For many years I was a Waldorf Early Childhood teacher at Westside Waldorf School in Los Angeles.  My relationship with the school began as a parent.  Once my third child entered  kindergarten I started teaching in the school’s Parent/Child program.  Over the years we grew the program, offering classes five days a week on two campuses, serving families with children three months to three years in age, and building a strong community for the school’s youngest members.   Most importantly we gave love and support to parents as they navigated the complexities of caring for a child in today’s world.  The program was a beautiful entry point into the school.  It was an honor for me to be a part of each family’s development.   Along with my work in the classroom I had many roles on faculty and parenting committees, and many years participating in school governance.  I was in the Westside Waldorf School community from 1999-2016.

In 2016 I shifted gears.  I resigned from my teaching position and set out on a path of introspection, exploration, and learning.  I went through yoga teacher training.  I walked for 40 days across Spain’s Camino de Santiago.  I spent a week at a buddhist monastery in France (Plum Village).  And I became a certified professional DJ (Scratch DJ Academy, LA — so much fun y’all!). During that time, my thoughts kept returning to working with parents.  For the sake of working with parents outside of a school classroom I gathered performance and leadership skills through the Flow Research Collective, Mindvalley Business Coaching, and Paula Mallis’ Facilitator training.   My experience as a mother is my first point of reference, and my experience in the classroom as a Waldorf teacher is the next lens through which I view the journey of the family.  My current work is less about the “how to ___” for your child (for example: putting your child to sleep or bedtime routine). My focus is on the attitude and behavior of mothers and fathers as they respond to the needs of their children; and this applies to any parent at any stage of parenting! A person’s attitude and behavior is informed by earlier life experiences — so biography work is an important aspect of my work with parents too.

My three children are now 31, 28, and 26, and I am busting at the seams with love and respect for them.  I think they are amazing and I am honored to be their mama.  Those early years were really hard, though.  I learned a lot.  Personally, I always felt like parenting was an endurance test with myself.  As the needs of my children came up, I bumped up against my edge, in skill or emotional capacity. Parenting is the most wonderful and the most challenging thing I will ever do.  When I prioritize learning, growth, and personal care, and remember my deep values  – parenting gets easier, parenting feels fun, and being a parent feels meaningful.  That is what I wish for mothers and fathers.