My story
My husband and I did everything the parenting books told us. We were consistent, had rules and limits, weren't afraid to say no and always followed through when rules were broken with an appropriate consequence or punishment.
But we soon realized that what we were doing wasn’t working. In fact, the tools we were using were just making things worse.
So, if what I now call “conventional” parenting wasn't working, what the heck were we supposed to do?
That was a turning point in my life as a parent, and in my life in general. I spent the next several years trying to find the answer – I read gazillions of parenting books, researched the web, talked to therapists, called mental health organizations – anything I could do to find a better way.
We learned we had to completely change the way we parented.
Fortunately we found a new way and were thrilled to see the changes in our family. With our new parenting tools we were able to lower the temperature in our home and increase cooperation. We now have the skills to raise our daughters in a supportive way that helps them reach their full potential in a compassionate, supportive way rather than killing their spirit.
And now I’m committed to empowering as many parents as possible to flip the script on parenting so they can enjoy more peace, more cooperation, more connection and more joy as a parent. Generational change begins with us.
About Me
As a Certified Parent Coach I empower parents to make the shift to a non-punitive, solutions-based approach to parenting. I help parents move from stress, anger and fear to peace, acceptance and hope by shifting the focus from controlling our children to controlling themselves.
Using my four-part FLIP framework, I coach parents on mindset, self-regulation, and relationship building with their children. I also teach parents new, effective and respectful parenting tools to replace the ones not working. Rather than focusing on the misbehavior itself, I teach parents how to identify what is driving their child’s misbehavior and how to respond in ways that teach important skills such as problem solving, communication, impulse control and emotional regulation.
In addition to being a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator, I am committed to researching and learning the latest in parenting methods and therapies, and have studied several different approaches including Ross Greene's Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) and Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT). I am also a member of the Positive Discipline Association and International Coach Federation.
I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego and minored in economics and dance.
In addition to my work as a Parent Coach and Educator, I am a contributor for The OC Mom Collective and Mission Viejo Chapter President and a Class Coordinator for Lion’s Heart Teen Volunteer and Leaders.
A Los Angeles native, and a Bostonian at heart, I currently live in Orange County, California with my husband, two teenage daughters, dog Charlie, cat Tabby and “grandfish” Cotton Candy who I am now raising.
