2025

Loren DeNicola

Head, West Side Montessori School

“Real power comes from being steady, open, and growth-minded. People follow those who make them feel anchored.”

What qualities define a person with Power?

Power depends entirely on how you define it. It can be used with the best intentions, or it can be abused. To me, real power comes from leadership. It means you’ve built relationships, you’ve shown vision, you’re collaborative, and people gravitate toward you because you’re steady, open, and growth-minded. When someone rises to a position of influence, it’s because their words and their demeanor make others feel anchored. That’s power.

With so many issues—from gun violence to gender equality to child poverty—what feels most pressing right now?

Our divisiveness. We’re so split that we can’t even have healthy conversations anymore. You don’t have to agree with me, but if we can exchange ideas without hostility, everyone benefits. Right now, people vote not for the person they believe in, but against the person they hate. Even symbols like the American flag have become politicized. That level of separation spills into everything—policy, community, empathy. We can’t solve anything until we find our way back to each other.

What can society do to move toward unity?

It won’t happen through grand gestures. It’s small changes that ripple outward—home to home, school to school, community to community. We also have to acknowledge how social media has rewired us. Our brains pick up negative stimuli constantly. To counter that, we have to intentionally practice gratitude, kindness, presence. It sounds simple, but it matters. If we want a better world, we’ll have to shift mindsets in tiny, deliberate ways.

Have you ever faced a challenge that shaped who you are?

Plenty. Loss, identity, growing up—every phase forces you to decide whether you stay stuck or take control of your path. Feeling stuck is the hardest place for a human to be. I’ve been lucky to have challenges that strengthened me. They helped me learn who I am and who I want around me. Surround yourself with people who lift you, not people who keep you frozen.

What was a defining moment in the career path that led you here?

Becoming a mother. Holding my son for the first time, I realized I had this tiny human depending on me, and I needed to understand how children develop, think, and grow. That pushed me toward early-childhood education. Discovering Maria Montessori’s work was the turning point—her understanding of children’s psychology, especially in the most formative years, made everything click. The method aligned with everything I believed about human potential.

Can you share a bit of Montessori’s history and why it resonates with you?

Maria Montessori was born in 1870 in Italy, during a time when women had almost no access to education. She became a physician and dedicated her life to helping children who had experienced extreme trauma—kids everyone else had written off. Through observation, she understood how their minds worked long before modern brain imaging existed. Her philosophy spread globally, including to the U.S. in the mid-1900s, eventually becoming a full educational movement. Her work is a blueprint for compassion, independence, and human development.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Listen to the quiet voice inside you—your intuition. And always be aware of your impact. It’s easier to be angry than kind, but kindness has emotional contagion. Your energy shifts a room, a conversation, a team. Asking yourself, “What impact am I having right now?” can change everything.

What virtue do you think is overrated?

Transparency. And I say that carefully. People throw that word around all the time without understanding it. It’s become a buzzword stripped of meaning. Real transparency requires responsibility, clarity, and honesty, not just saying the word.

What is one of your unbreakable rules in life?

Be kind. Always. It costs nothing and pays dividends.

What counts as a big risk versus a small one?

A big risk is anything that makes you uncomfortable—emotionally, physically, professionally. Discomfort means growth. A small risk is anything that feels easy.

What’s your biggest fear?

Losing connection. Not being alone physically, but being isolated from people. Humans need one another. Connection keeps us grounded.

If you could have any pet, what would it be?

A horse. They’re enormous, but they make you feel both small and protected at the same time. I grew up around horses and miss the peace they bring. I’ll always have dogs, but if I could add anything, it would definitely be a horse.