One Therapreneur’s Journey to Becoming a Parent Educator, with Rebecca Hernandez

How Rebecca Found the Will to Move Forward With Her Dreams, Despite Multiple Setbacks

On this episode of the Learn With Less® podcast, Ayelet sits down with pediatric occupational therapist, mother, parent educator, Learn With Less® facilitator, and founder of Santosha Wellness, Rebecca Hernandez. Rebecca lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and has her own private pediatric occupational therapy clinic where she serves new families in multiple ways via developmental therapies, infant massage, and now, caregiver & me classes using the Learn With Less® curriculum, leading infant and toddler enrichment classes to provide resources and support to parents and caregivers.

Rebecca’s practice is focused on sharing her love and passion for the needs and development of children through empowerment, advocacy, education, collaboration, and support. She believes that in order to help children, we must first take time to understand each child’s rich life background: developmental history, caregiver support structure, the cultural lens through which the child identifies, socioeconomic needs, and  the child’s strengths and interests. These values on top of her robust skillset as not only an occupational therapist, but also a Feeding Therapist, infant development specialist, certified Infant Massage therapist, kids yoga teacher, and CrossFit trainer (for both kids and adults), make her an incredible asset to the Learn With Less® program as a facilitator of “caregiver & me” classes.

Not familiar with the term, “caregiver & me” classes? We use it as a more inclusive term instead of “mommy & me” classes. Our classes are open – and meant for – ALL parents and caregivers: not just moms… but also dads, non-binary folks, grandparents, foster parents, babysitters, and other amazing grownups who care for tiny humans. We’re going to play the “search term” game here (so you can find this great content more easily!) and help shift the conversation from “mommy & me” classes to “caregiver & me” classes… to do our part to shape the more inclusive world we’d like to live in.

In this episode, we discuss:

* Rebecca’s biggest skepticism in joining the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program, and what value it provided her even though she wasn’t new to parent education and providing family enrichment services* Why conversations about self-identity as a facilitator are valuable in responsibly and responsively serving families who hold various identities* What helped her pushed ahead even when life felt overwhelming* Why her plans include holding both virtual and in-person caregiver + child classes in her community* The role of “facilitator” and how that affects one’s ability to lead a class for other families

Helpful Resources Related to This Episode

Learn With Less® podcast episode: Why Become a Parent Educator? Ask These Learn With Less® Facilitators!

Learn With Less® podcast episode: Leading Caregiver & Baby Classes – From Therapist to Parent Educator, with Carly Dorfman

Learn With Less® podcast episode: Enrich Your Practice as a Parent Educator, with Sara Moreno

Learn With Less® podcast episode: <a href="https://learnwithless.