Coaching for Families

Defining my own path beyond a family-of-origin dynamic began for me in earnest as we so often think is the answer by taking the nearest "exit, stage left" and leaving! And so when I left home for college on mainland Europe and discovered what it was like to have a first taste of my own independence. In that glimpse into a sense of who I am in my own being beyond family, I was thrilled at the possibilities of being "free".

By way of this I met the father of my children there, himself escaping from his own neat-lawn-landscape of suburban troubles in the US and both free (we thought), we fell deeply in love. A long distance relationship later, he convinced me to come to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. This I did, only to succumb to finding myself expected to submit to being party to the overpowering priorities his family-of-origin expected of him and, now by association, expected of me now too.

The unreconciled family issues that unconsciously kept us in the grip of all of this steadily eroded the trust and compromised our own little family so much that the "free love" we had celebrated in being to ourselves and to one another was being stolen away by the need for others' approvals, colliding sets of expectations and agendas that were more about who we were "supposed" to be, versus who we really are.

This experience for me three decades in the unmaking sadly and relentlessly compromised our marriage to the point it collapsed into a high conflict showdown involving deeply painful betrayals, our children being dragged into a legal conflict, enmeshed in a family and friends entanglement all determined to keep the very dysfunctional family system in place from being healed where it was most needed.

The ALICE Institute was born from this lived experience — and from a deep conviction that there is a gentler, wiser way for families to grow together.

Too often, when families struggle, we turn to systems or solutions that separate rather than heal. We rush to fix symptoms instead of nurturing connection. At the ALICE Institute, we’re reimagining that approach entirely.

Our work focuses on helping families build new relational ecosystems — ones that are emotionally intelligent, embodied, and sustainable. We do this through coaching and programs that integrate science-based practices with the living wisdom of Whole Body Intelligence.

This is not about blame or brokenness; it’s about gaining the insights and making space for realignment, compassion, and co-creation. One conversation, one relationship, one family at a time.

We know how high the stakes are when families are hurting — and we also know what’s possible when they heal. Our mission in coaching families is to help you rediscover the joy of connection, the safety of mutual respect, and the deep fulfillment of building something whole together.

Because family, at its heart, is where we first learn how to love. And when we learn to do that consciously — with our whole selves — we don’t just change our families. We change the world.