The Space I Needed Didn’t Exist—So I Created It

I don’t remember exactly when I started unraveling, but I do remember pretending I was fine for a very long time.

As a teacher.

As a Momma.

As a human.

I kept showing up—lesson plans in hand, a warm smile on my face—even when my chest was tight and my patience was paper-thin. I did what so many of us do: I pushed through, held it together, and tried to carry everyone else’s chaos with a quiet kind of grace.

But inside? I was tired. I was burnt out. And more than anything else, I was lonely in it.

It might have been one of the mornings I found myself crying in my car before school—not because anything had gone wrong yet, but because I couldn’t imagine making it through another day pretending I was okay. I wiped my face, put on my best “I’ve got this” smile, and walked into a classroom full of kids who needed more from me than I felt I had to give.

Why I Created Whimsy & Wonder

That’s the part we don’t talk about enough—the loneliness that can come with being the one who always holds space for others.

I created Whimsy & Wonder because I needed somewhere to land.

A space where I could be both soft and strong.

A space where kids could learn gently, and grownups could breathe again.

A space where hearts were just as important as behavior charts.

Because after 25+ years of working in special education classrooms—with neurodiverse learners, sensory seekers, kids navigating emotional regulation challenges, having my own child with exceptional needs, and beautiful chaos—I’ve learned this:

🌀 The calm doesn’t come from control. It comes from connection.

🌀 Regulation doesn’t come from rewards. It comes from safety.

🌀 And learning doesn’t begin with academics. It begins with being seen.

There was a day when one student was melting down in the corner, another was screaming that I was the “worst teacher ever,” and I realized I hadn’t eaten or gone to the bathroom in six hours. I smiled through it. But that night, after sitting on the hallway floor holding my own weeping child because they couldn't tell me what was wrong, I crawled into bed wondering if I was actually helping anyone—or just surviving.

What You’ll Find Here

That’s why I wrote The Calm in the Chaos—and it’s why I started this space.

I created Whimsy & Wonder to be a safe space for teachers, parents, and caregivers who believe in inclusive, trauma-informed education—but also need a place to land when things feel hard.

Whimsy & Wonder is for:

• Every teacher who lies awake wondering if they did enough.

• Every parent who feels guilty for losing their temper.

• Every child who needs help naming their feelings—and every grownup who never learned how.

• The burnt-out, the big-hearted, the ones who care so deeply they forget to rest.

Here, you’ll find:

• Gentle, inclusive resources that support emotional growth

• Tools for social-emotional learning (SEL) and trauma-informed classroom strategies

• Mindful tools for classrooms and homes

• Real talk about what it means to teach and parent with empathy

• And a whole lot of Bowie, Marley, and rainbow-colored reminders that you are not alone

If you’re looking for perfect, this isn’t the place.

But if you’re looking for real?

For softness without shame?

For a way forward that doesn’t require you to lose yourself?

You’re home.

This is the space I needed when I was falling apart quietly in the staff bathroom. The one I dreamed of while cutting out feelings charts at 10 p.m., wondering if anyone would notice how hard I was trying. This is my offering—not from perfection, but from experience.

Welcome to Whimsy & Wonder.

Let’s find the calm—together.