Believe it or not, teens are aware of how much they use their devices, how lonely and isolated they are feeling, and despite their best efforts to exchange virtual time for real time, they may need some help. A recent report from PEW Research Center’s 2015 report found that “Aided by the convenience and constant access provided by mobile devices, especially smartphones, 92% of teens report going online daily — including 24% who say they go online “almost constantly,” according to a new study from Pew Research Center.”(link) Given these statistics and your own…

I first met Jorja when she was only one-year-old and hanging of her mom’s hip. I started working with her older brother and sister. Flash forward about seven years, and I had the privilege of working with this curious and kind little girl. We had an instant and easy connection. We shared a birthday, a lot of positive energy, and a love for candy. Every session with Jorja was a special treat where I’d feel inspired by her work ethic as she struggled and then succeed in learning how to read (with dyslexia holding…

Photo cred: @jared_b I remember Maggie when she wore pigtails and hoodies. She was adorable and so kind – not a mean bone in her body. Never a fan of school, but always willing to try. I also remember when Maggie’s mom called me to work with Maggie, who was experiencing an intolerable amount of stress and anxiety, and opting for online learning. Now in high school and a full-fledged teenage, I wondered how she had lost her way. When I sat down with Maggie this week – whose adorability has morphed into sophistication…

I can’t believe I have known Misha since she was in grade 6. Now, a beautiful, smart, confident, and articulate 22 year-old, she has transformed in amazing ways and she was excited to speak with me about some of the life lessons she has learned so far as well as the advice she’d give growing girls. A recent graduate from Carlton in Ottawa, Misha is now attending BCIT to earn her second degree. She is interested in content creation – this means she loves using her creativity to post on Instagram and she’s saying…

Getting ready for back to school can be fun and exciting for some girls and dreaded by others. There is some great advice out there about how to prepare our girls for their return to school: purchase supplies, set academic goals, start going to bed a little earlier to get back into a routine. All helpful. But I am wondering about all “other stuff” we should consider to better support and equip girls.  Here are additional tips and tricks to prepare her as she returns to school. Firstly, help her to know how she…

There is an African proverb that I love. It says this: If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go together. So much of life is easier alone. It is much easier to get places quickly without someone slowing you down. It is so much less painful to not have relationships…after all, no connections, no conflict. HOWEVER, it is with people I believe we get to know ourselves even better and it is with people, we become even stronger. There is so much divisiveness is this world today, I think…

Did you know that girls’ brains are different from boys’ brains? In fact, female brains have more synapses (connection) than male brains. Female brains also have a bigger corpus callosum (connecting area between the two hemispheres). And, female brains are approximately 6-10% smaller than the brains of their male counterparts. Girls use both sides of their brains much more often for activities and their brains develop at a faster rate than boys. Also, their brains process information differently than boys – because girls have language processing neurons on both sides of their brains they…