Certified Coaches

I am a mom of three amazing and energetic kids. My own journey of parent coaching began when the busyness of life was interfering with the joy I desired to experience in my family. I was frustrated. I needed God’s grace and unconditional love in my life. The Connected Families framework helped me turn from managing behavior to connecting and mentoring my children.
I would love to come alongside you on an intentional parenting journey to discover your child’s unique gifts and guide them toward their purpose.
Learn tools to communicate and connect with your child.
Build a more connected and peaceful home.

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Marlee Thomsen, LCSWA, has been working with children and parents as a mental health therapist since 2019 at Cornerstone Counseling and Wellness. Marlee is passionate about supporting parents and children as they connect through play, the events of ordinary days, and discipline scenarios that arise. In 2021, Marlee became a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach which has helped her both personally and professionally in approaching children as God approaches us with unconditional love, safety, empathy, and loving discipline. Marlee lives in Durham, NC with her husband and two precious sons, who continue to provide opportunities for her to grow as a parent and follower of Jesus. Outside of the office, you might find Marlee wearing beloved athleisure clothing while exploring a park with her family, drinking coffee, and/or reading on her Kindle Read more…

As a K-12 educator + learning specialist and also a mom of four, I love bringing my background of executive functioning skill-building and experience helping parents and students navigate ADHD, specific learning differences, ASD, and language disorders into my parent coaching sessions. The Connected Families framework is fully compatible with best practices in supporting all families, even those dealing with extra layers that can come along with neurodivergence and learning needs. I have experienced the powerful changes that the Connected Families framework has brought to my own family in supporting each of my four children with very distinct personalities and broad scope of needs, and it brings me deep joy to share this framework with other families so that they, too, can feel empowered to connect with and build wisdom in their own children through a Christ-centered, Biblically-based framework that is research-based and trauma-informed. I’d love to work with you to help you discern how to apply this life-changing framework to your personal family environment! Read more…

Through all ages and stages, I walk alongside parents with empathy and practical strategies. AREAS OF FOCUS• Schooling: Homeschool and Public• ADHD• Dyslexia• Anxiety• Sensitive and Intense • Sibling Conflict • Health: Severe Needs and Food Allergies FOCUS – ALL AGES: Early Childhood • Elementary Years • Teens • Launching teens into young adult years • Young Adults Read more…

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. I have been blessed with the opportunity to be trained in the Connected Families Framework to equip me to come alongside the moms who are single at my church and coach them in the parenting of their children. I am a retired pediatric physical therapist and work at a preschool as a substitute teacher. I am a mom and a grandmother. I am grateful that the good works “God prepared beforehand” for me are to bless children! Read more…

Having benefited so much from Connected Families courses and materials myself, I’m excited to support other parents in ministry who are also seeking to build healthy connections with their children, and to guide them, with love and grace, towards wisdom and responsibility. I’m originally from the UK, where I trained as a primary school teacher. For most of my adult life, though, I’ve been supporting missionaries and their children in the South Pacific. My roles have included teacher, school leader, and missionary care worker. In addition to completing Connected Families courses, I’ve received training in coaching, missionary care, conflict resolution, debriefing, and trauma-informed classrooms. By marrying Andrew (an American who grew up in Peru) and becoming a parent to our three children, I’ve gained experience in cross-cultural marriage and raising Third Culture Kids! 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…

I am a compassionate counselor, parent coach, and mother to three energetic children. Originally from the US, I have been living in Hong Kong for over 15 years, and my husband and I have been involved in marriage and family ministry for over a decade. I have training in both mental health counseling as well as inner healing, and I am passionate about nurturing families and facilitating healing in relationships. I am available for coaching online or in person and would love to hear from you. 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…

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…

My favorite thing to do is help adults and kids foster healthy and joyful relationships. After years as a teacher working with babies through middle schoolers, I had two amazing children of my own, and I saw more than ever just how hard and beautiful raising kids can be. Behavioral challenges, developmental delays, and sensory needs – these can be quite overwhelming for all involved! The good news is that God has grace and truth for each of us. My approach in working with families is rooted in empathy, humor, and hands-on applications that can be used right away. I found Connected Families through my work forming a nonprofit organization that supports families in our local community by providing them with an indoor playspace and adult-child classes that infuse family coaching into each experience. Little did I know just how much my own parenting journey would be impacted by the rich resources found within the Connected Families framework and courses. As a mother who often struggled with a negative mindset and feeling the pressure to be perfect, I am so grateful to say our days are now filled with lots more play, hope, and peace. With 15 years of experience working with families, I specialize in:

• Positive discipline strategies focused on building relationships and wisdom
• Navigating big emotions (yours and your child’s!)
• Building connection and communication through play
• Support for parenting children with learning differences (For much of my teaching career, I had the honor of getting to work with kids with hearing loss and other disabilities.)

Whether you’re facing daily power struggles, feeling overwhelmed, or simply want to parent with more confidence and calm, I offer a safe, judgment-free space to explore solutions tailored to your unique family. Together, we’ll uncover the strengths you already have and build on them to create more joy, resilience, and connection at home. Read more…

My journey to become a parent coach started when God called me and my husband into the process of rebuilding the foundations of our family. Connected Families was the complete answer to our question: “how”. Later I understood that the calling wasn’t only for the sake of our own family, but for something bigger that God is doing in this time. Through the grace of God, we’ve started to see the blessing of the Christ-centered transformation in our family, which is the main vision of Connected Families. I’m a mom of three sensitive and intense kids. I’m excited to coach and walk alongside families who long to see the gospel, God’s love and grace lived true in the midst of all the challenges of the daily life of their family and parenting. I also lead workshops, courses for small groups and translate Connected Families content into the Finnish language, which can help parents, as well as people who work with or are in any close connection with kids. I live and work in Finland. Polkuni vanhemmuuden valmentajaksi alkoi siitä kun Jumala kutsui minut ja mieheni “perheen perustusten uudelleenrakennusprosessiin”. Connected Families on ollut kokonaisvaltainen vastaus “miten”-kysymykseemme. Myöhemmin ymmärsin että tuo kutsu ei ollut vain omaa perhettämme varten, vaan osa jotain suurempaa, mitä Jumala on tekemässä tässä ajassa. Jumalan armosta olemme saaneet alkaa nähdä Kristus-keskeistä muutosta perheessämme, joka on Connected Families:n päänäky. Olen kolmen herkän ja intensiivisen lapsen äiti. Haluan valmentaa rinnalla kulkien perheitä jotka kaipaavat saada nähdä evankeliumin sekä Jumalan armon ja rakkauden tulevan eletyksi todeksi, läpi perheen ja vanhemmuuden haasteiden. Vedän myös työpajoja, kursseja pienryhmille sekä suomennan Connected Families:n sisältöä, josta voi vanhempien lisäksi saada apua kaikki kasvattajat ja lasten kanssa työskentelävät. Asun ja työskentelen Suomessa. Read more…