Press Kit

About Elisabeth Stitt

Elisabeth Stitt is the author of Parenting as a Second Language: A Guidebook for Joyfully Navigating the Trials, Triumphs and Tribulations of Parenthood and the founder of Joyful Parenting Coaching.  A teacher in the Redwood City School District (Redwood City, CA) for 25 years, Elisabeth brings over 50 thousand direct contact hours with kids of all ages. Having taught over 3000 students, she has seen all kinds of kids and all kinds of families.

In addition to her interactions with thousands of students and parents, Elisabeth is the the mother and step-mother to three adult children.  Now that her own kids have left the nest, she spends her free time baby sitting for families around the San Francisco Bay Area where she lives with her husband and mother-in-law.   She is known for her wisdom and warmth and sheer love for all things kid.  Elisabeth is especially gifted at getting parents to tap into their own inner child, so they can access the empathy that will help their children self regulate and do more than just go through the motions of parenting.  

About Joyful Parenting Coaching

After reflecting on the shift in parents over the last twenty-five years from more or less confident they were doing okay to isolated and anxious, former teacher Elisabeth Stitt founded Joyful Parenting Coaching (www.elisabethstitt.com) in 2014.  Elisabeth's mission is to support parents in getting the skills they need to restore their confidence as parents and their enjoyment in the role.  Joyful Parenting Coaching newsletters, blogs, workshops and webinars all strive to provide a balance between concrete advice and the understanding that there are many, many ways to approach parenting--and each family has to find what works for them and the child they have.  

In June 2015 Joyful Parenting Coaching presented Purposeful Parenting: Expert Advice on Creating Your Family Plan, an on-line event that included podcast interviews with experts like best selling author Neale Godfrey, author of  Money Doesn't Grow On Trees: A Parent's Guide to Raising Financially Responsible Children and author and researcher Dr. Sam Goldstein of Raising Resilient Children : Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child fame.  Ever the teacher, Elisabeth Stitt sees planning ahead--about money, about values and priorities, about food and sleep, about approaches to discipline, etc, an enormous advantage in successful parenting.  

February 2016 saw the production of a similar on-line event:  Let's Hear It for the Dads! Conversations About Fatherhood.  These 20 Interviews by 20 Dads--which included dads like Robert "Daddy" Nickell of the My Life as a Dad tv show and Al Ferguson, creator of the biggest website for dads in the U.K. --illuminated the importance of dads in the parenting process and what dads want moms to understand about what it means to be a father.  

In March 2016 Joyful Parenting Coaching was recognized for superior classes/workshops with the  Joyful Parenting Coaching 2015 Best Businesses of Mountain View Award and has since gained similar recognition for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

March also saw the publication of Elisabeth's book, Parenting as a Second Language: A Guidebook for Joyfully Navigating the Trials, Triumphs and Tribulations of Parenthood .

In June of 2017 Joyful Parenting produced The Parents' Round Table, a unique online event with interviews with experts like Dr. Laura Markham of Aha! Parenting and Mike Domitrz of The Center for Respect followed by online round table discussions with every day parents.  The event was in support of the Southern California United We Parent Conference in August of 2017 where Elisabeth was a guest expert.   

2018-2019 brought an influx of clients and an increase of online courses and offerings which enabled Elisabeth to pivot quickly and offer 3 Steps to Successful #Parentinginplace when Covid-19 shut down in-person gatherings in 2020. Everyone’s increased comfort using zoom as a platform has allowed Joyful Parenting to offer Teen Themes, a unique workshop series for parents and their teens where families are learning side by side and getting a chance to practice new skills in real time.

More than anything, Elisabeth loves doing live workshops as she firmly believes that gathering parents is of benefit well beyond the information given, and she very much looks forward to in-person events in 2021.

About Elisabeth's book, Parenting as a Second Language: A Guidebook for Joyfully Navigating the Trials, Triumphs and Tribulations of Parenthood

The Ultimate Guidebook for Joyful, Effective Parenting!

We humans expect to be great parents--naturally!--as if good parenting were an instinct we were all born with.  But you weren't born with that skill any more than with the ability to speak your family's native tongue.  

Before you became fluent in any language, you had to learn it, one word at a time and with a lot of repetition.  

You learn how to parent the same way--one lesson at a time, through practice and trial-and-error.

With this book as your guide, you will learn:

•How to name yourself as at effective parent and make that true.  

•How to use the proverbs and sayings that formed your core beliefs growing up to instill the values important to you in your children

•How to balance the needs of the family with your children's needs as individuals as well as your own needs

•The three most important concepts of parenting: supporting, connecting and empathizing

•How to derive joy from life's most challenging role

This book--full of concrete exercises to get you to reflect on your own parenting--is the first step in your journey towards becoming the amazing parent you have always wanted to be.  Like learning any second language, it takes practice and you have to start speaking before you are perfect, but with time and effort, you can be fluent in Parenting, relating to your kids with a deep and meaningful connection.  

The Reviews are in!

"Reading this book was like chatting with a wise, compassionate woman who has experienced every aspect of being a parent. Elisabeth Stitt happens to be one of the most knowledgeable voices among parenting coaches and counselors, so what she has to say is grounded in an awareness of what works.  I believe every parent should read and reread this book while working through the challenges of preparing their kids for life.” — Dr. Denny Coates, author of How Your Teen Can Grow a Smarter Brain

"The writing style makes you feel like you are having a conversation with the author.  The exercises are practical and helpful to your personal style of parenting.  I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh, new approach to a book about parenting.  I give it 5 stars and am thrilled to have a new book to recommend to my families."  — Sue Dawley, Program Director, Parent and Parent Educator 

"This book and the exercises get you to think about what you would like for your children to learn from you and how to be a successful adult and lets you come to these ways on your own without dictating how you should be as a parent" — Amazon Customer

Lectures/Workshops/Webinars

Joyful Parenting Coaching offers a robust list of workshops and webinars.  The most popular among parents of young kids is Taming Temper Tantrums.  

2015-2016 appearances include Harmony Birth Center (Campbell, CA), Los Altos Recreation Department (Los Altos, CA), Little Prodigy Preschool (Mountain View, CA), Creative Children's Learning Center (Sunnyvale and Los Altos, CA), Good Neighbor Montessori (Palo Alto), the Elizabeth Ames Nursery School at Wheaton College (Norton, MA), and as featured speaker at Parent U for the Mountain View Whisman School District (Mountain View, CA)

2017 appearances include Creative Children's Learning Center (Palo Alto, CA), Westgate MOPS (San Jose, CA), Los Altos Methodist Church Children's Center Preschool (Los Altos, CA), Los Altos Rec Department, St. Timothy's Church and Preschool (Mountain View, CA), Building Kidz (Mountain View, CA), Academy for Active Learners (Portland, ME), Bright Horizons (Portland, ME), Pine Grove School (Falmouth, ME), Little Prodigy Preschool (Mountain View, CA), Children's House Los Altos (Los Altos, CA) 

2018 appearances include Cumberland Elementary (Sunnyvale, CA), Palo Alto Women’s Club (Palo Alto, CA), Kiwanis and Rotary clubs (Palo Alto, Petaluma and Los Gatos, CA), Leadership Academy (San Jose, CA), Workshop for Youth (Austin, TX), Children’s House (Los Altos, CA), Bright Horizons at Cisco (San Jose, CA,.

2019 appearances include Cupertino Middle School (CA), Polkadot Powerhouse meetings in Fremont, San Mateo, San Diego, and San Jose and online for the Reno, Nevada chapter and staff development for Village Little Preschool (Cupertino, CA).

2020 virtual appearances include to the employees of the Albertson Grocery Chain, to the parents at Stocklmeir Elementary School (Sunnyvale, CA) and to the alums of Wheaton College (Norton, MA).

2022 appearances include Monte Vista Elementary School, San Bruno Parents Club, PolkaDot Powerhouse, Campbell MOPS, San Mateo Parenting Club, Health Wealth & Wisdom-Parents Edition

2023 appearances include San Jose Parents Participating Nursery School, Love to Learn Summit, G.L.O.S.S. Loft, Empower-Thon The ParenT(ween) Connection, The Single Mom Society, and SUSE.

Elisabeth is very much open to presenting in person but is always available for virtual events.

Blogs/Guest Blogs

Joyful Parenting Coaching puts out a weekly newsletter and blog.  Here are some of the most popular:

7 Inescapable Post Divorce Truths (for The Center for Parenting Education)

Recapturing Christmas (originally on Helicopter Mom and Just Plane Dad) 

Set Your Kids Free: 10 Things They Need to Be Able to Do on Their Own by Middle School (also posted as guest blog on Bonbon Break)

4 Common Mistakes Parents Make That Cause Their Kids to Talk Back to Them

Advice for Parenting Teens: 3 Metaphors to Consider (also posted as a guest blog on www.drdennycoates.com)

How to Avoid Holiday Conflicts: When to Say Yes and No (originally on Helicopter Mom and Just Plane Dad)

5 Tips for Raising Happy Kids (for lifevise.com)

Podcasts and Interviews

• Podcast Interview with Joe Kelly for Girls Growing Up, the New Moon Girls (or NewMoon.com) podcast for parents

• Interview with Mercedes Samudio,  "The Confidence Game: What It Takes to Empower Parents" for  The Parenting Skills

• Podcast Interview with Jalila Simmons for A Tribe Called Us

• Podcast Interview with Jamie Boggeln for F.A.T. (Frumpy and Tired) to F.A.B. (Fearless and Bold) Tele Summit

• Podcast Interview with Candice Jaggon for Freedom Lifestyle Live tele summit

• Interview with Author on Book Goodies

•Podcast Interview with Engel Jones' Twelve Minute Convos

•Podcast Interview with Michelle Lee for The Conscious Parent tele summit

•Podcast Interview with Neary Heng (Nov. 2016)  of The Paradise Within Show

•Podcast Interview with Christine Thuy Hong of Unleash Your Dream

•Expert quoted in "Signs Your Child May Be Stressed" for mydeal.com.au

•Expert quoted in "5 Conversations All Couples Should Have Before Having Kids, According to 6 Therapists (and a Lawyer)" for healthway.com

•Expert quoted in  "Guess Who the Neediest Students Are" for Lifezette.com   https://www.lifezette.com/momzette/guess-who-neediest-students-are/.

•Expert quoted in "Why Doesn't My Child Play With Toys? Experts Say They May Have Too Many Options" for Romper.com

•Printed interview with Erin Levine of hellodivorce.com:  "Co-Parenting: A Success Story. A Q&A with Parenting Coach Elisabeth Stitt"

•Podcast interview with Adriana Holguin for the Conscious Parenting Master Classs

•Podcast episode 87 with Blending the Family with Tommy Maloney: "The Relationship Is More Important Than the Problem"

•Podcast interview with Ashleigh Tolliver for “Parenting That Kid”

Accolades

Top Coach 2021 from the Coaching Foundation

Winner, Best of Mountain View: Parenting Classes, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018

Listed, Best Parenting Blogs 2017: Top Influential Views

Videos

High Res pic of Elisabeth Stitt and PDF of this page are available HERE.

Please send inquiries to elisabeth@elisabethstitt.com or call Elisabeth at 650.248.8916.