You’re not alone, in fact it was these very feelings and many more that had me desperate to make a massive shift in my own family, after years of feeling overwhelmed, guilty and just not good enough.

All I wanted was to be the” perfect parent “(whatever that is) for my three amazing boys. However, when our first born became a teenager what once had been a fun and happy family environment soon shifted to a constant daily struggle for me as a mum.

I vividly remember starting my day yelling, the same demands over and over” you need to get up or were going to late”, get out of the shower, get off your phone until you are ready “Hurry up we need to leave NOW “etc.

I would toot the car horn, I could feel my heart beating out of my chest in rage while the rest of the family waited patiently and quietly the back seat. Once again, he would finally be ready and I would rant and rave all the way to school in return my son would yell and scream back at me or just shut down all together.

I may as well have played a recording on repeat as everyday felt just like “ground hog day” And I was becoming more and more anxious, frustrated and angry as a parent.

I found myself constantly apologising to my younger children often with tears streaming down my face and a heart filled with guilt for them having to witness yet another outburst from me and I was really beginning to feel like I was completely falling apart and failing as a mum.

My husband and I would attempt many different ways to approach and discuss our son’s behaviour which always resulted in a fight and more yelling and screaming.

He felt under attack and we felt disrespected and together we were getting nowhere fast.

I felt like I was losing my beautiful, strong willed, loving, kind, respectful boy and I was not only scared I was heartbroken.

I will never forget the day he said “Well maybe I should just move out (age 16) and that way we can all be happy again.”

This is when I knew things really had to change, we had to break this cycle of our parenting style that clearly was no longer working for our son and our family as a whole.

As a result of this moment that changed everything, I began to devote all my spare time to learning all I could about connecting and communicating with teenagers.

My research & studies took me from neuroscience, to psychology, to coaching and everything in between.

I have had some powerful break throughs and not only have I learnt so much more about my son I also learnt even more about myself.

I have since been able to develop strategies and approaches that have shifted our conversations, I understand my son on a deeper level and I know how to communicate and connect with him even when we have challenging circumstances and situations.

Those days that I felt lost, out of control, frustrated, angry, anxious, guilty and disconnected from my son now feels like a distant memory.

We now have three teenagers in our family and each and everyday I feel my husband and I grow as parents, confidently loving and supporting them all into adulthood and it feels not only empowering but also extremely rewarding.

I don’t want any other parent to ever have to feel the sense of despair we felt nor feel as helpless and frustrated as I did.

So today I devote my life’s work to supporting parents and teens who feel disconnected from one another and struggle to communicate by sharing simple techniques that break down barriers, help them reconnect and create a happier home.

I’m here to tell you there is a better way.