Anisa Lewis - Positive Parenting Coach

Anisa Lewis - Positive Parenting Coach Anisa is a Positive Parenting Coach who empowers parents by giving them skills and know how to raise happy and confident kids no matter what the challenge.

Serving Parents the world over. Passionate about parenting, education and life. Mum, wife and all round positive person. Helping parents make sense of it all via Parent Coaching and Mentoring. You are welcome to visit my blog at www.anisalewis.com where I muse about parenting, ideas to make your parenting life easier and how what I do can help you and your family.

Happy 10th business birthday to me!Ten years ago, in September 2016, I started this business.After years working in educ...
07/09/2026

Happy 10th business birthday to me!

Ten years ago, in September 2016, I started this business.

After years working in education, I could see there was a space between the support schools could provide and the support some families really needed. Not because schools weren't willing to help, but because that simply isn't what the education system is there to do.

I wanted to work in that space.

I wanted to help parents understand their children, change the conversations happening at home and make family life feel different. Not just for the child in front of me, but potentially for the generations that come afterwards too.

Ten years later, I can genuinely say I LOVE what I do.

Running a business can be tough, and there have certainly been times when I've wondered what on earth I was doing. But it has also given me something incredibly precious. I get to work in my zone of genius, doing work that matters enormously to me, while building a life that gives me freedom and allows me to be there for my own family.

And yes, it supports my family and pays our bills (mostly!). I'm proud of that too. Building a business that does meaningful work and creates an income isn't something I think we need to be embarrassed about saying out loud.

But perhaps the thing I hadn't anticipated ten years ago was how much building a business would ask me to discover about myself.

I've learnt to trust my gut, lead with my intuition and become much clearer about what I believe. I've learnt that we can question the things we've inherited rather than automatically repeat them.

You don't have to parent the way you were parented. Although, obviously, if you had an amazing experience, crack on!

We can change the conversation. We can understand behaviour differently. We can create something different for our children, and those changes can travel through families for generations.

I'm incredibly proud of the business I've built, but I'm not finished building it. There are more families I want to reach, more conversations I want to have, more rooms I want to speak in and plenty more ideas rattling around in my head.

I'm building an empire. I'm not there yet, but give me time.

So, happy 10th birthday to my business, and thank you to every family, school, organisation, colleague, friend and person who has been part of these ten years.

Here's to the next chapter.

There is something about this particular Sunday that feels like a turning point.For some families, the first few days of...
06/09/2026

There is something about this particular Sunday that feels like a turning point.

For some families, the first few days of the new school year are already behind them. For others, uniforms are waiting, bags are packed and tomorrow morning is the beginning.

And for some families, September looks completely different.

There may be no uniform, no school gate and no traditional first day. Your child may be learning somewhere different, at home, finding their way back towards education, or following a path that doesn't look much like the one you once imagined.

Whatever September looks like in your family, I think we're often very quick to decide how a new chapter is going.

They're settling. They're not settling. This is working. This isn't working. We're behind. Everyone else seems to have found their feet.

But a few days can't tell us the story of a whole season.

Children and young people are finding their rhythms, adjusting to change and showing us what they need. We are adjusting alongside them, particularly when the path we're travelling looks different from the one we expected.

So maybe this Sunday isn't about deciding how it's going. Maybe it's simply about giving ourselves enough time to notice.

To stay curious about what our children show us over the coming weeks, to resist measuring our family against somebody else's, and to remember that finding your feet doesn't have to look the same for every child.

Autumn doesn't arrive overnight. The season changes gradually, almost without us noticing, and perhaps there is something reassuring in that.

Our children are allowed to find their way into their next season too.

I love running these mornings.There is something really lovely about getting a group of parents around a table together,...
06/09/2026

I love running these mornings.

There is something really lovely about getting a group of parents around a table together, with coffee and pastries, and having the time to talk properly about family life.

My next one is The Harvest, on Thursday 17th September at The Devonshire Arms, Bolton Abbey.

September is often talked about as a fresh start. New school year, new routines, everyone getting back into the swing of things.

Except sometimes it doesn't feel particularly fresh at all.

Everyone is tired. Emotions are bigger. Something that worked before summer suddenly doesn't. Or you find yourself having the same battle for the 427th time and wondering what on earth you're supposed to do differently.

That's the sort of stuff we'll talk about at The Harvest.

What's actually going on in your family right now?

What's working and worth holding onto? What's taking far too much energy? Is there something your child is doing that you're struggling to understand? What might be sitting underneath it? And what could make things feel a little easier?

I bring the parenting coaching. You bring your family and your questions. And we'll work through some of it together.

The morning is neurodivergent informed and neurodivergent friendly, but it isn't exclusively for families with neurodivergent children. You don't need a diagnosis and you don't need to arrive with a particular parenting “problem”.

You can simply come because three hours to step out of family life, have some space to think and come away with practical ideas sounds rather lovely.

The Harvest
Thursday 17th September
9.30am to 12.30pm
The Devonshire Arms, Bolton Abbey
Tickets £65

https://anisalewis.as.me/theharvest

Before you ask, “How was school?”...Some children are already back at school, while plenty are still squeezing out the l...
04/09/2026

Before you ask, “How was school?”...

Some children are already back at school, while plenty are still squeezing out the last few days of summer before they return next week. So this is one to try now, or tuck away for when your school routine starts again.

Imagine you've spent six hours listening, concentrating, navigating other people, remembering what you're supposed to be doing and managing everything that comes with being at school. You walk through the front door and almost immediately somebody wants a full report.

“How was school?” “What did you do?” “Who did you play with?” “What did you have for lunch?” “Did you remember to talk to your teacher?”

We ask because we're interested. We've missed them and we genuinely want to know about their day, but sometimes our children simply aren't ready to tell us yet. For some, particularly those who've been working incredibly hard to manage themselves at school, coming home is the point where they need to stop.

So rather than trying to get the information straight away, give them a little landing space. That might be food, a cuddle, movement, silence, screens, sitting near you without talking, or whatever helps your particular child come back down from the day.

The conversation can happen later, and you might find they tell you far more while you're making dinner, driving somewhere, sitting on the end of their bed or doing something alongside you than they ever would when they first walk through the door.

Connection doesn't always need a question. Sometimes it just needs a bit of space.

Save this one for the first few weeks back, or send it to somebody whose child is heading back to school next week.

The children are back at school. So... everything's okay again, right?Summer has a funny way of shining a light on famil...
03/09/2026

The children are back at school. So... everything's okay again, right?

Summer has a funny way of shining a light on family life. Weeks together can be wonderful, but all that extra time together can also make some things much harder to ignore.

The constant battles, repeating yourself, sibling arguments, big emotions, negotiating over seemingly ordinary things and that feeling that you're thinking three steps ahead of everybody else all day long can leave you absolutely exhausted by the time September arrives.

Sometimes summer simply gives us a clearer view of family life. Things that can get absorbed into the usual rush of school, work and routines are suddenly much more visible when you're together day after day.

And now everyone is heading back into their usual routines, it can be tempting to hope those things will settle down once normal routines return.

But if summer has left you thinking, we can't keep doing this, I think that's worth paying attention to.

You don't need to know why it's happening or arrive with the answer. You might simply know that you're tired of every morning becoming a negotiation, you're walking on eggshells around one of your children, or you're exhausted from managing everyone else's emotions alongside your own.

That's enough of a place to start.

If you're feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by the same things happening day after day, book a Quick Chat (https://anisalewis.as.me/quickchat) with me. Tell me what's happening in your family, and we'll work out together what the next step might be.

What if the thing that works for your family isn't what you thought parenting was supposed to look like?As September app...
31/08/2026

What if the thing that works for your family isn't what you thought parenting was supposed to look like?

As September approaches, there's a temptation to put everything back where we think it belongs. Routines return, school starts and suddenly we're trying to get everyone back into the "right" way of doing things.

But before you do, think about what you've learnt about your child over the summer.

Maybe breakfast works better when they eat it somewhere unexpected. Perhaps getting dressed before coming downstairs removes one battle from the morning. Maybe they need half an hour without questions when they get home, or homework works better on the floor than sitting at a desk.

If it works, does it really matter that it doesn't look quite how you imagined?

Sometimes we spend so much energy trying to make the strategy look right that we miss the fact that our child is already showing us what helps.

Of course there will be things that have to happen. We need to get out of the door. Teeth need brushing. School needs attending. Homework sometimes needs doing. Boundaries still matter.

But there can be flexibility in how we get there.

This is particularly important for neurodivergent children. A strategy that looks unconventional from the outside may be reducing sensory load, supporting executive functioning or removing a demand that was taking far more energy than anyone realised.

So before September begins, don't automatically put everything back to how it was.

Keep the things that worked.

Keep the systems that made life easier. Keep the little adjustments that reduced conflict. Keep trusting what you're learning about the child in front of you.

The aim isn't to make family life look like everybody else's.

It's to find what helps your family work.

And if you're thinking, "I know something needs to change, but I have no idea what", that's exactly the sort of thing we can unpick together. A Quick Chat is a chance to start with what's happening in your family and work out what might help.

Book your quick chat here: https://anisalewis.as.me/quickchat

As September gets closer, there's something I'd love you to tuck away and remember over the next few weeks.Don't judge h...
30/08/2026

As September gets closer, there's something I'd love you to tuck away and remember over the next few weeks.

Don't judge how your child is coping with school by the first few days.

The beginning of a new school year can bring excitement, novelty and adrenaline. New classroom, new teacher, seeing friends again, new stationery, perhaps even the enthusiasm for getting out of bed that mysteriously disappears later in the term!

For some children, those first few days can look surprisingly smooth.

Then comes week two. Week three.

The novelty begins to wear off, the tiredness accumulates and the effort involved in listening, learning, navigating friendships, managing transitions and holding everything together starts to show.

That might look like more tears, irritability, arguments, tiredness, needing more control or simply a child who comes home and doesn't want to do very much at all.

It doesn't necessarily mean something has gone wrong. It might simply be the point at which you're beginning to see what the new routine is asking of them.

So as school begins again, enjoy the good starts. Celebrate the child who skips through the gate and comes home full of stories. But keep noticing once the novelty has worn off too.

What does your child look like when they're genuinely settled?

What do they look like when they're coping, but it's costing them?

And what helps them refill their cup when the day has taken a lot out of it?

We don't need to anticipate problems that haven't happened. We can simply stay curious enough to notice if our child starts showing us that they need something different.

Sometimes the most useful information arrives after the first-day photograph has been taken.

September has always felt much more like New Year to me than January.Maybe it's all those years spent working in schools...
28/08/2026

September has always felt much more like New Year to me than January.

Maybe it's all those years spent working in schools, but there's something about the end of August that makes me want to take stock, clear things out and think about what I want the next few months to look like.

It also gives me a completely legitimate excuse to buy new stationery, which obviously has absolutely nothing to do with it...

I love a new notebook, a decent pen and the feeling of a blank page waiting to be filled. But I think what I really love about September is the sense of possibility that comes with it.

January can arrive with so much pressure to change everything. September feels different. Summer begins to soften into autumn, routines return and there's a natural opportunity to notice what we want to keep, what we're ready to let go of and what might need a little more attention.

That feels particularly true in family life. We don't need a dramatic reset or a whole new set of rules for the new school year. Sometimes we just need enough space to notice what's working, what isn't and what would help family life feel a little easier as we move into the next season.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons I love The Harvest so much. On 17 September, I'm creating exactly that space for parents. A morning away from the everyday noise to pause, think, have some useful conversations and leave with a clearer idea of what you want this next season of family life to look like.

And yes, I imagine there will be notebooks involved.

The danger of judging progress by yesterday.When you're living family life every day, it can be incredibly difficult to ...
27/08/2026

The danger of judging progress by yesterday.

When you're living family life every day, it can be incredibly difficult to see what's changing.

You remember the argument this morning, the bedtime that went completely off track or the fact that you still had to ask four times before anything happened. When someone asks how things are going, it's very easy to answer, "Honestly? I don't think much has changed."

But yesterday isn't always a very helpful measuring stick.

Sometimes we need to look back a little further.

The meltdown that used to last forty minutes might now last ten. Your child might still need help at bedtime, but they're doing one part without you. You might still repeat yourself, but not as often. They may still become overwhelmed, but they're beginning to recognise what they're feeling. Perhaps the biggest change is that you understand what's happening sooner and respond differently.

None of those things necessarily feels enormous while you're living it.

But put them together and look back over six weeks, three months or even a year, and the picture can be very different.

Progress in family life is rarely a lovely straight line. There will still be difficult mornings, wobbly days and moments when you wonder whether anything you've tried has made the slightest difference.

That's why sometimes it helps to have somebody standing outside the everydayness of your family, helping you notice what has shifted as well as what still needs some attention.

If you've been feeling stuck and would value another pair of eyes on what's happening in your family, a Quick Chat is a good place to start. We can talk about where you are now, what you'd like to feel different and whether working together might help.

Because sometimes progress is much quieter than we expect it to be.

Back to school might need to look a little different for your neurodivergent child.We often talk about getting children ...
26/08/2026

Back to school might need to look a little different for your neurodivergent child.

We often talk about getting children "back into a routine", but for some ND children the transition itself is the hard bit. A new classroom, teacher, timetable, expectations, noise, uniform, friendships and being around lots of people again can add up to a lot of change.

So rather than concentrating only on getting them school ready, think about what might make the transition easier for your child.

• Make the unknown more predictable.

Photos, maps or talking through what the first morning might look like can help. Give them the information they need without making school the only conversation.

• Reduce demands elsewhere.

If their brain is working incredibly hard at school, think about where home life can be made easier temporarily.

• Think about sensory load.

Uniform, shoes, noise, smells and busy spaces can all take energy. Wearing shoes in beforehand or removing an irritating label can make a difference.

• Plan for coming home as much as going in.

Your child may need food, movement, silence, screens, connection or time alone before they're ready for questions. What helps them regulate after a day of managing?

And keep watching beyond the first few days.

Novelty and adrenaline can carry some children through week one. Weeks two and three can tell us much more about what the new routine is actually costing them.

The aim isn't to make your child cope with September in the same way as everybody else. It's to understand where the extra load might be for them and make thoughtful adjustments before they become overwhelmed. Sometimes the smallest adjustment can make an enormous difference.

If you're already wondering how September is going to work for your family, this is exactly the sort of thing we can unpick together. Book a Quick Chat and let's start with what's happening for your child.

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