“I just wish my parents would understand me.”
Hi. I’m anya.
I help parents and caregivers learn about gender identity and support their child in a loving, authentic way that invites conversation and deepens the relationship.
Coaching with me.
1) One on One Parent Coaching
I work 1:1 with you to better understand gender identity and develop skills to support and build a stronger relationship with your child. I listen, offer feedback and resources, tailored to your experience and needs.
2) Groups for Parents
Parenting is hard. It can feel lonely when you don’t have others who can relate. Meeting other parents with similar experience can be validating and you can learn from each others experiences.
3) Workshops for Families
You have a handle on things, but there are others in your family who are struggling to get a grasp on ways to be supportive to your child, and you as their parent. I will provide some basic information and field questions, so you do not have to shoulder it all.
My Story.
For over 12 years, I worked to support and empower queer and gender diverse youth. It was an amazing opportunity, to be the kind of champion I needed as a young person trying to make sense of my identity.
I was able to create a space where queer and gender diverse youth could be themselves and make strong connections. It was deeply rewarding work and the youth taught me a lot.
Over time, I expanded my reach and impact. I trained hundreds of service providers and educators to improve the way they provided care to queer and gender diverse youth. As an educator, I enacted purposeful change in my community.
But, there was one important group I wasn’t reaching in the position I was in.
I would receive desperate-sounding calls from parents looking for support.
We would chat for a bit and I would offer what I could. But at the end of the conversation, I had nothing substantial to refer them to except some online resources.
They would often say “We are trying, but we just don’t understand what we are doing wrong?”
At the same time, I was working with youth who would often say “I just wish my parents would understand me!”
This was the essential, missing piece. I realized that I had been having these conversations for years, between kids struggling to feel heard and parents struggling to understand. If I didn’t know who to send people to then maybe I needed to be that person and my coaching practice was born.
You’re not alone.
Parenting is Hard
If queer and gender diverse youth are to thrive, parents and caregivers need help. They need tools, and skills to become the support their kids desperately need and a space to be parents trying to do their best.
Our children don’t come with instruction booklets. Just when we think we figured one part out, they lob a curve ball that can send us scrambling.
As a parent of a teen, I can relate. We want to be supportive but we don’t always knowing the words or ways.
This is especially challenging if your kid is telling you something about themselves that you don’t understand or find difficult to accept.
You may feel worried and protective, but they hear judgement and invalidation. You try to come back from one misconstrued conversation after another but it feels like a never-ending uphill battle leaving you further apart.
Have a Coach in Your Corner
I have worked with hundreds of queer and gender diverse youth over the last decade. I can bring you insider knowledge of what they may want to hear, even if they can’t directly tell you.
When it comes to issues around gender and sexuality, we can often have our own discomfort. These were not topics we learned much about, or felt encouraged to discuss.
In my coaching work with parents and caregivers, I create a kind, non-judgmental and welcoming space. Ask what you need to. There are no wrong or silly questions. This may be new for you, but you love your child and with strategies and supports you can stay close and offer what they need. I provide you with the language and skills to help you build strategies for authentic conversations and anticipate what may lie ahead.
I bring years of experience, a sense of humour, and a whole lot of empathy.
What will coaching with me feel like? Well, I will ask questions, listen deeply and always honour that you are here to do the work to support your child. . I validate what you are going through and hold space for the joys and the challenges. Together, we will find a way forward that results in you feeling more grounded and better able to support your child on own their journey, so they feel seen by you as the amazing person they are becoming.
Let’s talk and see if I can help.
Testimonials
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![Wendy Morgan photograph]()
Wendy Morgan, Educator
“anya is a deeply compassionate and skilled coach. They were there for our family at a time when we really needed support. They really helped us understand what our kid was going though. I can’t recommend anya highly enough.”
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Dr. Karleen Jimez-Pendlton, Professor of Education, Gender and Social Justice
“ anya brings care, knowledge, and humility to the support of gender diverse young people (nonbinary, trans, gender fluid, etc.) and their families. They bring decades of experience within social services, schools, and communities, building relationships and offering guidance. With something as deeply meaningful as our children’s gender identity and expression, it’s important to have someone like anya who will value nuance, intersectionality, and individuality. Their kindness, humour, and flair offer a welcoming and engaging environment to think together through important decisions for your child and family. “
Dr. Karleen Pendleton Jiménez is the author of the new book The Street Belongs to Us
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Dylan DeMarsh, Parent
“ anya gwynne is a skilled mentor who has helped me on numerous occasions to support my children in navigating their journey through their pre teen and teen years, especially when it comes to conversations around gender and identity. anya's insight and compassionate approach has helped me gain new perspectives and understandings for the complex range of thoughts and emotions that my children are experiencing, and they have helped me develop tools that I can use everyday to support my children through these often difficult and confusing years. “
