Hi, I’m Ella :)
I’m an Executive Function Coach and Educational Therapist.
I support students and families as a virtual Executive Function Coach, incorporating my knowledge of special education, neuroscience, strengths-based teaching practices, and mindfulness to create individualized learning pathways.
While I’m now a firm believer that executive functioning skills are the key to success in education — as well as in life — my journey to get here wasn’t typical or easy.
I have to admit, I absolutely loved school, especially college. I had amazing systems like color coding my notebooks, creating huge sticky note information maps to study for tests, and strategically taking notes. I graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2019 and I attribute my success in college to my executive function skills.
But that all changed in 2020. My partner was diagnosed with cancer and that traumatic experience completely changed my brain. Overnight, I went from being able to handle and juggle work, graduate school, and life to needing help managing everything. I leaned on my classmates in graduate school more than I ever had to in college. I needed reminders about turning in assignments and when tests were going to be. My co-workers supported me with extra planning sessions and followed up with parents for me. My executive function skills had completely tanked from the amount of stress I was under.
While my experience is clearly different than having ADHD or learning differences, I now understand firsthand how it feels to desperately want to do well but having limitations due to poor executive function skills. I understand how frustrating it is to know what I “should” be able to do and yet not be able to do it.
I know you're waiting for the happy ending and it does exist. My partner has been in remission for four years. My executive function skills have slowly returned. I still struggle with certain aspects of executive functioning, but I have the tools. These are the tools I teach all my clients.
My specialty is working with high school and college-aged students who are interested in exploring how mindfulness can reduce stress and improve their executive functioning.
I’d love to learn more about how I can support your family.
M.A. — Educational Therapy — Holy Names University
Special Education and Teaching
B.A. — Liberal Studies — San Diego State University
Literacy and Special Education
2-Year Teaching Fellowship, Words in the Wild
Success Story
This is a family I’ve been working with for going on three years now. I started working with the son around the time he was diagnosed with ADHD. The family was so thrilled with the improvements they saw that they requested I work with their daughter, to help her manage her packed schedule. I still work with both of them as they progress through their educational journey.
This is why I do this work. I love seeing my students grow into their full potential.
“Hands down, Ella is a godsend. When our son was diagnosed with ADHD and executive functioning deficiencies in 8th grade, we were fortunate to have found Ella through a referral. Warm and with an eager ear, Ella patiently listened to our concerns, thoroughly reviewed our son’s neurophysiological report, and helped us and our son understand his brain so we all could align on a course of action and ongoing tutoring and support.
Her ability to connect with our son, and help him embrace and understand himself, just as he was, was novel and instrumental in helping him understand how he works best as she helped him devise systems of organization to stay on top of school work, break larger projects down into tangible bites, as he navigated increasingly more challenging curricula.
Through regularly scheduled twice-weekly meetings over time, our son not only began independently managing his calendar, but assignments were no longer missing. He was able to better plan his time, anticipate his own needs, and self-advocate — a huge piece that was missing. Ella would painstakingly aid him in emailing teachers, help him schedule follow-ups, and hold him accountable through check-ins and reminders — until he was able to build those systems and sustain them for himself.
Ella’s willingness to meet with us, his parents, to work through what our son was learning and working on added a flow to our family that was lacking before. We understood his needs better and bickering about assignments and whether something was turned in dissipated — her sustained intervention and support of our son restored us to our rightful place of being able to support our child instead of overseeing his academics. It was — and remains — a gift.
She made herself available any time for check-ins, and her detailed post-session follow-ups allowed us to stay in the loop without having to nag our son and add more to his plate. Moreover, Ella’s invaluable assistance during the yearly accommodations review proved instrumental as her advocacy — grounded in her expertise — created the solid scaffolding our son needed to not just survive, but thrive in high school.
Not only did Ella help our son realize his strengths, but she gave him the confidence to help him help others. With that understanding came an enhanced empathy, where he was able to self-advocate and teach and help other younger kids with similar struggles do the same.
Ella is now working with our daughter, helping her improve her time management, as she has an extremely rigorous academic and dance schedule that spans two studios, weekend competitions and performances as well as travel. It’s been a game changer for her as well, as she is able to get more sleep, be more efficient with the time she has, and be productive when it comes to managing her heavy load. Once again, taking the oversight element out of the parenting equation for us by supporting an overwhelmed, high-functioning, and overcommitted teen.”
— Mom of high school students and current client
