Certified Coaches

I am a registered nurse by trade and work in a Mom/Baby Unit – the best unit in the hospital. As much of an honor as it is to welcome new life into the world, it is an even greater honor to be a parent coach! I have three beautiful, unique, and passionate children. As they grew from babies into tiny humans, I quickly realized that all the books I had read on parenting weren’t enough. I didn’t have a practical plan for the way I felt God was calling me to raise my children.

When my husband and I went through coaching, our perceptions changed. We now have hope and a God-honoring plan for parenting that combines my love for science with the grace and love of the Gospel. Coaching gave me the gift of connecting with my children in the most challenging moments. I feel I have been blessed to now be a blessing to others. It would be a joy and honor to support you in your parenting journey.

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All families struggle at times, and we all need support. I desire to bring hope and direction for parents through parent coaching and see a lasting positive change in the whole family. As a parent coach I am passionate about the well-being of families. I come alongside parents and help them find a long-lasting plan that increases peace and grace in the family. I am a mom of three active girls and an Executive Director at a family ministry called Moms for Kids or “Momssit”. Through my work, I serve families especially in Finland. Vanhemmuuden valmentajana haluan tuoda kokonaisvaltaista hyvinvointia perheisiin. Vanhempien rinnalla kulkien autan heitä löytämään kestävän suunnitelman vanhemmuuteen, joka lisää rauhaa ja armoa koko perheen elämään. Kaikki perheet käyvät läpi vaikeuksia ja kaikki tarvitsevat tukea ajoittain. Connected Families valmennuksen avulla haluankin tuoda toivoa ja suuntaa vanhemmille ja sitä kautta nähdä pysyvää positiivista muutosta koko perheessä. Olen kolmen vauhdikkaan tytön äiti ja toiminnanjohtaja Moms for Kids yhdistyksessä eli Momsseissa. Haluan palvella suomen perheitä työni kautta valmentaen ja tuoden Connected Families työtä maahamme. Read more…

Welcome to the Connected Families community. We belong together. Please relax and make yourself at home! “Hybrid Educator” describes my journey through Christian education, home education, and public education. My seven children are my favorite teachers! Our current educational landscape includes a university graduate, home school graduate, home school senior, and four public school students (in kindergarten, grade 2, grade 4, and grade 7.) Attending a tiny Christian college in Texas prepared me to teach at Christian schools in the United States and Africa before home-schooling my own children in New Brunswick, Canada. My husband, Michael, and I promoted curriculum at Home School Conventions across the country. Visions of family learning kept me dancing among blissfully harmonious expectations. Reality brought dissonance, overwhelm, and collapse. What was going on in me? What was going on in my children? My husband? Not the slightest clue! Just increasing pressure that I had to keep everyone happy, along with heaps of shame for failing so short of that goal. Without a wisp of awareness. A different question taunted, “What’s wrong with me?” My first encounter with Connected Families was hearing a radio interview that echoed the longing of my heart for true peace in my family. Healing and wholeness are possible! Relief flooded me, and hope carried me forward. Through grace-filled truth in courses, kindness, coaching, prayer, humor, and community, I continue to try again. Connected Families family members help me focus more on Jesus and His wonderful grace every day. How thankful I am for appreciative inquirers! Childlike wonder and curiosity are returning to my heart and home. Connected Families Parent Coaching is a transformational way to share the love I receive. Where are you in your parenting journey? Coaching empowers every parent to discover a unique next step for their divinely and intricately designed family. Let’s learn and grow together! Many of my “dance steps” remain awkward (and embarrassing for my children). Practicing to the music of God’s mercy is a delight. Connected Family resources are a gift from heaven. You don’t have to take my word for it! Where do you want to start? Linger on the Connected Families website discovering beautiful eternal harmonies. You might even find yourself dancing. “Lord, You are my true strength and my glory song, my champion, my Saviour! Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!” Psalm 118:14-15 Read more…

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 deeper with your child. I am a Licensed Master Social Worker and Certified Parent Coach. When I was in high school, my sister and sister-in-law were both adopted internationally, providing me with a unique opportunity to see and experience firsthand the impacts of trauma on the direct family unit. 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 with LifeWorks Counseling Group in Columbus, Georgia. 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 Zoom, and I can also meet in person in Columbus, Georgia. To get started, please email me at [email protected]. Read more…

My wife and I began our ministry serving children, and as those children grew into youth, our focus naturally expanded to youth ministry. Over time, we have watched the youth step into marriage and start their own families and through that journey, God has grown in us a deep passion for marriage and family ministry. We are blessed with three children, one of whom has special needs, and it has been a privilege to walk this path together. What an honor it is to be part of Connected Families! Read more…

Experience personalized coaching through Built on Rock! We, Jarrett and Luisa, Certified Parent Coaches, listen to your struggles, provide tailored guidance, and train you in the powerful Connected Families framework to help you overcome the unique challenges you are facing. Whether you need help with discipline, connection, correction, or instilling faith, we are here to empower you in your parenting journey. Enroll today and equip yourself with the confidence and skills needed to parent your children in God’s grace and wisdom. We help parents navigate challenges with hope, understanding, and grace. We can help you rediscover the delight and deep joy of connecting with your children, even in the midst of complex situations. Our family is a mix of languages and cultures, child loss, adoption, and birth. Our parenting journey includes trauma and sensory needs, grief, and redemption. If any of these are part of your own story, we understand the complexity of emotions that you experience and the deep desire that you have to be the best parent you can be. We know by experience how hard parenting can be and how lonely it can get when it seems like no one else faces the same challenges you are dealing with. Maybe you have read many books, listened to many podcasts, and tried all the tricks you can possibly think of just to find yourself exhausted and without hope. You really want to enjoy your children but it seems like all you do is correct their misbehaviors and nothing is getting better. We are here to share the good news and cheer you on! It would be an honor to walk alongside you on your unique parenting journey! Read more…

Parenting can be one of the most rewarding and overwhelming roles we’ll ever take on. I understand that deeply.

As a certified Connected Families parent coach with over four years of experience, I support families through one-to-one coaching and group seminars in schools, churches, and community settings. With a background in education and five children of my own (ages 7 to 23), I know the challenges of parenting across all stages of development.

For 12 years, my husband and I lived in a boarding house caring for 55 teenage boys. That season taught me the importance of connection, consistency, and grace under pressure, principles that lie at the heart of the Connected Families framework. I’ve seen how its practical, biblically grounded, and science-backed tools speak powerfully into all kinds of family dynamics, from toddlers to teens and beyond.

I currently work part-time for at my local church, supporting families in a variety of situations, and also for a charity that supports individuals with autism. These roles continue to deepen my understanding of the unique challenges many families face and strengthen my passion for helping parents grow in confidence, connection, and hope.

If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or simply want to parent with more purpose and peace, I’d love to connect.

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The Connected Families framework combines all the things that I value–God’s word, brain research, heart transformation, and practical application–and explains it in a way that makes sense. Walking other moms through this framework, and helping them experience God’s grace and truth in their parenting is such a gift. Through parent coaching, you will discover a way of thinking, of being, that informs your parenting and changes the culture of your home. This might be hard, but it is worth it! I look forward to cheering you on along the way! As far as my own journey goes, big meltdowns, hitting, throwing things, and sensory challenges, were some of the reasons I decided to Google “Christian parent coaching.” And there in the search was Connected Families. As I read and listened and learned about the framework and its application, I felt seen. All the unique aspects of my family were acknowledged, and I felt hope that I could do this parenting thing well after all. I am a work in progress still, as we all will be for our whole lives, but every day I see evidence of God at work in me and my children. I rejoice in those victories! I am an adoptive mom of 3 kiddos, a former social worker and foster parent, and the host of the podcast Moms Take Ten. Read more…

I am passionate about helping parents and educators show up with grace and deep understanding for the children in their care. With many years of experience working with children—first as an Early Learning Educator and then in Early Childhood Development, I am committed to bringing unique insights into children’s needs and behaviors. My personal journey with the Connected Families framework has profoundly impacted how I approach parenting and work. It has helped me to truly understand God’s grace and empowered me to better connect with both my two teenage children and the children I work with. This grace is the foundation of my coaching. I am passionate about equipping parents and educators to experience this freedom and bring God’s grace to the very heart of their parenting and teaching. Utilizing the Connected Families framework is like co-parenting with Jesus. It doesn’t get any better than that! Read more…

Dr. Douglas Kowieski is a compassionate parent coach, counselor, and educator dedicated to helping families build strong, faith-centered relationships rooted in grace, wisdom, and connection. With a background in pastoral counseling, trauma-informed care, and family systems development, Dr. Kowieski brings over two decades of experience walking alongside parents as they navigate the joys and challenges of raising children in today’s complex world. As the founder of Hope for the Family, Dr. Kowieski’s mission is to equip parents with the tools and insight to foster emotional resilience, spiritual growth, and Christ-centered communication within their families. His coaching philosophy emphasizes the value of using the Connected Families Framework to disciple children and teens, while helping parents move from reactive patterns to intentional, heart-centered guidance that reflects God’s love and truth. Dr. Kowieski has served as a ministry leader, counselor, and educator, developing programs for churches, schools, and community organizations. His experience with adoptive and foster families, first responders, and those in ministry uniquely positions him to understand the intersection of stress, calling, and family dynamics. He is also a frequent speaker and writer on topics such as faith-based parenting, boundaries, and emotional health in Christian homes. When he’s not teaching or coaching, Dr. Kowieski enjoys spending time with his family, mentoring leaders, and developing resources that empower others to live out their faith authentically within the home. Areas of Focus: Faith-based parent coaching Emotional and spiritual development in families Foster and adoptive parenting support Biblical boundaries and communication Marriage and family enrichment Pastoral and ministry-family dynamics Read more…

I am a youth pastor, a dedicated husband to one, and a father of three. I understand the intricacies of parenthood from both a personal and professional perspective. With a heart filled with compassion and a deep commitment to the Church family, I hope to bring a unique blend of faith-based guidance and practical wisdom to parent coaching. I have served in youth ministry for over a decade and have experienced firsthand and alongside others many of the challenges and joys that families encounter on the windy and wonderful journey of doing life together. I’m a Barnabas. I am wired to uplift and encourage. In addition to working with students, I’ve expanded our church ministry to include parent coaching to support discipleship that happens at home. where he offers a holistic approach that integrates faith, love, and compassion into every aspect of parenting. Read more…

As a home educator, I understand the lifestyle and parenting challenges unique to homeschooling. I have experience with adoption, ADHD, sensory processing, primitive reflex integration, and highly sensitive children. I am a Connected Families parent coach trainer and work as a mentor and parent coach in the Thive Homeschool community. I also serve parents in my private coaching practice through one-on-one coaching, small group coaching, workshops, and a monthly newsletter. In 2015, our three sensitive and intense boys were 10, 8, and 5. My husband and I were in the same boat as you, struggling with parenting and knowing we needed better tools. We tried many approaches that relied heavily on behavior modification, but those philosophies felt unnatural and manipulative. We may have been getting some results, but they weren’t long-lasting and didn’t help build the family culture we longed for. When we discovered the Connected Families Framework, we found it clear, purposeful, and aligned with our values. It helped us grow wisdom in our kids and build a more connected family. Parent Coaching was the best investment we could have made for our family. It was a transformative experience that gave us a new perspective, helping us connect with our boys before jumping in to correct their behavior. It provided us with accountability and guided us through our unique parenting challenges. Not only has it brought more confidence and clarity to our parenting, but it has also brought more peace to our home. Now that we have two college-age kids and one finishing up homeschooling high school, I see the fruit of the Framework! That’s why I’m so deeply passionate about sharing these tools with families. We have experienced such an amazing transformation, and I am confident I can help your family experience this, too. What a blessing to see how God is equipping parents to disciple their children, who will one day pass this blessing on to their children. God is in the business of redeeming families. It would be an honor to walk alongside you on your journey! If you’re ready to bring more peace and connection to your home, I invite you to visit my website and book a free consultation. Read more…