I’m an educator, actor, theater director, and a mom.

My actor-parents instilled in me a spirit of playfulness and a love of the arts since I was in the womb. I love passing that onto my kid. And also you!

My own acting training began in LA and took me to Oxford University, Madrid, Wesleyan University and ultimately to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where I received my Master’s Degree in Acting. I’ve always been passionate about teaching and spreading the knowledge that I have. Whether it’s directing Shakespeare with kids in the Bronx or founding my own company, working with children has been my life-long love. I worked professionally in theaters across the country and founded Child’s Play NY to bring phenomenal training and joyous play to kids. I now partner with dozens of schools and train scores of teachers using theater to inspire courage and creativity in kids.

And then I became a mom.

Parenting is no joke. Days are long, demands are huge and it is easy to get clouded with doubt: Am I making the most out of this precious time? Am I raising a kid who is resilient? Has grit? Is socially and emotionally intelligent? I found my joy as a mom when I let go of “shoulds” and started just tapping into the playing that I knew how to do. I was so grateful for my theater training and the hours I’d logged learning how to improvise with kids in my classrooms. I could launch into stories while trimming my son’s nails or waiting for the bus. I realized I knew how to play games to pass the time, make indoor activity physical, and wind down with deep relaxations.

While I’ve had some incredible mentors in my life, my own child is my greatest teacher.

I started to translate the work of my theater classroom into creative parenting solutions – for myself: The classroom games into living-room games. The warm-ups into playdate adventures. The group relaxation into bedtime wind-downs and the pre-show pep-talk into ways to give my son courage while learning to ride a bike.

Child’s Play in Action is an ever-evolving tool-kit for parents – myself included – who want more games and less screens, more laughter and less discipline, more playtime, and positivity in order to create an imaginative, compassionate and purpose-filled child.