What is on your list of worries?

Need help navigating your child's diagnosis? Want to try out supplements or food changes, but have no clue how to start? Overwhelmed by your child's behavior or school issues? Optimize trainings are customizable to your specific needs and could consist of a phone call to weekly coaching call for as long as you need support.

A letter from Marisa:

To any parent trying to figure out their kid's quirks--I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE IN YOUR SHOE

What is the real problem you are having?

Your child is having issues, and while they are struggling with their challenges, your challenges are also mounting.

Some people may be trying to tell you that you are crazy and that there is nothing "wrong" with your child, while others may say the opposite, leaving you overwhelmed and even paralyzed by their harsh judgments.

Although the majority of dads care very deeply about their kid's progress, many of them don't always know how to process what they can't immediately fix and although they are totally overwhelmed themselves, their go-to is to want to agree with others that the behaviors will go away on their own.

Worried moms stay up way too late on Google and Facebook trying to find solutions and peace of mind, but they continue to wake up to the anxiety that rises when the first confrontation erupts. "What eggshells are they going to have to walk around today?" "Will they be in a good mood?" "Will they make it through a social event on the schedule?" "Which mom is going to complain to me about what my kid has done?" "What note will be sent home?"

Or maybe that isn't happening, maybe they are angels for everyone else but when they get home they unravel and the accusations start flying, "Well they don't act like that for me?" Which insinuates what...

And then for the lucky few of us who get to sit through IEP/504 Special Education meetings where the most vulnerable parts of our child are discussed. Many of us feel stuck between the pressures of feeling like a crazy-mom while we fight for our kid, or we passively smile through gritted teeth shaking our head yes to everything they say because we don't know what is going on, we don't know educational law, or what our child needs, so we hold it together until we can get in the car and let out the grief of having a child with misunderstood needs.

I have learned the hard way that...

Having more patience for your kid is not going to solve your problems.

Another 15-minute appointment with your pediatrician is not going to solve your problems.

A diagnosis is not going to solve your problems.

Parents who have overcome these types of challenges had to find alternative solutions for their kids.

But where are those solutions?

The science is no longer the issue. Groundbreaking discoveries in brain science are being rigorously studied RIGHT NOW by all the top colleges and institutions around the globe. We currently HAVE more "solutions" to complex behaviors and challenges than we have ever had before and they are starting to enter medical journals and doctor's offices--the trick is to find the practitioners who are continually advancing in these HEALTH strategies instead of going to the ones that are giving out the same solutions that did nothing to resolve these issues when we were kids.

Money is not the issue. Not all, but many of the "solutions" include lifestyle choices that can drastically change the trajectory of your kid's life, but also your entire family's and the generations after them.

Follow through IS the issue. The information that you need can be overwhelming to digest, and even though addressing your child's challenges differently makes logical, where do YOU start?!? Once you figure out your first step, the learning curve is bound to trip you up, "Where do I buy this supplement and how do I get my kid to take it?" And then the personal things might slow you down, "My mom says he's fine and I'm overreacting, maybe she is right?" Or you are a couple of weeks into helping your kid improve and you realize that you are actually the one who needs help with anxiety.

Does ANY of this sound familiar or true to you?

If it does, you may feel like you are on an island and are the only one this is happening to, but that can't be further from the truth.

I understand your kid because I was your kid. I've also been "in the shoes" of your kid's teacher, caretaker, director of their after-school program, and you as the parent or foster parent.

For 15 years I have advocated for complex children in many capacities all around the globe, and in order to have the success that I have had with kids (including my own), I ended up having to find alternative answers. I have been trained by several of the (now) leading experts in brain health, behavior modification, anxiety, depression, sensory integration, and nutritional health, and whereas all of this training helps me guide parents to discover the root causes of their child's challenges in record time, it hasn't made me a great coach.

It was the years of practicing what I was learning, IN THE TRENCHES, when there wasn't extra money when there wasn't support or anyone leading the way, and when I had to overcome my own quirks in order to address my kids, that is how I became a great coach.

When SCIENCE + FOLLOW THROUGH combined, here is what happened for some of the families that I've had the privilege of working with:

• Both parents anxiety and depression improved significantly
• Their son was officially UNDIAGNOSED of Autism by their Neuropsychologist
• Her ADHD daughter gained 4 pounds in 3 months when she hadn't gained 4 pounds in the previous year due to meds- (and connection with parents and learning abilities significantly improved)
• Moms and dads got on the same page
• Siblings stopped physically hurting each other
• 3 adopted siblings finally connected to their adoptive parents
• Sleep and bathroom challenges resolved
• Parents advocated for better accommodations in school and their child could suddenly pay attention and pass tests
• Their anxious daughter began to use words to express her fears rather than withdrawal and "go dark."
• Dark thoughts, phobias, repetitive behaviors, and depression decreased significantly
• Their son can now transition his thoughts or to other activities without having a meltdown

I have THE information that every quirky kid's parent needs. BUT....

Information alone is going to overwhelm you. You NEED support to better understand and follow through with the game plan that you feel comfortable with. Everyone is at a different stage in their journey with their kid, so I have customized my "help" options into a few different options that I am confident will meet your needs.

I look forward to speaking with you soon,

My best,

Marisa Rodriguez

Certified Brain Health and Parenting Coach