A prairie-girl, turned Pacific Northwest “island-mama,” I’m proud to have been in the parenting trenches for 2 decades now. Despite having an award-winning parenting book & master’s in counselling psychology under my belt, my best learning has come from working with hundreds of families and moms just like you.
I’m often asked,
Well, in my early 20’s I became a child-care worker and got really good at it. So good in fact, that I became the “it-girl” for the tough behaviour management cases. Frankly, I thought I knew pretty much everything there’s to know about raising kids (don’t you just love the non-parent 20’s ego!).
a “play-at-home-mom,” homeschooling, & “work-from-home” island-living-mama surrounded by organic veggie gardens, temperate rainforests, and rocky beaches
a pragmatic Pollyanna-type & “recovering people-pleaser” who actively works on her boundaries by way of yoga, prayer, & hanging out with supportive girlfriends & family
a down-to-earth, honest, & trustworthy gal, whose crazy passionate about helping mothers reduce their exhaustion & boost their parenting confidence
a past parenting spokesperson, pre-doctoral university counsellor and family counsellor (M.A.) whose’s now turned parenting-coach, in order to have better work-life balance & positively inspire more families just like yours!
Because of my experience, I thought this child-care gig would be a piece of cake. But the night a dessert plate went zinging past my head, I realized I didn’t know it all! I was overwhelmed, humbled & down-right angry (first at them, and then myself!). My dad begged me to quit but I was stubborn & stayed.
Doing my Master’s in Counselling at the time, I was learning from some of the leading parenting experts. So I tested and disseminated their wisdom, organically coming up with my own Joyfully Parenting approach. These common-sense strategies I used in my special “parenting trenches lab” with the boys for over 7 years. It positively turned things around and quickly! Now, they’ve both finished university (one even completed law school!). This is amazing cuz’ for a while there, I thought they’d end up in a delinquent center and I in a psyche-ward.
Amazingly, these tools didn’t just work for us. While counselling families and speaking with parents on the playground, I discovered my strategies also worked to quickly solve common parenting issues for REAL families with REAL problems. Things like:
Temper tantrums
Sibling rivalry
Lying
Lack of confidence
School problems
Anxiety
Overwhelm
Push-back
Bedtime struggles
Disrespect
Complaining and whining
This started me on a path (even before I became a parent myself) that I could’ve never imagined! I became a popular media guest, speaker and educator. This included being a parenting spokesperson where I reached over 1.8 million parents during my one week parenting media tour. When interviewed you’ll here me often say:
The cool thing is, it doesn’t take fancy degrees, nor rocket-science to improve your parenting. Look I don’t have a magic-wand either (I’ve currently misplaced mine). What I have is mother-approved & child-tested strategies that have stood the test of time.
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My role of Play-at-Home Mom is my favourite
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I’ve been honoured to be featured here
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Interviewed recently on street kids & mothers
These tips massively increase the respectful & harmonious interactions you experience. Plus, they can renew your passion for parenting. In fact, you can often turn things around quickly, if you just put a little time in!
That’s why I’ve created free programs like:
It’s my honour to share these things with you. If you’re still reading this, I hope this is just the beginning of our relationship. Love to stay in touch. :-)
I invite you to join me on Facebook in the Joyfully Parenting Community by adding your name and email now. I’ll share with you down-to-earth advice that works to bring out your best and especially your kids! Plus, when you sign up you’ll also get immediate access to the free audio video training called: 3 Must-Do Mom Short-Cuts: Make Your Week 25% Less Exhausting & More Fulfilling
Bonus free audio training on signup
PS. Make sure you get your copy of 3 Must-Do Mom Short-Cuts: Make Your Week 25% Less Exhausting & More Fulfilling so you can make your busy weeks more rewarding and connecting for your family. These little tips can make a huge difference to living family life more joyfully.