Kind Words

You’ve come to this page for a good reason. I know for me, personal recommendations are key when I am looking for professional help. A dentist, hair dresser, therapist, piano teacher – you name it. What trusted friends have to say makes all the difference.

I love this page. I’ve worked with these wonderful people and it warms my heart to see so many of their beautiful faces in one place. Read on!


I face everyday difficult situations that come up with much more ease.

IMG_0728 - Version 2I am the mom of two young boys. I took the one-on-one coaching sessions with Lisa and gained so much valuable insight to help with my parenting challenges. Lisa is very thorough, organized and easy to talk with. She helped me think through some tough questions and doubts that I needed to overcome in order to make better choices as a parent. After working with Lisa, I feel a greater sense of confidence and have become more relaxed and playful as a parent. I face the everyday difficult situations that come up with much more ease. I highly recommend Lisa’s parenting classes and/or the individual sessions. I think we all feel overwhelmed and frustrated at times as a parent and it’s so helpful to learn some positive methods to move through these situations.  

Francoise Bason
Dentist
Oakland, California


My husband and I recently took Lisa’s class. We have 2 boys ages 2 and 5. Our goals going into the class were to get on the same page with our parenting and to yell less/be less frustrated. Recently, my mom remarked to me that we seem happier and the kids seem more well behaved!

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 Although we are not perfect, I feel that the class certainly helped us achieve our goals. The following story illustrates how the Positive Discipline model has changed my parenting;
It was a particularly stressful morning at our house. My 5 year old was refusing to get dressed and my 2 year old was refusing to eat breakfast, and of course we were running late. I could feel myself getting close to flipping my lid. Instead of yelling at them, I calmly said, “mommy is feeling frustrated. I don’t want to yell at you guys so I’m going to take a break and calm down.” I went into my bedroom and shut the door. They proceeded to scream for about a minute but then I noticed it got quiet. I took some deep breaths and came out of my room. My 2 year old was eating his breakfast. My 5 year old was quietly laying on his bed. I said to him in a loving voice “hey, I notice you’re not dressed and it’s almost time to leave for school. What do you think we should do?” He quickly replied, “get dressed!” and without any hesitation he put on his clothes and we left on time.

In general, I have become much more aware of what I say and how I say it. In addition, we have tools/techniques to problem solve when conflicts arise. With the concepts and tools of Positive Discipline, our boys are learning to problem solve themselves. This is in contrast to other parenting models which impose rules & discipline externally. They are seeing that their voices are valued in our family and that we ALL practice mutual respect. My husband and I are very grateful for Lisa’s class and would highly recommend it to any parent!
Alexis Harrington
Labor & Deliver Nurse, Lactation Consultant
Oakland, California

As a single working mom, I thought I’d feel out of place in class. I was so wrong. Lisa created a safe container for everyone to learn and practice Positive Discipline.

150208PSElementary142-MI’m so glad I took Lisa Fuller’s Positive Discipline course.  I have to admit, I had my doubts. But now I’m a believer. Positive Discipline works and it works for everyone. As single working mom,  I  thought I’d feel out of place in class. I was so wrong. Lisa created a safe container for everyone to learn and practice Positive Discipline. The class was a diverse group of singles, couples, married, divorced, all there to learn a better way to be with their children. I particularly loved the way Lisa made the Positive Discipline curriculum come alive with participation and role plays.  Without hesitation I highly recommend this class for all parents who are interested in having a loving relationship with their children. 

Kristyn Jones
Elementary School Teacher
San Pablo, California
 
 


The screaming and yelling in our house is now filled with laughter and smiles…. We have a new story everyday and find ourselves constantly turning things into games or putting our children in the same boat. Thank you so much again for all that you have taught us. We are going to miss our Wednesday nights.

There hav001e been so many changes for the better than have come up over the last 8 weeks since we started taking your class.

Last week on my way home from work, my wife Stephanie sent me a text that our daughter Grace (5) was being a handful, was in a horrible mood and that she had had it with her. When I got home, I walked in to the house and went straight to Grace and asked her for a hug. At first she turned her back and crossed her arms, and said no. I then decided to ask her one more time and after a 5 second pause, she turned and gave me a big hug. Steph said it was like someone flipped a switch on Grace. Grace went from being in the worst mood to acting as if she was having the best day ever. It’s amazing to see the kind of impact and dynamics that something as simple as asking for a hug can have on a 5 year old. Honestly, before taking your class, I probably would have come home and punished Grace for misbehaving and the entire afternoon probably would have been ruined for the entire family.

Understanding misguided behavior has been a huge eye opener for me. I love using the tip of “becoming incompetent”. A few weeks ago I met Steph and Grace at one of our favorite restaurants. We had a great time at dinner, but we could tell Grace was getting tired and cranky as it was approaching her bed time. As we were walking out of the restaurant, Grace realized she forgot the picture she had been coloring on her paper menu. By the time we went back to get it at our table, the staff had cleaned off the table. Right as Grace was starting to have a melt down, I yelled out in a shocked and surprised voice saying, “Oh! Grace! Oh No!” Catching her attention she said, “What Dad!?! Whats wrong?” and I replied, “I just realized, I don’t remember how to get home and mom just drove off in her car. What are we going to do?” Grace replied, “That’s okay Dad, I’ll give you directions”. Again, this was just another example of how our families evening would have been completely ruined if we had not practiced what we had learned in your class.

I’m far from perfect, but everyday is another day that i can practice and improve upon what we learned and become a better parent. The other day, I was cleaning out the garage and was feeling overwhelmed and in a bad mood when Grace said something really rude and nasty to me. Without thinking, I yelled out, “Grace, if you ever say that again, you’re going to get smacked in the mouth.” Even though I would never lay a finger on her, it just came out without thinking. Graces reaction was hilarious, she said, “Uhhhhh! Daddy!!! You need to go back to your class and take 10 more classes to become a better parent!!!!”  Suddenly I realized that for her to say that meant that she understood and recognized the positive changes that have come from attending your class. My response was ” Yes, you are right Grace, I do need to go to more classes. I’m very sorry for speaking to you that way.” She replied, “That’s okay Dad, I forgive you” and she rode away on her scooter.

The screaming and yelling in our house is now filled with laughter and smiles. Everyday, I try to tell my wife Stephanie, how proud I am about the way she handled a specific situation and I compare it to how we would have handled it before attending your class. We have a new story everyday and find ourselves constantly turning things into games or putting our children in the same boat. Thank you so much again for all that you have taught us. We are going to miss our Wednesday nights.

Eric Santos
Landscape Contractor
Livermore, California


I expected (and at first hoped) I would get tips from a master—a Jedi Knight of Positive Parenting—who had all the answers I needed to keep my son from going to the Dark Side.

Clay_Cahoon_PortraitWhat surprised me about Lisa is that she’s deep in the practice herself. I guess I expected (and at first hoped) I would get tips from a master—a Jedi Knight of Positive Parenting—who had all the answers I needed to keep my son from going to the Dark Side. But by the end of the 8 week course, I had such endearing respect for the “Mom” that she is—whose personal stories of success and failures added immeasurable value to her insightful coaching techniques. I’m mean really, is there any better teacher than a “loving mother”? Thank you Lisa!  

Clay Cahoon
Creative Director | MadplumCreative.com
Lafayette, California


I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT! It was exactly like the book and you said it would happen! Even though it worked so well, I admit I felt a bit guilty about seemingly abandoning Louie to her big brother in a moment of distress. But I get that their relationship benefitted from his problem-solving so much more than if I had stepped in.

11816163_10154098787629148_6907306051838967803_oHi Lisa,

I wanted to tell you my success story from this morning. I feel like one of the examples from the book (Siblings without Rivalry), I was so surprised at its effectiveness!

This morning my 5.5yo son Eden left his favorite transformer toys on the floor, and his 1.5yo sister Lulu ran to them and started playing. He saw that, ran over, and pushed her backwards so her head banged the floor (she’s had worse bumps, but it was still rough and it hurt her).

I calmly went over and said, “Do you two need some help? Lulu doesn’t know why you pushed her. Use your words to tell her. I know you two can work this out. I’m going in the kitchen now so you can work it out.”

I walked away as Lulu whimpered a few times, just sitting next to her brother, probably unsure why I hadn’t defended her better.

Only 5 to 10 seconds after I walked away, Eden said, “Hey Louie, do you want another one?! I’ll get you one!” and jumped up to get her the one transformer he wasn’t playing with. He gave it to her, she happily accepted, and she scooted away a few inches to play with it in her own space.

I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT! It was exactly like the book and you said it would happen! Even though it worked so well, I admit I felt a bit guilty about seemingly abandoning Louie to her big brother in a moment of distress. But I get that their relationship benefitted from his problem-solving so much more than if I had stepped in.

Based on the book, if we can be consistent with this kind of conflict resolution, soon both kids will not feel this as abandonment, but as empowerment instead.

–Rachel

Rachel Kinnon
Oakland, California


Our home is much more peaceful since my husband and I took Lisa’s class, and my children thank her too – well, they would if they knew she was the reason Mommy yells much less now.

kristy

I am so grateful to lisa for her wonderful class. She has given me tools for parenting that have made such a difference.  I really appreciated her kind and thoughtful approach to teaching, and the way she was never judgmental or shocked about anything shared in the safe environment that she created in the class.  She helped all of us participants feel like we were on the same team, and showed us simple yet profound ways to relate to our children.  Our home is much more peaceful since my husband and I took Lisa’s class, and my children thank her too – well, they would if they knew she was the reason Mommy yells much less now.  I highly recommend it!

Kristy Parsons-McClain
Middle School French Teacher
Oakland, California
 

 


It would have taken me 300 miles of running with friends to come to the conclusion we did today. My knees thank you!

valerieYou were able to listen to my mumbling and take what I said and repeat it in a way that helped me focus. Certain words you heard, I didn’t even realize I had said. When we started, I felt like I was headed to work – but by the end we were somewhere completely different and unexpected… It would have taken me 300 miles of running with friends to come to the conclusion we did today. My knees thank you!

Valerie Boes
Raising 3 beautiful kids

Oakland, California


Having new options to work with let me see what I could learn from my mistakes, so that this “oh, I could have handled that better, I kind of lost it there a bit” can become “now I see what works, what I can do next time and (most importantly) I’m not an awful parent or ruining my son by being human.”

Scott&SandraMy husband and I joined Lisa’s class in Fall 2014.  Our son is 10 and we were looking for inspiration on how to navigate the latest phase we found ourselves in.  What I take away from Positive Discipline: insight and techniques on how to include our son in the resolution of conflicts and issues and how the family can work together to create a space of mutual respect and understanding.  It was so very valuable to be reminded that all my child really wants is to know he belongs.  Having new options to work with let me see what I could learn from my mistakes, so that this “oh, I could have handled that better, I kind of lost it there a bit” can become “now I see what works, what I can do next time and (most importantly) I’m not an awful parent or ruining my son by being human.”  Positive Discipline is a tool that will aid us for years to come.  Thank you Lisa!
Sandra Orloff
Web Design: www.alunconsulting.com 
Oakland, California

I highly recommend Lisa’s classes for anyone that is struggling with parenting challenges and is craving a more loving and mutually respectful connection with their children.

402440_2899685265578_195849265_nI attended Lisa’s Positive Discipline Series to help me with my own children AND to enhance the work that I do with families.  Lisa’s style is relaxed, collaborative, well thought out and she has the ability to dig deep with parents to discuss challenging topics in a compassionate way. I learned a tremendous amount in her class and I now have many new parenting strategies and tools. Personally, I feel more connected to my children and have a better understanding of how to navigate difficult situations when they inevitably come up. I highly recommend Lisa’s classes for anyone that is struggling with parenting challenges and is craving a more loving and mutually respectful connection with their children.

Jocelyne Gardner, MSW
www.pathways4parents.com
Oakland, California


I’m so grateful for you and the work you do.

I am REALLY enjoying being a parent again. Thank you! We are more playful, more engaged with each other. I’m so grateful for you and the work you do. I took much of what I have learned and have begun using it to work with my son and my communications classroom! Very helpful!!

Anastasia Prentiss, Ph.D
Professor of Communications
Oakland, California


Lisa has a tremendous ability to keep me on a forward path while deeply honoring the road I’ve taken to get here.

sarinaAs a mental health provider myself, I was not sure how phone coaching would feel to me. In our first 30-minute coaching conversation, I was amazed at how much progress we made and how connected I felt to Lisa over the phone. When I work with someone TRUST is essential. I so appreciate Lisa’s gentleness but at the same time, she never let me off the hook.

My coaching work with Lisa has been so much more helpful than years of traditional therapy. It’s great to understand your issues, but creating goals and actively moving towards them is what coaching with Lisa is all about. Lisa has a tremendous ability to keep me on a forward path while deeply honoring the road I have taken to get here.

Sarina Natkin, LICSW
Parent Educator, GROW Parenting
Seattle, Washington


I was having a very hard time with my 5 yo son after our new babe was born and we moved to a new house…. This class was the answer!

This was an incredibly helpful class. Not only were the concepts behind Positive Discipline consistent with my values and intentions as a parent, but Lisa did an excellent job of conveying them. She did a combination of talking, Q&A and roleplaying to bring the points home and to give us a chance to put them into action. I thought the roleplaying would feel silly and not very helpful… but it was actually really profound. Lisa respected our time and managed the class amazingly well to keep us on track and moving through the material. She is very organized and thoughtful. I was having a very hard time with my 5 yo son after our new babe was born and we moved into a new house… I so wanted to respect his autonomy and be patient with him for what he was going through, but I needed help. This class was the answer! It really enabled me to get through that period and be the parent I wanted to be. The overarching theme of firmness and kindness (respect for the child/respect for yourself and the situation) continues to guide me in my parenting choices and has improved my relationship with my son.

Suzzanne L’Heureux
Raising kids and working in the arts and community building
Oakland, California


The class was the perfect tonic to get me back on the parenting path that I had wanted for myself since the beginning.

jaredI have had the pleasure of knowing Lisa since her now-seventeen-year-old son was in my sixth grade humanities class in 2007. I was familiar with Positive Discipline from a teaching perspective, and when my twins were born in January 2009 I knew that I wanted to raise my kids with a positive discipline approach. By the time they turned three, I had moved on from teaching, and my positive discipline skills had lapsed. I was having a difficult time dealing with the behavior of two three year olds. I was often angry, I yelled a lot, and I had a hard time letting things go.

I contacted Lisa and signed up for her class right away. The class was the perfect tonic to get me back on the parenting path that I had wanted for myself since the beginning. 
Reading the Positive Discipline book, participating in the class discussions, and learning from Lisa’s encouraging teaching style reminded me of what I had previously known (and since failed to apply on a regular basis) about positive discipline. The class also gave me many more techniques to use in my day-to-day interactions with my children.

Since taking the class, I have noticed that I don’t yell as much, I consider my actions and behaviors more carefully, and I am more connected with my kids. I now give more respect to them, instead of only demanding respect from them. We now work more as a team. I often think back to the role plays, the stories that other parents shared, and the patient and guiding way that Lisa addressed the difficulties of parenting that we all expressed throughout the seven weeks of the positive discipline class. It has all become an integral part of my day-day parenting.

I would recommend this class to any parent who knows that there are better ways to interact with your kids, but just aren’t sure what those ways are. If you go in with a willingness to learn, change, and apply the techniques over the long haul, I cannot recommend Lisa’s Positive Discipline class enough. It could literally change your life.

Jared Karol
Digital Content Manager
Oakland, California

 


Lisa’s careful listening and insightful comments led to a manageable plan that I was excited about.

sarahI signed up for a coaching session with Lisa to help me move toward a goal I’d had for 10 years: applying to grad school. In talking with her, I discovered a major stumbling block that had been holding me back. That alone was extremely helpful.

Lisa’s careful listening and insightful comments led to a manageable plan that I was excited about, and being accountable to someone kept me on track. Within six months, I’d done what I’d been wanting to do for a decade, and now I’m back to school in the fall. Endless gratitude, Lisa!!

Sarah Moxon
Social Work Grad Student!

Oakland, California


…this Positive Discipline foundation grows with you and makes all the difference.  Lisa’s a life saver!

gailAs a pre-school director for the past 30 years I’ve been challenged to find great parent ed speakers. Parents are increasingly busy and I want to make the most of the little windows of opportunity that I have with them.

It’s been wonderful these last 5 years to have found Lisa! The Positive Discipline concepts are empowering AND Lisa’s presentations are thought provoking, lively, FUN and teach practical tools. The exercises enable us to look at the big picture and find solutions to everyday challenges.

All parents want to be effective and feel successful, and Lisa’s classes offer parents an opportunity to learn new ways to communicate with their children and pinpoint issues. The truth is parenting doesn’t get easier as children grow. However, this Positive Discipline foundation grows with you and that makes all the difference. Lisa’s a life saver!

Gail Murphy, Director
Peter Pan Cooperative Nursery School
Oakland, California


Lisa has a wonderfully inviting, hospitable, trust-building and empowering presence and teaching style.

MonteGreat class. Lisa has a wonderfully inviting, hospitable, trust-building and empowering presence and teaching style. She’s engaged but not directive, an authority yet not authoritative, challenging yet not demeaning – and fun!

Monte McClain
Pastor
Oakland, California


Lisa is steady, present and insightful. Our sessions have been a bright spot in my life this past year and a half.

When I first started coaching with Lisa I didn’t know what to expect and I certainly didn’t think it would last very long. What I found was that having someone on the outside with a different perspective has been extremely valuable. Lisa is steady, present and insightful. Our sessions have been a bright spot in my life this past year and a half.

Mom, Artist, Teacher
Oakland, California


Lisa is a gentle and caring teacher who makes it safe to talk, ask, act and open up about parenting….

marceliI always hated role plays and would roll my eyes whenever they were suggested. But I learned to love them in Lisa’s Positive Discipline series, because I learned things I never would have otherwise. There is something so powerful about stepping into my child’s shoes, and taking a minute to not just think about, but to experience their perspective, and how they see me as a mom. This perspective shift is the most powerful part of the class, in my opinion. Lisa is a gentle and caring teacher who makes it safe to talk, ask, act, and open up about parenting, which can be a pretty sensitive topic.

Marcilie Smith Boyle
Certified Positive Discipline Educator, www.WorkingParenting.com
Oakland, California


 

Lisa saved the day!

photoAt a local pool this summer my daughter and I were changing in the locker room when I realized that I had forgotten to pack her swimsuit. Oh no! She was not happy. I stepped outside to see if I could buy a swim suit?…nope; maybe our friends had one I could borrow?…nope. So I found one in the lost and found. It was a little beat up for sure, but wearable. When I went back into the locker room to show my daughter she was still not happy.

I was a really nice mommy at first telling her how sorry I was that I forgotten her swimsuit but that we did not have time to go home and come back again. Next I tried to bribe her with cookies I had brought as a treat, and ice cream from the snack shop. She still did not budge. I was starting to get mad! How was I going to get her wear this swimsuit? As I walked out to the pool to tell our friends that we were going home, I saw Lisa! I was praying she would have some advise for me. I quickly told her the story and she gave me some words of compassion, then she held up the swimsuit and said, “what a gorgeous suit” and “that pattern is so pretty” (glancing over the mildew stains on the butt!). It took me a second to realize what she was doing…I wanted a hard and fast answer to my problem and she was admiring the swimsuit? Then I caught on…ah ha.

I headed back to the locker room where my daughter was waiting. Only now I was a lot calmer and less determined to get her wear the suit or else! I sat down next to her on the bench, offered her one of the cookies, and said lets eat these while we think of what to do next. I then held up the swimsuit and did exactly what Lisa had just done. I started to admire the swimsuit. Within a minute my daughter had changed into the suit and was ready to go swimming. It worked! It worked!

Thank you, Lisa. Your calm and thoughtful approach to parenting is an inspiration.

 

Sheena Cresswell
Research Associate
Oakland, California

 


Positive Discipline gets at the source of the issue, instead of offering a “quick fix”. … like preventative medicine, instead of just taking an aspirin to mask the symptoms!

What I found helpful in Parenting with Positive Discipline was that it really helped me to understand my child’s point of view, as well as what might be at the root of the misbehavior.  The approach gets at the source of the issue, instead of offering a “quick fix”.  (Kind of like preventive medicine, instead of just taking an aspirin to mask the symptoms!)  Also, my husband and I took the class with the goal of getting more on the same page in our parenting style.  It helped us to find middle ground, as well as understand why traditional “discipline” (i.e. time outs) were not working.  It was useful to be in a group with other parents also, to hear their stories, realize that we all had similar parenting challenges, and that there were several viable strategies and tools to arrive at a solution with the child.

Stephanie Jordan
Chef.Caterer.Mom
Benicia, California


 

I would highly recommend Lisa as a support to any parent!

self photoMy experience and work with Lisa has been very memorable. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about Positive Discipline (PD) and time and again gives patience with describing concrete and easy to use examples on ways to make PD apart of my life. I enjoy her sense of humor too, which makes it a fun atmosphere. And, on top of it all, she’s a delight to speak with and always open to helping problem-solve any issues I’ve come up against. Aside from my own experiences, I’ve seen first-hand in her workshop how much of a positive impact she makes on others. I would highly recommend Lisa as a support to any parent!

Stephanie Owen, MFT
Therapist
San Francisco, California