JACKIE MCNAIR
ANN PAPAYOTI
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 to share an insightful, refreshing mindfulness approach to embracing autumn and the upcoming holiday season as a time to acknowledge gratitude in her empowering story,“ Mindfully Moving into the Season of Gratitude,” in our Empowering Families and Individuals with Disabilities section. is the founder of SkyView Coaching and hosts a weekly podcast, Soul CPR Healing Out Loud, on the Bold Brave TV Network. She is also an international life, leadership, and relationship coach, speaker, writer, educator, and co-author of The Gift of Shift, an intimate self-help book. Ann is an Expert Contributor for YourTango Media and has been featured in MSN, Google, Yahoo, and Apple News. She has spoken at conferences, summits, and commemorations, both live and online, throughout North America. Ann captivates, educates, and inspires thousands by sharing her personal experiences of loss, transition, and triumph, and she helps them attain their personal and professional goals. Known among her friends as the go-to girl if you are experiencing problems, Ann could have started her own‘ Dear Annie’ column decades ago. Little did she know then that listening with empathy was an invaluable, innate skill that would become the foundation of her life’ s work. Ann’ s remarkable life journey and passion for family love are hallmark examples. Ann returns with excellent insights and heart-centered advice for“ A Heart in Transition” and“ Tired of Setting the Table,” offering each a fresh new perspective on the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday celebration get-togethers with family and friends in her advice column,“ Dear Annie.”
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 to share interesting research information as to how the sense of smell can contribute to one’ s ability to remember and even enhance our memory, which can help our children in their learning journey, with her inspiring story,“ I Don’ t Think That Smell is Teen Spirit … Why Am I Smelling Lavender?” in our Cultivating the Love for Learning section.
InspirationsForBetterLiving. com | 7