onboarding processes, benefits, compliance, and workplace effectiveness
• Format: Cohort or self-paced learning (2–10 modules), aligned to HR/OSHA/EEOC standards
• Tools: Budgeting, career planning, EEO and onboarding compliance, role-specific      skill training
• Setting: Online + business integration 
• Outcome: Increases employability, compliance awareness, and team productivity

• Audience: Entrepreneurs, leaders, teams
• Core Focus: Leadership, emotional intelligence, business fundamentals
• Format: Book‑backed courses (e.g., Strategic Empathy), toolkits, workbooks, coaching
• Tools: Empathy scripts, team check‑ins, project planning guides
• Setting: Online group workshops, leadership cohorts 
• Outcome: Elevates team culture, conflict resolution, and ethical leadership

• Audience:  Justice-impacted individuals (adults & youth), mentors
• Core Focus: Identity, trauma healing, emotional regulation, leadership
• Format: 10-book curriculum + digital modules + facilitator certification + peer mentoring
• Tools: Mirror tools, emotional frameworks, facilitator manuals, SEL-aligned frameworks 
• Setting: Prisons, reentry programs, schools, youth diversion settings
• Outcome: Trauma-informed healing, reduced recidivism, leadership development