
I AM SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE

The dahlia flower symbolizes inner strength, positivity, kindness, creativity, resilience, growth, beauty, and love. Courageous Dahlia empowers children, teens, and adults to embrace these qualities and apply them to their lives as they grow into their most authentic selves.

Hi! I'm Mandie Wilder the founder and visionary behind Courageous Dahlia. I hold both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education, but my greatest insights have come from nearly two decades of teaching and inspiring in public schools. I hold a deep passion for helping people discover and embrace their authentic selves in a world full
Hi! I'm Mandie Wilder the founder and visionary behind Courageous Dahlia. I hold both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education, but my greatest insights have come from nearly two decades of teaching and inspiring in public schools. I hold a deep passion for helping people discover and embrace their authentic selves in a world full of challenges. This platform provides resources designed to build courage, boost self-esteem, and empower people to lead fulfilling, inspired lives. I live in Minnesota with my husband, our three school-aged children, and our beloved dog, Chase.

What does it mean to be a courageous kid? Courage can show up in many ways—like doing the right thing even when it’s hard, being kind and inclusive, telling the truth, trying something new, learning a new skill, admitting mistakes, and standing up for your values. At Courageous Dahlia, I help kids practice using their courage to build a b
What does it mean to be a courageous kid? Courage can show up in many ways—like doing the right thing even when it’s hard, being kind and inclusive, telling the truth, trying something new, learning a new skill, admitting mistakes, and standing up for your values. At Courageous Dahlia, I help kids practice using their courage to build a brighter world while gaining self-confidence and resilience along the way.
Below, you’ll find my first published children’s book, Do you Know I Love Your Bow? that teaches kids about the power of their words and encourages kindness and inclusion. Also enjoy the free kids activity pages that go along with the book. Simply download, print or upload to a tablet, and enjoy!

Now offering the AlignUp™ Rising Leaders Series. A collection of fun, hands-on and in-person workshops designed to help middle schoolers grow in confidence, self-awareness, communication, and leadership. Each 1.5-hour session includes interactive activities and creative take-home projects so kids can practice new skills and leave with something they’re proud of.

AlignUp™ is a structured program built to guide clients through sessions where they leave with a deeper understand of themselves, more confidence, leadership skills and new found clarity to lead and design the life they want.
Clients also leave with a comprehensive Self-Awareness Profile outlining their core values, strengths, decision-mak
AlignUp™ is a structured program built to guide clients through sessions where they leave with a deeper understand of themselves, more confidence, leadership skills and new found clarity to lead and design the life they want.
Clients also leave with a comprehensive Self-Awareness Profile outlining their core values, strengths, decision-making style, growth areas and personalized strategies for continued development as they begin their journey in creating the life that aligns with who they want to become. Additionally, they'll receive a certificate of completion and can add this training to their resume.

Adults, there is a program for you too- I offer an adult version of AlignUp™ developed to help clients reconnect with themselves, find their spark to live the intentional life they are meant to live. This is a structured program built to guide clients through a deep self-awareness process, that I have benefited from in my life and want
Adults, there is a program for you too- I offer an adult version of AlignUp™ developed to help clients reconnect with themselves, find their spark to live the intentional life they are meant to live. This is a structured program built to guide clients through a deep self-awareness process, that I have benefited from in my life and wanted to share with others! Clients leave with a deeper understanding of themselves, tools to continue to lead their lives in an authentic way and more confidence and new found clarity to lead and design the life they want!
This is where living begins. I'm very excited for you to begin this journey that has helped many, including myself, to live their most aligned life.
I'm here when you're ready!

This inspiring book shows children how a little courage—and one simple compliment—can make a big difference. Through encouraging words and relatable lessons, kids learn to recognize and celebrate the unique qualities in others, sparking meaningful friendships and fostering inclusion. With each compliment, children build bridges of understanding, enhance social skills, and create an environment where everyone feels seen and valued.Perfect for home or classroom use, this book is a powerful resource for parents and teachers to encourage conversations about kindness, inclusion, and the joy of connecting with others.






Feel free to download as many supplemental worksheets and activities for children 4 years - 10 years. We hope you find these helpful, fun and enjoyable!
Handwriting with the Characters Pre-K - 1st Grade (2) (pdf)
DownloadCourageous Compliment _ Pre-K to 2nd Grade (pdf)
DownloadCourageous Compliment _ Free Writing 1st grade - 4th grade (pdf)
DownloadRoll With Me To Learn More About Others _ 1st grade - 4th grade (pdf)
DownloadKWL Learn About the Characters - 1st - 4th Grade (pdf)
DownloadStandard Valentine (pdf)
DownloadValentine Printouts Personalize (pdf)
DownloadThe AlignUp™ Rising Leaders Series is a collection of fun, hands-on workshops designed to help middle schoolers grow in confidence, self-awareness, communication, and leadership. Each 1.5-hour session includes interactive activities and creative take-home projects, like bracelets, vision boards, and kindness jars, so kids can practice new skills and leave with something they’re proud of.
Parents can feel good about signing their child up because these workshops help students:
Best of all, students don’t need to attend every session. They can pick and choose the workshops that fit their schedule and interests, making it easy, flexible, and fun to join anytime! Please claim your seat 1 week before session date to ensure enough supplies and seat availability. See you soon!

AlignUp™ is a guided self-awareness and life design program for teens or adults who want to better understand themselves and create a life that feels aligned and intentional.
Through structured reflection, interactive exercises, and practical tools, I guide participants as they explore their values, strengths, motivators, emotional patterns, and decision-making styles.
AlignUp™ - Self-Awareness & Leadership: Teens & young adults gain clarity, confidence and leadership skills as they begin to understand themselves and design a life of success and meaning.
AlignUp™ - Lead Your Life: Adults reconnect with themselves, break out of autopilot, and rediscover a sense of purpose, and direction that reignites their spark to build a life that aligns with who they are.
AlignUp™ is built from practices, strategies, and research-based tools that have deeply impacted my own life. I’ve thoughtfully brought together some of the most effective and life-impacting concepts into one powerful 8-session experience, creating a structured opportunity for you to better understand who you are, what matters most to you, and how to build the life you are meant to live.
This program is designed to meet you where you are and help you make meaningful progress toward living with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
If you’re feeling called to this, trust that feeling. It might be your time.
I’m here when you’re ready and I’m so excited for you to begin this journey!

Students will leave with:
Students will leave with:

You will leave with:
You will leave with:

This journal was created to help you slow down, reflect, and connect with what truly matters to you. Through 90 days of thoughtful prompts and honest reflection, you will explore your values, strengthen your confidence, and gain clarity about the life you want to create.
There are no right or wrong answers, only your truth.
You'll move through these pages at your own pace. Be curious. Be open. Most importantly, be courageous enough to listen to your own voice.
Your most aligned life begins with self-awareness.
Welcome to the journey!
We offer interactive and engaging workshops on values, courage, character building, healthy communication and self-awareness for ages 9+. We work with group leaders to create a workshop fit for your group or team. We've worked with clubs, sports teams and various other youth groups. If you're looking for an inspirational workshop for your group, reach out today to learn how Courageous Dahlia could be the fit you're looking for.


Hi There!
For over 18 years, I’ve worked with teens during some of the most important and challenging years of their lives. And I kept noticing the same thing… these were incredible kids - smart, capable, full of potential - and they weren’t lacking ability. They were lacking clarity and confidence in who they were and where they were going. Sometimes leading to anxiety, depression and lack of motivation.
Over time, I realized this doesn’t just show up in teens. We’re not really taught how to understand ourselves or live in alignment and a lot of adults end up feeling stuck, disconnected, or like they’ve lost their spark.
I know that feeling, because I’ve lived it. There was a period in my own life where I felt largely unaligned and honestly, pretty miserable. I knew I didn't need to live feeling like that, and I had no idea where to start, I just knew I needed to do something to find myself again. That "something" started with long walks and flooding my brain with positive and thought-provoking podcasts which led to more growth than I thought was possible. I started to do more work on myself. I started seeking out tools, learning, reflecting, and slowly reconnected to who I am and how I want to live.
Along the way, I gathered and developed practices that truly made a difference and over time, AlignUp™ became a culmination of the tools, strategies, and insights that were most impactful. And it changed everything for me. I got my spark back and my life started to open up in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
So AlignUp™ came to life because I want to help others. I want to share this impactful work with people who need it- so they can live the life they were meant to live. I believe there is an important piece missing in our education system and that piece is learning about ourselves as a foundational and fundamental part of our life-long learning journey.
Using my teaching and curriculum design skills, I created AlignUp™ to help teens build this awareness early as they begin designing their lives in hopes the skills and tools gained will help them along their journey and keep them from losing themselves completely along the way.
And, I created AlignUp™ Reconnect to Lead Your Life, for the adults who haven't been given the chance or guidance to learn about themselves in the way I needed to when I was lost - to create a space for adults who are ready to reconnect with themselves, get their spark back and start living more intentionally to build a life they desire and are excited about. We all deserve this!
You don’t have to have it all figured out you just have to be willing to take a step toward yourself and I am here to help you!
I’d love to meet you when you’re ready 🤍
– Mandie
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