Meet the Great Parenting Simplified Certified Parent Coaches
and Parent Coaches in Training (PCIT)
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Parent Coaches
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Here is Jacqueline's Story
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Self-identified parenting disaster to master, Jacqueline Green is the founder of the Great Parenting Simplified movement. She is also the creator and host of the Great Parenting Simplified Series (formerly the Great Parenting Show), founded in 2010. Simplifying parenting is what she has been doing since she first started as a parenting educator in 2000.
At one of Jacqueline’s lowest points, she stopped the escalating physical violence in her marriage by going to a woman’s shelter with her two little kids. Yet her first marriage and parenting have been her biggest gifts because of the growth that she did in order to thrive, and be able to be the mama she had vowed to be for her two precious kids (now 21 and 23)!
At 30, Jacqueline Green, BA, was delighted to leave her corporate career in communications to become a mom. She wanted to do things differently than the family she grew up in, but she soon discovered that doing things differently required skills she didn’t have yet. Her dreams of family bliss turned into a nightmare of overwhelm. The journey included diving into stress, mental health issues and conflict. Not only was she hit with postpartum depression, rage that left her fearing she would be an abusive mom, and debilitating, crippling perfectionism, but her marriage was rapidly disintegrating.
Like too many moms, at her lowest she contemplated leaving the planet. She knew what a cruel legacy suicide would be for her children, and she wanted so desperately to have a great family life. She committed instead to finding solutions to her seemingly insurmountable problems. Along the way she taught the iconic How to Talk so that Kids will Listen courses, took instructor’s training and taught Active Parenting courses, and mentored briefly with Dr. Gordon Neufeld. (His best-selling book Hold on to your Kids is a must read for anyone who works with children, or was once a child and wants to understand his or her own development.)
Jacqueline developed the Great Parenting Simplified system from over 20 years as a parent educator, working with over 150 of the world’s top parenting experts, and hundreds of parents with almost every possible parenting issue all over the world. The programs give parents access to support, skills and knowledge based on three Core Principles: Mindset, Alignment & Support.
Great parenting – without the overwhelm!
Jacqueline’s upcoming book is Strong Enough to Stay: Work it Out or Leave Happy.
Although Jacqueline was born in the US, her Canadian accent shows where she grew up!
At one of Jacqueline’s lowest points, she stopped the escalating physical violence in her marriage by going to a woman’s shelter with her two little kids. Yet her first marriage and parenting have been her biggest gifts because of the growth that she did in order to thrive, and be able to be the mama she had vowed to be for her two precious kids (now 21 and 23)!
At 30, Jacqueline Green, BA, was delighted to leave her corporate career in communications to become a mom. She wanted to do things differently than the family she grew up in, but she soon discovered that doing things differently required skills she didn’t have yet. Her dreams of family bliss turned into a nightmare of overwhelm. The journey included diving into stress, mental health issues and conflict. Not only was she hit with postpartum depression, rage that left her fearing she would be an abusive mom, and debilitating, crippling perfectionism, but her marriage was rapidly disintegrating.
Like too many moms, at her lowest she contemplated leaving the planet. She knew what a cruel legacy suicide would be for her children, and she wanted so desperately to have a great family life. She committed instead to finding solutions to her seemingly insurmountable problems. Along the way she taught the iconic How to Talk so that Kids will Listen courses, took instructor’s training and taught Active Parenting courses, and mentored briefly with Dr. Gordon Neufeld. (His best-selling book Hold on to your Kids is a must read for anyone who works with children, or was once a child and wants to understand his or her own development.)
Jacqueline developed the Great Parenting Simplified system from over 20 years as a parent educator, working with over 150 of the world’s top parenting experts, and hundreds of parents with almost every possible parenting issue all over the world. The programs give parents access to support, skills and knowledge based on three Core Principles: Mindset, Alignment & Support.
Great parenting – without the overwhelm!
Jacqueline’s upcoming book is Strong Enough to Stay: Work it Out or Leave Happy.
Although Jacqueline was born in the US, her Canadian accent shows where she grew up!
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Here are your Senior Parent Coaches,
who will be helping during the Bigger Group Sessions (BGS)
and will be available for extra help, if you need it!
who will be helping during the Bigger Group Sessions (BGS)
and will be available for extra help, if you need it!
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Michelle Brussel
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My conscious parenting journey was the beginning of a whole
personal growth journey, that included EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), yoga, meditation and spiritual work. It was prompted by the immense challenges and struggles I was experiencing parenting my older son. I knew I needed help and to find a different way to parent (and to live!). My passion is to share this information with other mamas to help them fulfill their desires for themselves, their kids and their families. I’m married with 2 boys (10 and 5) and live in Nyack, NY.
personal growth journey, that included EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), yoga, meditation and spiritual work. It was prompted by the immense challenges and struggles I was experiencing parenting my older son. I knew I needed help and to find a different way to parent (and to live!). My passion is to share this information with other mamas to help them fulfill their desires for themselves, their kids and their families. I’m married with 2 boys (10 and 5) and live in Nyack, NY.
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Joanna Greaney
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When I had kids, there was definitely an ideal in my mind of how to be a mom that I was striving for and quickly found myself failing to achieve. I was not the calm and strong Mama I wanted to be. I encountered rage like I had never felt before. Joining the GPS Inner Circle and later going through training and becoming a Parent Coach has taught me so many things, but most of all, it has taught me to relax more if I don’t get things right on the first or 10th try. It has given me the permission to be OK with who I am now. It has helped me find trust that things will be OK. It has also given me an amazing community of women. I have coached several moms now and witnessed them open up to that trust and soften to the slow process of change, and that has been so gratifying to see! I am married with a boy (13) and two girls (10 and 7) living near San Diego, California.
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Maureen Geres
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I joined the Inner Circle 3 (IC) group at a time when I was feeling weighed down by the pressure of trying to be a perfect parent. My hope was to learn how to have more fun in parenting and to rediscover the fun person I used to be before I had kids! That experience was profound and I continued with the IC4 group to deepen my understanding and practice of the material. I still have my regrettable parenting moments (!), but now look at them as snapshots in time and learning opportunities, instead of permanent black marks on my parenting record. I have more compassion for myself and my kids and have greater confidence and calmness in dealing with situations that used to feel out of control. As a Parent Coach I’m able to support others on their journey to becoming the parents, and people, they want to be. I am a married mom of 9 year old, Ben and 7 year old, Maddie living in Calgary, Alberta.
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Jan VanderLuitgaren
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I am an RN by profession and still work on occasion at a local hospital in the outpatient oncology clinic. I cut back
working after my twins were born and was able to participate in the IC 3 group and then decided to become a parent coach. I also have a health coaching certification that I completed a few years ago. I am passionate about parenting and health related topics as these really are two very important areas of our lives as Moms. I’ve have been married for 19 years. Our children are Conner 13,
William 10 and Hannah and Olivia, 7-year-old twin girls. I live in the Indianapolis, Indiana.
working after my twins were born and was able to participate in the IC 3 group and then decided to become a parent coach. I also have a health coaching certification that I completed a few years ago. I am passionate about parenting and health related topics as these really are two very important areas of our lives as Moms. I’ve have been married for 19 years. Our children are Conner 13,
William 10 and Hannah and Olivia, 7-year-old twin girls. I live in the Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Here are your Parent Coaches in Training (PCITs)
who will lead you in your small group calls.
who will lead you in your small group calls.
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Larissa Ashdown
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I am from Manitoba, Canada and joined the IC2 in 2016 when I was feeling like a failure parenting my 7 and 3 year olds. I was collecting endless information and advice, but implementation felt impossible as I was stuck in negative thoughts. I was burning out sacrificing everything for my children, trying to be perfect, vowing not to be a "scary" parent like I experienced growing up. At the same time I found myself blowing up at my children, wondering if they would grow up to be psychopaths, and couldn’t figure out how to parent the way I truly wanted.
Noticing how much has changed since then makes me so grateful for the tools I learned in the IC program. I’m not perfect but now I realize being gentle with ourselves is the best thing we can model for our kids. I’m content, confident and more closely connected with my husband and children. I can't wait to meet you and witness your transformation! Virtual hugs!
Noticing how much has changed since then makes me so grateful for the tools I learned in the IC program. I’m not perfect but now I realize being gentle with ourselves is the best thing we can model for our kids. I’m content, confident and more closely connected with my husband and children. I can't wait to meet you and witness your transformation! Virtual hugs!
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Joanne Whitton
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I’m a Mum and Step Mum in the UK. I have a daughter (6) and two stepchildren, a boy (14) and a girl (15). I joined the IC3 group at a point when I felt lost and disempowered. I was suffering with stress and anxiety and my marriage was strained. I had lost confidence in myself, doubted my intuition and my parenting abilities. The Inner Circle was an incredibly helpful and most of all empowering experience. I have a mantra from the programme that has gotten me through and that is “progress is perfection”, I find it helps take the pressure off. The program gave me a much better understanding about the children’s needs and helped me with changing ‘my’ mindset and identifying 'my’ needs. The peer support was also incredible and I got so much from having a safe space to share. I’m now a Parent Coach in Training with GPS hoping to help others discover the riches that I found and empower them to make changes.
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Kelly Walker
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I had no idea what parenting was going to be like, but I knew that I wasn’t being the parent I wanted to be. When I found the Inner Circle program I was barely treading water. Blow ups at my kids were common, followed by guilt, shame and self loathing. I literally didn’t know what to do. The program gave me a community and a space to be real about where I was at. I was able to use the tools to greatly improve my relationship with my-self and my children. I want to share those skills and help other parents to make real change. I’m not perfect by any means (!), but I’m in a much better place now. I live in Christchurch, New Zealand with my partner and our 6 year old son and 3 year old daughter.
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Isabella Bartolo
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Parenting is quite the journey... with both joyous and difficult moments. Accepting this truth is the beginning of parenting on the right path.
My journey with GPS began 8 years ago. I was at a loss with my parenting skills. I was struggling and looking for solutions to raise happier kids. Through GPS, I found a non-judgmental, safe place where parents can share their experiences, find a village of support, and learn acceptance. While learning new skills to connect with my children, a subtle, most amazing personal transformation took place. I learned to be a better leader for my kids and those around me. (A Parenting & Personal Development course all in one!)
My hope as a parent coach is to gently guide parents on their parenting journey. I am the proud mama of 3 teenagers (16, 14 & 12) and live in Quebec, Canada.
My journey with GPS began 8 years ago. I was at a loss with my parenting skills. I was struggling and looking for solutions to raise happier kids. Through GPS, I found a non-judgmental, safe place where parents can share their experiences, find a village of support, and learn acceptance. While learning new skills to connect with my children, a subtle, most amazing personal transformation took place. I learned to be a better leader for my kids and those around me. (A Parenting & Personal Development course all in one!)
My hope as a parent coach is to gently guide parents on their parenting journey. I am the proud mama of 3 teenagers (16, 14 & 12) and live in Quebec, Canada.
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Marianne Lewis
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I'm from South Africa and lived in the UK before moving to Switzerland. I live in Geneva with my husband and 3 children.
I found GPS when I strained (and heart-wrenchingly failed) to be A Perfect Mom to two toddlers.
Shortly before our third baby was born, my husband started travelling a lot for work and after a few months of being a nearly-single-mom, the wheels at home came off. I was exhausted, forgetful, overwhelmed and with no defined support structure, still trying haphazardly to implement good parenting advice, meal plans and activities.
I joined the Inner Circle 5 programme and received practical, realistic guidance and that safe community that I lacked as a new-ish mom in a foreign country.
I kept my connection with GPS through the Grad group and now as a PCIT. I have learned to be A Good Enough Mom and I am more at peace and (mostly) enjoying the imperfect messy-ness of being me.
I found GPS when I strained (and heart-wrenchingly failed) to be A Perfect Mom to two toddlers.
Shortly before our third baby was born, my husband started travelling a lot for work and after a few months of being a nearly-single-mom, the wheels at home came off. I was exhausted, forgetful, overwhelmed and with no defined support structure, still trying haphazardly to implement good parenting advice, meal plans and activities.
I joined the Inner Circle 5 programme and received practical, realistic guidance and that safe community that I lacked as a new-ish mom in a foreign country.
I kept my connection with GPS through the Grad group and now as a PCIT. I have learned to be A Good Enough Mom and I am more at peace and (mostly) enjoying the imperfect messy-ness of being me.
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Judy Banfield
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My name is Judy Banfield and I live Nelson, British Columbia. I am the Grandma of GPS as my
two children are now adults and thriving.
I started working with young children when I was 19, in a variety of Early Childhood settings, all
of which had parent involvement. I obtained a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education
and taught Early Childhood Education at the College level for 9 years.
When my first child was born I found that in spite of my education and experience, I felt useless.
I knew I needed help. I called the local La Leche League (the breastfeeding support group)
often. After three months I decided to attend a La Leche League meeting where I met other
moms and realized that all moms need support. After two years in the group and another baby, I
trained to be a La Leche League Leader, which I still am to this day.
I have learned that parenting is by far the most difficult and most important job in the world, and
that all parents struggle and need support. Now I am happy to be involved with GPS.
two children are now adults and thriving.
I started working with young children when I was 19, in a variety of Early Childhood settings, all
of which had parent involvement. I obtained a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education
and taught Early Childhood Education at the College level for 9 years.
When my first child was born I found that in spite of my education and experience, I felt useless.
I knew I needed help. I called the local La Leche League (the breastfeeding support group)
often. After three months I decided to attend a La Leche League meeting where I met other
moms and realized that all moms need support. After two years in the group and another baby, I
trained to be a La Leche League Leader, which I still am to this day.
I have learned that parenting is by far the most difficult and most important job in the world, and
that all parents struggle and need support. Now I am happy to be involved with GPS.
