May 15, 2017

Meet Susan Morley of Parent Coach Atlanta in Decatur

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Morley.

Susan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a child I played three games; waitress, teacher, and mommy. As an adult, I’ve done all three! I was a 5th grade teacher when I became pregnant with my first child. I decided to stay home to care for my baby. That lasted for about 10 months when I decided to work part time at a hospital teaching parenting classes. I was also hosting a parenting book club with my friends. By the time my 2nd daughter was two, I went back to teaching full-time but realized my passion was coaching parents. I became certified through John Rosemond’s Leadership Parenting Institute and Parent Coach Atlanta was born.

Today I’m also a certified Recovery Coach and I work with people who are in or who want long-term recovery from substance-use disorders. I use my expertise in Motivational Interviewing to help all my clients achieve their goals.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The recent recession was an extreme challenge. I learned that while the clients were not calling, there was a lot I could do to stay current like online courses, additional certifications, and networking. Now that clients are calling more, I focus on clients and networking. As an extrovert, I really enjoy meeting new people and talking about my business. My main challenge now is figuring out how to play more tennis!

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Parent Coach Atlanta story. Tell us more about the business.
Parent Coach Atlanta is my local business. I also run The Parent Coaches that reaches clients across the country. I partner with three other coaches to provide a range of services for clients. Each coach has experience working with a variety of families as well as specialties.

I have experience in working with a variety of families including families with medically fragile children, military families, single parents, and families in recovery. My training as a certified Better Brains for Babies Community Educator, Common Sense Media Educator, Motivational Interviewing Trainer and Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CARES) helps me serve my clients no matter their background or situation.

As a Motivational Interviewing practitioner and trainer, I use proven methods that help parents determine their parenting style, guide them through creating a parenting plan, and I provide support as they make the necessary changes to reach their parenting goals.

I know that my clients know what is best for their families. I encourage my clients to ALWAYS trust their judgement over my suggestions. I also know that my clients love their children very much. They are all well-intentioned even when they make common parenting mistakes. Finally, I support parents in taking care of themselves and their marriages and adult relationships. In this way children feel secure and confident in their family and find the courage to take risks and find the support to build resilience.

I’m most proud of my business model which is focusing on teaching parent’s parental confidence. I typically see clients no more than 8 times because my methods are self-reinforcing. In other words, I work my way out of a job! They are impressed with the changes they make and happy they learn to parent with confidence.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I consider myself a very lucky woman. I was born into a family that valued education. My family had very little money so I learned to appreciate hard work. When I was sixteen, I bought a car with the money I saved from working in restaurants. I paid my own insurance and when I wrecked my car, I had to pay for that, too. I learned that in order to have the things I want, I would have to sacrifice and work hard. Today, I take care of my clients because I work hard to earn their trust. I know there are other parenting coaches in Atlanta they could choose. I’m honored they choose me and I don’t take that for granted.

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