About Me
My greatest inspiration and teachers are children
“I believe the children who stir us up
are the ones here to wake us up.”
I hope to inspire adults to look at children through the eyes of love rather than fear. While there is no question that we love our children deeply, many of us react with fear and urgency when it comes to addressing their ‘concerning’ behaviours.
It’s very common for adults to be distracted by external behaviour and this means we don’t always pay close enough attention to what’s really going on inside of the children being emotionally moved to behave in the ways they are. I can help you with that.
My formal training includes Education, Special Education and Psychology. I obtained my teaching qualification from the Johannesburg College of Education, my Remedial Therapist qualification from the University of the Witwatersrand and my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of South Africa.
I have almost two decades of experience teaching and working with children and am certified by the British Columbia Ministry of Education in Canada. Over the years, I have taught preschool and kindergarten and found my experiences in the classroom to be enlightening and incredibly humbling. There’s nothing quite as real or as grounding, as interacting with young children who constantly remind you they are creatures of attachment and not of textbook.
The Neufeld Institute
I’m an Authorized Facilitator of the Neufeld Institute and am proud to be part of the team sharing the wisdom of Dr Gordon Neufeld with parents and caring adults all around the world. I’m privileged to assist Dr Deborah MacNamara with facilitating the Neufeld: Making Sense of Preschoolers course and feel blessed to have her as a mentor and a friend.
Conscious parenting
My participation in a six-month course at Eckhardt Tolle’s School of Awakening furthered my awakening of consciousness and has empowered me to integrate this shift more continuously into daily life. In addition to this, completing Level I and Level ll of Dr Shefali Tsabary’s Conscious Parenting Training courses has further inspired me to share my inner knowing with those seeking a conscious path of parenting their children. Her wisdom, openness and humor has inspired me to share my spiritual growth and journey as a parent with those who find their way to me.
Parenting ‘expert’
In my local community, I am the parenting ‘expert’ for Parent Talk. While I am honored to be considered an expert, I do believe that parents are the true experts when it comes to their precious children. It is a privilege to be called upon to share my knowledge and experience with those wanting to understand the parent-child relationship better and to assist them in making developmental sense of the children they love.
My family and inspiration
My immediate family includes my husband, our two fun-loving teenage daughters and two loving long haired dachshunds. We’re originally from South Africa but decided to come on an adventure to Canada a little over a decade ago and we never left! We now live on the edge of a forest in the City of the Arts, Port Moody, BC, Canada.
My greatest inspiration and everyday teachers are children, particularly my own. My longing to understand and support them as they grow and develop motivates me to keep up with current research and resources. I also value and appreciate my everyday interactions with all children, parents and teachers because their questions keep me on my toes and keep me moving forward on my journey.
Some of my favorite pastimes include writing, reading, creating, gardening, yoga, meditation, listening to audiobooks and podcasts. I’m at my happiest when I’m with my husband and daughters, hiking in the forest, digging in the garden, walking our dogs, travelling the world and of course, interacting with people like you.
Let's keep in touch
If you’d like to keep in touch with me I’ve created LookwithLove and ParentingwithIntention where I share what I have come to understand about living, loving and growing up children and ourselves.
Thank you for visiting me here, I hope you find what you’re looking for.