Certified Coaches

I’m a mom of three daughters – two young adults, and one school-ager. I know firsthand the challenges that can come with parenting, including sensory issues, ADD, anxiety, and neurodiversity, to name a few. I started my professional journey in music therapy, where I worked with children with a wide variety of special needs. More recently, I spent nearly a decade in children and family ministry where I was able to create and build a special needs ministry to provide support to children and their parents. Not long after we had our third child, we learned about Connected Families and its many resources. This grace-filled framework to parenting has totally changed our family dynamics after years of trying a wide variety of approaches. I have a passion for facilitating personal growth and development in children and guiding their parents in that process. It is a joy and honor to see the transformation of grace and healing for families through parent coaching sessions! I would love to support you in your parenting adventure, using these tried-and-true biblical approaches backed by brain science. Whether you are looking to understand and connect with your children more, or navigate a challenging situation that has come up, I’m here to support you in person or online. You are not alone!

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…

As an adoptive parent, I understand the parenting challenges unique to families formed through adoption. In addition to parenting, I have had the privilege of working as the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Coordinator for my county since 2018, with children in foster care who have experienced the trauma of neglect and abuse. I bring encouragement for strengthening families through virtual one-on-one coaching, small group coaching, and in-person workshops. I accept clients from any location, as I do all my parent coaching sessions virtually. I would love to come alongside you in your adoptive/foster parenting journey. In November of 2023, I attended an adoption conference in Des Moines, IA. I saw a picture with the Connected Families Framework, which drew me in to take a closer look. When I saw that this was Biblically based, I wanted to learn more, and I became a certified Parent Coach in November 2024. I am continually learning and applying the Framework, so that I can encourage and equip parents on how to help their children find their unique identity and beliefs about themselves. In my own Connected Families coaching sessions, it was revealed to me that I wasn’t as “safe” a parent as I thought I was. I am now looking at myself first and trying to be a better listener. It is never too late to change! I have four children, six years apart. My oldest two are biological, and my youngest two were adopted internationally from Taiwan, making us a multiracial family. They are all young adults now, so I have experienced every age and stage from preschool through high school and beyond. Family is sacred, and over the decades, my faith has grown into a closer union with God. I seek comfort in the Lord to be patient as I wait upon the Holy Spirit to lead my husband (and high school sweetheart) to put his faith in Jesus. Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her. This is why I chose to name my coaching business, She Believed. What are you believing God for in your journey? “Mandy’s coaching was truly impactful. She didn’t rush through the areas where I needed more support, and she was consistently encouraging. One of the most meaningful aspects was how she ended every session with prayer, which left me feeling uplifted and strengthened.” Becky, client in summer 2024 Read more…

I am a wife, a mom of two strong-willed and doubly gifted teenage girls, and have worked in Kids Ministry for over 15 years. I know that kids are a gift from God. I also know that their behaviors can be challenging and can lead to parent reactions that we don’t intend. I have been there! When I was introduced to Connected Families, I felt like I finally had language, tools, and hope to help me parent well and lead ministry well. One of my greatest joys is connecting with and supporting parents and ministry leaders. We all want to see our kids know Jesus deeply and follow Him with all their hearts. I believe that Connected Families gives us the resources we need to partner with God as He reaches the next generation. 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…

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…

“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…

My goal is to support parents and kids in order to build healthier families and more fully reflect the heart of Jesus and the family of God. Kenji and his wife Amy are missionaries with Cadence International. They spent 8 years living overseas in Japan and have firsthand experience with raising third-culture kids. They currently serve at Cadence’s HQ as caregivers for the kids of Cadence missionaries and provide support and pastoral care for families around the world. Connected Families has been an invaluable tool for their family as they raise their three young kids. Read more…

With a B.S. in Biblical Studies and over 15 years of ministry experience as a pastor, I bring both personal and professional passion to helping families grow in grace and connection. I am a Certified Parent Coach (Connected Families), an Affiliate Trainer for Trauma Free World, and a Certified Facilitator for Prepare & Enrich. As a therapeutic foster parent and mom of three, two adopted through the foster care system, I understand the complexities of parenting children with deep histories of trauma. I discovered Connected Families in the darkness of my own parenting journey. I was desperate for help, parenting children who had recently received multiple diagnoses, and my husband and I felt completely ill-equipped to meet their needs. Through Connected Families, we found grace, understanding, and practical tools that gave us the confidence to parent through adversity, and discover healing on the other side. Today, I work at an alternative school, where I witness daily the transformative power of connection with students from the hardest places. I also serve on the vision team for Foster the City, equipping and inspiring churches to provide loving homes and supportive communities for children in foster care. Connected Families changed the trajectory of my parenting and brought peace to our home. My heart now is to walk alongside other families, offering hope, encouragement, and the assurance that healing and connection are possible, even in the hardest seasons. Read more…

I have a master’s degree in early childhood special education and over 11 years of experience as an educator in special education, preschool, and early elementary. I spent several years as a stay-at-home mom when my children were young and currently teach kindergarten at a Christian school. I have special interests in both children’s and parents’ mental health and working with parents of children with disabilities, neurodivergence, and giftedness. I was honored to help adapt the CF Discipline that Connects course to a professional development workshop for educators and to pilot this program with over 30 kindergarten-8th grade teachers at my current school. I was also a guest on the CF podcast episode 202, “Practical Classroom Management Strategies that Work”. My mission as a Connected Families parent coach is to empower parents and educators with the tools, strategies, and mindset needed to navigate the challenges of raising and educating children in today’s world. My husband and I came to Connected Families as clients in 2019 looking for a better way to parent our two sensitive and intense neurodivergent children. I was immediately impressed by how seamlessly the Connected Families Framework marries current brain research with Biblical truth. Connected Families has transformed not only how I parent but my professional work as an educator and teacher trainer, as well as my personal faith in Jesus. It would be my joy to partner with you as a parenting coach for your family or as a speaker and trainer for your church or school. I am available to coach clients in person in the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota and worldwide via Zoom. I am available as a workshop speaker for churches and schools in the upper midwest. My prayer for all of my clients is that they will feel equipped to meet the children in their care with true unconditional love while also developing capability, wisdom, and responsibility. 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…

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…