About Me
I Was An Anxious Child.
I didn’t look it on the outside but…
I was highly sensitive child, with BIG feelings and an enormous capacity for anxiety and worry. AND I’ve spent a lot of time over the past 15 years learning about and helping to heal mine and others’ childhood wounds. I know the ins and outs of child development, a highly sensitivity nervous system and the parenting pitfalls that can cause long-term challenges.
Society (back when I was a lass) didn’t have access to the research we have today, showing how children’s minds develop and the ‘nutrients’ they need for emotional and relational health & wellbeing. (Especially us more sensitive types!)
Many of us were raised in a generation that proclaimed “they’ll grow out of it”, “if you pander to it you’ll make it worse”or, “a smack will teach them not to do it again” (hello fellow Gen Xers and Millenials)
My 20s…
In my late 20’s things had got to a really bleak stage emotionally and I realised that I couldn’t ignore my mental health any more. So I embarked on therapy and took to mindfulness and meditation - they were LIFE CHANGING! And I think I subconsciously vowed at that point that I would not let another child get into the pickle that I had been in, if I could help it.
My 30s…
So as I switched from a life in public relations to training in all things children’s emotional well-being (as well as mindfulness,nervous system and self-compassion training) I worked in a school with their vulnerable pupils. Over 10 years, I built a highly regarded mental health & well-being department that provided support and interventions for the children who needed them. It was noted in both the Ofsted and SIAMS (church equivalent of Ofstead) with the Bishop stating;“Groundbreaking work is happening in building emotional resilience and supporting children’s mental health.”
I loved working in a school, but it wasn’t a totally comfortable fit for the work I wanted to do; lots of unhelpful interventions, box ticking and red tape. We just weren’t the right fit for each other in the end.
Where I’m at today!
So in 2020 I set up privately working 1:1 with children, lots of whom were really struggling with the effects of the pandemic. THIS felt right, I loved the freedom to use and train more deeply in the methods and tools that I know work and I enjoyed working with children in their homes with their families. I was getting brilliant results and as word spread I even ended up with a waiting list for appointments! But there was something interesting I was noticing; a significant pattern in the children who were getting the best results .
Their parents were thirsty for information on what THEY could be doing to support their child between sessions.
Cue additional training in Parenting Coaching!
This, coupled with all the other modalities i’d trained in and used myself to move from surviving to thriving, is where i’m at today. Not just a Parenting Coach but a deeply feeling person with a wealth of understanding and insight across many different disciplines, which I know can take your child and family from surviving to thriving too!
Thank you for being here and taking the time to have a read of this,
Jenni