30+ Years Experience

About Jennifer

Jennifer Kolari

One of the nation's leading parenting experts and international speaker. She maintains practices in San Diego and Toronto, hosting the Connected Parenting weekly podcast and co-hosting The Mental Health Comedy Podcast with Ed Crasnick.

MSW., RSW. CHT NLP CYF Child & Family Therapist Board Certified NLP Practitioner Board Certified Hypnotherapist Founder of Connected Parenting

Jennifer Kolari is the founder of Connected Parenting and one of North America's most sought-after parenting experts. With more than three decades of clinical experience, she has helped thousands of families transform their relationships through her groundbreaking CALM technique -- a neuroscience-backed approach to building empathy, resilience, and deep connection between parents and children.

Media Appearances

Frequent guest on US and Canadian morning television shows
Featured in Today's Parent, Parents Magazine, and Canadian Family
Host of the Connected Parenting weekly podcast
Co-host of The Mental Health Comedy Podcast with Ed Crasnick

Areas of Expertise

Empathy-based parenting and the CALM technique
Child and adolescent therapy and behavioral challenges
Family dynamics and strengthening parent-child bonds
Neuroscience-backed strategies for sensitive and strong-willed kids
Clinical hypnotherapy and NLP for children and youth

Published Works

Bestselling Books

Jennifer's books have helped parents around the world understand and connect with their children on a deeper level.

Connected Parenting: How to Raise A Great Kid

Penguin, 2009

A groundbreaking guide to Jennifer's empathy-based approach, showing parents how to build deeper connections and raise resilient, emotionally intelligent children.

View on Amazon →

You're Ruining My Life!

Penguin, 2011

A practical and compassionate guide for parents navigating the turbulent teen and pre-teen years, with strategies to stay connected through the storms of adolescence.

View on Amazon →

Expert Endorsements

Trusted by Leading Experts

"Jennifer Kolari provides us with a clear-minded view of how to create and continue an open, attuned relationship with our children as they move through the important and at times, tumultuous transition from childhood to adolescence."

Dr. Daniel J. Siegel Co-Author of The Whole-Brain Child

"Connected Parenting advises us not just how to parent, but far more important -- who to be as parents. The therapeutic methods suggested by Jennifer Kolari are based not on simple-minded behavioral solutions, but on building warm, nurturing relationship with our children, with insight and compassion not only for their little flaws, but also for our own larger ones."

Dr. Gabor Maté Renowned Speaker & Bestselling Author

Also From Jennifer

The Mental Health Comedy Podcast

In addition to the Connected Parenting podcast, Jennifer hosts The Mental Health Comedy Hour podcast each week with Ed Crasnick. Combining humor with honest conversations about mental health, the show features comedians and celebrities opening up about their own experiences.

Recent guests include:

Howie Mandel

Judd Apatow

Patton Oswalt

Learn directly from Jennifer

Watch Jennifer's free training to discover the neuroscience-backed techniques that have helped thousands of families build deeper, more connected relationships.

Watch Free Training