The Roots
Hi, I'm Jen. I founded ITS in 2023, but its roots run deep, all the way back to the 1970s. I grew up with a parent who, although loving, struggled every day with emotional dysregulation. One minute they were cheerful, then outraged, then panicked, then in the darkest despair. I spent most of my childhood trying to comfort them, when I didn't know how to comfort myself.
In the Weeds
Beginning in third grade, I had vivid nightmares (Freddy Krueger style - no relation btw.) that continued for over a year. Every night, I placed stuffed animals around me like security guards - hoping they would protect me from the bad mojo.
One day, I confronted my own feelings: "You don't scare me Fear!" I didn't know it then, but I was using a coping skill called "decentering." By seeing the fear as separate from me, I could move away from it. The nightmares happened less frequently and then stopped.
Although this was a "win," I was still miles from having a coping toolkit, and even further from resilience. For far too long, my self-management looked like this:
Learning & Teaching
After graduating college, I took a teaching job in an elementary school. Seeing children struggle with Big Stress and few tools shifted my focus. I wanted kids to learn coping skills alongside reading and math. But, I was in my early 20's and still learning myself. I left the classroom to study mental health education.
In the Seeds
After completing an M.A. and M.Ed. in health and education, I worked for many years as a stress management specialist for a large state agency. When that program ended, I took everything I'd collected over the years and transformed it into "sticky learning" for kids, which I tested in small youth focus groups.
That's when In the Seeds took shape. I created this learning platform in 2023 to resource parents as "Coping Coaches," because you are the most essential link in getting skills & strategies to youth.
It doesn't have to take your child decades to grow capable like it did for me. It can start right here, right now (with you!) In the Seeds.
💛Jen
I want to acknowledge: Many people live in circumstances of constant stress. Coping strategies and other personal growth won't change systemic problems or fix all stressors, but they can make an empowering difference in our self-efficacy - our feelings of capability.
