I tried to reason with him.
I tried pleading with him.

But it was like my words hit a brick wall.

When my son was home, there was constant shouting.

And when he left, I lost sleep worrying if he was safe.

I would try to contact him but he only ignored me.

Of course until the next crisis hit and I’d get a late night phone call begging for help once again.

When I thought about how he was throwing his life away - I would clench my jaw in frustration and anger...

...only to break down crying a few minutes later.

Constantly wondering if I did something wrong to cause this.

I tried everything I could
to get through to him.

But nothing worked.

To make matters worse, there were always well-meaning friends and family who were eager to give advice.

Some said I was too tough on my son, others said I wasn’t tough enough.

I went to support groups and also read every book I could find.

None of it prepared me for when it was my own flesh and blood on the phone with me.

But thankfully,
that’s when I met a wise clinician.

She showed me a different way of relating to my son.

At first it seemed so unnatural... a little, well… selfish.

But it was exactly what my son needed - it was the best way I could love him at the time.

I began standing up for myself and speaking truth to my son.

And my words… began to reach the heart of my son - and to strengthen his inner will.

The will that WANTED to change... that wanted to recover.

By speaking to the part that wasn't "addicted."

For the first time in years,
I was confident in the way I handled things.

I accepted that I could not force anything on my son - but I finally felt in control of my own life.

I worried less and I no longer faced the emotional storm caused by my son’s disease.

But here’s the best part.

The power in my words not only brought peace to my life…

My words finally
got through to my son.

He finally changed.

He turned his life around.

Today he has a promising career and a loving relationship with a wonderful young lady.

He has come so far… and I’m so proud.

And according to my son…

…it was the shift in ME
that allowed HIM to choose recovery.

BOTH of our lives were changed…

…because of the power of words.

This is also why after these life lessons I dedicated my life to working with parents.

To teach them my communication approach.

They began speaking words that showed love, words that brought strength, and words that sparked change.

Most of all, these parents slept soundly…

...because they were certain they were speaking the RIGHT words for their child.

They began communicating with confidence.

Since then, I’ve seen these principles transform the lives of thousands of other parents and children.

And over the years, I’ve refined the most powerful communication tools into…

Four easy and effective steps.

With these four elements of communication, we won’t be “enabling” our children…

...but instead we’ll empower them to believe in themselves (and to change).

We speak with boldness and with tenderness - in a way that is actually heard.

And we speak with the decisiveness that comes from KNOWING deep down that we are doing what’s best.

It’s my driving passion to transform even more lives.

So I’ve created a brief but effective training on how to “Communicate with Confidence.”

The training is concise enough that parents quickly get the answers they need…

Answers that change lives…
the lives of parents…
and the lives of their children.

Now I want to be clear that communication is just one “piece of the puzzle” when dealing with our children.

Many parents also need help with setting boundaries, working with recovery professionals, or truly understanding their children’s pain.

And while I have training to help parents with all of those challenges…

I’ve also seen that sometimes the only “missing piece” for parents…

...is simply learning to communicate with confidence.

That’s why I’ve decided to offer this
communication training on its own.

For some parents, speaking words of power may be all they need to get the breakthrough they yearn for.

(And if parents need help with other “pieces of the puzzle,” know that I’m always here to help with those too.)

So right now…

...because I’m so eager to see lives changed through these simple but empowering principles...

It would have saved me
YEARS of stress and wondering.

(Not to mention saving me thousands spent trying to help my son.)

This is a straight to the point, actionable framework way to immediately have peaceful, productive conversations with your child.

Students rate Communicate with Confidence with 5 stars being highest and 1 the lowest. The average rating is 4.6 out of 5. We also ask how much more confident students are and most are much more confident.

I’ve heard from countless parents about how just one insight or one technique from this training was the turning point for them.

And never forget...

Even when parents are facing situations that seem “hopeless”...

They have power.

I want parents to always remember that.

My son Eric wants them to remember too.

I hope you find a pocket of joy in your day today. You deserve it.

Barbara 🙏