Coaching with Jenny

02/20/2026

This week I attended the AGM for the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care 💛

And honestly… it reconnected me to the heart of why I do this work. It reminded me that Child and Youth Care isn’t just a job title. It’s a way of being.

It’s:
• Showing up in the moment
• Holding space in the hard
• Seeing behaviour as communication
• Understanding context matters
• Believing relationships are the intervention

CYCPs work in the life-space. We don’t just “teach skills.” We co-regulate, we attune, we advocate, we model, we reflect. We sit beside young people in real time and help them make meaning of their world.

It reminded me that this field is rooted in care, ethics, relational practice, and deep respect for young people and families. It reminded me that our work matters. That how we show up matters.

And it reminded me why I started.

I’m proud to be a CYCP.
I’m proud of this profession.
And I’m more grounded than ever in the work.

To my fellow CYCPs, thank you for the work you do in the moments no one sees. 💛

01/16/2026

Hey community!
For those looking at post secondary check out CICE at Brockville SLC virtual info night. It might be a good fit for you! For more info click on the links in the original post.

From the website: The Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) program is an academic based program. It is a two-year certificate program designed for adults with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injuries or other significant learning challenges who wish to further their education/vocational training in a community college setting. CICE students will have the opportunity to complete an individualized CICE program of study including courses from a minimum of two or more areas of concentration selected from St. Lawrence College’s program offerings.

If you know a student who may be interested in the Community Integration through Cooperative Education (CICE) program, our next virtual CICE Information Session will take place on Thursday, January 15th at 6:00pm.

This session will provide an overview of the program and supports available to students. We encourage all interested students and their families to attend to learn more and to ensure their application is complete.

For more information, please contact Jodie JMacquisten@sl.on.ca.

01/13/2026

Hey Community! Check out Autism Ontario East Region March Break Reimbursement fund! Feel free to share to anyone that can benefit - every little bit helps 💵

March Break Reimbursement Fund – closes Jan 20th

Need Support For Your Child with ASD* During March Break?
The March Break Reimbursement Fund is available to Ontario families of children or youth with ASD who retain the services of a one-to-one support worker OR who have paid for their child to attend a March Break camp or program.
Maximum reimbursements of $350 per child or youth (up to 18th birthday) will be made to subsidize services purchased during the March Break Week.

https://www.autismontario.com/marchbreakapply

01/05/2026

We believe community is all about give and take so I gave few hours this morning to help out because the North Augusta Recreation Committee was so generous to Teen Scene in 2025 ❤️

Almost ready to give the hall a fresh coat of paint!!
If you got an hour or two to spare come on down! Many hands make light work!

01/01/2026

As we start 2026, I’m reflecting on just how meaningful 2025 was.
It was a year of growth, connection, and taking brave steps—moving Coaching With Jenny to in-person services and launching Teen Scene in April.

What started as an idea became a space filled with UNO games, Mario Kart races, painting, snacking, laughter, and real community. More importantly, it became a place where teens could show up as themselves, feel safe, and belong.

I’m deeply grateful to every teen, family, and community partner—especially the North Augusta Recreation Committee—who made this year possible. Heading into 2026, I’m excited for more in-person coaching, more Teen Scene meet-ups, and more opportunities to support and celebrate neurodivergent youth in our rural communities 💛

BuildingCommunity SupportingTeens Neurodiversity RuralSupports Grateful

11/27/2025

There’s a saying that says: “Where reinforcement goes, behaviour flows.” But here’s a different version:

🌱 What you nourish will flourish.

I see this every day with neurodivergent teens, adults and myself. Because humans grow in the direction of what feels safe, supported, and understood.

When you nourish:
✨ the parts of you that need rest
✨ systems that make life easier
✨ relationships that don’t require masking
✨ goals that align with your values
✨ coping tools that fit your brain
✨ environments that honour your sensory needs

…life naturally flows toward stability, confidence, and self-trust.

Neuro-affirming reframe:
For some teens it’s not just about “reinforcing behaviour.”
It’s about nourishing the conditions where they can thrive.

Safety creates consistency.
Support creates momentum.
Self-compassion creates growth.

10/29/2025

About those masks… 👻

This time of year, we all wear masks — for fun, for dress-up, for Halloween magic.
But some of us wear them every day.

Masking can look like smiling when you’re drained, holding in a stim, copying social cues, or pretending things don’t bother you — just to get through.
It’s something many neurodivergent people learn early on, to stay safe or fit in.

But here’s the thing: you were never meant to hide the parts of you that make you you.

When you start unmasking — even just a little — you give yourself space to breathe again. To rest. To be real.

So this Halloween, after the costumes come off, maybe take off one small “everyday” mask too.
You deserve to feel safe being your authentic self. 💛

10/19/2025

✨ Letting people just be. ✨

You don’t have to understand every obsession, every enthusiasm, every little quirk. You don’t have to correct, judge, or redirect. Sometimes the best gift you can give is simply space to shine.

💡 Let people love what they love. Let them get excited. Let them be themselves.

10/13/2025

I was listening to a podcast recently and this phrase stuck with me. It made me laugh at first — but then it really hit home.

“Don’t should on yourself.”

Many neurodivergent people hear a lot of “shoulds.”
You should try harder.
You should be more organized.
You should socialize more.
You should act “normal.”

Those shoulds can pile up until they start to feel like truth — and that can lead to guilt, burnout, and the sense of never being enough.

When “should” becomes “could,” it shifts from pressure to possibility — and opens space for self-understanding and choice.

💡 “I could take a pause.”
💡 “I could do it differently — and that’s okay.”

So today, just a gentle reminder —
👉 Don’t should on yourself.

10/11/2025

Hey community! These farmers are dear friends of mine and if you’re looking for a fun family outing their farm is a beautiful place so visit! (And if you’re a cheese lover I recommend picking up some of their Feta 🤤) Milkhouse Farm & Dairy

Join us this time next weekend for our annual Farm Tour! Oct 18 & 25 from 10-3PM. See you there!

09/26/2025

✨ Attention my fellow neuro-spicy and forgetful friends ✨

Let’s be real—you probably have at least a million reusable grocery bags scattered around your house, car, or shoved in random closets. (Because, of course, they’re never with you when you actually go grocery shopping—executive functioning challenges strike again. 🌀)

The The Brockville and Area Food Bank has put out a call to the community for reusable bags! Your “forgotten at home” extras could actually be super helpful for folks picking up their groceries.

So if your bag stash is starting to look like a small mountain… consider donating some to the Brockville and Area Food Bank. 🛍️💛

And remember when you have more than you need, build the longer table not a taller
fence.

09/25/2025

🧠✨ I got to share one of my favourite concepts with a 1:1 client today—the upstairs and downstairs brain.

The downstairs brain is where our big emotions live—anger, fear, frustration. It reacts fast and keeps us safe, but sometimes it can take over too much.

The upstairs brain is where calm thinking, problem-solving, and focus happen. That’s the part we want to use when emotions get big.

Most of the time, the upstairs and downstairs brain are connected by “stairs,” so messages can travel up and down easily—our emotions and thinking work together. But when we “flip our lid,” the stairs get broken. The downstairs brain takes charge, and the upstairs brain has a harder time doing its job.

Today, we focused on learning strategies to repair those broken stairs—so the upstairs and downstairs brain can reconnect. That way, teens can notice who’s in charge and bring thinking and feelings back into balance.

This is a concept is by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at UCLA who specializes in interpersonal neurobiology. For more info check out some of his works like “The Whole Brain Child”
💡💛