Coaching with Christianne

25/08/2026

Not every behaviour needs correcting. Sometimes it simply needs understanding.

If your child has become clingy, quieter than usual, more emotional or perhaps seems “too much” during the summer holidays…

Pause before assuming they’re being difficult.

Transitions affect children long before they can explain how they feel. Their body is often doing the emotional work before their mind has found the words. This isn’t about making excuses.

It’s about recognising that behaviour is often communication. When we respond with curiosity instead of frustration, we create the safety children need to move through change with confidence.

September will come soon enough. For now, connection matters most.

If you’re preparing for the move to high school and would like some support, you’re welcome to get in touch or book a Discovery Chat. I’d love to help.

18/08/2026

Summer isn’t just a holiday.

For many children, it’s a transition zone.

Whilst we often think about buying uniforms, labelling PE kits and ticking off stationery lists, children are quietly preparing in other ways.

Three important things are happening beneath the surface.

✨ Emotional scaffolding.
✨ Routine softening.
✨ Connection building.

These aren’t things you’ll find on a checklist, but they can make all the difference when September arrives.

Children don’t need every minute planned. They don’t need a perfect summer. What they need most is to feel safe, connected and supported as they move towards a new chapter.

Sometimes the smallest moments together become the strongest foundations for confidence.

If you’re supporting a child through a school transition and would like some additional guidance, I’d be delighted to help.

11/08/2026

Every August I notice the same pattern. Energy dips. Motivation drops. Patience wears thin.

Parents often ask me, “Why have they suddenly gone backwards?”

But what if they haven’t?

For many children, August is a month of transition. Their nervous system is already preparing for September, scanning for change, rehearsing what comes next, and trying to make sense of uncertainty. What can sometimes look like resistance is often regulation.

Children don’t always have the words to explain what they’re feeling. Instead, their bodies show us first.

This is where curiosity becomes far more helpful than correction. A little extra patience.
A little more connection. A little less pressure.

These small moments can make a big difference as children prepare for the next stage of their journey.

If you’d like support with your child’s transition to high school, you’re very welcome to get in touch or book a Discovery Chat.

06/08/2026

It’s not really about the stationery. Or the uniform. Or finding the right school bag.

The transition to high school is about so much more than practical preparations.

It’s about identity. Belonging. Safety. And the quiet, invisible emotional work children begin long before September arrives.

Around this time of year, I often hear parents say, “They’re just not themselves.”

Perhaps your child seems more emotional, more withdrawn, more clingy, or even more irritable. It can be tempting to see this as difficult behaviour, but often it’s a nervous system preparing for change.

A new building. New teachers. New friendships. New expectations. That’s a lot for any young person to process.

Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do isn’t to reassure or fix. It’s to stay connected, provide predictability, and create space for our children to talk when they’re ready.

If your child feels a little wobbly at the moment, it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. It may simply mean they’re preparing for a whole new chapter.

If you’re supporting a child moving to high school and would like some guidance, I’d love to help. You’re welcome to get in touch or book a Discovery Chat via my website.

01/08/2026

Love her work, thank you Once Upon an Upset - I have her book, have you seen it?

Once there was a woman who inherited a family recipe. And she made this same recipe for her daughter everyday, bc those were the only ingredients she had.

When the daughter grew up, she made this same recipe for her son, bc those were the only ingredients she had.

On and on, this recipe was passed down from one generation to the next. Until finally, one person decided she wanted to make something new.

But there was a problem—she only had those same old ingredients.

And though she really did try to make her kid something new with those same old ingredients, it kept turning into that same old recipe—the recipe she never asked for growing up, but the recipe she always received.

In time, she realized that if she didn’t want to give her kid that same recipe, which he didn’t care for either by the way, she was going to have to go out of her way to find new ingredients, ingredients she knew nothing about. Which was quite challenging. Where do you even find such ingredients?

The woman went on a pilgrimage of sorts, looking for new ingredients and also looking for support to help her find these new ingredients. Ingredients that would make both herself and her son feel different—more excited about being alive, less alone, more connected, more joyous, more accepted, more authentic, more fulfilled...

Finally, with support and a lot of compassion for herself and her efforts, she began to acquire a bunch of new ingredients, which she excitedly brought home to try out.

Her goal was to invent a brand new recipe. But, it was harder than she thought. Overwhelming, even.

She had no idea what in the world she was doing. And she was very tempted to resort to those same old ingredients that seemed so much more familiar. But every time she used them again, she wound up making that same old recipe.

Finally, she decided to keep those old ingredients in a very difficult-to-reach cabinet and see what might happen if she only used the new ingredients.

She began experimenting with these new ingredients, trying out each one.

It felt awkward at first, but with practice, she made them her own. And her son loved the new recipes she was making.

It was just like she’d hoped—he seemed more excited about being alive, less alone, more connected, more joyous, more accepted, more authentic, more fulfilled... And she did too.

It can be so frustrating to feel like we’re stuck with the same old ingredients to work with. But with a little effort, we can begin to seek out new ingredients, ingredients we never even knew existed, and then use them to create new, more fulfilling experiences.

Sure we might resort to those old staples from time to time, especially when it seems like we’ve run out of our new ingredients and can’t find the energy to get more.

But once we replenish, we can find comfort knowing that we’re no longer stuck with those old ingredients. We have new recipes now. Recipes we can count on, bc we created them ourselves.

JLK

22/07/2026

I have been reflecting on falling birth rates and wondering what they may be telling us about the world we are living in. I do not believe this is simply about economics, although financial pressure undoubtedly plays a part.

I think it may also be telling us something about relational safety, emotional support, caregiving load, and collective hope. As we live longer and society becomes increasingly individualised, something important feels at risk of being lost.

The understanding that raising children was never meant to sit solely with one or two exhausted adults. Families once existed within wider communities. Support was more visible. Caregiving was more shared. Collective responsibility felt more understood.

Now, many parents are expected to carry an enormous emotional, practical, and financial load, often while feeling isolated.

What also strikes me is how little we talk about preparing people for the emotional realities of parenting before they become parents. We talk about gender reveals,
Maternity leave, Paternity leave, baby products and nursery décor. However far less about the nervous system load, the impact on relationships, sleep deprivation, identity shifts and pressure. The parts of ourselves parenting can bring to the surface.

When people do not feel held, future building can feel much harder. Connection matters.
Community matters. Policy matters too.

I explored some of this further in my recent guest blog with Kirsty France, What I Wish I Had Known Before Becoming a Parent. I would be interested in thoughtful reflections on this. Not debate. Just a gentle conversation.

If this resonates and parenting has felt different from what you expected, you are welcome to reach out or book a Discovery Chat.

15/07/2026

TIP Learning Circle Spotlight

One thing I see again and again in trauma-informed work is this. Healing happens in relationship. So does learning.

The TIP Learning Circle offers something many professionals and parents are missing.

Space to pause. Reflect. Learn. Be witnessed.

Together we explore Trauma Informed Parenting in Action by Scott, making sense of both the theory and the lived experience.

There is something powerful about learning in community.

Being understood softens shame.
Being witnessed reduces isolation.
Shared reflection creates deeper understanding.

If you would like to join the next TIP Learning Circle, or find out more, please reach out.

I would love to welcome you into the conversation.

07/07/2026

Holidays Without Pressure

A gentle reminder as summer approaches. You do not need to create a perfect holiday.

You do not need endless activities, expensive days out, or constant excitement.

And children do not always feel instantly delighted by school holidays either.

Some children miss routine.
Some miss friends.
Some struggle with the change in rhythm.
Some feel conflicted about being away from school or away from you.

Resistance is not always defiance. Sometimes it is communication.

When we slow down enough to notice attitudes, behaviour, or pushback without rushing to correct it, we create space for children to feel seen, heard, and understood.

Your worth as a parent is not measured by perfect plans. Sometimes one connected moment is enough for today.

If the holidays already feel overwhelming, gentle support can make a real difference.

You are welcome to get in touch or book a Discovery Chat to explore what support might help.

02/07/2026

As the school year begins to close, many children and adults are carrying more than we might realise.

Endings and transitions can stir so many emotions at once.

Relief. Pride. Excitement. Grief. Uncertainty. Fear.

For some children, the end of term feels joyful.
For others, it can feel unsettling, even when they cannot fully explain why.

Transitions often touch older hurts. Previous losses, ruptures, changes, or experiences of instability can quietly resurface.

This is why connection matters so much.

Before reassurance. Before problem solving. Before trying to fix.

Feeling safe with someone helps change feel more manageable.

I would love to know, what is one thing you do to help a child feel safe during times of change?