Hi, I’m Lauren Johnston

Hi, I’m Lauren Johnston. I’ve been married 25+ years and have 4 kids and (after finally giving in to the pleadings of our children) a dog named Coco. I have a degree in education and have worked in a variety of educational settings both inside and outside the home.

When my second son was eight we started noticing some unusual behavior - repetitive praying, excessive distress when he made mistakes, holding his fingers on his hands tight together to make sure he didn’t accidentally “shoot the bird” to someone. After quite the hassle to find a decent therapist, he was diagnosed with OCD.

The past eleven years have had a lot of ups and downs. Our lowest point in this journey came at age 16 when our son’s OCD was so intense that he couldn’t attend leave the house and was in an almost constant state of distress.  He was hospitalized on six separate occasions and had to receive specialized care 1,200+ miles away from our home. It was not my favorite year.

During this time, I found a life coach who changed my life. And I credit the concepts and skills I learned from her (thanks, Jody Moore!) with saving my mental and emotional health. Don’t get me wrong. It was still hard and scary and overwhelming at times. But I was able to function and regularly feel gratitude and peace, despite being in the middle of dark times.

While OCD is never “cured” and our efforts to support our son’s mental and emotional health are ongoing, when his condition improved I decided I wanted to share what I’d learned and support other parents whose kids were struggling. While there are other programs out there, I didn’t feel like any were focused on supporting the parents to handle the ups and downs of this experience. So I became certified as a life and parent coach and formed Lift Parenting.

While the specifics of my experience might not be the same as yours, I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by a diagnosis, confused about what steps to take, and to struggle to meet my own needs. I’d love to work with you. Feel free to sign up for a free call with me to see if it’s a good fit. I have a voxer option for anyone who prefers text or voice only.

Also, I hope you’ll join the Lift Parenting Collective. Once it opens, it will provide the tools, support, and community I wish I had when my son was first diagnosed. Nobody needs to take this journey alone.