Naomi Holdt - Psychologist and Speaker

Naomi Holdt - Psychologist and Speaker Psychologist | Speaker | Author | Personal & Professional Growth Mentor
Upcoming book: What the Actual Canary?! launching soon. Get on the waitlist 👇

ABOUT NAOMI
Naomi is a psychologist, author and speaker with over 20 years experience in education, educational psychology and psychotherapy with a special interest in the emotional well - being of children and young adults. With an initial teaching background she has insightful knowledge on the role of both parents and teachers in supporting, nurturing and helping young people reach their potential. Naomi qualified cm laude with an MA in Educational Psychology from University of KwaZulu-Natal and is in private practice in Hilton, South Africa. She has spoken countrywide and her online parenting courses have now reached an international following. Naomi is a mother of two young children and regards this as a privilege and her most important role. DISCLAIMER
All content found on the Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker Website and social media channels, including text, images, audio, or other formats were created for informational purposes only. The Site and its Content are provided on an "as is" basis. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your psychologist or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a mental health condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website or Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker’s social media channels. If you think you may have a mental health emergency, call your psychologist or doctor, go to the emergency department, or call emergency response immediately. Reliance on any information provided by Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker, Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker’s employees, contracted writers, or professionals presenting content for publication to Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker’s channels is solely at your own risk. Links to content not created by Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker are taken at your own risk. Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker is not responsible for the claims of external websites and organisations. Please note that due to an overwhelming demand for assistance, I am unable to respond to requests and messages on this platform. If you would like to book a consult, please email info@naomiholdt.com or WhatsApp: +27 74 131 0260.

Today I played. I trampolined.I bird-watched.I jumped into a cold pool after a warm whirlpool bath.I laughed. I danced w...
19/02/2026

Today I played.

I trampolined.
I bird-watched.
I jumped into a cold pool after a warm whirlpool bath.
I laughed. I danced wildly. I car-sang loudly.

And I could do all of that because right now I feel well.
Strong. Fit. Happy. Alive in my body.

But somewhere mid-flip on that trampoline, something landed for me.

I truly believe one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is this:
making our physical, emotional and mental health a non-negotiable priority.

After last year, I know this deeply - sometimes because of things completely outside our control, peak physical performance simply isn’t possible. There are seasons when the bravest thing we can do is slow down, rest, draw inward, and tend gently to ourselves while we heal from whatever has been flung our way.
Those seasons demand compassion. Not guilt. Not comparison. Compassion.

But when we DO have capacity - when strength is available to us - choosing to prioritise our health in ALL its forms is not selfish. It is foundational.

Because living in our strongest, healthiest, most energised bodies and regulated minds is how we show up with presence.

It’s how we access joy.
It’s how we play.
It’s how we connect.
It’s how we build memories that live in our children’s nervous systems long after the moment has passed.

Our children don’t just learn from what we say.
They learn from how fully we are willing to live.

And that…
That might be the loudest love of all.

With and flips,
Naomi 💃❤️

Let’s just be honest… There is nothing- absolutely nothing- easy, pleasant, or pretty about the actual growth process.Th...
17/02/2026

Let’s just be honest…

There is nothing- absolutely nothing- easy, pleasant, or pretty about the actual growth process.
The caterpillar doesn’t pick a pair of wings, slap them on, and begin flying…

It has to shed its old self completely.
Become GOO-
a mushy pile of substance I’d rather not touch-
before it morphs into that glorious butterfly.

And it takes a brave little caterpillar to step into that cocoon-
some part of it knowing it must leave behind all it knew in order to find those wings…

But this little plant of mine, sitting in its too-small pot, reminded me of something else that is inevitable in human growth.

You see- it needs to be repotted.
It has outgrown the pot that once beautifully supported it.

There is nothing wrong with the pot.
There is nothing wrong with the plant.

But if I leave it there, quietly, over time, it will wither-
because the nutrients in that soil can no longer fully support what it is becoming.

Exactly like human growth.

It’s about as linear as a shopping trolley with a wonky wheel.
About as neat as a life properly lived (I think the accurate term is “Wildly Messy”).
And about as comfortable as having feathers shoved up your nose.

All of it woven together by strands of the deepest grief…

Because inevitably, we leave behind people, places, and situations that cannot support our growth.

Allow the grief, my friends…

Grief is the tunnel between what was and what awaits.
But don’t let it send you back into a pot you’ve already grown beyond.

Allow the shedding.
Feel the discomfort and the sadness.

But through it all, remember this:

You’re allowed to change.
You’re allowed to grow.

And sometimes life puts you through fires where the accelerant of hardship leaves you no choice but to evolve- radically.

To see what you can no longer unsee.
To live in a way that no longer fits old containers.

No one else has to understand it.
No one gets to walk your road.
And it’s a road that requires strong shoulders…

Because most often, people pathologise and judge what they cannot understand or keep up with-
it’s how we humans are.

Hear me clearly:

Those are not your people.

You keep doing you.

Keep growing.
Keep shedding.
Keep becoming.

And honour your growth.
It took damn hard work- and many feathers- to get you here.

If you have ever felt judged for the inner work you’ve done,
for the boundaries you’ve built,
or for the way you no longer show up as you once did, remember this:

Your growth is not the problem.
Sometimes others struggle not because you are changing, but because you no longer remain where you once made them comfortable.

Just like this plant didn’t intend to outgrow its pot,
no one sets out to outgrow people or places.

Growth happens when we listen inwardly.
When we respond honestly to life and embrace all it’s feathers.
When we choose to become more fully ourselves.

And just like that plant-
needing more space and doing the hard work doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It means you recognise just how deeply you want to be ALIVE.

With love and greenery,
Naomi 🌱 💚

Over the years, my work has taken me into schools, staff rooms, auditoriums, boardrooms, and leadership spaces- and int...
16/02/2026

Over the years, my work has taken me into schools, staff rooms, auditoriums, boardrooms, and leadership spaces- and into conversations people are often hesitant to have out loud.

Conversations about children, learning, behaviour, and resilience.
And just as importantly, conversations about adults - parents, educators, leaders, managers, and executives - and the emotional systems they operate within every single day.

What has become clear is this:
People don’t struggle because they aren’t capable.
They struggle when pressure overtakes safety, when fear replaces clarity, and when the nervous system is pushed beyond its limits.

I see this every day.

My in-person talks and workshops are built around that reality - not fear, blame, or quick fixes - but insight, compassion, and practical shifts that change how people show up at home, at school, and at work.
And I genuinely love the work I do.

I currently offer more than 20 keynote talks and workshops, including:

• Beyond the Report Card
• Neurodivergent Minds in High-Pressure Environments
• From Fear to Freedom: Helping Children and Teens Manage Anxiety
• Heart-Led Education & Leadership
• Packing Parachutes: The Power of an Educator
• Emergence: Embracing Organisational Change
• Avoiding Boiling: Navigating Stress in Leadership
• Twelve Rules of Resilience in the Workplace
• Loving the Unlovables: Understanding the “Impossible” Child
• Learning from Bamboo: Lessons in Resilience
• One Minute of Your Life: The Happiness That Lasts

…and many more.

These sit within a broader presentation wheelhouse shaped by years of clinical practice and lived experience - across real classrooms, real families, real children, real leadership teams, real employees, and real executives.

The common thread across all of this is simple but powerful:

When we change how adults understand behaviour, stress, and emotional safety, performance improves - sustainably.

I work with schools, parent communities, and organisations who want to build environments where people can think clearly, regulate under pressure, and remain engaged rather than burning out.

I have a limited number of in-person speaking and workshop slots available over the next few months, and I would love to bring this work into organisations and communities ready for thoughtful, evidence-informed conversations that lead to real, lasting change.

📩 Bookings & enquiries:
https://naomiholdt.com/contact/

See you soon,
Naomi

After Beyond the Report Card, I received this message from a parent who attended live…It brought tears to my eyes.I’ve r...
11/02/2026

After Beyond the Report Card, I received this message from a parent who attended live…

It brought tears to my eyes.

I’ve read it more than once...
Because this is the work.

In the middle of the masterclass, while listening on her phone, this mom’s neurodivergent Grade 12 son realised she was tuned in.

He didn’t interrupt to disrupt.
He interrupted because he felt safe.

And instead of shutting it down… she stayed. She listened. And he opened up.

About pressure.
About frustration.
About career choices.
About the weight he’s carrying.

That shift didn’t happen because she suddenly became a “perfect” parent. Perfect parents don’t exist. (And trying to be “perfect” doesn’t lead to connection.)

It happened because she understood what was happening beneath the behaviour.

It happened because in understanding, she connected to what his nervous system was
saying.

That is what we unpacked in this session.

Beyond the Report Card is not about marks.

It’s about what determines whether a child can cope with marks.

Whether they can recover from setbacks.
Whether they feel safe enough to try again.

Across approximately 2 hours of teaching (now available as a 2-part recording), we explore:

👉 how emotional intelligence and nervous system awareness shape learning and performance
👉 why stress interferes with memory, focus, and motivation
👉 how to respond to emotional overwhelm in ways that build connection rather than shame
👉 how to support teens navigating exams, identity, and big life decisions
👉 how to build resilience through everyday moments- not crisis interventions

This work changes homes.
It changes classrooms.
It changes conversations.

And sometimes, it changes a single evening in a Grade 12 boy’s life.

If you weren’t there live, you can now access the full 2-part recording instantly.

👉 Get instant access to Beyond the Report Card for only $26/R426 here:

✨ https://naomiholdt.thrivecart.com/beyond-the-report-card/

With love,
Naomi 💛

I didn’t want to do this anymore... That’s the honest truth. After everything that unfolded last year, for a long time t...
10/02/2026

I didn’t want to do this anymore...

That’s the honest truth.

After everything that unfolded last year, for a long time the idea of standing on a stage again felt heavy.
Exhausting.
Like too much to pick up again.

Not all stages.
Just certain ones.

School halls.
Microphones.
Rows of chairs filled with children and teachers.

You see, it was at Cornwall Hill College that I received a phone call that changed my life- 25 minutes before I was due to present my first scheduled talk of the day.

I delivered the talk anyway.
And another one later that same day.

Not because I was brave.
But because this work has always lived deeper than fear.
Because even in that moment, some part of me still knew why I was there.

Then came surgery.

Two weeks later, I delivered the keynote at the South African Girls’ Schools Conference at Diocesan School for Girls in Grahamstown / Makhanda.

I recall how ‘fed’ and alive my entire being felt after both these events.

And then…
everything caught up with me.

Treatment.
Recovery.
Processing it all.
A body learning how to feel safe again.
A body that is still learning.

Five months later, I spoke again - twice, in fact.
But those were breast cancer talks.

And I could do those.
Because I’d earned the stripes, the scars, the so-called “badge of honour.”
Because they didn’t live in the same place in my nervous system.

But schools did.

Somewhere quietly, without me fully realising it, my body decided:
We are NOT doing this again.

So I told myself I’d stick to writing.
That I’d tortoise.
That I didn’t need rooms anymore.

In truth, I told myself: ‘Never again.’

But last week, I walked back into one- my assistant banging on behind me saying,
“You’ve got this, Naomi.”

I stepped in front of a school audience.
I turned on the mic.

And something familiar returned.

The connection.
The stories people share when they feel understood.
The electric energy.

(Tears welling as I write this - that’s how powerful it was to be there.)

I remembered why I chose this work in the first place.

I remembered that my writing doesn’t come from silence.
It comes from people.
From interaction.
From lived moments.
From listening.

And I remembered something else too:

Trauma does not get to decide what we stop loving.

Last week wasn’t about proving anything.
It wasn’t about pushing through or being “brave.”

It was about remembering.

Remembering that this work still matters.
That conversations about emotional safety and resilience still change lives - quietly, slowly, deeply.

And that this work…
It ignites every cell in my body.

I’m deeply grateful I didn’t let fear have the final word - because last week, a big, BIG part of my soul came alive again.

(So alive, in fact, that my scheduled 90-minute online masterclass last night, Beyond the Report Card, turned into a passion-filled 135 minutes. It was epic.)

Turns out the work I thought I had put down,
was actually just waiting for me to be ready to pick it up with my whole self.

So if there’s a room ready for real conversations, honest emotions, and nervous-system-safe growth…
I’m listening again.

Thank you, with all my heart, to Clarendon Schools for how warmly you embraced me last week- and to every school over the years that has held such welcoming, human rooms.

With love and re-ignition,
Naomi 🤍

Shame.Pressure.And the cost of silence. We have to speak about the unspeakables. Especially shame. A conversation with m...
07/02/2026

Shame.
Pressure.
And the cost of silence.

We have to speak about the unspeakables.

Especially shame.

A conversation with my kids last night reminded me- again-o f something I see daily in my work with children, teens and adults:

Shame is toxic.

Shame grows when we feel alone in our experience.
When we don’t have words.
When we feel we can’t say how we’re really doing.

And shame doesn’t arrive quietly.

It isolates.
It convinces us we are different, broken, not worthy.
It locks us into boxes.

At its core, shame whispers one devastating message:
“You don’t belong.”

And as human beings, we are wired to belong.

Shame is like a vampire.
It thrives in the dark.
It feeds when it stays hidden.

Bring it into the light- TALK ABOUT IT- and it loses its power.

This is why we have to normalise ALL emotions for our kids and teens.
Not just the neat, sunny, socially acceptable ones.

Because too many children are growing up in ‘sunshine-only ‘spaces:

“We don’t do that emotion in this house.”
“Sort it out in your room.”
“Come back when you’re calm.”

And what they hear is:
“Parts of you are not welcome here.”

And for the love of all the Canaries in the world, please don’t EVER tell your boys not to cry or belittle them for it.
Big emotions are not “girl things.”
They are human things.

And the ability to express them in healthy ways is not weakness.
It is emotional intelligence.
It is resilience.

Last year, during my own cancer journey, this truth hit me in full force:

The only way through… is through.

And to keep stepping forward, we need language for what we feel.
When we give emotions words- even the hard ones- we liberate them.
They are not enemies.
They are messages asking to be heard.

Here’s the part we often miss:

If your children don’t see YOU talking about emotions,
they will never feel safe enough to talk about theirs.

If they don’t see tears, frustration, anger, disappointment named and held-
they assume those feelings must be swallowed.

But the bottom line that we cannot bypass or ignore is this:
Suppression leads to depression.

There is no way around it.

When we create homes, classrooms and sports fields where all emotions are allowed, named and regulated within safe relationships, we give our children the greatest resilience gift of all.

We cannot remove challenge.
Life won’t cooperate.

But we can remove shame.
We can lower the pressure.
We can give our children the tools to speak, feel, process and move through hard things- without carrying them alone.

Because pressure + silence + shame
creates a ticking time bomb.

EQ builds resilience.
Psychological safety diffuses pressure.
And conversation saves lives.

This is what Monday’s Masterclass ‘Beyond the Report Card’ is about.
Not fixing children.
Not chasing performance.

But raising humans who feel safe enough to be fully human-
and strong enough to keep going when life gets hard.

Grab your seat now. The room is filling up fast:

✨ https://naomiholdt.thrivecart.com/beyond-the-report-card/

🗓 9 February 2026
🕕 6pm SAST
💻 Live on Zoom + replay included
💰 $26 / R426

For group bookings email support@naomiholdt.com.

With love, and feeling it all,
Naomi 🤍

06/02/2026

Today my boy brought home a go-kart he made at school.
All he wanted was for me to get on it.
So I did.

He pushed me at full speed around a parking lot, down estate roads, my daughter scootering alongside us… and I laughed out loud like a child who had forgotten how to be serious.

We giggled. We bonded. We connected.
Not through instructions or lessons or “teachable moments”…
but through play.

Here’s the neuroscience bit we forget far too often:

👉 Fun regulates the nervous system.
👉 Play creates safety.
👉 Laughter opens the door to learning, resilience and connection.

When children (and adults) feel safe in their bodies, their brains come online.
This is where confidence grows.
This is where emotional intelligence is built.
This is where potential actually accesses itself.

And this is exactly why marks, pressure and performance alone will never be enough.

If we want resilient, adaptable, emotionally strong children,
we have to parent, teach and coach with the nervous system in mind.

This is what Beyond the Report Card is all about.

Not more pressure.

More safety.
More connection.
More joy.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for a child…
is climb onto a homemade go-kart and laugh your way down the road 💛

✨ Join me at Beyond the Report Card THIS MONDAY, 9 February @ 6pm SA time.

Full details are at the link in comments and to book a seat 👇🏼

This is part of a message from a parent of a former patient this week. It stopped me in my tracks. She shared how her ch...
06/02/2026

This is part of a message from a parent of a former patient this week.

It stopped me in my tracks.

She shared how her child - and many others - struggled in mainstream schooling, not because they weren’t intelligent or capable, but because the system wasn’t designed for how their nervous systems learn.

What struck me most was this:
when children feel emotionally safe, trusted, and understood - behaviour settles, learning opens, and barriers begin to fall away.

Not because expectations disappear.
But because fear does.

She spoke about a school environment where children are trusted with responsibility, where regulation is prioritised over control, and where learning happens because children feel safe enough to engage.

And it reminded me, once again, why I do this work.

Because too often, children are blamed for “not coping” - when the environment itself is dysregulating.
Too often, pressure for results overrides emotional safety.
Too often, we pathologise children instead of questioning the systems around them.

Beyond the Report Card was created for this exact reason.

For parents, educators, therapists, coaches, and professionals who work with children - and who know, deep down, that marks, compliance, and performance are not the full story.

This work is about:
• understanding how the brain actually learns
• recognising why emotional safety drives behaviour and performance
• shifting from fear-based systems to nervous-system-aware ones
• building resilience without damaging confidence or connection

Messages like the one I received this week are the reason I keep going.
They are the reminder.
The fuel.
The “this matters”.

And they are why I will continue to speak, teach, and show up - even when it’s hard.

Because when we get this right, we don’t just change classrooms or schools.

We change lives.

✨ Beyond the Report Card
Raising Resilient, Emotionally Intelligent Learners

Happens THIS MONDAY, 9 February 2026 @ 6pm SA time. Live on Zoom + replay included.

Link below to book your seat. 👇🏽

✨ https://naomiholdt.thrivecart.com/beyond-the-report-card/

(Group bookings welcome - please email support@naomiholdt.com)

See you there! 💃

Love,
Naomi 🤍

For decades, we have raised children in a world obsessed with IQ, marks, performance and accomplishments. But here’s the...
05/02/2026

For decades, we have raised children in a world obsessed with IQ, marks, performance and accomplishments.

But here’s the truth that neuroscience, psychology and real life keep proving over and over again…

IQ might open a door.
But EQ determines whether a child can walk through it… and keep walking when life gets hard. (And don’t we all know just how hard those lemons can land!)

Because here’s what marks and performance don’t teach our children:

➡️How to manage disappointment when they fail a test.
➡️ How to regulate anxiety before an exam or trial.
➡️ How to navigate friendship fallout, rejection or bullying.
➡️ How to bounce back when life doesn’t follow their carefully colour-coded life plan. (What even is that?!)

That… is Emotional Intelligence.✨

And Emotional Intelligence builds something even more powerful…

AQ- Adaptability Quotient.

🌱The ability to pivot.
🌱To problem-solve under pressure.
🌱To recover after setbacks.
🌱To stay steady when life throws curveballs (which it absolutely will… because life is beautifully messy like that).

Children with high EQ don’t just cope better emotionally…

✅ They perform better academically.
✅ They build healthier relationships.
✅ They develop stronger leadership skills.
✅ They experience less burnout, anxiety and perfectionism later in life.

Not because they are smarter.

Because they are steadier.

And steadiness… is what builds resilience.

Here’s the part that often surprises parents and educators:

Building EQ in our children and teens is often far simpler- and far more powerful - than we expect.

It lives in the small daily moments.

The moment your child melts down after school.
The moment your teen slams a door.
The moment marks drop.
The moment confidence wobbles.

Those are not failures.

Those are EQ building opportunities (even though they rarely feel like it in the moment).

And this is just ONE of the powerhouse areas we’ll be unpacking in the upcoming Beyond the Report Card masterclass- just FOUR days away (and I genuinely cannot wait!).

We’ll be exploring this in practical, fun and deeply powerful ways.

Here are just a few simple EQ shifts that change everything:

👉🏼 Focus on connection before correction
A regulated brain learns. A threatened brain defends.

👉🏼 Validate emotions without validating behaviour
“I can see you’re disappointed” builds emotional literacy. Punishment alone often builds shame.

👉🏼 Model emotional regulation
Our children learn far more from how we handle frustration, mistakes and stress than from anything we say. (True story! Read that again!)

👉🏼 Shift praise from outcomes to effort, growth and courage
“You worked hard” builds confidence.
“You’re so clever” often builds pressure.

Here is the reality most people are never told:

We are not raising and educating children for their report cards.
We are raising children for their lives.

And life demands emotional strength, adaptability and resilience far more than it demands perfect marks.

If you have ever worried that your child is anxious… overwhelmed… unmotivated… perfectionistic… or quietly struggling under pressure…

Beyond the Report Card was created for exactly this.

This workshop helps parents and educators understand:

• How the brain actually learns 🧠
• Why emotional safety drives performance 🫶🏽
• How to build resilience without damaging connection or confidence
• Practical tools you can use immediately at home or in the classroom 🛠️

Because thriving children are not built through pressure.

They are built through understanding.

If you are ready to raise a child who can handle real life- not just exams- this is for you.

And it’s NOT about adding more pressure to already overwhelmed parents and teachers.
It is about changing the lens through which we understand behaviour, learning and resilience.

Seats are FLYING. Book yours now in the link below.

✨ https://naomiholdt.thrivecart.com/beyond-the-report-card/

🗓 9 February 2026
🕕 6pm SAST
💻 Live on Zoom + replay included
💰 $26 / R426

For group bookings email support@naomiholdt.com.

Dancing with excitement to see you there!
Naomi 💃 💛

Address

Hilton
3245

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 16:00
Thursday 09:00 - 16:00
Friday 09:00 - 16:00

Telephone

073 585 4672

Website

https://naomiholdt.com/what-the-actual-canary/, https://naomiholdt.com/

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