Certified Coaches

I am a certified parent coach with Connected Families. With four wonderful children of my own—ages 17, 15, 13, and 11—I understand the joys and challenges of raising a family. As a former missionary, our family has had to navigate some pretty major transitions that have deeply impacted us all. Through my own personal journey, I have experienced firsthand the transformational power of the gospel through the Connected Families framework, a biblically-based approach to parenting that has brought healing and growth to my own household. When I was at the peak of struggle in my parenting, I was exhausting all parenting resources, and then I came across a book in the library by Connected Families. I have never looked back. I am excited to share this framework with other parents, offering fresh perspectives on parenting and empowering families to grow in grace. I am passionate about helping families build strong, connected relationships. Connected Families is a warm invitation to nurture connection, build grace-filled relationships, and establish a solid foundation for lasting family growth. I would love to walk with you in experiencing a fresh approach to parenting that can often change your family’s dynamics and empower you to grow as a parent. My heart for you and for myself, is that we would allow God to give us the grace to enjoy our children the way He has made, wired, and gifted them, so that we would then be able to train them up in the way they should go…Join me in the journey toward the Father’s heart for us and for our families.

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It is never too late for God’s grace and truth to change lives! In my early 60’s, I unexpectedly encountered Connected Families on the Internet and, even at this age, what I learned was so encouraging! I sure wish I had had Connected Families as a young mom! As I engaged with the framework through the Discipline that Connects online course, received coaching myself, and continued to engage with other Connected Families materials, I began to see a new richness in my life, my marriage, and even my extended family! This gave me a desire to share what I was learning by pursuing parent coaching certification. My husband and I have been missionaries with FamilyLife, a Cru ministry for over 30 years. We have had a heart to see families experience the hope and help they can find only in a relationship with Christ. As a certified parent coach, I now have another tool to offer families so that parents can experience God’s transforming grace and truth and share it with their kids. I am excited to walk with parents (or grandparents!) to discover God’s unique plan for their family! Exploring the Biblical, practical, neurologically sound approach to relationships that the Connected Families framework offers will provide you with a plan that could change your family for generations to come. Coaching can help you grow a family that is connected to God and to each other. You can have a family characterized by grace and truth in the ups and downs of real life. Read more…

I am a mom to three energetic kiddos (ages 3, 6, and 9). If you’ve ever felt exhausted and overwhelmed as a parent, I can relate! Early on in my parenting journey, I struggled with my strong-willed daughter. All the parenting strategies I used led to power struggles, big tantrums, yelling, anger, and ultimately disconnection with my child. When I discovered Connected Families back in 2019, I finally had the tools to forge new pathways of connection and peace in my family. I am passionate about generational healing. I would love to help you experience true transformation as you navigate parenting the family God has designed for you! Read more…

As a parent coach, my desire is to come alongside parents and help them gain confidence and equip them to lead their families. I will help you create an environment in your home where everyone feels valued and connected, and skills for you to build a relationship with your kids that will last long after they leave your home. I strongly believe that you are the expert on your child and I would love to walk with you as you bring more peace and joy into your home. Read more…

Whether you’re a parent grappling with discipline dilemmas or a grandparent taking on a pivotal caregiving role, I’m here to share a little hope and help. My journey as a mother of eight and grandma has equipped me with a deep understanding of the unique struggles faced by parents and grandparents alike. For the past 35 years, I’ve mentored families as a teacher, homeschool consultant, speech coach, and now as a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach. My business – Room4Hope Coaching – was born out of my prayer for God to “make room for hope” in my own family. I combine my professional training and personal experience to help families communicate and connect. It is my great joy to be a trusted mentor to my own children, grandchildren, and to YOU.

For more information, visit www.Room4HopeCoaching.com or email [email protected]

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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…

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…

When I first got to know about Connected Families, I was working with young adult orphans and at-risk children in Latvia. The Framework transformed my thinking and really helped me serve these children better. During my parent coaching studies, the Lord brought my husband to my life. I moved back to Finland, we got married, and I became a stepmom to two teenagers. Having worked with orphans, I have adoptive and foster parents on my heart and would like to support them through the Connected Families Framework. I have also led a center for victims of human trafficking and their children in Cyprus. Serving in this ministry gave me insight into parenting challenges that these precious women faced. Kun ensi kertaa tutustuin Connected Families -materiaaleihin työskentelin nuorten aikuisten orpojen ja riskiasemassa olevien lasten kanssa Latviassa. Lähdin hakemaan apua työhöni ja sitä todella myös sain. Opintoihin kuuluva valmennussetti mullisti ajattelu- ja toimintatapani. Opiskelujen aikana Jumala toi mieheni elämääni. Muutin takaisin Suomeen, menimme naimisiin ja samalla sain perheeseeni myös mieheni teini-ikäiset lapset. Kannan sydämelläni erityisesti sijais- ja adoptiovanhempia. Erilaiset vanhemmuuden haasteet tulivat tutuiksi myös johtaessani päiväkeskusta ihmiskaupan uhreille ja heidän lapsilleen Kyproksella. 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…

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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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…

As a former child therapist and a current stay-at-home mom to a five-year-old and two-year-old twins, I have the unique ability to see the world from the eyes of a child while also understanding the complexities and difficulties of being a parent. I would love to help guide you through the uncomfortable and sometimes painful—yet fundamental—detective work that will help us identify the existing wounds that may be lending a hand to the difficulties you are currently experiencing with your child(ren). During our coaching sessions, we will work to identify these existing wounds, give them over to God, and create a parenting plan that both mirrors the heart of Jesus and is supported by neuroscience. While working as a child therapist, I focused largely on play therapy while equipping parents with tools and skills backed by neuroscience, slowly realizing that the scientific research I was sharing with other parents perfectly aligns with the word of God. While I wholeheartedly believe that play therapy can be extremely beneficial for many kiddos, I witnessed the greatest changes in the kiddos whose parents were able to take the scientific research and tools I was providing them with and apply them consistently at home. For many years I have studied and worked largely from an attachment lens in which I instinctively incorporate into my coaching sessions. My prayer is that you will gain the ability to cultivate meaningful relationship(s) with the child(ren) God has entrusted you with and begin to enjoy the sweet years you have with them—even in the midst of the chaos. I would be truly honored to support you in whatever season you may find yourself in and join you as you continue along your parenting journey—one of the greatest journeys of sanctification. Read more…