The early days were soft. My son Zefy was a calm newborn. But when he was just a few weeks old, we relocated to Nairobi - and not long after, my husband was in a serious car accident. He recovered, thankfully - but the shock, the isolation, and the sheer weight of parenting without community cracked something open.

My son stopped sleeping. We moved countries - again. The pandemic came. Naps disappeared. My sense of self blurred. The patience I was known for in classrooms evaporated at home. I started to lose my joy. I loved my child deeply, but parenting him didn’t feel like love. It felt like survival. And it was riddled with guilt, loneliness and sadness.

I wasn’t the parent I wanted to be. I shouted. I doubted myself. I felt overwhelmed with guilt.

At play school drop-off, I sometimes envied how easily the teachers held space for all those little people, while I could barely hold space for one.

And yet, somewhere in all that mess, something important happened.

I didn’t give up. I got curious.

Not just about my child - but about myself.

Who was I now? What parts of me were trying to be heard? Where was I parenting from - fear, control, exhaustion? And what would it take to shift?

That curiosity became the beginning of everything.

Over time, I trained, studied, read, reflected, cried, and softened. I learned what it means to parent in alignment with who I really am - not who I thought I was supposed to be. I didn’t just find myself again - I found parts I didn’t even know I had. I was diagnosed with massive depression and ADHD. I had therapy for both and take medication to help me manage the mood disorder related to the latter. Growing up with a father who was firmly on the spectrum prepared me well for self-acceptance, love and working through your true self.

Today, as a parent coach for high-achieving, globally mobile families, my work is guided by three pillars:

• Radical Responsibility (Choosing growth over blame - for your sake and theirs)

• Authenticity (Trusting your instinct and showing up as your whole self)

• Presence (Staying grounded in the moment, especially when it’s hard)
  

These aren’t quick fixes or surface-level tools. They’re the foundation for deep change. They’re how we raise children who feel seen and respected - and how we reclaim the parts of ourselves we thought we’d lost.

So no, I’m not a perfect parent. But I no longer expect myself to be. I recognise that this globally mobile, expat, migrant life we have chosen is hard. It's beautiful, it's full of opportunity and wonder and adventure. And it brings with it a whole host of unique parenting challenges that I wouldn't have even needed to consider if my child had gone to the local Greek school across the road from our house. Our children will navigate transitions, identity questions, and culture clashes most adults struggle to name - let alone process. As parents, we’re called to hold space for all of it. The grief of goodbyes, the uncertainty of new beginnings, the quiet ache of not fully belonging anywhere. It’s a complex emotional landscape - and we’re not meant to walk it alone.

What I am is present. Empathic. Honest. And committed to doing the real work - with humour, humility, and heart.

If you're ready to parent with more connection, more calm, and a deeper sense of who you are in it all, I’d love to walk that path with you.