How Do You Change Adverse Childhood Experiences to Empower You

There were times in Courtney Koh's life when she could have given up. One time in particular was when her father left the country because her mother did not want to live with him anymore. Then her brother left so he would not have to deal with the situation - he was a meth addict and she has not heard from him since.

Courtney is a Korean-American with a wide range of experiences, personally and professionally, which allows her to understand people from various walks of life. 

Courtney is a health and wellness coach focusing on adults who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Her passion is to help adults overcome their ACEs to break the cycle and create a life they truly love and enjoy every single day.

ACEs impact families, communities, schools, and workplaces. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults have experienced one or more ACEs according to the CDC-conducted survey. The highest ranking categories are Emotional, Parental separation/divorce, and Household substance use out of eight total categories.

Her determination to not allow her past to define her future has allowed her to create a life that she didn't think was possible. She would like to show you how to accomplish the same for yourself. Here is her story:

CONNECT WITH COURTNEY HERE

Website - Gratitude Believe Celebrate

LinkedIn

At GratitudeBC, our mission is to empower individuals to take control of their health and well-being through personalized coaching and guidance.

Your choices are:

One-on-One 

Group Coaching

What Dance Techniques Can Be Used to Teach Children with Severe Disabilities?

When the pediatrician placed the measuring tape around her infant’s head and noted, “His head is a little small,” Joanne De Simone knew that motherhood wouldn’t be as she had dreamt. After a devastating diagnosis, she was not prepared to raise a child with life-limiting brain malformation – and then her second child was diagnosed with autism.

Joanne De Simone is a graduate of Hunter College with degrees in dance and special education. After dancing professionally, she dedicated her life to teaching children with disabilities and supporting families.

“It’s realizing that we live simultaneously in love and grief. In the end, dance teaches us not only how to move freely through pain but also how to fall and recover.”

Her story will grip your heart as she shares how this struggle drove her to reconnect with the lessons she learned as a modern dancer.

Special educator Joanne De Simone bears all in this raw and transformative memoir that captures how she used lessons of modern dance in her journey through motherhood with two children with disabilities.

Inspired by her experience performing José Limón’s There Is a Time, based on Ecclesiastes 3, each chapter of Fall and Recovery details a dance lesson and the dichotomy of parenting children with disabilities. Over time, Joanne discovers that surviving motherhood isn’t a matter of strength, bravery, or faith. It’s about linking your past experiences and creating your own purpose. It’s realizing that we live simultaneously in love and grief. In the end, dance teaches Joanne not only how to move freely through pain but also how to fall and recover.

Fall and Recovery 

Joanne is a special education advocate for the Alliance of Private Special Education Schools of North Jersey. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Exceptional Parent

Magazine, and the Rumpus among other publications. She is a contributing author to “Barriers and Belonging: Personal Narratives of Disabilities.” Joanne and her son, Sebastian, were instrumental in a legislative change allowing students with intellectual disabilities to participate in NCAA D3 intercollegiate sports. Joanne has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, on HuffPo Live, CNN, and GMA3.

CONNECT WITH JOANNE HERE:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter/X

Goodreads