A Guide Who's Walked the Path

I've lived the questions you're asking right now.

As a single mother navigating my son's profound hearing loss, cochlear implant surgery, and dyslexia across three continents, I learned something essential: confidence doesn't save you—purpose does. And sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop, breathe, and redesign everything around what actually matters.

From the Foreign Service to Forest Schools

My journey has taken me from small-town Texas to the U.S. Foreign Service, from photography school in California to diplomatic work in Norway, Belgium, Mozambique, and Kenya. I've coordinated high-level international meetings, managed complex bilateral relationships, and operated behind the scenes of government systems.

But the real education came when I stepped away from all of it.

When my son and I ended up on the floor together—both crying, both exhausted from years of therapies, surgeries, and relentless assessments—I made a choice: we would stop. We would recover. We would learn differently.

The Recovery Year That Changed Everything

That year in Florida became the foundation of everything I do now. I learned that:

• Deschooling isn't educational neglect—it's essential restoration

• A blank notebook where "everything counts" can hold more learning than any curriculum

• Reading the entire Harry Potter series aloud over 18 months can be sacred education

• Growth follows when pressure lifts, not when it intensifies

Nine months in, my son read a Dr. Seuss book aloud for the first time. I recorded it. I cried. It wasn't just a milestone—it was confirmation that trusting the process works.

Building Kairos Rise from Real Life

After leaving a corporate job, I began teaching other children alongside my son—first one friend's child with ADHD, then five boys of different ages with different needs. I had no blueprint. I had to figure it out.

What emerged was a method grounded in rhythm, meaning, and real life:

• Anchoring days with quotes and historical figures that open into conversation across ages

• Designing learning around how humans actually think—associatively, narratively, relationally

• Using one central notebook where all learning becomes visible and personal

• Integrating AI and emerging tools thoughtfully—tech-aware, human-first

I learned to hold complexity without needing control. I discovered that nothing is too scary once you commit to paying attention.

What I Bring to Your Family

Global perspective: I've lived, worked, and homeschooled across continents. I understand international systems, cultural fluency, and worldschooling in practice—not theory.

Real experience with complexity: Neurodiversity. Medical challenges. Single parenthood. Financial uncertainty. Multiple ages. I've navigated what you fear most—and found pathways through.

A philosophy that relieves pressure: I don't help you become an expert overnight. I help you recover your authority as a parent and trust yourself again.

Practical frameworks that work: From deschooling protocols to rhythm-based learning to AI integration, I offer tools refined through years of lived practice across diverse learners.

My Role: Guide, Not Guru

I don't hand you a perfect system. I help you see clearly enough to choose.

I walk into your family's life, listen deeply, notice patterns quickly, and help you design learning around the realities already present. Not around someone else's ideal. Around yours.

Kairos Rise exists because I believe parents don't need more curriculum—they need orientation. They need to know how to think again. How to create rhythm instead of chaos. How to move from fear-driven schooling to purpose-led learning.

I've walked this terrain. I know the doubts, the pressure, the overwhelm, and the profound relief that comes when you finally trust yourself.

You don't need to wait until you feel ready. You need to move toward what matters. Readiness builds as you go.