There is no such thing as a perfect child or a perfect parent. As a parent the best you can do is make a lifetime commitment to love, support and guide your children towards becoming capable, mature adults.

My journey to becoming a parenting coach really began when I myself became a parent. I was living in London, practising law. As a lawyer, I was used to my days being highly organised, ordered and in-control. Well, as you can imagine, the transition to life with a baby and toddler resulted in a lot of change to my established routine. Children brought fun, unpredictability, chaos and challenges.

I had questions that needed answers:

WHY won’t my kids listen to me? HOW do I “reason” with a toddler? and WHAT the heck should I do about volatile, unpredictable behaviour?

The books on parenting were mostly confusing — advice like “praise the good, ignore the bad” just didn’t fit for my family.

That’s when I heard about Positive Parenting. I attended a few courses and started to develop awareness about my actions and how they impacted everyone around me. I began to understand WHY I felt so powerless to make any changes in my family. There were some real “ah ha” moments and encouraging results. I sensed that this approach, so effective for me, could benefit many more families.

So, I began developing my skills and talent with further training, becoming a certified parenting coach and facilitator. I worked with families in London until returning home to Auckland and joining the team of the Parenting Place. There, in my role as a facilitator, I supported parents in a full range of group courses.

In 2016 I launched Good to Great Parenting as a way to directly serve families facing parenting challenges. I absolutely love it. It gives me goosebumps to hear a parent say they know how to help their child through upset and disappointment. That could be anything from a friendship issue, to a disappointment or even frustration when they can’t tie their laces.

These are the stories which really make a difference. For me, the best feeling is when a parent has a lightbulb moment and says they just “get” their child in a way they didn’t before our coaching.

I’m a believer in lifelong learning, so alongside coaching I engage in continuous training – pursuing a deeper understanding of children’s development, learning, behaviour and temperament.

Every parent wants happy children, yet every family situation is unique.

Together we’ll identify your challenges and goals, then I’ll develop a personalised plan, tailored to your family. Over a series of regular sessions (in-person or virtual), you will learn a range of positive parenting skills, including effective ways to respond to your child’s needs and behaviours. I’ll be there supporting you every step of the way – providing notes and parenting resources and answering your questions in our sessions.