Meet the Contributors
Amy C. Bryant, EdS, LPC is a mom and a psychotherapist. She specializes in helping families develop positive and rewarding relationships with each other through social-emotional parenting practices rooted in research on neuroscience and child development. Amy provides psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and their parents and teachers in Atlanta, GA. Learn more.
Robbyn Peters Bennett, LPC is a grandmother, an advocate for children and parents, and a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of dysreguation and mood problems related to early abuse and neglect. Learn more.
Lori Petro is a child advocate, the founder of TEACH Through Love, and creator of the Conscious Communication cards. She helps parents learn to communicate without blame, shame, and judgment through non-punitive, trauma-sensitive parenting education. Learn more.
Dr. Joan Durrant is a Child-Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Community Health Sciences in the College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Durrant’s research focuses on the psychological, cultural, legal and human rights dimensions of corporal punishment of children worldwide. She also created Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting in collaboration with Save the Children Sweden. Learn more.
Dr. Stephen Porges is a professor of psychiatry at UNC, director of The Trauma Research Center at the Kinsey Institue, and proposed the Polyvagal Theory that links the autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. Learn more.
Tracie Afifi, PhD is a researcher in the areas of child maltreatment including child abuse, neglect, physical punishment, and exposure to intimate partner violence. She has written over 100 peer-reviewed journal publications, and her research efforts aim to advance our knowledge of child maltreatment, and identify protective factors related to prevention, and evaluate and implement strategies to prevent child maltreatment and reduce the likelihood of poor health outcomes following child maltreatment. Learn more.
Patty Wipfler is the founder of Hand in Hand Parenting and author of Listen: 5 Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges. Patty writes, speaks, trains parent leaders, and develops resources for parents to help them lift difficulties from their children’s lives and their own. Learn more.
Dr. Lynyetta Willis is a psychologist, multi-award winning author and creator of Elemental LivingTM Parenting and Personal Leadership, a research-informed program that combines imagery, brain science, and psycho-spiritual principles to help parents stop overreacting so they can deeply connect with their family and themselves. Learn more.
Rachel Bailey is a mom and parenting specialist who offers tools for raising responsible, resilient, confident children while decreasing parents' stress, guilt, and overwhelm. Learn more.
Marlyn Tillman is a parent, community activist, and a certified University of Georgia Fanning Institute Community Leadership Program curriculum facilitator. She advocates at the state and national level to impact education policies as it pertains to the School to Prison Pipeline (STPP). Learn more.
Kim John Payne, M.ED, has experience as a school counselor, adult educator, consultant, researcher, educator and a private family counselor for twenty seven years. He's also the author of the best selling book Simplicity Parenting©: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids. Learn more.
Dr. Tiffanie Noonan is a single mom, Pediatrician, certified Parenting Coach, and founder of EPIC Parenting. She advocates for empowering children with a strong sense of self-worth, internal motivation, and empathy. Learn more.
Suzanne Tucker is a physical therapist, mom of four, parent educator and founder of Generation Mindful. She created the Time-In Toolkit to help children with social-emotional learning in practical and playful ways. Learn more.
Sheena Hill is a homeschooling mom, CPST, and responsive parenting & sleep coach at Parenting Works! in Baltimore, MD. When not working with parents, she's making up silly songs and trying to win victories for humanity! Learn more.
Amy Phoenix is a meditating mom of five committed to cultivating force free, trust full relationships through heartfelt connection and collaborative problem solving. She provides support to heal from the past, learn how to respond instead of react and address stress proactively through mindfulness, self care and positive parenting. Learn more.
Greg Santucci is a Dad, Pediatric Occupational Therapist and founder of Power Play Pediatric Therapy. He is certified in Sensory Integration, works in schools and at his therapy center, and lectures nationally on sensory processing, self-regulation, challenging behaviors and best practice in schools. Learn more.
Tosha Schore is committed to creating a more peaceful world, one sweet boy at a time, by partnering with parents to care for themselves, connect with their boys deeply, set limits lovingly, and play wildly. She is the mother of three boys, author of Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges, a frequent contributor to parenting podcasts and online publications, and a parent coach. Learn more.
Shonnie Lavender helps parents eliminate fear-based discipline and build skills to create connected, respectful, and thriving families. A contributor to Huffington Post and Elephant Journal and a frequent radio and podcast guest, Shonnie can be found online at ShonnieLavender.com.
Angela Searcy is the founder of Simple Solutions Educational Services, providing professional development for educators and therapy services to children and families with children aged 0-18. She has specialized training in the neurosciences and is a nationally recognized speaker. Learn more.
Jennifer Andersen, a recovering yeller and exploder, writes and speaks
about learning to overcome childist paradigms and LIVING! Life with
Kids. Jennifer is not a parent advocate. She is a child advocate who
believes parents need to be the change they wish to see in their
families. Learn more.
Mercedes Samudio, LCSW is a parent coach, speaker, and bestselling author who helps parents and children communicate with each other, manage emotional trauma, navigate social media and technology together, and develop healthy parent-child relationships. Mercedes started the #EndParentShaming movement and coined the term Shame-Proof Parenting to bring awareness to and end parent shame. Learn more. `
Asadah Kirkland, author of Beating Black Kids and Founder of the Soulful Chicago Book Fair is forging a crusade to end corporal punishment in America—starting with the Black community. Asadah has spoken on CNN, Inside Story Al Jazeera America, WABC-TV’s “Here & Now,” Essence.com, the Amsterdam News and New York Parenting Magazine, and many others. Learn more.
Alison Smith is a mom, co-founder of the Thought Leaders in Parenting Collective and Positive Parenting Movement, and a parent coach who provides evidence-based strategies to help you parent your kids in a way that is loving, mutually respectful and grows confident kids into happy adults. Learn more.
Dr. Deborah MacNamara is on Faculty at the Neufeld Institute, the author of the best-selling book, Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (or anyone who acts like one), and is the Director of Kid’s Best Bet, a Counselling Centre. Learn more.
Anna Seewald, MEd is a parent educator, speaker, author and podcaster. She helps parents connect to their authentic self and their children on a deeper level, reduce stress, bring more ease and calm into their lives by yelling less, and practicing non-punitive discipline. Learn more.
Ariadne Brill is a happy and busy mama to three children. Ariadne has a M.S. in Psychology and is a certified Positive Discipline Parenting Educator. As a parent coach, she specializes in helping families bring more cooperation and calm into their homes. She lives on top of a beautiful mountain with her family and one cuddly dog. Connect with Ariadne via the Positive Parenting Connection Newsletter, Facebook Page or Twitter.
