Great Beginnings: How the Jai Institute for Parenting Got Its Start

They say life has no accidents… and Jai is no accident.

All of these random moments lead us here, to the incredible community and mission we have today. 

Ten years ago, I’d left my big fancy corporate job working in investment management because I desperately wanted to be the one raising my kids… not our (wonderful) nanny. I was longing to have fun with them, take them to the beach, and just be able to spend quality time with them.

My first go at business started with teaching women about entrepreneurship and money. Having a background in business and an MBA really inspired me to step into leadership and to show women a path towards their own financial security and to be able to take care of themselves. 

That being said, I had two little kids at the time, Myles and Charlotte, who are now 14 and 16 years old. When they were little, the idea of being a conscious parent sounded great, but the truth is that in the day-to-day, I was struggling. My little guy had huge tantrums and emotions, and my Charlotte was and is still fiercely independent. So I had this ideal of who I wanted to be as a parent, but I didn't know how to live up to my own expectations of myself as a mom. 

At that time I hosted a podcast and so I decided to launch an online virtual event. It was called Feed, Play, Love. I interviewed the leading-edge thinkers in the world of conscious parenting: people like Alfie Kohn, Po Bronson, Marshall Rosenberg, Daniel Siegel, and more. And through that platform, I met Jolette Jai. 

Jolette and I became friends. We were at an event together in California, and she said to me, “Kiva, you're not going to believe this but one of my clients is a life coach. And she asked me if I would teach her my methodology of parent coaching.”

I had one of those out-of-body moments, almost like you’re leaving yourself and your body, and you're looking down on the present moment while also seeing the entire future. 

I said, “Oh my goodness, Jolette, that's it. That's what we need to do. We need to turn your incredible transformational work into a program that allows parents to actually be the moms and dads that they dream of being for their kids. Parents who don't yell, who don't threaten, who don't need to resort to the old dominant power-over paradigm, using things like punishments or consequences, or even external motivations like sticker charts or rewards, and have the kind of relationship that raises kids into amazing adults. This is it. We need to certify other people to do this.” 

That was back in 2010, and here we are today, having grown beyond my wildest expectations. 

Jai has certified hundreds upon hundreds of coaches in every continent. We have coaches in South America, Africa, the Middle East, the far East, and here in North America. 

We are on a mission to empower an army of peacemakers and parenting coaches who work with families in their communities and beyond to teach the skills of empowered parenting. Empowered parenting shifts the dynamic from the power-over--“Do as I say, not as I do,” “Because I said so,” threatening, manipulating and controlling, asking kids to do things 27,000  times--to a collaborative, connected, empathetic, and peaceful model. 

We hear from parents every day that they've stopped yelling, that their home is fun, that they're connecting with their teenagers, that they can be present with their little one's tantrums, and that any conflicts are quickly quieted and dissipated. It's really amazing to sit in this place today and see all of the transformation that happened from that one moment, that one burst of inspiration that said we need to give these tools to other people.

One of the things that I love the most is that this business really ties back to that original purpose I have; providing the opportunity of financial security and independence to others. 

When parents become certified parenting coaches through our program, they get to decide who they're going to work with, how much they're going to charge, and what their hours are. When we give parents, both moms and dads, the platform to have their own business, they get to take complete ownership of their lives. I'll never forget those early days of getting to pick up my kids from school, getting to be the one to take them to the beach or the playground, and most importantly, being the person who shaped their values, their sense of integrity, and purpose in the world. 

It's been a wild ride. And yet in many ways, we're just beginning. 

This snowball, if you will, has picked up so much speed over the last year. And we are really inspired to certify more and more Jai coaches. In fact, we have a goal of certifying a thousand new Jai parenting coaches in the next three years. And we would love for you to join us on this mission.

If this work speaks to you, if you want to bring more peace into your home, if you want to bring more financial freedom into your world, click here to discover more information about our program.