…not just survive their childhood and subsequent teenage years.
You want them to have strong mental health, sense of self-worth, and the emotional resiliency they will need before entering their teenage years.
You want someone who is on your side and empowers your kids with the content and life skills they aren't getting at school.
You understand that their inner selves are reflected in everything they do in the outer world.
So why is it so hard to get your kids to talk about and express their emotions in healthy ways?
I get it. Teaching kids important life skills and motivating them to actually put them into practice in their day-to-day lives is tricky.
I’ve seen this happen with countless families:
I know how frustrating it is to try to teach kids something, and then see them actively ignore you, or worse — do the opposite of what you’re trying to teach them.
Or how heartbreaking it is to see your kids suffer with anxiety or stress, but not know how to help them.
Luckily, it really doesn't have to be this way…
I empower kids and teens with mindfulness and social-emotional skills so they can be their best selves and thrive. I also teach adults how to teach kids these kind of skills, so they actually want to do it.
This involves:
And I do it all in a way that is fun and playful, so the positive emotions you and your children feel while learning the new information solidifies the content in your brain.
Kelsey made a very quick connection with our 10-year-old daughter and created a safe and comfortable space where she was able to open up and learn to talk about her feelings.
The notes that Kelsey sent after sessions helped us listen, and better connect and communicate with our daughter. This was a key breakthrough!
We recently signed up our 12-year-old because we felt it would be helpful for her to talk with Kelsey about teenage topics. At first, she was skeptical about talking with the same person that her sister was talking with, worried that she would be doing the same “10-year-old” things as her sister. But after a quick chat with Kelsey, she immediately felt comfortable and excited to work with her.
Kelsey has a very genuine way of connecting with our daughters. Our daughters look forward to their sessions and consider her a good friend and mentor. I can't recommend Kelsey enough.
The impact she has made on both of our daughters and our family has been incredible.
Jeff Riese
Father of Stella and Giselle
Your child’s emotional intelligence will continue to affect them the rest of their lives. I know, because I learned this the hard way.
I grew up feeling everything so deeply and was often told to stop “fake crying,” which led me to bottle my emotions up and put on a smiling face in front of my parents and friends.
But deep down, I didn’t feel happy. Because I didn’t understand how to express my feelings or needs, I didn’t get the help I needed right away.
When I was just 10 years old, I struggled with dark thoughts and deep feelings for much longer before getting the help I needed.
No one had noticed, because that sort of thing was not talked about in my family or at school.
A few years later, I serendipitously landed in my first yoga class and fell in love. Yoga taught me how to feel my body again, and accept with my deep feelings.
It also eventually led to my exploration and practice in a variety of holistic health practices, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, meditation, acupuncture, and integrative health coaching.
Fast forward 20 years, after finishing two master’s degrees in education, becoming an international school teacher, and drifting between several different public school systems and jobs, I had a realization.
The content and lifelong skills that kids really needed were not being taught, or even talked about.
So I started the Whole n Happy, mainly as a project in my classroom to guide kids to learn about themselves.
It included mindfulness practices, social-emotional learning, mindful movement, discussion, journaling, and language practices.
Later, I started implementing these concepts and practices in other classrooms too, with much success.
This eventually led to the work I do now, in my own business.
I know that I shouldn’t have had to wait for a random yoga class to learn about my system of emotions and thoughts, or about how to calm my nervous system down on my own.
I shouldn’t have had to wait to talk openly and vulnerably about dark thoughts and feelings that changed my behaviors. Or to feel fully seen and accepted for the way that I am.
These are the life skills and knowledge I want every child and tween to have growing up. If you believe in helping your kids develop emotional intelligence early in their childhood, I’m here to help.
My son Ethan is so comfortable and engaged in all of Ms. Kelsey’s classes. I also appreciate the detailed feedback she provides about what I can work on at home.
This type of work is perfect for parents who want to empower kids with impactful social-emotional knowledge. I started by signing up for a few group courses, which led me to doing one-on-one coaching.
It was heaven-sent and I’m planning on signing my son up for more courses this summer with Ms. Kelsey.
Ruby
Mother of Ethan
I share directly and openly with you and your kids, so you can implement the language, skills, and tools we are learning at home, too.
I am here to truly “see” your child, which includes reflective listening and active questioning, all to guide them back to their own inner wisdom.
I teach through stories and playfulness so kids will feel motivated and engaged throughout our sessions.
I have lived in 11 countries and currently live in Thailand, which continues to shape the way I see and experience the world. I strive to create spaces where everyone is fully seen and accepted for who they are.
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies and two Masters Degrees in Education and Instructional Leadership, with an emphasis on Social-Emotional Learning.
I also am a certified Health Coach (from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition) and have extensive training in mindfulness (Mindful Schools, Tara Brach, Thich Nhat Hanh) and yoga (Yandara Yoga, Alex Pfeifer, Rolf Gates).
I’ve done extensive research on emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and best practices for teaching kids and adults things they will retain in the future. A big part of what I do as an educator and coach is teaching others how to integrate their own knowledge about their systems of emotion to grow in a way that is aligned for them.
My experience teaching and leading in several different education systems around the World (from Singapore to inner-city Chicago, to Costa Rica to Thailand) helps me connect with clients from different backgrounds and of all different learning styles and attention spans.
Download this free guide and learn five action steps you can take to help your kids better understand and process their “big feelings”.