CONTRIBUTORS( CONTINUED)
JACKIE MCNAIR
ELENE TATULASHVILI and her husband are parents of a 29-year-old daughter living with autism and an intellectual disability, and a 31-year-old son in Gwinnett County, GA. As an experiential consultant, she helps parents create meaningful life plans and establish successful transition plans for school-aged children with disabilities into adulthood. As a parent mentor in the Dept. of Special Ed. for Gwinnett County Public School Sys., she helps families understand the Individual Education Program for special education students navigate support and services in their homes, schools, and communities. A 2000 Partners in Policymaking Program graduate of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, she served as their Regional Advisory Council board member and with the Autism Society of America. A 2016 Gwinnett County Citizens Academy graduate, she was recognized by County Commissioner Charlotte Nash. Jackie is a 2017 Phil Pickens Georgia Parent Mentor Leadership Award recipient. She is on the Sangha Unity Network and Shine Community boards, agencies supporting adults with disabilities, and Travel Light Network. She authors a Substack newsletter, Jackie Mcnair @ BeyondTheIEP. Jackie returns with an empowering, insightful personal experience with her daughter, Kendra, and her newfound friend, sharing advice in her inspiring story,“ How do I Love Thee?” in our Empowering Families and Individuals with Disabilities section. is a 13-year-old student living in Tbilisi, Georgia. She attends Green School, a private educational institution with a vision to produce globally minded, active generations through high-quality teaching and learning. Green School ' s mission is to raise a better future generation together with the school community through quality education. Inspired by this, Elene has many friends worldwide through her love of playing Roblox and her creative writing, which has been published by Morocco Pens, thereby extending her global outreach. She enjoys reading, especially comedy books, and spending time with her pet bird Kiki. Her mother, Nino, introduced her to reading at a young age, which sparked her passion for writing. Elene is the youngest contributor to our magazine and intends to inspire everyone by sharing her life experiences living in Tbilisi. As she embarks on her dynamic teenage life’ s journey, she enjoys expressing her ideas, experiences, and, more importantly, what she is learning in and out of the classroom, alongside her friends and family. Elene returns to share her recent experience reading a famous and legendary medieval poem by Shota Rustaveli, which has been translated into about 56 languages, in her wonderful story,“ The Knight in The Panther ' s Skin- A Classic Poem That Speaks To All Of Us” for her unique“ My Life in Tbilisi” column in our Global Village section.
JESSYKA COULTER had a dream since 4th grade to graduate as valedictorian when she finished high school. It might seem silly to a lot of people; however, she was determined, and since then, every homework assignment she completed or test she studied for in middle school and high school was done in the hopes of earning a 4.0 and being at the top of her class, the valedictorian. Today, besides accomplishing her dream, Jessyka founded Ace Cookie Tutoring to help students of all ages excel in their learning journey by offering them her 12 study skills that are personalized to their learning habits and personalities through her Love to Learn study skills program. When students discover“ How to Learn” at their own pace and understanding, this makes it easier for them and their parents. She works with tweens, teens, and college students to help them achieve their maximum learning potential. Since learning is part of our human DNA, I am sure we can all benefit from these study
skills as adults. Jessyka returns with excellent insight and a much-needed reminder we can all use daily, which will benefit us greatly once we learn and master the skills through her empowering story,“ CRASH- Oh Noooo!: The Power of Focus,” in our Cultivating The Love For Learning section.
8 | Inspirations for Better Living • February 2026