Can you please tell us a bit about yourself personally?
I spent most of my childhood bouncing between the sunny beaches of Los Angeles and the fast-paced streets of New York City. I grew up loving the waves and the energy of the ocean, but it was the dynamic heartbeat of New York that truly captured my heart. I pursued my education at NYU, followed by graduate studies at Bank Street College of Education and Teachers college at Columbia University.
Today I’m the proud mom of two amazing boys, Jackson (17) and Quinn (15). They fill my days with excitement. We love spending time together, whether it’s at the beach, skiing, or just relaxing at home watching football or baseball.
Where do you live in Greenwich and what do you love about Greenwich and your neighborhood?
I live in downtown Greenwich and absolutely love it. One of the best things about living downtown is how close we are to everything–we can walk through Bruce Park or stroll down the Avenue. I also love being able to head to Tod’s point to enjoy the beach. Greenwich has been my home for 23 years!
What is an Executive Functioning Coach?
As an Executive Function Coach, I specialize in empowering students to build critical skills in organization, time management, focus, and communication. My mission is to help students unlock their potential and transform it into lifelong performance, both in and out of the classroom.
I ensure that students are confident in navigating their schools’ online platforms to avoid missed assignments and stay on top of goals. Together we create daily or weekly action plans to ensure steady progress toward academic success.
I emphasize the importance of cultivating a positive mindset. Through the habits and rituals we develop together, students learn to approach challenges with resilience, and optimism, making a positive outlook part of their daily routine. This shift in mindset not only enhances academic success it also fosters long-term growth and well-being. This results in building confidence and clarity for the student and has the added benefit of creating harmony in the home as the student is more independent.
When your child has tools to manage their tasks effectively, it leads to less chaos at home, and you can stay focused and productive at work. Helping your child develop these skills early on benefits the whole family!
How did you become an Executive Function Coach? What is your professional background?
With a strong background as an educator and subject matter expert in reading and writing, I saw first hand the struggles students, teachers and parents encountered when these critical foundational skills were missing. Oftentimes the go to remedy is academic tutoring when in fact the missing component is learning and mastering executive function skills. I guide students in developing key habits and processes for managing their academic workloads, meeting deadlines, and organizing all aspects of their lives. I was inspired by my personal experience as a mother of a child with ADHD; I developed a proven system that not only helps students achieve lifelong success but also provides parents with the relief knowing their child is on a path to independence and confidence. I have taught in both private and public schools for the last 14 years. I have an undergraduate degree from NYU and a Master’s in Education from Bank Street College of Education.
What are some of the benefits of coaching young children?
Here’s what you can expect:
- Organization: Say goodbye to missing assignments and messy backpacks
- Time Management: Help your child anticipate and meet deadlines, homework, and activities with ease.
- Focus & Memory: Provide your student with strategies to stay sharp and tackle tasks head-on. Task Management: No more battles with starting or completing tasks at home or school
What are the Top 4 things parents can do at home with their kids to help strengthen Executive Functioning skills?
- Create a Daily Routine: Establish a consistent routine that includes set times for homework, breaks and bedtime. Children thrive on structure and a predictable schedule helps them stay organized and manage their time effectively. Use visual schedules or checklists to break tasks into manageable steps. This reduces last minute stress and fosters independence.
- Teach prioritization: Sit down with your child at the start of each week to review upcoming assignments, projects, and activities. Help them prioritize by breaking larger tasks into smaller steps and determining what needs to be done first! You can introduce tools like color coded folders or planners to make this process more tangible. Teaching prioritization now builds life-long skills that help them stay on top of deadlines and reduces stress.
- Organization: Digital or Analog? Determine if your child works better with a digital scheduling app or a paper based planner? Either option should allow you and your child to see the month at a glance and at the same time provide daily spaces for identifying top tasks and or a checklist. Creating structure for your schedule can begin to organize your daily life.
- Balancing Daily Stress: Reduce daily stress by encouraging your child to journal their thoughts, take time for pause, consider making a new playlist, and emphasize exercise and movement. These activities will help you return to balance and prepare mentally for the academic tasks ahead.
What do you find the most challenging and most rewarding parts of being an Executive Functioning Coach?
The most rewarding is seeing the learning breakthrough of a student and the positive effect it has on their academic performance, their confidence and their interactions with school, family and community.
Challenges arise when parents’ expectations are for immediate results rather than allowing for incremental progress which will happen throughout the coaching engagement.
What is one of your favorite coaching success stories?
One student was struggling with time management. She would spend 4-5 hours a night on homework when in reality the assignments could be completed within 90 minutes. As you can imagine she was upset, distraught and overwhelmed as were her parents. After 4 sessions (which includes my diagnostic personalized assessment) I am thrilled to share that this student organizes her assignments, breaks down her homework and understands how to allocate her time efficiently with increased focus and clear goals.
Another win was an opportunity I had to work with a recent college grad coaching him through his job search, job application and preparing for interviews and landing a job of his dreams at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. I helped him achieve this by organizing his daily life, scheduling his calendar and keeping him on task. These same executive function skills are now serving him well in his new role.
How do you balance being an entrepreneur, teacher and a parent?
I utilize the same executive function skills. Admittedly it is always a challenge striking the right balance, particularly as a single mom. I recognize that self care has to be a scheduled priority!
What do you like to do to relax/have fun for yourself and as a family?
The way I start my day is key to keeping a positive mindset. I wake up at 4::30am to strength train for at least an hour, which gives me the energy and focus I need. I also make time for daily meditation , which helps me stay grounded and present. As a family, we find joy in being by the ocean and staying active. We spend time with close friends and embrace the moments that bring us closer together.
What is your mom’s uniform?
Blue jeans, t-shirt and boots!
Anything else you’d like to share?
I would like your readers to know that there is a very real solution to helping their child build this critical skill set which will serve them throughout their life. Don’t delay, schedule a complimentary consultation with me to see how I can help.
How can we get in touch with you?
You can email me at executivefunctioncoach1@gmail.
We love to support local businesses. What are your fave places when you are in Greenwich to:
Grab coffee: Gregorys
Workout: My home Gym and Equinox
Go on a date night: Bedford Post Inn
Go out for a girls night: Siren
Go out to dinner as a family: Terra
Get your hair done: Empys
Get your nails done: Muse
Have fun as a family: Tod’s Point
