First and foremost, thank you for investing your time and attention in The Shape of Joy. I truly hope you find value in the concepts that I have embedded within this course!

My brain is fascinated by psychology, the brain, and how humans function and interact. I love learning about interrelated things and making connections across disciplines. I’ve been so lucky to have had the life experiences that I have had. Through my work as a business owner and pediatric occupational therapist, I’ve seen thousands of parents come to Playabilities looking for help for their child. I’ve met incredible kids and families and helped them shift their lens on how to see and celebrate their child.

I am so grateful for my three children, who have truly been my greatest teachers. I thought I knew a lot about child development before having kids of my own. However, becoming a parent myself sent me deeper in my journey to not only understand the complexities of children, but to understand how caregivers can best support their child’s development. I have deep empathy for how hard parenting can be and I resonate with the complexity involved in understanding each child’s unique shape of joy, and matching your parenting style to fit what works best for each.

I strongly believe that parents have a deep desire to do the best they can for their child. Likewise, I want to protect and nurture the mental health of my own kids and that of their friends. We are so proactive with teaching kids their ABCs and 123s early. We have no hesitation hiring a coach for our child to learn a sport or instrument. But we fall short on actions that prioritize our kids' mental health and development. This is not due to a lack of desire, but due to a lack of awareness. All kids would benefit from recognition of their unique wiring in a strengths-based and solution-oriented way. I believe the concepts embedded within The Shape of Joy will equip parents to better understand their child and help them navigate difficult moments in life more effectively, leading to improved mental health for both parents and children.

I am passionate about normalizing differences in each person’s unique shape of joy. I believe these differences have existed across decades, but negative stigma behind diagnostic labels has limited our understanding and connection of the strengths that coexist with areas for growth. Because of this, there is a great deal of fear when parents see something “out of the ordinary” in their child’s behavior, which can cause tremendous stress to both the child and the family. I’m grateful to be raising my kids in an era where we are all learning how to be kinder, more neurodiversity affirming humans. The Shape of Joy normalizes differences in how people interpret stress or relief based on their unique wiring. The concept normalizes being different, highlighting the fact that the world needs us to be different. I want our most vulnerable kids to be able to access their ability to build resilience to hard things in life. This only comes after they have a strong sense of themselves and feel safe with being able to be authentically themselves, finding joy in their own unique shape.

Their confidence and strong sense of self come from you. You are creating your child's inner dialogue that will grow inside them into their future. I hope that by taking this course, you feel more equipped to celebrate your child, support your child, and raise your child with fewer moments of losing your marbles!

Kelly Reardon, MOTR/L

Founder

The Shape of Joy + Playabilities