Kids learning,not adults teaching.

Julia is mom to five kids, all unschoolers, two of whom are now off to college. She knows the unschooling dance well — offering inspiration while hanging back and letting the child point the way. She also has extensive experience with the public-school IEP process and with the many ways of being that can pose challenges to learning, including ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety, and she holds a graduate-level certificate in Neurodiversity and Executive Functioning from Landmark College.

Julia has a B.A. in history and has always wished for a time machine for exploring; absent that, she desperately wants to do one of those live-like-a-different-time-period TV shows. Beyond history, she has delved deep into the world of food — running a baked-goods delivery service, offering an email meal-plan subscription, working as a personal chef, and acting as the creative and cooking force behind a farm café.

When she dreams about having free time (see: five kids), she imagines learning to play cello, developing her fledgling painting skills, and going on a very long walking adventure.

Emily believes every child has unique gifts, and she is passionate about helping children recognize those gifts and feel proud of who they are. She holds a master’s degree in occupational therapy and has spent the last fifteen years working with a wide range of kids to discover their talents and figure out how to put them to use in the real world.

She has worked in public schools, special-education collaboratives, and one-on-one with youth and their families — always working to move the conversation away from a child’s deficits and toward each child’s special qualities, interests, and passions, and to help those blossom. Emily is inspired by self-directed learning centers because they’re places where that can happen all day, every day.

She had long dreamed of a self-directed learning center opening close to home, so it could be an option for her own children. Pathfinder is an answer to that dream — and Emily is thrilled to be a mentor here. It’s a perfect match for her life’s purpose: giving children the freedom to be themselves and pursue their dreams.

Amylynn grew up neurodivergent in the ’80s. She met and exceeded every expectation for “success” — she excelled in the military, rose to leadership ranks within the DOD, and was the first in her family to earn a graduate degree. She holds a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in criminal justice.

And she was internally miserable the whole time, ticking every external box on the path to “success.”

As the mother of two neurodivergent children who struggled with public education, Amylynn wanted a different learning experience for them. She believes there are so many paths for learning, and so many unique and creative ways for brains to learn — and that children deserve to feel safe, seen, and valued first, so that healthy learning can take place.

Amylynn is excited to help redefine what “success” means and to be part of a different, positive learning experience at Pathfinder. She’s delighted to go from leading troops to leading children — where her own neurodivergence is an asset in helping kids learn while they feel safe, seen, and celebrated.

Bio coming soon.