Thriving kids depend on empowered adults.
Every kid. Every family. Every classroom.
I equip caregivers, educators, and service providers with identity-affirming, trauma-responsive tools to help children thrive.
Hi, I’m Gwen.
I’m a foster parent, educator, researcher, and collaborative consultant. I work with parents, caretakers, educators, and service providers who want to become more effective helpers and advocates for vulnerable children.
My own experience — which you can read about in my book Immaculate Misconception — connects me with young people struggling to find their place in systems that don’t always honor their needs and identities.
With decades of experience in K-12 teaching, teacher training, and hands-on support, I focus on unique solutions for wellbeing and long-term success.
I wrote a book! ⚡️
Immaculate Misconception:
Available now! 🏳️🌈
I wrote a book! ⚡️ Immaculate Misconception: Available now! 🏳️🌈
How do we design classrooms, homes, and organizations so that everyone can be their best self?
My work focuses on:
NAVIGATING & TRANSFORMING SYSTEMS
Kids and families in unique circumstances negotiate a variety of complex systems — educational, legal, and medical, to name a few. I help my clients address systemic barriers, understand their rights, and get up to speed with new vocabulary so they can navigate these systems with less overwhelm and more ease.
CARING for kids with marginalized identities
Educators and caregivers of kids with unique needs don’t just need “advice” — they need consistent, trustworthy support from someone who gets it. With experience in special education, foster care, school counseling, and adult learning, I help families and educators better serve the kids they care about.
BOLSTERING collaboration between parents & providers
The more social workers, parents, teachers, doctors, and other providers can get on the same page, the better chance a child has at being successful. I help the networks of adults surrounding a child align on values and strategies so kids get the high-quality and consistent care they need.
Diverse offerings for you and your young ones
For Parents & Caregivers
There’s no onboarding manual for raising kids with unique and diverse needs. When marble jars and bedtime routines just aren’t cutting it, I help parents and caregivers find new pathways toward an easier home life.
For Educators & Teachers
Teachers and educational leaders need and deserve support. I provide engaging professional development opportunities that build on participants’ strengths and leave them with tools they can use immediately.
For Organizations & Agencies
I support programs, events, and organizations in thinking more inclusively and designing offerings that reach people on the margins. I offer program evaluation and development for nonprofits, government agencies, and private organizations that want to be more equitable.
Every kid deserves a pathway to success.
the values & foundations of my work
“I help nonprofits, schools, government agencies, teachers, and families build accessible experiences for all types of young people — especially those who are most vulnerable to falling through the cracks.”
Kids with complex identities navigate many environments: schools, clinical settings, social service agencies, medical facilities, and home. While all of these systems may have shared goals, they don’t all speak the same language.
I help strengthen the communication among these systems and help everyone in the child’s ecosystem leverage their skills and strengths to work more collaboratively.
Kids need to feel seen, heard, understood, and safe in order to learn. My work asks educators, program administrators, and parents to be curious about their preconceived notions of how young people learn and flourish.
The mainstream educational system (not to mention medical, gender, and lifestyle standards) was built with a narrow idea of what learning looks like. What we know is that it just doesn’t work for everyone.