CF-Certified Parent Coaches

I bring my love for brain science and childhood development to each coaching session. I also am passionate about teaching parents how to receive grace for themselves so they can pass that grace on to their kids. It would be an honor to support you in your parenting journey. I have personal and professional experience with adoption and love working with families who have experienced adoption and/or trauma. It would be a joy to walk alongside you in your parenting journey, whether you are facing behavioral challenges or just want to connect more deeply with your child. I am a Licensed Master Social Worker and Certified Parent Coach. My daughter was adopted internationally and arrived in the United States when she was 14 years old. She is now 26 years old, so this has provided me with a unique opportunity to see and experience firsthand the impacts of trauma on the adopted child. I saw the need for people to walk alongside parents who need encouragement, support, and practical tools for parenting their children with purpose. To meet this need, I became a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach. I provide insight and strategies backed by neuroscience, child development research, and the Connected Families framework to help you feel more equipped to parent with confidence. I meet with parents of children who have come into their lives biologically, through adoption, or through foster care. Additionally, I also meet with clients of all ages for therapeutic counseling through my church and the ministries of the church. I have worked with families parenting children who have ADHD, sensory needs, developmental delays, anxiety, Down syndrome, autism, trauma, and more. I also work with families who just want to understand their children a little more, strengthen trust, and don’t want to miss the opportunities to equip, teach, and connect with their children on a daily basis. I meet with families via a Video platform and can also meet in person in Rankin, Hinds, and Madison counties in Mississippi.

To get started, you can email me at [email protected]

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If you’ve landed on this page, your experience of parenthood is probably not going like you thought it would. Maybe you’re discouraged, exhausted, and unsure if you’re doing it “right”? You’re not alone. And you’re not failing. So often we turn to parenting techniques rooted in control and punishment… but parenting was never meant to be an experience of fear. Not for us, and not for our kids. God’s promise for us is power, love, and a sound mind. For years, I wrestled with the same struggles. As a mom of five energetic sons, I often found myself overwhelmed and dysregulated, desperate to manage the chaos and do right by my kids. But in that struggle, God began a transformation. I started to see a different picture of parenting—one that reflects the heart of Jesus. His way of leading wasn’t about control or perfection; it was about influence born from love, that leads to wisdom and lasting change. That journey led me to become a Certified Parent Coach with Connected Families, where I now walk alongside parents who are ready to move from frustration to fruitfulness. Ultimately, my goal is that parents are daily experiencing what it means to walk in the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control that is our inheritance through Christ. I spend most days with kids, and have experience on staff in a ministry setting, as well as running a homeschool cooperative and directing a children’s theater group. I’ve seen one truth again and again: children thrive when they feel connected, understood, and deeply loved. If you’re ready to start building a home where all inside experience the depth of your love for them, while you embrace the depth of God’s love for you, then LET’S GO. You CAN raise wise, confident, connected kids… and ENJOY doing it! Reach out to me at [email protected] if you’re ready to take the next step. I would consider it an honor to walk with you. Read more…

As a mother to 5 kids (ages 17 to 7), I understand the unique challenges and joy parents face, especially parenting children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, gifted, dyslexia, developmental delays, mental health challenges and adoption trauma. Before finding Connected Families I searched everywhere for resources and read book after book about methods that were short lived. That is where I hit the wall of desperation and sought parent coaching through Connected Families. I ultimately became a coach through their training program to help others like me. I have seen transformation in our home through working with a framework that not only has changed our children’s behavior, but transformed our hearts as well. You are not alone on this parenting journey. There is hope and you can enjoy your children, building lasting relationships with your children and deep connection that lasts a lifetime. And I’m here to help. Read more…

As an adoptive mama of sensitive and intense kiddos, I found Connected Families while searching for resources to help my family thrive. The Connected families framework is practical without being prescriptive. I love how it takes God’s Word and our relationship with Him and integrates the latest brain science to guide our relationships. When I feel stuck in a situation, I can use the framework to process the next steps. Since becoming a parent, I have learned how uniquely and wonderfully each child is made. What “works” on one child doesn’t necessarily “work” on the next. This framework takes the “what” and makes it personal for each kid. I have 3 very different children and find that my interaction with each one is unique, yet the principles behind them remain the same. I can help you apply the framework for your family. I understand the family dynamics of children with mental health issues, ADHD, and intense feelings/behaviors. And, after the loss of my husband to cancer, I know what it is like to be a solo parent. God’s grace is enough. He says that He has given us everything we need for life and Godliness. I believe the framework is one of those gifts. I am excited to help you unpack it! Read more…

I became a Connected Families Coach to support the parents in our church body and the deeper I go with these materials and methods the more I am inspired! I love Connected Families because it is a call to live out the gospel in our closest relationships. Soaked in scripture, these ways lead each of us in our parenting journey humbly to the Cross of Christ (Do-overs) and help us grow to live out the fruit of the Spirit (restoring our children gently) and inspiring all to be a blessing as we parent with the Connect Families Framework. The majority of my time, outside of the care and keeping of my family (husband Matt and 3 teenagers), is given to leading Kids and Family ministry in Minnesota at my local church. This is work I love! For 8 years, with my team, I have had the great joy of loving on kids in Jesus name and building routines and memories that (I pray) will lead to deep abiding faith and home in the church for all those that grow up in our care. I believe strongly that in Christ “every family under heaven” (Eph 3:15) has been established, you are the right parents for your kids! I would be honored to walk with your family as a coach! It would be my hope to make this information personal and practical, prayerfully considering what your next step might be with all the tools of Connected Families at the ready. Read more…

I’m a mom of six—four through adoption—and a grandmother of six. My own parenting journey has shaped the way I walk with families. When we adopted children with attachment struggles, I realized my familiar ways of parenting weren’t enough for our new reality. I not only had to learn new approaches, but a new way of being—one rooted in connection, grace, and a willingness to grow alongside my kids. Being married to a pastor for more than forty years has also given me a deep appreciation for the joys and challenges families carry into their everyday lives. I’ve spent many years supporting families, ministry leaders, & women in leadership, and I love walking with parents as they grow in confidence and clarity. My heart is to create a safe, thoughtful space where real change can take root. Read more…

Parenting can be one of the most rewarding—and most challenging—callings in life. My parent coaching is designed to equip and encourage parents who feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or stuck in survival mode. Whether you’re navigating daily struggles or deeper family dynamics, I come alongside you with practical tools, compassionate support, and hope-filled guidance. Rather than focusing on what’s going wrong, I work with your strengths to help you step confidently into your God-given role as a parent. With personal and professional experience in foster care and adoption, I understand the added complexities that can come with parenting children from hard places. I offer insight, grace, and strategies tailored to your unique family story. My desire is to see you experience the joy and purpose of parenting—rooted in connection, restored hope, and growing confidence. Together, we’ll uncover the obstacles that are keeping you stuck and move toward lasting transformation in your home. Read more…

Lydia Rex is a mom of 2, Trust Based Relational Intervention practitioner, and Connected Families Certified Parent Coach. Formerly on staff at Connected Families, she has a special love for “sensitive and intense” kids and parents and the transformation that occurs when families grow and heal together! Lydia currently works with adoptive families as the Director of Family Support at Bien Aimé Farm in MN. Read more…

Uwera Astrida is a parenting coach based in Rwanda. She helps parents build peaceful, connected homes using practical, grace-based tools inspired by the Connected Families framework. With experience mentoring children of different ages and backgrounds, she brings deep empathy and an understanding of African cultural realities. Astrida equips parents to communicate with confidence, manage conflict, understand behavior, and raise children who feel safe, loved, and capable. Read more…

Corinne Downe is a certified parent coach with Connected Families who loves helping parents move from chaos to connection (with a few laughs along the way!). Proud of her strong Latin heritage, Corinne brings warmth, empathy, and a deep appreciation for family culture into every coaching session. She’s fluent in Spanish and passionate about serving both English- and Spanish-speaking families with grace-filled, practical tools that really work to unite the family. Whether navigating toddler tantrums or teen drama, she meets parents with encouragement, honesty, and hope. Read more…

Many parents feel overwhelmed and stuck in patterns that just aren’t working. As a parenting coach, I help them confidently implement a grace-filled parenting strategy so they can relax, enjoy their families, and find new hope. My greatest joy is watching parents who have struggled in their relationship with their kids experience transformation through new skills, perspectives, and mindsets- whether in one-on-one sessions, small groups, or workshops. I’m a mom of two young adult children and “like a mom” to two other young adults who have experienced significant developmental trauma. Parenting has been full of ups and downs for me, and I often wish I had known the Connected Families framework when my kids were little- it would have made things so much easier and deepened our connection earlier. Even so, I’m grateful that today I enjoy connected, though not perfect, relationships with my kids. Along with my personal parenting journey, I am a licensed Family and Early Childhood Educator with more than 25 years of experience working with young children and their parents. I’ve also had the privilege of supporting and training teachers in the U.S., Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, including teaching the Connected Families framework at conferences and in schools. Because of my background and experiences, I especially love encouraging and equipping parents of young children, parents of young adults, parents of kids from hard places, and teachers. It’s an honor to walk alongside families as they discover God’s grace and truth in their parenting. Read more…

In the early years of parenting my bright, high-energy kiddos, some with sensory processing and ADHD challenges, I often felt stressed, overwhelmed, and hopeless as a parent. After discovering Connected Families and finding the framework so helpful with my own parenting, I became passionate about helping other parents learn how to truly receive God’s grace and truth for themselves and equip them with biblical wisdom, skills, and tools to better connect with their kids and grow healthy, thriving families. In addition to my experience as a homeschool mom of kids who struggle with anxiety, ADHD, and Sensory Processing challenges, I also serve as a marriage coach with my husband. This enables me to bring a unique, holistic, and compassionate perspective to family relationship dynamics and I’m passionate about helping couples grow stronger in their marriage relationship as they learn to receive and pass on God’s grace and truth to each other and their children. I look forward to coming alongside you in your parenting journey to help you grow and thrive as a parent. Connect with me to learn more at ncctk.com/parentcoaching or [email protected] Read more…