Strong Willed Kids Course

Calm negotiating and empathic communication don’t 'work' with strong-willed kids. Learn to create smooth days from start to finish.

Strong Willed kids are
no joke to parent

They can bring us to our knees with their defiance, and make us doubt whether our gentle parenting approach is working!
Which means instead of enjoying parenting like you thought you would, you can end up:

feeling exhausted at the thought of interacting with your child
resorting to punishments, threats or yelling (which don’t work anyway!)
and feeling defeated and judged about the way they behave

Does this sound like you?

Join the waitlist!

Hi, we are Eleanor and Emma, founders of The Reconnected.

Together, we have built a global community of families that are changing the course of their children's future, co-regulating more effectively, and forming new patterns in their homes.

Our methods are grounded in practical strategies and integrated practice. Between us, we have qualifications in breathwork, play therapy, psychology and counselling. Plus, 11 beautiful children that fuel our mission and inspire a legacy. Our signature course, Reconnected Parenting, was founded in 2019. It was broadly recommended and quickly expanded to additional specialty courses, a large digital community, and tens of thousands of new members each year.

Will you be next? Join us, and change your parenting experience forever.

Eleanor + Emma

You might have found
your way here because
you are desperate
for solutions

If you have a Strong Willed child, no doubt you have tried lots of different strategies to create more harmony and less conflict in your home.

The thing is, traditional discipline with Strong Willed Kids rarely works. But what is really confusing is even empathy and gentle parenting don’t work either! We want to reassure you… there is a reason why it can seem like ‘nothing works’ with your child.

We’ve parented them (so we actually know what it’s like to have kids who defy all the usual parenting tips), we’ve been them (so we know what a positive impact someone who knows their mind can make in the world), and we’ve now helped thousands of parents to find ways that do work with their Strong Willed Child (so we know that there are solutions!).

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01. Understanding

You need to understand their unique underlying needs

About 20 percent of children have unique needs that make them more Strong Willed than other children. The answer to ‘how do I parent this child when nothing works!’ lies in understanding and meeting these underlying needs.

We have found that there are Four Unique Needs of a Strong Willed Child (TM), Autonomy Needs, Sensory Needs, Leadership Needs and Relationship Needs. This is why you can have two or more Strong Willed Children who are dramatically different because they have different dominant needs!

When you can identify what is going on for our kids, understand them and help them to meet these needs, you help them to reduce the intensity of their need to push and control. This is the game-changer that helps your child to respond to requests and directions with more flexibility and co-operation.

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02. Tools

You need tools to cultivate the energy reserves to meet them consistently

Parenting Strong Willed kids is hard. Their constant push back can be very exhausting. If you’ve ever woken up dreading interacting with your Strong Willed Child you will know what we mean!

The challenges of the strong willed child are made worse because we feel drained and tired all the time.

We need to build our energy reserves to have increased patience and ability to respond and be with our Strong Willed Children.

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03. Willingness

You need willingness to take the path less trodden

It can be hard to trust ourselves as parents. The noise of parenting advice and strategies, plus the very real judgements from others can lead us astray from our innate connection and wisdom about what our child needs.

And having a Strong Willed Child makes this even harder!

But the irony is no-one ‘gets’ your Strong Willed Child better than you!

This program reconnects you to what you know about your child, and helps you to trust yourselves more fully as the perfect parent for your Strong Willed Child.

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04. Community

You need community, say no more right?

How often have you felt like you are the only person whose kid doesn’t listen to them. Or felt on the outside cos you do things differently to your extended family or friends.

Maybe the other parents in your mothers’ group have kids who are ‘easy’, or perhaps you haven’t met parents who you resonate with yet. Our need for community and connection is real. We need people who ‘get it’ and who are here to hold space for us to find our own wisdom. The thing is, if traditional parenting approaches were going to work with your child… they would have already.

Our unique blend of play therapy and Breathwork is a practical and embodied application of the latest research in attachment and nervous system regulation.

The parents who apply our approach are thriving…

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"I couldn't understand why, when I considered myself a very mindful parent, I was getting frustration and rage bubbling up. Now, I am much more grounded."

Sophie, Australia

Practical Play Therapy Activities

Each week has new suggestions, strategies and activities to meet the underlying needs of your strong willed child. These are based on Play Therapy and Eleanor’s experience working with thousands of families over the years.

These will help you to feel equipped to respond in the moment when things are stressful or tense, AND are also activities you can do daily or weekly with your child so as to meet their needs and fill up their cup ahead of time.

Audio meditations & guided breathwork

Included in this course are guided breathwork and meditation processes.

This is where we start walking the talk and really connecting with our breath, our nervous systems and gently allowing the insights from the course to deeply integrate so we can embody the change we want to see in our families. Our way of working with the breath is a level deeper than using the breath to relax and calm down. We will show you how to use the breath to more deeply connect with your authentic self… (which is usually the part of you that your Strong Willed Child needs most), so that you can be more present, more energetic and more confident in how you respond to your child.

Lifetime access to written activities

Each week has comprehensive written materials for you to move through in your own time. When you sign up, you have lifetime access to these materials.

The course is designed to meet your child wherever they are at…no matter the developmental stage. So you can be assured that you can reuse the materials over and over again as needed, at the touch of a button.

Hey, it's Eleanor here!

I wanted to share a personal story with you about how this work can make a long-term impact, even throughout the teen years…

I was having a conversation with one of my strong willed teenagers and like usual we started butting heads about whether he could go somewhere. And something told me, that even though I was tired, and had already had enough of the conflict that day, something told me I needed to stay engaged with this conversation.

At the beginning the conversation was pretty mundane…But, as the connection and safety grew, our convo went to the heart of what really matters.

He shared with me, what it’s really like being highly sensitive being in a closed off world, and why he needs to dig his heels in so deep to feel safe.

How confusing it is for him to be aware of people’s true feelings, and how hard it is to have to ignore that and just listen to what they say which sometimes doesn’t match up.

He explained why I am the one that he acts out with the most. And then he said…

“I feel so lucky to have someone who stays with me, even when I am finding things hard, who see’s me, and who connects with me.”

*tears*

In that moment I realised, I was about to have a conversation with my dear teenage boy, that all through those challenging years of his early childhood, I had hoped would one day happen.

And I said…

“Hey, you know the tough times, the times I have gotten angry and upset. You know, those moments have been really horrible for both of us…But you know they have also been my greatest source of growth. In fact, in a lot of ways you have been my greatest teacher. And you know how you can sense how I am feeling, and you used to react to that? That has meant I have had to get very real with myself about how I feel when I interact with you. It’s put me on a path of actually being in touch with my true self!”

And we looked at each other, and everything for the first time between us, felt like all the struggles had been worth it for this moment of profound connection and of understanding.

And, I tell you what.

The harmony, co-operation, flexibility and ease that has graced our relationship since then is everything.

I want you to know that the time that you invest in understanding and supporting your strong willed child is something you will never regret.

Eleanor

Live Breathwork

Live Breathwork

21 Days of LIVE Breathwork Sessions (1 hour daily)

Daily LIVE sessions with Eleanor & Emma via The Reconnected App. Your intentions lead the process. We follow the energy of the group. Replays available immediately.

Join now →

Module 01.

Module 01.

Understanding autonomy needs

To begin to understand the unique needs of your unique child, we begin this week with an exploration of Autonomy needs.

You will learn strategies for working with Autonomy needs ‘in the heat of the moment’ and also how to meet Autonomy needs ahead of time so as to reduce the level of ‘jostling’ for control in your home.

If your child feels like a ‘control’ freak, this week alone will give you several useful strategies and insights.

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module 02.

module 02.

Understanding sensory needs

There is a growing recognition that many children experience the world in their own unique sensory way. And these sensory experiences can sometimes be the driving force behind your strong willed child behaviour.

If you have ever felt confused as to why your child is strong willed, or your child has long ‘melt downs’, this week’s content can help you to begin to better understand and meet your child’s needs.

Learn how to step into your child’s shoes and use the neurobiology of your connection with them to deepen your understanding of how they perceive the world.

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Module 03.

Module 03.

Understanding relationship needs

Relationships matter. Connection is a survival need for young children and their early experiences of the world and themselves occurs purely through their main relationships. On top of this life is sometimes just downright hard!

As families we go through challenges and sometimes this can mean that our relationships can be impacted by grief, loss, and other challenges. In this section, we take a look at your family dynamics and history to unpack any relational patterns that may be ‘holding’ your family in a particular dynamic.

Sounds harrowing, I know, but in reality it is a lighthearted exploration with the tools to recognise what patterns your family is ready to let go and heal from. Remember, it isn’t necessarily what happened in the past that matters, rather, it is what we do now that counts.

Despite being therapists, we are humans too, and have traversed loss, grief and trauma with our children as well. So we know first hand the power of a family who has come through difficulty together! You will know if it is time!

module 04.

module 04.

Understanding leadership needs

How is your own relationship with power, leadership and boundaries? You know the difference between when you say something with conviction compared to when we are ‘on the fence”.

Our kids know it too! and if a Strong Willed Kid can sense even a small wobble they will not let off. If you have a strong willed child, I know you feel me on this. Learn simple tools and concepts to cultivate your own inner authority and resolve so that your child ‘feels’ your authority.

For many of us, we need to do some healing or reflective work around our own relationship with boundaries and control to comfortably step into this role. This is the week we will do just that!

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Meet your guides

Emma

Breathwork Practitioner & Yoga Teacher

Emma (@newearth.mama) is a successful self published author and qualified in a Mastery in Rebirthing Breathwork, Kundalini Yoga, Advanced Theta Healing & Mind Body Intuitive. In her past she has been professional ballerina and top model working for vogue, harpers bazaar and walking in London, Milan, Paris and Sydney Fashion week shows. Now, she is walking the path of conscious living with her young family.

Eleanor

Children’s Play Therapist, Breathwork Practitioner, Counsellor

Eleanor (@eleanorbreathe) is registered counsellor, holding a BA of Social Science (Counselling), a BA of Psychology (Hons), a Diploma in Breathwork, and a Grad Diploma in Child Centred Play Therapy. Eleanor is Co Founder of Reconnected Parenting and brings to the program a decade of working with parents as a counsellor, breathworker and play therapist, and over 15 years of personal practice in Breathwork and personal development.

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Be the first to hear when the doors to Strong Willed Kids reopen

"Having support around my strong willed kids has shifted my perspective towards the positive in a huge way. The course has given me the tools to relate with my children the way I knew I could."

KATE, CANADA

Frequently asked questions

Reconnected Parenting is a six week comprehensive parenting journey.

When you join Reconnected Parenting you sign up for lifetime access to six weeks of learning in-depth play therapy model to use with your children, and also a complete approach to conscious parenting from the heart, how to heal from your own childhood and be more intentionally present with you children.

Both courses are based on principles of connection, attachment, Breathwork, neurobiology and play therapy so the approach is similar, yet the content in this Strong Willed Kids Course is presented with a very specific focus on the needs of Strong Willed Kids and on the specific challenges they present us as parents.

Generally you will need around 1 to 1.5 hours. That includes reading the materials and completing the exercises.

Some parents prefer to take more time and move through the course at a slower more manageable pace. Either way, you have infinite access to the Strong Willed Kids Course so there is no need to rush.

Strong Willed Kids Course: Infinite Access

Strong Willed Kids Community Forum: Future Access (open during active coaching rounds only)

Strong Willed Kids Bonuses: Infinite Access

The skills you learn in the course are ideal for children of all ages because we are learning new ways to be with emotions within us and our children no matter what age.

We see this work as being adaptable for your child as they move through each phase of development.

Absolutely! You can do the course together. We ask that you purchase one course per family and do not share the materials otherwise.

YES! This program is perfect for anyone who is called to work with children. Our habitual ways of relating to others are activated by all children in our care and we are in the perfect position to relate consciously as teachers/educators.

We believe that the more people who are able to hold space for children, the better for our whole community!

It takes a TRIBE!!

Please note however, you will not receive any certification or qualification for completing this course, it is for personal development only.

Yes, all our courses are designed to be inclusive for all children.

During active coaching rounds, you get the opportunity to ask our Reconnected Coaches and Mentors questions on how to tailor the content to your child’s needs.

No, however you can view all the materials via the Reconnected Network.

As this is a digital product, there are no refunds available.

Please email support@thereconnected.com with your question. We are a tight-knit team & will endeavour to reply to your email within 1-3 business days.