Free to Fly — Nicole's new book is here. Get yours!
Psychotherapist · Parent Coach · Keynote Speaker · Bestselling Author
Nicole Runyon
You want to be the best parent you can be. You want to see your children thrive.
But after putting your children in therapy, reading all the books, listening to all the podcasts, learning from all the experts and applying every piece of advice you've ever received, you may be wondering why your children are still disordered, dysfunctional and disconnected.
If that's you, you have come to the right place and I'm here to show you a better way to parent.
As Seen In
Nicole Runyon is a national media voice on parenting, child development, and the iGeneration.
Speaking & Events
Nicole Runyon brings 22 years of psychotherapy experience with children and adolescents to the stage. As a parenting keynote speaker, she gives schools, parent groups, and organizations a message they rarely hear: parents are the leaders of the family.
"Nicole has a remarkable ability to connect with the audience and deliver practical insights that resonate deeply with parents."
Her keynotes name the problem honestly. The problem is not broken kids; it is an environment that fractures child development and undermines parental authority.
The Program
Are you ready to see massive changes in your children more quickly than you ever imagined possible? This program is for you!
Nicole built the Free to Fly coaching program on what she saw in her own practice. She estimates about 70% of the kids she treated as a psychotherapist did not need therapy; their parents needed coaching.
Even if therapy, parenting books, and podcasts have not changed anything at home, coaching works on the one environment you control: your family system.
The Reality
Nearly 1 in 5 US children have been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral health condition.
They are flooding the mental health system and getting worse. We are now in a full-blown mental health crisis with our youth.
CDC, Children's Mental Health Data and Statistics (2021 data)
Emergency rooms across the country are overflowing with adolescent mental health crises, and they are not equipped to manage the demand for care.
There is nowhere to send children who come through the emergency system because there isn't enough supply of services for the demand. And there will never be enough mental health care for these children if we continue to treat their issues in the mental health system.
The system is broken.
You feel desperate to get your child help, but the help is not working.
You think that you can't change their environment because you have given them the world to make them happy and it's never enough.
You have surrendered but it doesn't instinctually feel right, you know something is missing.
Moms, you are overwhelmed from doing too much. You have read all the parenting books, taken your children to therapy, maybe even went to therapy yourself.
Dads, you feel you don't know your role after repeated attempts and failures to help. You want to solve the problem and you feel powerless.
Your child's pain is a mirror for your own pain. A mirror for the holes in your development, for what went wrong.
If this sounds like you, I want you to know that you are not alone.
I have worked with countless parents just like you. I'm a parent too, with all the same struggles. As parents, we must learn how to tolerate our own discomfort so we can hold the space for our children's pain.
When we do this, we are able to give our children what they need, not just what they want.
In Their Words
"When my daughter turned 3, I felt completely overwhelmed and defeated as a mother, with our lives revolving around her mood. Nicole stepped in and provided invaluable support, collaborating with medical, educational, and extended family teams. She listens patiently, offers non-judgmental support, and allows us the time to find solutions at our own pace. Acting as a thoughtful partner, she provides research-based interventions that have been instrumental in our journey."
"I feel more at ease. I feel like I have less guilt. I used to feel more guilty about not having enough time with my kids. I think no matter where you are in your journey as a person, the tools that Nicole gave us apply to kids of all ages. The benefit is priceless! We are all here because we want to do better for our family, and I'm just very happy with the experience. Even my husband, who didn't want to do it, was happy we did it."
"Nicole gave us the tools we need to help better parent our boys. The teenage years are very hard, and it's been invaluable to have Nicole as a resource for both our kids and for us parents."
"Nicole has a balanced approach to looking at family systems and individual needs. Her direct communication and conceptualization are a treasure and would help any clinician regardless of experience!"
Bestselling Book
Free to Fly: The Secret to Fostering Independence in the Next Generation is a bestselling book by psychotherapist and parent coach Nicole Runyon, LMSW. It examines how early technology use and over-protection fracture child development, and it gives parents a stage-by-stage path to fostering independence, resilience, and maturity.
Independence is the heart of the book. Independence grows when parents step back, hold boundaries, and let children feel the discomfort that builds maturity.
"This book comes out swinging at a culture overflowing with diagnoses. Its surprises will open many minds — and many childhoods."
— Lenore Skenazy, Author of Free-Range Kids
Start Here
Start with a free guide written by Nicole Runyon, LMSW, from her 22-year career working with children and adolescents.
10 Parental Challenges That You Think Are Your Child's But Are Actually Yours.
Are you ready to grow as a parent? Our complimentary resource offers parents a way to take ownership of their family system.
10 Part Parenting Playbook: A Guide To Understand Your Child's Mental Health
Are you ready to feel better about your parenting? Our complimentary resource offers parents a way to understand their children and have a deeper connection.
The Blog
This is an opportunity to immerse yourself into your children's developmental process. In a world with never ending parenting advice, this resource will help you to gain a better understanding of yourself and your children, so that you can be the parent your child needs.
Speaking Inquiries
Finally, a parenting expert who tells audiences the truth: stop reaching for therapy first, stop outsourcing connection. Nicole Runyon delivers that message to parents and organizations nationwide, without superficial behavior tips.
