What people are saying about working with GPS…
“Kate’s ability to listen, understand, coach, and provide resources has been a godsend as we have completely transformed our parenting approach.”
“We feel so blessed to have worked with Kate during a critical time in our children’s lives. We have a 9-year-old boy and an 8-year-old daughter with almost polar opposite temperaments and strong personalities.
We decided to reach out to Kate when our daughter’s tantrums became hard to deescalate. None of our tactics were working - we figured that since we hire a coach for so many different aspects of our lives, why not for parenting as well? Our goal is to set up our children for success while maintaining their individuality and helping them develop healthy skills - and we felt like we were missing tools to accomplish this.
After our complimentary discovery call, we knew we wanted to hire Kate ASAP. Kate’s ability to listen, understand, coach, and provide resources has been a godsend as we have completely transformed our parenting approach. She provided us with the tools and guidance to review and reassess the areas we struggled with.
We are now more aware of what our children are experiencing, what we can expect (and not) from them at their age and maturity level, and how to solve situations lovingly while helping them build skills and protecting our relationships.
We genuinely wish every parent could work with Kate because she is an expert in this field.”
-Parents of 8 and 9 year olds
“Kate provided a tailored approach that met us where we were with practical, achievable targets.”
“We recently engaged with Kate to get perspective on how we could better foster our toddler’s development and cope with specific moments of difficulty, such as tantrums, spitting, refusing transitions, dog teasing etc. Kate listened to us, asking for more context on situations when needed, and helped us think from our son’s perspective. She was also cognizant of the fact that outbursts often come at times when we as parents are low on patience, tired or close to exasperation. She provided a tailored approach that met us where we were with practical, achievable targets. She coached simple tweaks to head off outbursts and calm things when such moments are unavoidable. We also learned a lot about reading cues of when our son would be receptive to instruction or intervention. We plan to continue working with Kate as our son grows and his needs change – she’s lovely, compassionate and incredibly helpful! Everyone wants the best for their children and Kate is always focused on helping us get there.”
-Parents of 2.5 year old
“Kate's insight on childhood development and how my daughter will process this change was truly impactful.”
“I recently worked with Kate on navigating the transition from K-Prep to Kindergarten for my daughter. Kate's insight on childhood development and how my daughter will process this change was truly impactful. I now feel like my husband and I can navigate this transition in a meaningful and successful way for all 3 of us!”
-Parent of Almost Five Year Old
“An incredible resource and a trusted advisor”
"We are the parents of a 4 year old and 1.5 year old, and we loved working with Kate. We met with her over the course of several months this year to understand our children's developmental stages and address our perceived obstacles in communicating and interacting as a family of four. Kate was an incredible resource and a trusted advisor. She listened carefully to our descriptions of our interactions and routines and asked for details to better understand our family dynamic. She took care to understand our big picture goals for the kind of family we want to be now and years into the future. During our meetings, she helped us understand what is "in the brain" of a 4 year old and a 1.5 year old, and offered suggestions for language and activities to help smooth some of the bumps/roadblocks we were experiencing (meltdowns, bedtime struggles, mommy/daddy roles, etc). After each meeting she sent a detailed summary of what we covered in the meeting, insights about what could change for the better, and action items to try out. It was our first time working with a parent coach and we plan to do more sessions in the future when new or different obstacles come up. We highly recommend Kate and we're so grateful a resource like her exists!"
-Parents of 4 year old and 1.5 year old
“Heard, empowered, supported”
“Kate Garzón is a gifted educator—both of children and parents. By the end of our first conversation, she had provided me with a concrete and helpful plan that I could implement immediately. It’s difficult to say, ‘I feel like I’m missing something here. This is my kid, but I just can’t see the solution.’ Kate made me feel heard, empowered, supported. I left our conversation feeling better about myself as a parent and confident in the road ahead.”
-Parent of three children ages 8, 6, and 10 months
“Will help you unravel the mysteries of children like no other”
“I was confused by toilet training regression, coordination issues, and extreme tantrums that seemed out of place for a four year old. Kate’s targeted questions illustrated the root of the problems, she explained connections between learning experiences, and provided practical solutions that were simple to implement. She showed me how to understand and better support her growth. Within a day we stopped having toileting incidents! The tantrums simmered down and we were able to get some basic skills under her belt. Follow the plan and trust it. How quickly you see results will make your heart soar. You’re not in it alone. Kate will help you unravel the mysteries of children like no other."
-Parent of 4 year old
“Empathetic to both children and adults alike…a non-judgemental experience.”
"Kate's webinar was very engaging and she offered relatable anecdotes along with uncomplicated and practical ideas for caregivers and parents. Her point of view is empathetic to both children and adults alike which creates a non-judgmental experience."
-The Morristown and Morris Township Library
“A clear mirror, warm and loving”
“Everything Kate said and proposed to us is so valuable and speaks to our hearts. I could clearly see that the way we are as parents and the way we guide (or not guide) our kids correlates directly to the way we lead/guide ourselves in life and as business owners. She is a fantastic mentor and a clear mirror, warm and loving. The kind of person everybody would have loved to grow up with!!”
-Parents of 8 and 10 year olds
“No one left Kate’s presentation without learning something and wanting to know more!”
“Parenting in the Age of Social Media” was presented by Kate at Randolph Public Library, NJ in November, 2024. Most of us know that social media can disrupt young minds, but don’t know precisely why. Kate explained how a child’s brain develops, and how this is affected by what they view on devices and how they process what they see and hear. She provided attending parents with guidelines to better understand what should be allowed and what should be restricted based on the age and maturity of their children.
Kate’s program was professional, informative, and well formatted. She offered helpful advice and provided suggestions to questions from her audience. No one left Kate’s presentation without learning something, and wanting to know more!”
-Jill R. Harding, Adult Program Coordinator, Randolph Township Free Public Library
“I have rarely experienced a presentation so engaging, informational, beneficial and supportive…”
"As a 44 year veteran teacher and youth worker, I have rarely experienced a presentation so engaging, informational, beneficial and supportive as Kate’s 'Life is Like a Box of Chocolates.' The 12 solid strategies she shared were based on data, but were presented in a simple, easy to follow and non-judgmental manner. Every person who 'parents' can take away valuable tips and suggestions to help them prepare their child for life while maintaining a positive relationship with their child! Kate is a gem!"
-Becky Johnsen, Sunday School Director, Somerset Hills Lutheran Church, Basking Ridge, NJ
“The ultimate expert on all things related to parental support”
“As someone looking for a resource for parents during the COVID-19 era, the team at Gong was so lucky to have found Kate. She delivered three virtual sessions to our team, focused around best practices for working parents during the 2020 back-to-school season. Each session was centered around a specific age group, so parents had the option of attending one, or multiple, presentations tied to the ages of their children. I would highly recommend Kate for both group webinars, or 1-on-1 coaching -- scheduling time with her was incredibly easy, and she is the ultimate expert on all things related to parental support.”
-Gabrielle Hughes, People Program Manager, Gong.io, San Francisco
“Key Partner with Impel Neuropharma”
“We were introduced to Kate through a referral from someone on our Impel NeuroPharma leadership team. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges for many Impel employees and their families, and we were looking for ways to offer support. Kate’s suggestions for “lunch and learn” sessions were fantastic, and geared toward the specific challenges of having little ones and school-aged children at home during summer, followed by the return-to-school period that brought added challenges with so many dealing with new remote school arrangements. The added offer of providing company-paid, one-on-one consultation for staff has also been well-received. In a short time, Kate formed meaningful connections with staff, and has earned herself a “key partner” relationship with Impel! We look forward to having her continued support as we navigate the uncertainty and challenges that lie ahead.”
-Sarah Wille, Director of HR, Impel NeuroPharma, Seattle
“Guidance for thriving during the Pandemic”
“Kate was adaptable and flexible to our team’s needs by providing age and stage appropriate guidance for not just surviving but thriving in the new pandemic environment. She was great in explaining context and gave us an empathic outlet. The seminar Kate provided was helpful and we were grateful of her sharing her knowledge and expertise.”
-Corporate Client, New Jersey
“An invaluable resource”
“Kate’s years of experience as a teacher and expertise in working with children provide her the tools and insight to be an invaluable resource on the topic of child development and education. I am extremely grateful for her assistance in helping me to craft an educational plan which was the right fit for my child!”
-Parent of 2 and 4 year olds
“Kate’s techniques were practical and her encouragement was priceless.”
“Over the years, I had been struggling with different parenting styles and nothing seemed to be working. My mom happened to find out about Kate and I started working with her. Her techniques were practical, her encouragement was priceless, She broke down the issues into easy-to- manage pieces and my relationships with my children improved. I will be forever grateful for all of her help.”
-Parent of 10 and 15 year olds
“Caring, responsive, and very competent”
“With the unknowns associated with the pandemic and our daughter’s recent diagnosis of ADHD/OCD, we knew that he had to modify our school plan for the upcoming year. Sitting on repeated zoom calls every day was not going to be a viable option for our daughter if we wanted her to be successful and engaged. We contracted Kate Garzon to help us unpack some of the practical issues that we would need to consider in designing an educational plan for our daughter but also a framework to help her develop and build life skills that would set her up for success within in our home environment. So much had changed about the way our family was operating during the pandemic…. scheduling, motivation, organization, mood, etc.
Kate helped us make sense of all of these new topics. She directed us to resources that would be helpful to expand our knowledge, as well as sourcing materials and tutors for us to begin the home schooling program. She consulted the Grade 3 curriculum in Ontario to ensure that our daughter was going to be able to meet the goals required in order to advance to Grade 4 smoothly once she returned to school in person. Kate also provided valuable support as we wrestled with many of the same issues that all parents do, like “Is my kid going to be ok?” “Are we doing the right thing?” Throughout the process Kate was caring, responsive and very competent. Most importantly, she evidenced a genuine care for our daughter, her well-being and her educational success. We have recommended her to our friends without hesitation.”
-Parents of 8 year old
“Kate guided us through a traumatic and challenging time in our lives, and we came out the other side not only better and happier parents, but also better and happier people.”
“It’s challenging to quantify just how influential and important Kate’s Guided Parenting Support program is and was for our family. While it started with the goal of hoping to explore ways to help our two children process their feelings better and reduce tantrums, it evolved into so much more.
We dissected the root cause of these emotional episodes, how they often tied back to our own parenting techniques, and more importantly how our own emotional and mental health laid the groundwork for our children.
Rather than looking for the easy or quick fix, she assisted us in finding real solutions which worked for our specific family. This was difficult and emotional at times, but enormously effective.
Kate guided us through a traumatic and challenging time in our lives, and we came out the other side not only better and happier parents, but also better and happier people.
We love her for this and are forever thankful.”
-Parents of 7 and 4 year olds
“It felt like such a relief to have someone in our court guiding us since nothing we had been doing to try to rectify the situation seemed to be working.”
“We were dealing with escalating behavioral and communication challenges with our third child when we called Kate in exasperation. We felt an immediate sense of relief when we began working with her as it was clear that she was laser-focused on improving our relationship with our child and cooling the temperature in our house. It felt like such a relief to have someone in our court guiding us since nothing we had been doing to try to rectify the situation seemed to be working. Kate led us to make a great shift in our thinking as it became clear early on that this was not about 'fixing' or 'changing' our child, but was more about how we react and respond to our child. She made us recognize that we needed to act differently with this child than our older two children; by giving us permission to "drop the rope" on certain rules and consequences that we were imposing and were simply not working for this child, our relationship with our child improved. At the same time, it was OK to set boundaries to protect ourselves, and to let our child learn from natural consequences. Kate was extremely professional and non-judgmental. She was kind and supportive in every way. After each session, she sent a detailed email about everything we had discussed and our "action items". This was super helpful as we did not have to take notes during the session and it gave us something to refer back to. She also provided suggestions on supplementary reading to help us on our journey. "Guided Parenting Support" is the perfect phrasing to describe her work, and we are so grateful to Kate for helping us grow as parents and improve our relationship with our children. I wholeheartedly recommend Kate to parents who want to improve their family relationships.”
-Parents of four adolescents, aged 13 to 21
“The Child Whisperer”
“Simply put, Kate is the Child Whisperer. She has an innate ability to zero in on root cause – and proposes easy, no-stress solutions managing challenging situations. I was struggling at this no-manual parenting gig. After the kids went to bed, I was exhausted, and spending evenings diving through scores of online parenting articles that all claim their way is the only way…only to try and fail miserably…Put this on repeat cycle. My stress and frustration were not helping. She took the time to carefully listen and made me feel at ease about everything we were experiencing.
She helps you interpret the situations from the child’s view. This really opened my eyes and heart, enabling me to step into fresh perspective and new level of understanding for what was going on. She proposed a simple action plan and helped me with multiple paths and contingencies so my crafty little critters couldn’t outsmart me (they are that good).
In addition, I really appreciated the empathy and humor she brings to the conversation. I was finally empowered with the right tools for our situation, and I only wish I’d gone to her sooner. It would’ve saved so much time I don’t already have.”
-Parent of high-energy, active boys ages 2 and 4
“She has a gift for (giving us tools) in a constructive, accessible manner that made us feel supported.”
“My wife and I had a great experience working with Kate. Each week we worked through some of our most pressing needs. Kate was able to give us the tools we needed to make progress as parents and as a family. She has a gift for doing so in a constructive, accessible manner that made us feel supported.”
-Parents of two boys under 2!
“…the right tools to help me better communicate with my son and daughter.”
“I was hesitant to reach out to Kate as my children are grown and no longer living at home but by the end of our first session she had given me the right tools to help me better communicate with my son and daughter.
She taught me how to loosen the "control" reigns and let my children make their own confident choices. I needed guidance taking a step back so that they could continue to grow and mature as young adults.
Kate is a skilled, empathetic, compassionate coach for parents with children of all ages.”
-Parent of two young adults
“When we implemented Kate’s ideas our daughter flourished in her independence and confidence which made transitioning to a big sister easier. ”
“We reached out to Kate in the months leading up to the arrival of our second child. Fears of potty training regression, sibling rivalry and jealousy and general reorganization of our family life plagued us.
Kate offered insight into our eldest child’s development and provided lots of practical advice in how to meet her where she is at in kind and respectful ways. Kate gave us solid ideas of how to equip our 3 year old to be independent in both play and in the kitchen. When we implemented those ideas our daughter flourished in her independence and confidence which made transitioning to a big sister easier.
Kate also addressed natural consequences and gave practical examples of how to use that concept with our daughter. Kate’s words have come to mind numerous times as we continue to navigate life with a 3 year old and an infant.
Thank you Kate for providing us with practical information and strategies for navigating life with a toddler and newborn that promote respect and kindness towards our whole family!”
-Parent of an infant and a 3.5 year old