Hi, I'm Ilene!
I'm so happy to meet you here.
As if in my DNA, I always felt a calling to teach, coach and guide others in matters of children and education.
By seven years old, daily after school, I was hosting classmates in our family’s Philadelphia basement where I had set up a decorated classroom with prepared lessons! Years later, I earned my degree from the University of Pennsylvania and went on to spend 40+ wondrous years helping children and families thrive. What an honor it was to be recognized by the School District of Philadelphia as a “Master Teacher,” to be asked to mentor new teachers, and to achieve numerous awards for my work. Two decades later, fate brought another gifted opportunity, to teach and then grow into an Administrative Dean at Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, CA. In that role, my primary focus was supporting parents and families in genuinely personal ways, helping them nurture happy, resilient children.
Each of these professional transitions required intensive summer trainings, including how to lead “Councils” and judgement-free circles, how schools can fortify social-emotional curriculum, and ways to implement trauma-informed practices. I was given a lead role in school-wide conflict resolution for children and adults. Additionally, I had an extraordinary opportunity to cohost tech talks for families and lead presentations with Common Sense Media. Children and parents started calling me “the Friendship Doctor” and the “Kindness Coach!” These extraordinary passages all emphasized that to work effectively with families, we need more than academic skills; we need heart! We need to care for each other so we are safe and trusted guides. It feels like a gift to be able to support families to find calm within the storms, as well as how to implement a wide array of tools to accept and then regulate emotions. Today, as a parent coach, I bring the wisdom of deep exploration, directly to families. When parents feel supported and steady, children grow strong, and the whole family flourishes.
At By Heart Parenting, the mission is to strengthen family
systems and enhance family wellness. Outcomes include:
Developing effective
communication
Strengthening
problem-solving skills
Lowering stress levels for
parents and children
Building consistent patterns that build connection and interrupting patterns that break down relationships
Adding thoughtful tools to meet needs and hold boundaries
I take a caring, collaborative, non-judgmental approach to coaching that focuses on each family’s unique needs. Like a fitness trainer, we collaborate on what’s working and where the challenges are, and then add strategies that work best with your family dynamics. How do your family members express feelings, wants and needs? How do you support each other? What are your triggers? What is your peace? Are family members feeling seen, heard, trusted and secure? I’m a support buddy for your parenting brain. You don’t need to parent without a helpful guide. When parents feel calm, family members feel secure and safe.
