Overview
About the Book
Kids Life Coach, Zelna Zeal, sheds light on the painful issue of what it means to have a fundamental choice taken away – the choice of being a biological parent.
In this eye opening snapshot of her views on life, parenting and childhood, she whispers out loud the secrets which once held her back from finding and living her purpose fully. This gripping and poignant book reveals the previously hidden story behind her lonely and challenging healing journey through being childless, depressed and labelled as mentally ill.
As she travels this road, she shares the interwoven stories of other peoples’ children whom she had the privilege of coaching. All of them have two things in common; they rebranded their childhood by learning how to make better choices relating to the parts of their lives they were able to control. These children were the inspiration behind Zelna finding the strength to do the same.
Full of uncomfortable truths, “The Secret Parent” shows you that your real worth is derived from who you choose to be, even when life has different ideas for you.
Chapter 2 Kids in the attic
Chapter 3 Taking a bath in cold jelly
Chapter 4 Condom boy
Chapter 5 When you’re hungry, eat cake
Chapter 6 Pain behind the veil
Chapter 7 The circus ring-master
Chapter 9 No building tall enough
Chapter 10 Stripped to the bone
Chapter 11 Empty vessel full of sand
Chapter 12 Puppet on a string
Chapter 13 The ghost in the fireplace
Chapter 14 Secrets whispered out loud
A Word
From the Author
My book, THE SECRET PARENT not only shares the lessons derived from the children I have coached but it presents the uncomfortable truth of how society judges and has a tendency to judge and label those with mental health problems. There is so much more that can be done to educate, enable, empower and equip. The amount of pressure placed on children to be perfect can be overwhelming, and this coupled with so many negative external influences can result in a multitude of side effects. I believe parents need all the support they can get when it comes to giving their children a true reflection of life and the importance of taking care of their mental health. Children are faced with many challenges outside of their control which are causing side effects such as self-harm, suicide, bullying, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse.
THE SECRET PARENT presents a sweeping action plan for achieving the best from children and for harnessing their full potential so that they can grow up strong and resilient and able to break the chains of potential mental health problems. This all starts with laying a foundation for making healthy lifestyle choices at a young age. It all starts with every adult taking steps to be a “Secret Parent” in a child’s life. No matter the context, every teacher, sports coach, counsellor, social worker or kids life coach is a role model and in order for children to live a genuinely happy life, they need tour guides who are doing the same and showing them how it should be done.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An avid advocate for children’s mental health and wellbeing, Zelna has been active in promoting resilience, positive mindsets & leadership building in children since 2003. As the founder of The Kids Life Studio®, a global organisation with representatives on 6 continents, she offers sustainable solutions to current day challenges children are facing. She is also the co-founder of The Secret Parent Foundation® (secretparentfoundation.org), that focuses on research, development and training with a focus on supporting children faced with trauma.
Not only has she supported the children of celebrities, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and high-profile personalities, she has also spent time helping children involved in human trafficking, living on the streets and in orphanages.
For podcasts, radio, speaking engagements or television interviews please contact Zelna and her team on publishing@kidslifestudio.com