The London director of The Parent Practice, Elaine has been a parenting facilitator since 2006, leading hundreds of parenting classes and doing private consultations, having been trained as an Effective Parenting Educator with Bonnie Harris

She works in schools and nurseries, coordinates a corporate and business seminar programme and works with special educational needs such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. 

She regularly appears on SKY news; speaks on BBC local radio and is quoted in the broadsheet press regularly. She contributes to monthly Q and A as the parenting expert to Smallish Magazine.

Raised in Edinburgh, she qualified in law and as a chartered accountant with ICAS. She worked in corporate finance with Coopers and Lybrand and taught business management and business finance – motivating students to pass professional exams. She lives in Wimbledon with New Zealand husband Tony, her son and daughter and her therapy dog, a working cocker spaniel.

Elaine came into parenting thinking she should instinctively know how to parent. She felt guilty when she thought she had done a ‘bad job’ and ashamed when she saw someone else parenting the way she wished she could.  She sought parenting advice when one of her children was diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance and severe dyslexia and had been excluded from three schools by the age of 7. Her son since has finished his schooling and in spite of predictions that he would never be able to complete exams, he completed his A levels; secured a place at University and finished school as Head Boy.

Being a parent is the most demanding job she has ever done but equally it is a role filled with joy.

Elaine has helped hundreds of families to understand their child’s unique temperament and motivates parents to bring out the best in children and teenagers to ensure they have the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives and be able to cope with life’s knocks. She helps parents ensure their children have a strong sense of self worth and have good emotional intelligence, to enable them to blossom and enter into adult life successfully.

Liz Keene – The Training Studio
http://www.thetrainingstudio.net

Liz is the founder and lead facilitator at thetrainingstudio, a training and consultancy company specializing in the engagement and retention of talent in the work place through the development of high performing cross-generational teams.

thestudio works with clients in a variety of industries helping organisations attract, develop and retain their people. From networking, coaching and career mapping to talent strategies and succession planning, thestudio works with individuals and companies to engage talent at all levels and produce highly effective teams, using both off and online training solutions.

Last year, prompted by conversations with clients, thestudio launched a new project arm thestudioinschools. Liz and the team work in schools, colleges and universities with students, equipping them with the skills they need to enter the highly competitive jobs market and support them in making important career decisions.

Liz is based in West London and works across the UK and Europe.

Danny-Lu Carr – Flaming Poppy
http://www.flamingpoppy.com/

Dannie-Lu Carr is a Multi-Sector Business Consultant and Executive Coach. She has worked within this field for the last 8 years and her background is in Writing, Coaching and Performance. Dannie’s work is down-to-earth, astute and instinctive, enabling her to drive to the heart of issues and tackle the things that need to shift in a collaborative and practical way. She works in particular with the underlying reasons why one may struggle with achieving full effectiveness within the realms of business, as well as offering accessible and practical solutions that create a significant shift for the individual. Using her background in performance to work through team and story dynamics at an executive corporate level, in order to create strategic shifts, implement innovative ideas and lead effective cultural changes, Dannie works with a wealth of associates to develop and deliver the work needed by clients. She firmly believes that when people understand themselves and their communication skills, the unique blend for robust Innovation, Leadership and Change begins to emerge. In 2012 Dannie wrote the highly acclaimed book Brilliant Assertiveness.

Graham Singleton – Make Yourself Heard
http://makeyourself.co.uk/

Make Yourself is a corporate training company specialising in presentation, influencing and negotiation skills. We began in 2006 and quickly earned a reputation transforming the way our clients presented, negotiated and communicated.

Graham founded Make Yourself in 2006, and has worked with over 40 countries including Google, P&G, AstraZeneca, Landor, Starom, OMD, JWT, Iris, Ogilvy, Publicis, Emap, News International, IPA< JPMorgan, Barclays, Deloitte, Citibank, American Express, MOneyGram, HSBC, TNT, ING, ABN, AMRO, and Great Ormond Street Hostpital.

Graham has commented on marketing, media, and training-related issues in The Daily Telegraph and the Financial TImes as well as on BBC national radio and TV>

Prior to starting Make Yourself, Graham worked at advertising agencies O&M, Y&R, DMB&B and Leo Burnett. He also worked at the innovation consultancy, The Value Engineers, and started his life as a brand manager at P&G.