When Maria reached out, she was feeling concerned about her daughter’s experience at nursery. Drop-offs were difficult, separation anxiety that mostly ended in well meaning carers pulling her away screaming from her mother’s arms and saying “She’ll be fine when you leave”. Maria left full of guilt.

It was clear her daughter wasn’t feeling comfortable or settled. She was looking for a different perspective that would truly support her child’s emotional wellbeing.

In our sessions together, I supported her to understand her daughter’s behaviour through Aware Parenting, recognising it as an expression of accumulated feelings rather than something to ‘fix’ or simply ignore. 

We explored simple, practical ways to support separation, including listening to feelings, creating space for the feelings to release, including attachment play and organising gently supporting transitions with the support of the day care/carers in alignment with her yeses and noes (Willingness work from the Marion Method)

These were small, manageable shifts that fit into their daily rhythm, while also giving Maria space to share openly and feel supported in her own experience.

We also dove deep into the Willingness Work from the Marion Method (by Marion Rose Ph.D) in order for her to feel comfortable expressing her yeses and noes for how she wanted the situation to be addressed by the day care staff. This was life changing for her and she went from feeling powerless to powerful in days!

Within a couple of weeks, her daughter became noticeably more at ease and comfortable at nursery. The drop-offs softened, and there was a growing sense of safety and ease in the environment.

Maria shared that she felt more confident, connected, and clear in how to support her daughter, with tools she could continue using moving forward.

When Julie reached out, she was feeling completely overwhelmed. Her daughter had experienced a very challenging year at school, feeling unseen, unheard, and deeply disconnected. 

Mornings were hard, evenings were filled with big accumulated feelings, and with two younger children as well, it all felt like too much to hold.

After finding my podcast with Marion Rose (Marion Method, Ph.D.) on The Aware Parenting Podcast (Ep 116) supporting children at school, she felt a sense of hope and reached out. 

In our work together, grounded in Aware Parenting (Aletha Solter, Ph.D.) and the Marion Method (by Marion Rose Ph.D), I supported her with practical, connection-based tools to ease transitions, support emotional releases, and maintain deep connections throughout the school day with tangible tools like attachment play that really work .

We introduced simple but powerful approaches such as love notes, love pack, connection rituals, and creating and connection safety before and after school. 

Alongside this, she had space to share and process her own feelings, which allowed her to show up with more clarity and presence. She also felt empowered to communicate more deeply with her daughter’s teacher, sharing who her daughter truly is and what supports her.

This shifted everything. Her daughter began to feel more seen and supported at school, her days flowed more smoothly, and the intensity at home eased. Julie shared that this support changed the trajectory of their entire year, bringing more connection, confidence, and trust for both her and her daughter.

When Anna reached out, her daughter hadn’t even started school yet, but the fear was already there. The thought of entering the school system brought up deep concern and dread, along with a strong desire to do things differently and truly support her child to thrive.

Through engaging with my content grounded in Aware Parenting (Aletha Solter, Ph.D.) and the Marion Method (Marion Rose, Ph.D.), she began to see a new way forward. Instead of feeling powerless about what was ahead, she started to understand how she could support her daughter’s emotional world, advocate within the system, and stay connected to her own values.

This shifted something important. The fear didn’t disappear overnight, but it was no longer overwhelming or paralysing. In its place came a growing sense of clarity, intention, and trust in her ability to navigate the school journey differently.

Anna shared that due to my Surviving School course she now feels more prepared and determined to support her daughter with awareness, connection, and advocacy, with a clear path forward for when she is ready to go deeper into this work.

When Lisa entered this work, she was navigating life’s challenges while carrying a sense of doing it largely on her own as a single parent. There was a deep longing to feel truly supported, seen, and held through what she was experiencing.

In our time together,  I offered a consistent space of presence, deep listening, and compassion. She was able to share openly, be witnessed in all that she was moving through, and experience what unconditional support can feel like.

This created a powerful shift. Rather than feeling alone or overwhelmed by what she was facing, she began to feel held, supported, and connected, even in the midst of life’s challenges.

Lisa shared that this experience brought a level of healing that felt deeply profound, allowing her to reconnect with a sense of love, safety, and ongoing support that she could carry with her that stayed well beyond our sessions together.

When Sophie reached out, she was feeling overwhelmed by her daughter’s sleep challenges and unsure how to move forward. Beneath the surface, there were also deeper feelings of confusion, guilt, and a sense that something more was needing attention, even if she couldn’t yet fully see it.

In our work together, grounded in Aware Parenting (Aletha Solter, Ph.D.) and the Marion Method (Marion Rose, Ph.D.), I supported her to understand her daughter’s sleep as an expression of accumulated feelings, while also gently exploring her own inner world. With practical support and emotional guidance, the sleep challenges began to ease, creating space to go deeper into the core Love and Will work.

As she felt safe to share openly, including the parts she had felt shame around, she began to experience deep acceptance and compassion, both from me and within herself. Alongside this, we brought in attachment play, supporting more connection, laughter, and cooperation in her parenting.

This led to a profound shift. Sophie shared that she now feels clearer in who she is and where she is going, with greater self-compassion, deeper connection with her child, and a renewed sense of joy and ease in parenting. What began as a challenge around sleep became a powerful journey of healing and transformation.

When Rob reached out, he wanted support navigating the ups and downs of parenting, particularly noticing his tendency to default to more authoritarian responses. He had a sense there was another way, but wasn’t yet sure how to access it in the moment.

In our work together, I supported him to explore where these patterns had originated in his own childhood. Through this awareness, he began to understand his reactions more clearly, creating space for new choices rather than automatic responses.

Alongside this, I shared practical, connection-based approaches he could use in real-time, offering alternatives that supported both his children’s feelings and his own capacity to respond with clarity.

Over time, Rob experienced a significant shift. He felt more equipped to navigate challenges, less reactive, and more connected in his parenting, with a deeper understanding of himself and the patterns he was ready to change to be the parent he really wanted and was willing to be.

When Simone reached out, she was navigating the challenges of applying Aware Parenting within real-world situations, especially in environments that didn’t always align with her values. She felt the pressure to follow external expectations, even when they didn’t feel right for her child.

Through engaging with my work she began to develop greater clarity and confidence in trusting her own inner knowing. In particular, the Marion Method supported her to connect with her True Power and confidently express her “neo no” in situations that didn’t meet her child’s needs.

This became especially powerful during a ski school experience, where she was encouraged to leave her young child for long hours despite visible distress. Instead, she advocated for a different approach, stayed connected, and supported her child to listen to his own needs, ultimately choosing to finish early when he was tired.

Simone shared that this experience marked a deep shift, allowing her to feel more confident, empowered, and aligned in her parenting, with the ability to navigate systems while staying connected to both herself and her child.