See a child differently and you will see a different child. Become a Mind Tools For Kids Coach!
Welcome to MTFK!
Hi, I’m Emily Harbrecht, Founder, Head Coach and Trainer at Mind Tools for Kids. I have spent the last 15 years building a toolbox of strategies and resources to help families and schools navigate BIG emotions and life's challenges.
I am a mother of two free spirits and have weathered many storms along my life journey. From neurodivergent parenting, challenges within the school system to rebuilding life as a blended family, I have been there in the trenches. It is my life's work to help children, parents and teachers move from surviving to thriving.
I was a deep thinking child, highly sensitive and keen to please. I never felt like I fitted in. I always felt like an outsider and would worry myself sick -literally. I suffered with crippling stomach aches and frequent stomach upsets. Nervous twitches were normal and I exhausted myself overthinking every interaction and situation.
I always stopped myself short of achieving great things. Every time I got close I would wobble and give up. I guess I didn’t really believe in myself or think that I was a priority. It was much easier for me to focus on others and their needs. This changed when I began training as a Coach. Suddenly my patterns and self imposed limitations became so obvious. Yes, I was an introvert BUT I was ok. There was nothing wrong with me! I was good enough.
A little bit about the MTFK values:
We believe that everyone is doing their best with the resources that they have available. We don't judge, shame or blame people but inspire, encourage and support.
We can all do better, when we know better and more importantly have the insight, understanding and resources to do better.
We accept people for who they are and more importantly who they want to be. There will be bumps and plenty of storms along the way but with some bouncebackability and some belief we CAN make it. All of us. That's what we stand for.
I started coaching in 2009 after training in Hypnotherapy and NLP. First working with adults at my clinic in Kingston upon Thames before adding all sorts of other trainings to the mix; Level 7 Mentoring, Executive Coaching and NLP Trainers training to name a few.
I carried on working on me, while showing up to coach and mentor adults. I realised that we all had something in common. We were carrying stuff from our childhoods. We were playing out patterns and doing the best we could with what we knew - until we knew better. It got me thinking. What if we had learnt this stuff as kids - the tools, strategies, the self awareness and the knowledge about brain development. Imagine how much better we would have felt. Why wait until adulthood to learn self compassion and a growth mindset! Mind Tools For Kids was born. First for my daughter and then for as many kids as I could reach.
Over the last 15 years I’ve continued to build the MTFK Toolkit, developing workshops, testing coaching strategies and building my knowledge of brain development and the nervous system. I characterised my work and introduced The Brain Friends. On completing my NLP Trainers Training, I began building a Coach Training programme. I BETA tested it in 2019 and launched to the first full cohort during the pandemic in 2020. I am super proud of the 40+ coaches that have since completed the Coach Training who are showing up to support families. There is a lot of work for us to do.
I am blessed to have had some of the biggest trainers in the NLP world mentor me over the years and support me with my passion for how we tick. I've assisted for Paul McKenna at London events and won awards. I enjoy learning and am passionate about personal development.
I like to keep things simple, non judgmental and practical - giving you what you need to move forwards feeling better, stronger and more capable to handle the curveballs. I believe that we are all inherently resourceful people, doing our best with what we know. You just need the tools and I am here to provide them!
Kind Words
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