Coaching for Young Women, Girls & Parents

I help young women and girls growing up in the digital age make healthy choices, strengthen social-emotional intelligence, and develop their leadership potential so they can thrive during adolescence and beyond.

Dear Parent/Guardian:

You’re a great parent and try your best to provide everything that your daughter needs, but you want additional support to help her navigate the teen years, build confidence, overcome challenges, make positive choices, and develop healthy friendships so she can be happy, healthy and step into her full potential.

I understand that raising a daughter in this time of uncertainty can be overwhelming. Fortunately, you don’t have to figure everything out on your own.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?:

• Your daughter is a high achiever, gifted and talented, or struggles with perfectionism and you want to help her set healthy goals and reduce stress.
• You want to help your daughter transition smoothly to a new school or grade level (middle school, high school or college).
• You’re not sure how to help your daughter bounce back from challenges and disappointments.
• You want your daughter to have the confidence to be herself and step out of her comfort zone, but she’s having a hard time fitting in at school and perhaps she is being excluded. You’re worried that your daughter’s self-esteem will plummet or she will become depressed, anxious, or make unhealthy choices.
• Your daughter is stressed out about school, digital drama, dating, getting into college, or her future.
• You’re concerned about your daughter’s social media use.
• You have a feeling that something isn’t quite right with your daughter and suspect that she may not be telling you what’s bothering her.
• You want to learn how to better understand and connect with your daughter.
• You’re not sure about how to get her to open up and come to you instead of turning to her friends, Tik Tok or google when she’s upset or struggling with a serious problem…

If you’re jumping out of your seat shouting “you just nailed it, Dr. Carla!” – then take a deep breath. 

You’re in the right place.

I know it can be challenging, frustrating, and even scary to raise a daughter in today’s high-tech, media-saturated, and hypersexual world. Young women, girls, and youth socialized as girls are given mixed messages and told that they should be “good girls,” while also being taught that their worth and value comes solely from their appearance, bodies, and unrealistic beauty standards.

In order to emerge from their teen years as strong, happy, and confident adults, girls must learn to successfully navigate peer pressure and disempowering messages about girls and women in a social climate that has become increasingly unsupportive of women’s and girls’ rights.

Here’s the reality:

Yes, friendship struggles, relational aggression and bullying are on the rise during the tween and teen years when girls’ friendships become increasingly important and they are bombarded with a barrage of contradictory messages, social pressures, and harmful portrayals of women, girls, and relationships in the mass media.

As your daughter navigates these formative years, she may be struggling to fit in, feeling left out, or pressured to conform to unhealthy stereotypes about girls and female friendships. All of these developmentally appropriate challenges are further complicated for girls who are coming of age in a post-pandemic world, where rates of sadness and depression have increased substantially for adolescent girls.

Research has demonstrated that girls who are victimized by bullying and social cruelty during the early years are at risk for social isolation, loss of self-esteem and depression, which can place girls at high risk for poor academic performance and severe health consequences. Social cruelty between girls can also cause painful and long-lasting effects into the teen years and even adulthood. Life coaching can provide help for students who need support with how to navigate social pressures and friendship struggles that affect their health and ability to learn and excel in school.

Here’s the good news:

Your daughter’s tween and teen years don’t have to be difficult if you have an expert and trusted advisor in your toolkit to guide you and your daughter along the way! I am here to help!

I operate Teen Girl University™, a unique professional coaching, speaking, and consulting practice devoted to helping young women, girls (pre-teens and teens), and their parents thrive through life’s pressures and transitions. I have educated and mentored thousands of youth and girls for decades (since I was a teen) and I would love to help your daughter build confidence, make healthy choices, and reach her full potential. I designed my unique programs to help your daughter fall madly in love with herself from the inside out, get motivated, improve her relationships, and make healthy choices so she can create a bright future and achieve her dreams!

What are the Benefits of Coaching?

I am highly skilled in connecting with girls from diverse backgrounds and guiding them to view themselves and the world around them in new ways that inspire them to recognize the true source of their personal power, move past whatever is holding them back, and transform their untapped potential. From peer pressure, friendship drama, academic stress, social media, and body image concerns, I teach girls how to think critically, live authentically, and trust their inner wisdom, so they can consciously navigate girl world with confidence, overcome societal pressures, and achieve their goals. I have personally mentored young women and girls who have started national organizations, been honored by President Barack Obama, won national awards, earned highly competitive scholarships and fellowships, and graduated from top colleges, universities, graduate schools, and medical programs.

Coaching is designed to help your daughter:

• Feel a stronger bond with you, and share more openly and honestly with respect
• Gain more self-compassion, empathy, confidence, happiness, and motivation
• Learn how to recognize the warning signs of unhealthy relationships, while developing positive friendships and healthy relationships
• Improve her attitude and develop a positive outlook
• Develop a healthy relationship with her body and treat herself with love and respect
• Unhook from people pleasing, perfectionism, and seeking validation from others
• Learn how to ask for and accept help, resist harmful peer pressure, set healthy boundaries, communicate more effectively, speak up for herself and others, and advocate for her rights and needs assertively
• Learn to listen to her intuition, trust herself, become more responsible, make healthy choices, and avoid unhealthy risk taking/negative outcomes
• Overcome limiting beliefs that stop her from reaching her full potential
• Realize her strengths and create exciting goals for herself
• Understand the impact of her choices on her life and future
• Avoid common mistakes that lead to parent-daughter conflict and misunderstandings
• Instead of googling or getting advice from random social media influencers, she will have a professional transformational teen life coach, health educator, and inspiring mentor to talk to about sensitive topics that she may not feel comfortable asking you about
• …and so much more!

Imagine what is possible for your daughter when she has the professional support and guidance she needs to transform her attitude and self-concept, build her confidence, and make positive choices during this critical period in her life.

Coaching Programs

Workshops & Group Coaching

Do you wish that I could inspire your daughter from the comfort of your own home? My Teen Girl University™ Online Mentoring Program for Girls is Coming Soon!

It is my goal to share my work and have a positive impact on as many girls as possible, so I am excited to share that I will be launching an exciting online group mentoring and coaching program for pre-teen and teen girls. Group coaching also has the added benefit of providing a friendly and supportive place for girls to support each other.

I also offer workshops and group coaching throughout the United States periodically while speaking at schools and girl-serving organizations to provide a more accessible option than private coaching. Students enrolled in workshops and group coaching programs are held to high standards and expected to have a positive attitude to ensure an enjoyable experience for each group member.

If you’re interested in enrolling your daughter when I open up the doors, sign up for the Teen Girl University™ waiting list!

Private Coaching

Working with me in my bespoke private coaching practice is the most exclusive opportunity to work with me. In order to provide highly personalized support and powerful results for my clients, I only work with a small number of private clients at a time. This ensures that I can build a strong partnership with your family and deliver highly personalized services to support you and your daughter’s growth.

If you’re seeking an expert and highly experienced professional coach to personally inspire, educate, and guide you and your daughter through adolescence to help her transform her life for the better, private coaching may be right for you.

I typically work with parents and students in middle school through college, but occasionally there are exceptions (adolescence is the developmental period between the ages of 10-24). As my private client, I will customize my coaching to your daughter’s unique challenges and give her thought-provoking and inspirational exercises in between sessions to help her make progress towards reaching her goals. Private coaching is a special and unforgettable guided experience through the teen years that your daughter will cherish for years to come.

As your daughter’s personal coach and mentor, you can think of me as her personal cheerleader, ally, teacher, and trusted advisor. I will see your daughter’s greatest potential – even when she doesn’t see or believe it – and work with her to build confidence, develop her strengths and become her greatest vision for herself. I will listen to her hopes and dreams and help her identify thoughts, behaviors, and situations that keep her from moving forward and reaching her full potential. Together, we will create an action plan that will empower her to discover her capabilities and accomplish her goals.

I also enjoy coaching mothers who want to strengthen their connection with their children and access expert support so they can feel less worried, while transforming their own lives, careers, and relationships. This is a great option to consider for mothers of daughters that aren’t interested in committing to coaching.

My client base is international and I have had the pleasure of coaching clients throughout the United States from New York City to Napa, California, and as far away as Canada, Europe, Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Your daughter will meet with me from the comfort and privacy of her own bedroom or dorm room from anywhere in the world via Zoom/Face Time/Skype video teleconferencing software so we can see each other. Depending on my availability, I may also be able to arrange to meet with her in person in my Atlanta office or meet you on the road while I am traveling. As my schedule permits, I may also open up select dates for in-person private intensives in the New York City area.

How to Be Considered for Private Coaching:

If you’re excited about the possibility of working with me and and want the best coaching available for your daughter’s health, happiness, and future success, the first step in the enrollment process is to complete the private coaching application.

If it sounds like I can help you reach your goals, we will reach out to you to schedule a phone consultation to discuss your challenges and goals and explore if coaching is right for you and/or your daughter at this time. I encourage you to submit your application ASAP as my schedule fills up quickly and new clients are enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis. If my schedule is full and I am unable to accept new clients, you will be added to the email waiting list and receive priority consideration when there is a future opening.

Please note that I charge premium fees for one-on-one coaching, so if you’re unable to invest thousands of dollars in high-end private coaching, I’m not the right coach for you. If private coaching is out of reach for your budget, group coaching may be a better option if you want to work with me (depending on availability).

Click Here To Apply For Private Coaching

Note: Coaching is a different approach than therapy and is not appropriate for everyone. Please read the FAQ’s  for more information before submitting an application.

Featured Success Story: Graduation with Honors from Lycee Francais de New York

Dr. Carla with Fanta and her mother at the Lycee Francais de New York 2013 graduation ceremony

“Over the past six months, I have observed big achievements and success…My daughter is more self-aware, has a more positive attitude, and is much more organized and better at managing stress…

If you are thinking about coaching with Dr. Carla, I can assure you that the investment in your daughter’s happiness and future success is priceless!”

What were your daughter’s biggest challenges before coaching with Dr. Carla?

Before coaching with Dr. Carla, my 17-year-old daughter was fearful of success and worried about her future and what’s coming next after high school. She was very stressed out and struggled with time management and unstable self-esteem. I searched online for a teen success coach and felt comfortable about hiring Dr. Carla to help my daughter build confidence, try new things, manage stress, and improve her grades after our initial phone consultation.

For our first session, Dr. Carla met with us in Manhattan, which helped my daughter feel more comfortable about long distance video coaching. Her warm and engaging presence, combined with her high level of compassion, attentiveness, professionalism, and knowledge about teen girls let me know that we were in good hands. Dr. Carla used a variety of approaches and techniques to help my daughter learn how to deal with stress and disappointment with great sensitivity. She also taught her valuable life and academic skills, including how to create and stick with a study plan for her Baccalauréat exam.

What results did your daughter achieve while coaching with Dr. Carla?

After only a few weeks of coaching, I noticed that my daughter was taking more responsibility for herself and much more in tune with her feminine power. Over the past six months, I have observed big achievements and success. My daughter is more self-aware, has a more positive attitude, and is doing a better job of controlling her emotions when she is stressed out or thinking negatively. She is much more organized and better at managing stress, which helps her from becoming overwhelmed. As a single mother, I feel relieved from the entire weight of dealing with my daughter alone because I know that she can talk to Dr. Carla when she is struggling with a challenge or disappointment, especially when I am out of town.

Overall, the coaching has been very successful. While coaching with Dr. Carla, my daughter graduated with honors from a prestigious private school, earned her high school diploma and was admitted into her dream university. We are both thrilled that she achieved her goal of passing her Baccalauréat exam with a magna cum laude mention. She is also showing much more responsibility in her personal life. She is more in tune with herself and gaining back core skills that she exhibited during childhood. I have observed huge progress in terms of her body image. She is more accepting of herself, proud of her body, and feels that she is beautiful for the first time since was a little girl.

What is the most important thing parents and girls should know about coaching with Dr. Carla?

Investing in coaching for your daughter is like partnering with a professional ally who is devoted to helping you empower her. Dr. Carla actively listens to your daughter and provides feedback and accountability that helps her develop solutions to her challenges. Issues to be worked on are discussed in advance and when new issues emerge, the coaching plan is revised to adjust to the new needs and priorities. Getting your daughter coached by Dr. Carla is an active way to get a neutral and engaged ally in accelerating her self growth and self development to her fullest potential.

Would you recommend Dr. Carla’s coaching services to other parents?

I am pleased with Dr. Carla’s life-changing coaching program and have recommended her services to my colleagues without reservation. She has treated us like a priority and is highly attentive to our needs and concerns. When I have questions or concerns about my daughter, she provides helpful advice and resources.

My daughter looks forward to her regular coaching sessions and we are excited about continuing our coaching with Dr. Carla during my daughter’s first year away at college. I view Dr. Carla as a necessary partner in my daughter’s education and success.

What would you say to a parent who is undecided about hiring Dr. Carla?

If you are thinking about coaching with Dr. Carla, I can assure you that the investment in your daughter’s happiness and future success is priceless!

— Fanta’s Mother, Manhattan, NY

Dr. Carla and Fanta at her graduation from Lycee Francais de New York

“While I was coaching with Dr. Carla, I got into my dream college in Montreal, Canada, graduated from Lycee Francais de New York, and passed my Baccalauréat exam with a magna cum laude mention. I would not have been able to accomplish all of my goals without her help!”

Where were you in your life before coaching with Dr. Carla?

Before coaching with Dr. Carla, I was a senior in high school and under a lot of academic stress and also dealing with self-criticism, self-confidence and self-esteem issues. I was being mean to myself and didn’t realize that I was standing in the way of my own success. I wanted a coach because I wanted an adult other than my Mom to be there for me when I have a problem.

How did you hear about Dr. Carla?

I heard about Dr. Carla through my mom. She searched online and found her.

Describe your experience coaching with Dr. Carla

Coaching with Dr. Carla is amazing! I Skype all the time w/friends so video coaching with Dr. Carla feels normal. It also helped that I met Dr. Carla in person in Manhattan for our first coaching session because it didn’t feel like I was Skyping with a stranger. Sometimes it is intense and I get emotional, but it is the kind of intensity that I need to be able to grow and move forward.

What results did you achieve while coaching with Dr. Carla?

After 6 months of coaching with Dr. Carla, I am more laid back and not as stressed out or jumping to conclusions as quickly as before. I am also noticing when I start to think negatively and I am able to shift to positive thinking and believing more in myself.  During my coaching with Dr. Carla, I got into my dream college in Montreal, Canada, graduated from Lycée Français de New York, and passed my Baccalauréat exam with a magna cum laude mention. I would not have been able to accomplish all of my goals without her help!

Dr. Carla taught me how to get organized and work with a study schedule that we created together. I improved my study skills and learned how to deal with conflict with my mom and how to deal with disappointment and rejection without getting as upset and stressed out as I used to. It is nice to have someone to talk to about my anxieties and worries about the Baccalauréat exam. I was overwhelmed and Dr. Carla helped me create a study strategy that really helped me.

What was the biggest lesson learned from coaching with Dr. Carla?

The best part about coaching with Dr. Carla is learning how to deal with my limiting beliefs. That was the breaking point and it made me stare right into the face of the problem. I noticed that all of the things I felt were wrong in her life were really the result of the negative story I was telling myself about them. I am much happier now that I have learned how to focus on everything I have to feel grateful for. Dr. Carla helped me realize that I can decide how to react to certain situations that are out of my control.

Would you recommend Dr. Carla’s coaching programs to other young women and parents?

Yes, I would recommend coaching with Dr. Carla because I am really seeing how much I changed over the past 6 months and I love the results. I know that with time, I will continue to get better. To see so much positive growth and improvement in my life is like, wow! If you’re not sure about coaching with Dr. Carla, just try it and see. Don’t be afraid to take a risk because at the end it’s really worth it!

What’s the most important thing people should know about coaching with Dr. Carla?

It doesn’t feel like Dr. Carla is just my coach because she is really invested in me. She’s not just doing her job – it’s much more than that. I love knowing that I can reach out to Dr. Carla in between sessions and she will be there for me. Coaching with Dr. Carla is not always serious. We talk about serious stuff but we also laugh and have fun!

— Fanta P., Montreal, Canada

Rave Reviews from Young Women and Girls

“You helped us because you actually spoke to us and not at us. You got on our level and helped us and you’re flawless to us because we can look up to you now.”

“If you’re thinking about hiring Dr. Carla to coach you, I would encourage you to seize the opportunity. You are worthy of the self-acceptance and success Dr. Carla can help you achieve!”

“I met Dr. Carla during my first year as a PhD student, when she was a featured alum speaker at the University of Michigan. When I sat down with Dr. Carla during our coaching session, I had every intention of asking her appropriately professional questions- but all I could think about was challenges in my personal life and how they were distracting me from my studies.

Luckily, I felt comfortable opening up to Dr. Carla about how I was really feeling. She was able to validate and normalize my experience, affirming that while personal and family hardships are difficult, I deserved to focus on myself and succeed in my PhD program.

Today, I am a faculty member with PhD students of my own, and I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Carla for the kindness, wisdom, and coaching she offered me during such a vulnerable time. I try to bring that same compassion, encouragement, and human-centeredness to my own mentoring. We might be passionate researchers, practitioners, and advocates but we are not robots—we come with health challenges, family emergencies, and other human experiences.

If you’re thinking about hiring Dr. Carla to coach you, I would encourage you to seize the opportunity. You are worthy of the self-acceptance and success Dr. Carla can help you achieve!” – Dr. Liz Mosley, Atlanta, GA

“Over the years I’ve been able to talk to Dr. Carla about my issues without feeling bad about what I was going through. She talks with me, not at me and gives me great advice that I can relate to everyday life.” – Jakia

“I know all the girls including myself feel like we can talk to Dr. Carla about anything and you’ll listen and we talk about this all the time like how we look at her as our sister and not just a teacher or mentor… She’s not just another adult telling us what to do.” – Amber 

“Dr. Carla is someone who you can really trust and look up to. She is someone who I can go and talk to about any of my problems whether it’s a boyfriend or even something deeper. She is a great motivator. She is someone who I can call my big sister. I know she won’t judge me about any problem I may have in my life.” – Sesyli

“Dr. Carla is one of the few adults that I knew who can converse with youth on their level. She is very honest, caring and inspirational…She truly cares about our youth and is so selfless in doing so… She has a good heart and she shows her dedication each day when she goes into the community to educate.” – Ja’Celynn

Read More Testimonials from Girls

Click Here To Apply For Private Coaching

Questions?

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