I never imagined that leaving my classroom would lead me to help families across the country, but sometimes life has better plans than we do.

For 15 years, I poured my heart into teaching, from elementary classrooms to college remedial math courses. 

I loved every minute of it. 

There's nothing quite like the moment when a confused face suddenly lights up with understanding. 

But during parent-teacher conferences, I kept hearing the same desperate questions… 

"What can I do to help at home?" 

"I don't understand this new math." 

"My child shuts down whenever homework comes up."

I'd give parents little games and strategies, but I could see the doubt in their eyes. 

They wanted to help their children succeed, but they felt completely unprepared.

Then life threw me a curveball. 

My grandmother needed end-of-life care, and I took a leave of absence to be with her during those precious final months.

When she passed, I found myself at a crossroads. 

I missed teaching desperately, but I wasn't ready to return to the classroom.

That's when I discovered online tutoring, and everything clicked into place.

Working one-on-one with middle schoolers, I fell in love with math education all over again. 

But more importantly, I started to see patterns in how children responded when they felt emotionally safe versus when they felt pressured or judged.

I watched too many bright, capable students shut down the moment they encountered something challenging.

They'd close their books, cross their arms, or simply say "I can't do this." 

But here's what I learned…

It wasn't about the math. 

It was about the emotions surrounding the math.

I started developing what I now call the GOLD STARS method… practical tools that address the emotional side of learning before diving into the academic side. 

When I used these approaches, something magical happened. 

Students who had been labeled as "struggling" or "math-phobic" began engaging with curiosity instead of fear.

But the real breakthrough came when I started sharing these strategies with parents.

Suddenly, they had tools that worked. 

Homework time transformed from nightly battles into opportunities for connection and growth.

This summer, for the first time in years, I wasn't teaching. 

And for the first time, I realized I could reach so many more families by creating something that empowers parents directly. 

That's when MathIsFlow was born… 

Not just as an app, but as a movement to break the cycle of math anxiety that passes from generation to generation.

Every parent I work with isn't just changing their own relationship with math homework…

They're changing their child's entire relationship with learning. 

They're proving that you don't need a teaching degree to create an environment where your child feels safe to struggle, safe to ask questions, and safe to grow.

That's the work that gets me up every morning. 

Because when families feel confident and connected around learning, everything changes.