About Us

“Where your talents and the world’s needs cross, there lies your vocation.” -A wise person (that may be Aristotle)

MEET THE TEAM

  • Amy Johnson

    FOUNDER / CO-CREATOR / MENTOR / FACILITATOR

  • Ella Johnson

    CO-CREATOR / MENTOR

  • Sheila Arthur

    MENTOR / GUEST FACILITATOR

ABOUT

CORE VALUES: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION

Core Values for Teens is a distinctive program within the Amy Johnson Company which is dedicated to helping individuals find fulfillment, purposeful direction and positive impact by aligning their lives, projects and businesses to their Core Values.

As a mom to two teenagers, Amy Johnson had an idea to create a Core Values: High School Edition to help current Juniors and Seniors during this pivotal time in their life. She recognized that this turning point in their lives was a profound opportunity for them to gain meaningful insight about themselves and what matters to them. She saw the benefit of this when her own daughter, Ella Johnson was applying to college in the fall of 2020.

It goes without saying that this time of life can be enormously stressful for students and their families. The hope is this program can relieve some of that pressure and stress. In the changing climate of the College application process, Amy noticed that each student was going to have to speak with clarity and purpose about themselves in a new way, especially as 75% of Colleges and Universities were going testing optional. This meant the student’s essays and personal statements would become even more critical in the application process. Yet, the reality is most students don’t have the tools, context or self awareness to write insightfully and meaningful about themselves. It simply isn’t taught in High School, even at schools with counseling and human development programs. Ella realized this for herself, and decided to attend Amy Johnson Company’s (aka her mom’s) Discover Your Core Values Workshop© in September 2020.

After taking the workshop, Ella found the self-reflection and understanding about her values helpful to her as she applied to colleges, defined her majors and wrote about herself in her personal statement. (See Ella’s Note below.) Out of this experience, Ella and Amy decided to collaborate and develop at program so that other teens could benefit from the Core Values work. Thus began the mother & daughter collaboration and launch of the program Core Values for Teens: High School Edition!

Ella & Amy at Venice Beach

September 2021

CORE VALUES

  • INTEGRITY

    Staying true and transparent with our words, actions and beliefs. We walk the walk and do so with care and consciousness for ourselves and others.

  • CONNECTION

    We appreciate each other by being present, speaking kindly and being compassionate. We focus on what connects us rather than what separates us.

  • CREATIVITY

    We think outside the box with vision and imagination. We hold the space for actively opposing ideas like style/substance, bold/delicate, patience/action

  • COLLABORATION

    We work together to develop creative solutions that have a positive impact. We develop, learn and grow through sharing ideas and a collective wellness.

  • FLOURISH

    We create opportunities for all students, mentor and staff to thrive and live with vitality and well-being. We use our skills to be a positive force for good.

  • SUSTAINABILITY

    We operate with a reverence for the natural world and uphold the well-being of the planet, people and animals for today and tomorrow.

  • GRATITUDE

    We see the world from a place of gratitude and appreciation. We live life fully and honor the time we spend together from a mindset of thankfulness.

A NOTE FROM ELLA:

When I began writing my college essays, I knew I had a lot of compelling stories to tell that could show insight into who I was BUT I couldn’t identify what those insights were. Once I did the DISCOVER YOUR CORE VALUES WORK and this WORKBOOK (and through many conversations with my mom) it all became clearer. 

I eventually wrote my Common App essay about reconciling my grandfather’s racism and my simultaneous love for him.  It was the epitome of internal struggle. I was wrestling with how to reconcile loving someone who blatantly disagrees with what I believe in. The question that I sought to answer was how do I love someone that embodies what I stand against? I worked for weeks -months- on it but kept feeling like something was off. I couldn’t figure out how to conclude it. I didn’t know how to explain how I could do both - I didn’t even know that I could.

After doing the core values work, something finally came to me and stuck: I don't agree with what my grandfather believes in because of my values of Justice, Equality and Love, but if I let our disagreements decide that I could no longer love him, then I wasn’t staying true to my values either. My continued love for my grandfather showed that I still embodied what I believed in - Love - even when he didn’t. Without the knowledge, understanding and language of my Core Values, I wouldn’t have come to this conclusion so clearly. It helped me articulate this complex insight in a meaningful way. The response I received from my essay was great, and more importantly, I felt sure of my internal decisions. I was able to have both my disdain for racism yet unconditional love of others be true without feeling guilty. It definitely helped that I will also attend UCLA this fall, and I have faith that any school who read my application, saw me for me and either accepted who I was and what I believed in, or didn’t. I know that the ones who didn’t see that, wouldn’t have been a good match anyways. 

Trust yourself and trust what you believe in :) 

Xoxo  ELLA

Westtown School Pilot Program 2022

Core Values: High School Edition is being used by College Counseling at the prestigious boarding school, Westtown in West Chester, PA.

“When you live from your core values, everything becomes simpler. Decisions, plans, and direction become clear because your values tell you where you want to go and how to get there.” -Amy Johnson