Teacher, mum of three, special educator, school leader, university lecturer, founder of Here You Grow.

Kids are my favourite kind of people! Teaching was an obvious choice for me, and I’ve enjoyed more than 16 years working in schools. From the classroom to the leadership office, I’ve worked with hundreds of children and honestly loved every moment.

In 2018, we began to wonder whether there was something different about our then three-year-old son. He experienced very big emotions, had strong sensory preferences and NEVER stopped moving. Fast forward a few years, we discovered our little guy was autistic, with ADHD and lots of anxiety. These terms are what we now often refer to as neurodivergent. His brain is wired a little differently, but it is no less perfect. And so began a crash course on parenting a child with a fragile nervous system. It wasn’t enough for me to read books or follow experts online, I had to head back to study my masters in special education. In 2020, I attained my Master of Learning Intervention at Melbourne University, with a focus on specific learning difficulties. I scoured every textbook and reading, agonised over every assignment and case study, and subsequently took out the Dean’s Honours List award for outstanding academic achievement.

These studies opened my eyes to the variety of approaches out there for supporting children with developmental differences and disabilties. As a gentle and responsive parent, I found my path through professionals such as Dr Ross Greene and Mona Delahooke. My own personal approach to early intervention is centred on empathy and connection. While there is no doubt it is hard for us as adults, it is almost certainly even tougher for our struggling kids!

Alongside my passion for supporting children’s emotional and social growth is my knowledge and expertise in early language and communication. I have lectured in language and literacy acquisition at Deakin University, and I am trained in Hanen’s SPARK Communication™, coaching parents to use strategies from the It Takes Two to Talk® program.

When I’m not in full mum mode or crusading to make the world a better place for our neurodivergent kids, you will find me caravanning (preferably somewhere warm), drinking tea (Earl Grey, always) or escaping into a good book. Sometimes I even get to enjoy it all at once!

Summary of qualifications and further training

Bachelor of Education (Primary)

Master of Learning Intervention

DIRFloortime® DIR 1O1 - An introduction to DIR and DIRFloortime

DIRFloortime® DIR 201 - Promoting Basic Functional Emotional Development

SPARK Communication™ - coaching parents to use strategies from Hanen’s It Takes Two to Talk® program

Sounds-Write practitioner training

Therapists and PDA masterclass (At Peace Parents)