Qualified, expert, experienced

DEIRDRE
BRANDNER

Deirdre is a highly acclaimed Australian child psychologist, parenting expert and author whose advice is sought as a global expert in Australia and the United States. Deirdre’s caring and practical approach to parenting and children produces incredible results.

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PSYCHOLOGIST

Deirdre Brandner has over 30 year’s experience as an Australian Child & Family Psychologist. She is a former teacher, consultant, guest presenter and media commentator. Most importantly she is a Mum to three young adult children. Through her private practices she has provided support to 1,000’s of children, adolescents, and families. She continues to be in demand for her extensive clinical experience and practical approach to all the challenges that present for children and families.

Deirdre in the media

PUBLISHED AUTHOR

In tandem with talented illustrator Jennifer Whelan, Deirdre has published a series of children’s picture books that help children navigate challenging emotions. Deirdre wanted to share her psychological expertise to empower parents and educators with strategies and tools to support their children. The adventures of Bear helps kids learn how to manage big feelings and tricky situations. Evidence-based, these calming tools and techniques show children how to rethink anxious and worrying thoughts and learn to manage their emotions. The Bear book series is available worldwide.

See the books

ANDREA
GRANT ROBBIATI

Andrea is a respected Chief Human Resources Officer of global corporations with experience in Australia, Asia, New Zealand and the United States. An experienced C suite career coach, Andrea knows people, learning and culture. She has a deep understanding of the connection between family wellbeing and the performance and career trajectory of senior executives and entrepreneurs.

GEORGIA
HATZIS

Georgia is a Harvard graduate and holistic wellbeing expert with deep experience in pilates, meditation, and pre and post natal wellness. A Greek-American transplant from Los Angeles she has embraced the kiwi lifestyle and now specializes in the unique medicinal qualities of NZ flora.

Our story

Andrea and Deirdre have been friends for many years and have each had highly successful careers in their respective fields. While spending a week together resting and relaxing at Bluestone Estate, on the beautiful Matakana Coast, New Zealand, they realised the inter relatedness of their work and their passion for making a difference to the world through promoting happy, healthy and connected families.

As an Australian family psychologist, Deirdre had helped many parents navigate the journey of parenthood, providing advice and support across the numerous challenges families face. She has guided multiple parents and supported hundreds of children to manage their emotions and interactions with others. With over three decades of clinical experience Deirdre is now a renowned Australian child and family psychologist, author and parenting expert. Her wisdom and practical, results-based approach has earned her recognition from national and international media and educational institutions. She is a sought-after speaker to companies who value healthy, connected families and who want to help their employees with their parenting challenges.

Andrea is an award-winning global HR executive. Her experience leading Human Resources in large corporations has led to a deep understanding of the connection between family wellbeing and the performance of employees. She found that for employees, family issues could be all consuming, frequently impacting their performance at work. This was especially so in the C Suite with time poor executives often prioritizing work over family, missing precious opportunities with their children, disappointing themselves, their spouse and their children. Andrea believes that happy, healthy connected families are the cornerstone of a successful society She realized that many of the development opportunities provided to executives at work are easily transferable to improving family dynamics and childhood outcomes.

After successfully raising and launching six children between them, Deirdre and Andrea are proud of the healthy, successful, young, independent adults their children have become. Both Andrea and Deirdre realise the importance of healthy family connections, effective communication, and the significance of having the opportunity to develop positive family memories.

“We believe that our own children’s life successes have stemmed from healthy relationships within our families, good communication and our prioritisation of emotional well-being. Between us we have had the parenting challenges of severe food allergies, serious childhood illness, divorce, and attention and learning issues, so we understand first-hand the worry and navigation these issues require. Parenting is a journey and very few of us have the opportunity to learn from experts, the best approach to raising children. We are drowning in information but starved of wisdom. With the fast pace of modern life, the greatest challenge facing most people today is creating opportunities to spend quality time together, and with family. As a result, many parents struggle to be aligned and understand their children and know how to help them when difficult situations present. With our own families we valued the chance to learn about parenting, and to play, learn, laugh and be together as a family unit. We wanted to provide others with the opportunity to come together in a glorious setting to improve their parenting, enjoy each other’s company, make lifelong memories, and ultimately strengthen family bonds.”