Meet Jen Dryer Parent Coach/Advocate for Parents of Neurodiverse Children

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jen Dryer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea for my business, which has evolved quite a bit from when I started it, came from my experience raising a young autistic son and all the myriad challenges I had to navigate. My husband and I got a great deal of help and guidance from is aunt, who is an early intervention specialist. When I witnessed the truly transformational impact of early intervention on my son, I wanted to share what I had learned with others and to use my background in education and coaching to help parents of neurodiverse children navigate getting the supports their child needed and create the structures to allow their child to thrive.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Our brand, Raising Orchid Kids, seeks to help those parents raising “orchid children,” those who are somewhat atypical in their development, behavior or academics, find community, support and practical strategies to help their neurodiverse child thrive and, at the same time, reduce the incredible stress that comes with raising orchid children.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Walking downtown to see the various monuments is always interesting — don’t miss the MLK Jr. memorial, the Lincoln memorial/reflecting pool and the FDR memorial. The National Museum for African American History is also an incredible museum, and for the arts, check out the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. The 14TH St. corridor has some great restaurants (Cork, Le Diplomat, Barcelona), the Georgetown waterfront is also great, and finally the Kennedy Center’s new REACH is also really cool.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My partner in my newer collaborative iteration of my parent support group, Raising Orchid Kids, Gabriele Nicolet, has been instrumental in growing and evolving my support for parents. Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) has also been instrumental in helping me better understand parenting and effective methods for coaching parents. Lastly, parent coach Meghan Leahy was the one who connected me to Gabriele, and I’m forever grateful for her insights into parenting and into people who should know one another to collaborate!

Website: Www.raisingorchidkids.com

Instagram: Jen Dryer

Linkedin: Jen Dryer Parent Advocate

Facebook: Facebook.com/jendryerparentadvocate

Image Credits
Rui Barros