Online Courses with Tonya

Online Courses with Tonya I provide online classes, tutoring, and coaching in psychology, CBT, and sociology.

I believe we’re hardwired to learn, and learning should be fun—because curious minds learn! Empower your teen or yourself to grow, thrive, and embrace new possibilities. 🌟 Online Classes, One-on-One Tutoring & Coaching in Psychology, CBT, and Sociology 🌟

Hi, I’m Tonya Russell! With over 20 years of experience lecturing in psychology, CBT, and sociology, I now offer online classes, one-on-one tutoring, and coaching. Education isn’t just about knowledge—it’s the gateway to becoming the best version of ourselves and creating the life of our dreams. Whether you’re homeschooling, seeking personal development, or exploring these fascinating subjects, I’m here to help.

📩 Message me to get started or learn more!

Through the Looking Glass We’ve just wrapped up six incredible weeks exploring Vivienne Westwood — the first in my new T...
16/09/2025

Through the Looking Glass

We’ve just wrapped up six incredible weeks exploring Vivienne Westwood — the first in my new Through the Looking Glass series.

In this series, we step into the lives of famous women and use their stories to bring sociological concepts to life.

It’s a chance to see history, culture, and identity through fresh eyes.

Now I’d love your input… who should we explore next?
👑 Queen Victoria
✊ Kate Sheppard
🎨 Beatrix Potter
👜 Coco Chanel

Or do you have another woman in mind whose life we could unpack together?

DM me or comment below.

11/09/2025

In my latest Master Your Mind series. The Habit Edition we explored this question.

It was too good not to share.

Over on my personal page we have been having a bit of fun with it using predictive text.

It's also a fantastic journal prompt and a wonderful question to help you get really clear on your next step.

So play along... either with predictive text... or go deeper and journal on it.

See what comes up for you!

I'd love to know

Dm me or share below

tx

The women in my last Master Your Mind series told me how much they loved the weekly support, the accountability, and the...
03/09/2025

The women in my last Master Your Mind series told me how much they loved the weekly support, the accountability, and the chance to finally follow through on the changes they wanted to make.

And they asked… “what’s next?”

My answer: Habits.

💡 Because mindset opens the door, but it’s your habits that carry you through.
💡 Habits trump motivation every time.
💡 Even the smallest daily habits, done consistently, will move you closer to the life you want.

Now imagine this ⤵️
✔ A supportive group of women walking the same path
✔ Live weekly coaching calls where we dive into the psychology of habits
✔ Practical tools you can learn and apply immediately to establish habits that last

That’s what you’ll find inside Master Your Mind: The Habit Edition.

📅 Starts: Wednesday 10th September, 6:00pm (NZT) on Zoom with replays
⏳ Duration: 6 weeks
💻 Format: Live on Zoom + private group support
💰 Investment: $199 (NZ)

✨ Imagine ending each day with the quiet confidence that comes from being the woman who keeps the promises she makes to herself.

👉 Comment below or message me to secure your place.

So if you are a woman looking to set up fresh habits this season... don't do it alone... join us. There are 4 spots left!!!

Most of us know the changes we want to make… but the real challenge is making them stick.That’s where habits come in.Bec...
28/08/2025

Most of us know the changes we want to make… but the real challenge is making them stick.

That’s where habits come in.
Because here’s the truth: your results are built on your habits.

Mindset opens the door — but it’s your habits that carry you through it.

That’s why I created Master Your Mind: The Habit Edition

This 6-week coaching program is designed to help you move from awareness into embodiment — turning your good intentions into daily actions that actually last.

Together we’ll explore habits in the areas that matter most:
• Nourishing your body
• Moving more
• Tracking money and spending
• Decluttering and housework
• Bedtime routines
• Making space for self-care

Here’s what you’ll experience:

💡 Pinpoint the habits quietly shaping your results (the ones lifting you up… and the ones holding you back)

💡 Choose ONE new habit to focus on (the power of “mono focus”) — without overwhelm

💡 Make it stick using tools like habit stacking, micro-habits, and environmental cues

💡 Replace unhelpful patterns, overcome resistance, and align your habits with the woman you’re becoming

💡 Build in weekly time to review, track, and reflect and celebrate as your new habits take root

This is about creating a lifestyle that truly matches your goals and self-image without adding more to your already full plate.

📅 Starts: Wednesday, 10th September, 6.00pm NZDT
💻 Live on Zoom (replays available)
💻 Online group support
🕰 Duration: 6 weeks
💰 Investment: $199

👉 Comment below or DM me and I’ll send you the details

Let’s Talk About Deviance The word deviance often makes people think of “bad” or “wrong.” But if we go back to the root,...
27/08/2025

Let’s Talk About Deviance

The word deviance often makes people think of “bad” or “wrong.” But if we go back to the root, it simply means to deviate — to step off the usual path.

👉 In sociology, deviance is about doing something different from what’s considered “normal.” Sometimes that can mean breaking rules… and it can also mean being the spark for positive change.

Think of the trailblazers who challenged unfair systems, stood up for what they believed in, or dared to live and create in ways society didn’t expect. Their “deviance” is what reshaped culture and opened new doors for the rest of us.

💭 What’s one time in your life when stepping off the “normal” path made all the difference?

If this kind of big-picture thinking excites you (or your teen), come join my Vivienne Westwood Sociology class: A creative way to explore history, culture, and society through fashion and rebellion:

Waitlist is open. Click here to find out more or DM me for more details.

👉 https://yogacircle.co.nz/unlock-your-potential-with-psychology-and-sociology-courses-for-curious-learners/

27/08/2025

Turn daily choices into habits that last a lifetime

🧷 DIY Fashion & Rebellion 🧷Vivienne Westwood showed the world that fashion wasn’t just about buying. It was about creat...
20/08/2025

🧷 DIY Fashion & Rebellion 🧷

Vivienne Westwood showed the world that fashion wasn’t just about buying. It was about creating. A necklace of safety pins at home could be just as powerful as couture on the runway.

Her Do It Yourself ethos flipped fashion upside down:
Buy less, reuse more, and turn the ordinary into extraordinary. It wasn’t just style.

It was activism.

👉 Inside our course, "Through the Looking Glass with Vivienne Westwood" we are unpacking how Westwood used fashion to challenge consumer culture and empower people to take creativity into their own hands.

If you have a curious teen who likes to explore the big questions.... this applied sociology course might be just the thing.

The waitlist is open for Term Four. In the meantime, maybe you feel inspired to

" Do it Yourself"

SNEAK PEAK- Term Four Timetable.For those who are super organized and want to plan Term Four(Can you believe we are up...
20/08/2025

SNEAK PEAK- Term Four Timetable.

For those who are super organized and want to plan Term Four

(Can you believe we are up to Term Four planning already!!)

Comment below or DM me if you have any questions

TR

Ever feel like housework is invisible?That’s exactly what Ann Oakley set out to change. In the 1970s, she carried out pi...
18/08/2025

Ever feel like housework is invisible?

That’s exactly what Ann Oakley set out to change. In the 1970s, she carried out pioneering research that made housework visible for the first time in sociology.

Until then, housework was seen as “women’s work,” something natural, private, and unworthy of academic study.

Oakley challenged that myth by showing …

Housework IS work it is essential, repetitive, and unpaid

Housework is gendered, with women doing the bulk, even when employed.

It's political revealing the hidden inequalities inside the home.

By ignoring the value of housework, Anne Oakly said sociology was ignoring the everyday reality of women’s lives

Her research was nothing short of revolutionary as it forced society to take women’s everyday labour seriously.

This is just one of the fascinating conversations we’re having inside our current Vivienne Westwood course.

In our course we meet different sociologists and discuss their ideas in relationship to Vivienne Westwood's life.

From gender roles to cultural change, we unpack the ideas that shape our everyday lives and once you see them, you can’t unsee them.

💬 I'd love to know what you think .....

It's half a century later, has enough changed?

Is housework more visible now?

or do we still hear women say “I don’t work” when in fact they are raising children or tending to their homes?




Calling all Psychology IGCSE Students!Weekly IGCSE Psychology Support – Expressions of Interest OpenIs your teen studyin...
07/08/2025

Calling all Psychology
IGCSE Students!

Weekly IGCSE Psychology Support – Expressions of Interest Open

Is your teen studying IGCSE Psychology this year?

Do they want to feel more confident, understand the content better, and get exam-ready with expert support?

I'm Tonya Russell, a university educator with 20+ years of experience teaching psychology, sociology, human development, research, policy, health promotion, business studies.

I’m thinking of running a weekly online tutorial designed to support IGCSE Psychology students and I’d love to hear if this is something you’d be interested in.

🔍 What I’m planning:

✔️ Weekly 60-minute live Zoom tutorial
✔️ Clear explanations of core topics
✔️ Practice with past paper questions
✔️ Study strategies and confidence-building
✔️ Small, supportive live online group sessions (replays available)

Perfect for students wanting a little extra guidance alongside their studies.

📩 If you’re interested or want more details, comment below or send me a DM.

I’m gathering expressions of interest for term 4 right now

Note: Days and times will be based on demand. Price $25 per session.

Let’s help your teen succeed and enjoy psychology along the way!

Update! we are changing days and we are starting early! 🎤 That’s right! Vivienne’s not waiting around. ;-) We’re moving ...
05/08/2025

Update! we are changing days and we are starting early!
🎤 That’s right! Vivienne’s not waiting around. ;-)

We’re moving the start date forward one day.

🗓️ New Start Date: Wednesday, 13 August at 10.00 AM (NZT)

Get your notebooks (and safety pins) ready.

There’s still time to enrol your curious teen!
This 6-week online course is a creative, thought-provoking journey into identity, history, and social change all through the story of Vivienne Westwood.
📚 Workbook included
💻 6 x Weekly live Zoom sessions (replays available if you can’t make it live)
🧵 Cost $150.00

✨ If your teen loves asking big questions, being creative, and exploring how the world works, this is for them.

DM me for details

In our teen sociology class, we explore how society can be understood at three levels; micro, meso, and macro.One of the...
04/08/2025

In our teen sociology class, we explore how society can be understood at three levels; micro, meso, and macro.

One of the benefits of small online group discussion is that we can have student-led discussions. Last week one of our learners made a brilliant observation, and we rolled with it.

She shared how, prior to 2020 her homeschool group used to feel familiar, just people she knew and recognised. But during the pandemic, more families started homeschooling. The group grew and shifted. It felt different.

Providing a perfect example of the meso level; those in-between spaces like communities and social groups, where we notice change most personally.

From there, we zoomed out to the macro level; thinking about how big events like global crises affect entire systems. We looked at how a pandemic reshaped educational options and talked about the role of government policies that make homeschooling possible in ANZ, including the homeschooling exemption process.

Then we zoomed in again to the micro level; the individual family. We reflected on:

Why might a family choose to homeschool before the pandemic?

What values and beliefs guided those decisions?

Ideas like curiosity, freedom, flexibility, more family time, or a desire to follow a child’s unique interests came up.

We then considered how those motivations might differ and/or align with, families who began homeschooling as a response to school closures and disruption.

Such valuable applied analysis and respectful conversation

All sparked by a thoughtful student’s real-life example.

It was a beautiful reminder of how much insight teens can bring when we invite them to connect the dots between life and learning.

If your teen enjoys this kind of discussion, our sociology course is self-paced, teen-friendly, and designed to spark meaningful thinking at home.

📩 Message me for details.

I've also popped a link below so you can find out more about the courses I offer.

Our next course starts 14 August Vivienne Westwood: Through the Looking Glass.

ENROLMENTS STILLL OPEN

Address

Whangarei
0110

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 3pm
Tuesday 2pm - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 11:30am - 3pm
Saturday 11:30am - 3pm

Telephone

021 056 4954

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Our Story

Are you are a cross roads in life? Not sure which way to turn? Or maybe you feel stuck, overwhelmed, anxious or stress and are looking to create long lasting change? Then I can help you. Identify what you really want, map your goals, take inspired action towards your dreams. Call 021 056 4954 today for your FREE 15min consult.

Find out how we can work together. Create the life you love The time is NOW!

Change your mind. Change your life.

Coaching and more with Tonya Russell