Our contributing authors

Josh is a dad from Florida, but now lives in the somewhat less sunny southwest of England. He and his wife have six kids together, five boys and one girl. The oldest is a teenager now and the youngest just learned how to use the toilet. Both of them work at home and also homeschool all the kids. When he finds the time, he enjoys being a Cub Scout leader, walking in the woods, and going to the gym.

Kereth has a bachelor's degree in education from Edith Cowan University along with a graduate diploma in counseling and a certificate in education. She is currently completing her masters Education (Trauma Informed Practice). A sassy individual with a passion for life, Kereth has had a colorful life, working a teacher and educational advisor. including 11 years in Germany and the UK. Now settled in Fremantle, Western Australia with her husband and 2 teenagers, Kereth now devotes her professional life in her current position as teaching and learning coordinator at SMYL Community College to working with disadvantaged young people in the education system. Her personal interests include child and adolescent mental health, developmentally appropriate and gentle curriculum for all young people.

Amanda is a classically-trained chef with professional experience in restaurants that includes menu development, kitchen training, and managing new concepts. She lives in Vermont with her husband and two boys, ages 6 and 3. Since moving back north and becoming a stay-at-home mom, she’s decided to pursue a path in food writing and recipe development. Some of her favorite foods include acorn squash, sushi, S'mores, and Praram Long Song.

Jessica Romeo is a nutritionist with a B.S. n Nutrition Science as well as an A.S. in Culinary Arts. She is a single mom of 3 busy kids and spends most of her time feeding my kids nourishing food, convincing them to try Brussels sprouts, brainwashing them with "food science," and shuttling them to and from soccer practice. She is a former military spouse who spent over 16 years moving from base to base, making new friends from all over the world, and enduring countless deployments. Living a healthy lifestyle is important to her, and teaching others how to make eating healthy fun and delicious is her passion.

Sarah has a bachelor's degree in Social Work from California State University, Los Angeles and lives in Southern California with her husband, her dog, and her 2 daughters. Madelyn is 4; she is a people pleaser who finds time to paint every day. Hannah is 2; she is a willful child whose mood can always be improved with music. She is 34 and spends her time writing, folding laundry and preparing meals no one seems to like. She loves true crime podcasts and eating alone in her car.

Nicole is the editor of Genes2Teens' website and newsletter as well as manager of website development. She's an experienced web developer and editor with a PhD from the University of Chicago. Her thesis was entitled "Motherhood in the Mother of the World: Continuity and change of reproductive concepts and practices in Egypt from ancient to modern times" and focused on childbirth as well as fertility and post-natal practices. She has experience in developing online educational websites and courses for various age groups, teaching at all age levels, and producing and managing study abroad programs for teenagers and college age students. She is raising a toddler in a bi cultural, bilingual household with 5 adults from the age of 25 to 86. You could call it parenting by committee!

Olivia Bivens is a 25 year old mother of 3 and a wife. As the creator of Liv Black N Bold, a brand and blog, she has immersed herself in doing work that centers Black nonmen, Black babies and children. Other than her social commentary writings, she is also a full spectrum doula and children’s book author.

Jason Dugre is an actor, writer, comedian, and a parent with a BFA from Emerson College in Performing Arts/Film. He has written for National Lampoon and written and performed all over the country for 2 renowned comedy troops, The Riot Act and TROOP! He's also acted in television programs, films and commercials and written and produced 2 short films for CryptTV. He's also a stay-at-home dad, and when he’s not teaching his kid long division or making him a very bland lunch, he loves watching the most disturbing horror movies, playing basketball, and doing crossword puzzles. Because life is all about balance. If he were an animal, he would be a humuhumunukunuku apua’a, a colorful fish that lives in Hawai’i. He still has dreams of one day becoming a ninja.

Lilian is a clinician licensed to practice clinical medicine working as a medical representative. She is currently editor of the Genes2Teens pregnancy newsletter and previously worked as managing editor of the AfroMum website. She lives in Kenya with her son, whom she refers to fondly as "little explorer." She muses that her life's purpose revolves around exploring life as a parent and telling the story. She's a firm believer in shared experiences that connect humans across the globe.

Elizabeth has a bachelor’s degree in Marriage and Family Studies from Brigham Young University and is currently in a master’s program for Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is also a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE). She is married to Will, and they have 2 sweet little kids, a toddler boy and a baby girl. She loves learning, growing, and writing, especially about parenting and family life.

Amanda is a big-hearted, determined, coffee-drinking mom to 6 young children. She spends her free time absorbed in gardening and fitness, taking pictures and attempting clean eating, all while spreading autism awareness, encouraging adoption and foster care, championing the underdog, and of course, working with her chickens and goats. She is an ordained pastor, local church music director, and freelance writer.

With degrees in educational psychology and teaching from Stellenbosch University, Chelsea makes her home in the Cape Town area of South Africa. She has worked as an English teacher and department head. She currently serves as a subject coordinator at a school.

Debbie is a licensed member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy practicing in Liverpool, England with a Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling. She uses play and art therapy with the children and young people she treats. She also has owned a children's book company and storytelling business and provides management support for a primary school. In her spare time, she is a foodie who writes about food.

Nabila has an MSc in Psychology and an MPhil/MS in Special Needs Education. She has worked with families who have children with special needs for more than 2 decades at the Rising Sun Education and Wel­fare Society where she is director of programs and projects. She is also a columnist for the Daily Times, a leading English language newspaper in Pakistan. Despite her professional degrees and experience, parenting 2 children has been a roller coaster ride for her and she is not shy to share her mind boggling yet enriching experiences as a mother with others.

Claire is a family physician with an MBBS from the University of London and adoptive mom of a cheeky 5 year old boy. She lives in London. When not parenting, working, or writing, she can be found gardening or in Ethiopia.

Tiffany has a degree and several certifications in Early Childhood Education and Teaching. She has worked as a preschool teacher and with adaptive technology for the blind and visually impaired. She has her own educational consultancy company that provides services for students and families facing various learning challenges. Born in the Philippines and reared in the Eastern United States,Tiffany was a simple girl from the country with big ambitions and who possessed an imagination that would not quit. Now, at nearly 50, Tiffany’s writing and creativity is seasoned by her life experiences and her journey as a happily married middle-aged mom of 3 including a son who is autistic. She currently resides in Northern Colorado with her family.

Dr. Sangeetha Sivaraman is an obstetrician and gynecologist in Bangalore, India. She has spent time living in the US as a teenager and did NICU training at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. She and her husband, an orthopedic doctor, are into fitness, including CrossFit, yoga and Zumba, which she taught for 2 years. Her vision of motherhood and pregnancy was transformed when she delivered preterm and also suffered post partum depression, and survived them both!

Parul is an Indian expat currently living in Bangkok, Thailand. She previously wrote for the Momspresso website before joining Genes2Teens. She's an engineer by qualification, mom-of-twins by profession, writer by choice, foodie by heart! You will either find her in her kitchen experimenting with recipes or scribbling down her thoughts and experiences. When she is off her mom-duties, she can be found exploring new eateries around Bangkok. When she finds a moment to relax by herself, she loses herself reading paperbacks.

Briana holds a bachelor's degree in Nutritional Sciences from Pennsylvania State University and an associates degree in Communication Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She owns a small stationery business and can often be found behind a camera or sketchbook. Briana lives in the Northeastern United States with her husband and their 3 nature-loving boys. Briana believes reading, wellness, and nature are the most valuable resources we have, and strives to share that with the next (and current) generation through writing and illustration.

Jill has homeschooled 6 children and has put her experience to good use as a sought-after writer on parenting, homeschooling, babies and pregnancy. She lives in Alice, Texas.

Jessy is born and raised in the Philippines and has a degree in education from one of the state universities in Manila. She is a hands-on mom to 2 fun-loving homeschoolers and 1 very curious toddler. She is still currently breastfeeding her toddler and has found the benefits of baby-wearing as well as attachment parenting. In her free time, she writes a personal blog about their homeschooling journey a special interest in intentional parenting as well as exclusive and extended breastfeeding.

Trained as a lawyer, David also has a masters degree in International Affairs from the School Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. In addition to his work for Genes2Teens, he is an advisor to a podcast on financial literacy for kids. He is a father of 2 preschool girls, currently living in Switzerland where he works in the financial services industry, but that could change at any minute. He is British, married to a Canadian, which should in theory make for a very polite household, but definitely doesn’t in reality. He is stubborn as a mule about finding the time for the things he loves to do: writing, triathlon, and photography, but is only partly successful at doing so, and anyway, being a dad is the best hobby anyway, right?

Lesley is a mother of 2 who lives in the Cape Winelands of South Africa. With a commitment to lifelong learning, she is in the process of completing her master’s degree in psychology. As a Search and Teach practitioner for NILD (National Institute for Learning Development) South Africa, she empowers young children experiencing difficulties with their developmental pre-reading skills. Lesley is registered with the Council for Counsellors South Africa and offers coaching and counselling that addresses a diverse array of life issues. As a mom to a child with a complex health condition, she uses her own experience to inform and advocate on behalf of others in similar situations. Lesley believes in the power of community and that connecting with others helps us make sense of the world. She relies on tea and chocolate to survive parenthood with her sense of humor intact.

As a professional content writer, Salome Njeri offers ghostwriting, copywriting and blogging services. She works closely with businesses to create high-quality content that gains social media traction and drives traffic. When she’s not on her computer, you’ll likely find her watching movies with her family or in the kitchen trying out a new recipe.

Brandi recently completed her BS (Hons) Biology and Health Science from the Open University in the UK. Before joining Genes2Teens as a writer, she wrote for Familiesonline.co.uk. She is originally from the United States, but now lives permanently in Scotland with her 3 crazy kids. She has 2 boys and a girl who is entirely too similar to her mother. In the little spare time she has, she likes to create digital art and write.

Linda has a wealth of experience in informal children's learning, as a curator at the Los Angeles Zoo and High Desert Museum. With a masters degree in education, she has taught teachers how to teach science in early childhood at Southern Oregon University. She served on the Board of Directors for the California Association for the Education of Young Children and the as President of the Central Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children, advocating for quality early childhood experiences. Linda is originally from Southern California and now lives in Oregon with her 3 adopted children. She is a single mom with a grown daughter and 2 boys, 7 and 18. Some of her favorite things to do are play catch with her youngest, watch her teen play football, and go out for sushi with her eldest. One of her favorite nuggets of wisdom is that blessings are a gift, but that doesn’t mean they are always easy.