Dr. Chrissy Chard Parent Coach laughing with her kids

I hope you see what a courageous parent and person you are.

Hi! I'm Chrissy (she/they), and I am beyond excited that you're here. I want you to know that you being here is all the proof you need to know that you are a good parent. Read that again!

I also know that with any life journey, there are ups and downs, scrapes and bruises, and lots of lessons to be learned along the way. So, in that spirit, I’d love to share a bit more about myself so you can get to know the person (me!) walking alongside you on this transformative journey that you’re about to embark on.

Being a Parent Is Not a Linear Path

As a parent to three little ones, I know in my bones the rollercoaster of emotions you go through as a parent—questioning every last decision and all of the late-night Googling. I know about the sleepless nights and the way parenting can feel overwhelming, isolating, and all-consuming.

And! I have also experienced a shift in myself as I’ve gone on a journey of healing and transformation, all alongside the support of amazing coaches (and therapists!).

With the right information, support, and non-judgemental space, you can get started on this journey too. And you don’t have to do it alone—I’m here to walk alongside you as you navigate a more conscious way of parenting.

My Personal Approach to Parent Coaching

I see you, I’ve been you (I still am you!), and I’m here to support you. Together, we will look at everything that’s going right, so we can shine a light on what’s working. I will collect the evidence and hold up the mirror so you can know that you’re enough and see your full potential waiting to be embraced.

It’s this shift in perspective that can be the difference between “I can’t do this” and “I was made to be their parent.” That’s how we start to shift what may not be working.

To the humans you’re raising, you mean everything. So it’s important that you take care of you for them. Just think how beautiful it is to model what healthy parenting can look like for your children!

My Purpose as a Parenting Coach

Every day, I see people struggling with a parenting approach that feels overwhelming, isolating, confusing, and just plain emotional. I see it because I’ve lived it. I understand that while we deeply love our children, parenting is still hard. In my coaching practice, I hold space for both of these things to be true at the same time.

Can you imagine the relief you can feel when you allow yourself to exhale for a minute and drop the armor you’ve been carrying that says, “Parenting is so wonderful”?

And while parenting can be wonderful, it is also the hardest job we will ever have.

I know how hard it all can feel, especially when we feel alone and isolated, asking ourselves, “what’s wrong with me?” That's why I’m here and why I share. I’ve seen and experienced the power of vulnerability, and I know the feeling of connection and sense of community that’s possible when we start to talk to each other about all of it. I believe that when we open up, learn how to take care of ourselves, and show up for ourselves through all of life’s moments, parenting becomes a little bit easier.

“Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust.”

— Bell Hooks

Let’s Have a Conversation

“If we want our children to grow up in, and ultimately create, a more healed, liberated, and socially just world, then the work has to start with us. By healing ourselves, we can become the parents we most want to be for our children, and they can experience firsthand what self-trust and groundedness look and feel like so they can start to embody it themselves.”

-DR. CHRISSY CHARD

My Credentials and Professional Bio

Dr. Chrissy Chard received her Ph.D. in Human Bioenergetics from the Health and Exercise Science Department at Colorado State University in 2014. She is the Director of the Advanced Leadership Training Program with the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership (RIHEL), where they provide leadership training to Public Health and Environmental Health leaders across Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

Previously, Dr. Chard served as an Associate Professor with the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University and the Department of Community and Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, where she continues to serve in an adjunct capacity, teaching a course entitled Anti-Oppressive Public Health Practice and Research. They are committed to uncovering the ways that racism, structural bias, and white supremacy continue to cause health inequities in historically excluded communities, and acting in ways that attempt to dismantle these systems. Her research focuses include physical activity, self-esteem, and body image in adolescent girls, and community-based and youth participatory action research.

Dr. Chard also co-founded and runs an evidence-based non-profit organization for middle school students called Smart Fit Girls with a mission of supporting the physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being of adolescent girls. A core thread that runs through Dr. Chard’s research and public health practice is a focus on centering youth voice and seeing young people as the experts in their own lives and experiences.

The Kind of Parent I Am (What My Credentials Can’t Tell You)

I’ve spent many years working in health behavior change and wellness coaching to know that living a healthy and integrated lifestyle plays a major role in how we treat ourselves and those around us. It’s why I value moving and fueling my body in ways that feel good, getting enough rest (when I can!), and continually finding ways to manage my inevitable stress levels. Taking care of myself is how I can show up as the best version of myself for my three kiddos, Lucy, Jack, and Jordan. Most days, when I’m not working, you can find me doing any number of things: a few of my favorite ways to regulate my own nervous system include spending quality time with my kiddos and my partner, lifting heavy weights, connecting with my close network of amazing friends, cold plunging (I swear by it!), going for a walk, going to therapy, using my fidget toys (hello fellow ADHD parents!), or dancing solo in my living room.

To help parents show up with deep self-trust as the conscious and grounded people they desire to be for both themselves and their children.
A world where children experience wonder, self-compassion, and self-trust, so they can delight in the freedom to be who they are.
To know that we are grounded in love and shared humanity, and we experience liberation through healing and being in community.