Hello Flutters, Livermore, CA (2026)

I'm an author, a mental health professional and a TEDx Speaker with a mission to empower parents, teachers, and caretakers to guide young children through fears and worries 🌟 through mindfulness exercises and storytelling.

01/27/2026

I love my live music while making dinner 💕
Just a regular Monday night at home.
Viola, piano, and two kids choosing music over screens.
I’ll take this kind of loud any day.

01/22/2026

There is a moment every parent and educator knows all too well: your child is facing something new, and fear starts to take over. 🦋

Our first instinct is almost always to protect. We reach for reassurance and tell them, “You’re going to be fine.” We want to help them believe the fear isn't there.

However, in my work as a psychotherapist, I have observed that we do not always need to push fear away. Sometimes, it simply needs to be understood.

Reassurance can accidentally bypass what a child is actually feeling. What they truly need in those high-stakes moments is to feel understood. When we help them name their "flutters" and recognize what is happening inside their bodies, we are doing more than just comforting them. We are building the foundations of lifelong emotional regulation.

I wrote "Hello Flutters!" to be that bridge. It is a tool for parents and professionals to help children transform their relationship with anxiety, turning "I can't" into a grounded and confident "I'm ready."

I am proud to align this work with the clinical and educational standards advocated by organizations like the American Psychological Association, CAMFT, and NAEYC.

Let’s move beyond dismissal and toward understanding. Because when a child understands their fear, they find their own version of brave.

How do you help your little ones navigate big feelings? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!

01/20/2026

When I wrote Hello Flutters!, I focused on how emotional regulation truly develops in children.

These books give fear time to be understood and trust the body as a source of wisdom. Courage is shown growing through connection. Fear is allowed to speak through sensation rather than being avoided.

Grounded in the G.R.A.C.E. Matrix® framework, trauma-informed practice, and my clinical work as an EMDR clinician, each story is written to support real emotional regulation through story rather than instruction. Children learn by experiencing the narrative, not by being told what to do.

Stories teach the body what safety feels like before a child has the words. That learning shapes their inner voice.

01/18/2026

We often tell kids to "be brave," but we rarely give them the map to get there.

As a psychotherapist, I know that when children face high-pressure moments, like a big game or a tough test; their bodies react long before their minds can find the words. They feel it as a "tummy ache," a racing heart, or a heavy sense of overwhelm.

I’m so moved by this review from a parent of a child athlete. It reminds me why I keep doing this work. When we give kids a name for their "flutters," we aren't just telling them a story. We are giving them a life skill for resilience.

I’ve had many days lately where the world feels chaotic and the noise of my own doubt makes me wonder if a children’s book can actually make a dent..

But then I see a review like this.. watching our children is often the best way to ground ourselves. When they find the words to describe their emotions, we find our way back to the conversation together.

To my fellow educators and parents, how are you helping the kids in your life "find their brave" when the noise gets loud?

Address

Livermore, CA
94550, 94551

Website

http://www.mariagracewolk.com/helloflutters

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