We approached the Curiosity Circuit in search of support transitioning our daughter from Kindergarten to Primary School, Laura was our coach. Her ability to listen to us as parents and understand our daughter’s temperament and learning preferences brought our family a sense of confidence and ease when deciding which school suited our daughter’s nature.

We wanted our five year old daughter to have a positive experience from the beginning, which also meant we were questioning which time of year to transition her. Laura, being an experienced Kindergarten and New Entrants Teacher herself, led us through thought provoking conversation and insight which empowered us as parents and helped our decision making process immensely. She gave us insights into what questions to ask potential schools and what to look for when visiting.

We booked Laura for an initial home visit which she then followed up with two coaching sessions stretched out over a time to support the transition process. She helped us understand our daughter’s strengths as a young learner and helped us as parents to be more clear about how to articulate the needs of our empathic, sensitive, highly intelligent and strong girl.

We highly recommend Laura because of her prior knowledge and expertise within the education system. Most importantly this coaching experience led us to feel validated in what was for us one of the most important decisions as a parent. Laura’s passion and experience for transition shone through, she empowered us in our wishes to communicate and collaboratively lay foundations in a successful way with the school. We had fun working with Laura and commend her natural, relaxed ability to bring a sense of ease.
Anne Paar, Raglan, New Zealand

I met Laura a few months prior to my Son’s transition to high school. He needed extra support and Laura helped me so much in what would have otherwise been such an overwhelming process. Working with her was a heartwarming and emotional experience because for the first time in the school system I felt like someone actually heard me and that someone genuinely cared about my child’s well-being. She made me feel like she had all the time in the world for me and knew the answers to my questions and concerns. She was a huge support coming to meetings with me and introducing me to others who could help us on our journey. Laura has a beautiful soul and you can’t help but feel comfortable and open in her presence. She is kind, caring and intelligent. Her passion for helping children reach their potential is obvious and children of all ages are naturally drawn to her.
Vicky, school parent, Coromandel, Te Tara o te Ika a Maui, New Zealand

Laura van Leeuwen is a creative, dedicated teacher who builds on children’s strengths to help them reach their aspirations. She is magic around children. Her calm nurturing nature is evident in everything she does. One example that comes to mind is her ability to use yoga with children. She makes everything fun – creating a story to make yoga more accessible to young children. She is an out of box thinker who comes up with creative solutions to everyday issues. Laura’s ability to change children’s outlook and behaviour whilst keeping their pride and dignity is phenomenal. If you are looking for someone to support your well-being and coach you to discover your strengths, Laura is a perfect match for you.
Ann Hoover, Thames, New Zealand

I have been fortunate enough to work alongside Laura in a professional partnership and stakeholder capacity for more than a decade. During that time, I have witnessed first-hand her exemplary skills as both an educator and Learning Support Specialist. Laura’s approach to supporting young learners is profound, because it remains firmly centred on the young person and their needs, which she considers holistically. She combines well-honed theoretical principles with deeply embedded values of compassion, empathy and kindness to deliver a truly supported experience that is unique to every individual. Her calm, considered approach, coupled with her commitment to evidence-based professional expertise, presents young people and their families with a positive and impactful supported learning journey. Laura offers refreshing insights and creative options for education pathways for all learners. She renews and restores hope where families have suffered from unsatisfactory education experiences where their child’s learning needs have not been met. Most notably, Laura engages and ignites a young person’s love for learning, redefining success for every learner.
Emma Darragh, Coromandel, Te Tara o te Ika a Maui, New Zealand

Laura trained to deliver the Pause Breathe Smile Mindfulness Programme in 2018. Since that time, Laura has been an excellent facilitator of the programme directly benefiting many ākonga and kaiako throughout the Coromandel and Hauraki region. Laura has also been a wonderful advocate for Pause Breathe Smile and a number of schools in the region have taken the next step of getting their whole school trained, confident in the benefits Pause Breathe Smile can offer due to the direct influence of Laura’s advocacy and classroom delivery.

In all my dealings with Laura, I have found her to be a consummate professional who is organised and dedicated to the wellbeing of tamariki, teachers and whānau alike. I have no hesitation in recommending Laura’s services.

Grant Rix
Director – Mindfulness Training and Development, Pause Breathe Smile Trust
Author of the Pause Breathe Smile programme

I worked alongside laura for a number of years in our respective professional roles supporting kura and tauira to learn about their well-being.  Laura has a holistic approach to well-being; it is both strength based and evidence informed. Laura is calm and friendly, enabling the easy development of relationships with young people and their families. Laura‘s strengths lie in being able to bring together her large range of well-being tools to meet specific needs. Her professional knowledge and experience in the classroom allows her to make links between well-being and better outcomes for learners. I recommend Laura to both families and schools if you are looking for something extra to support well being.  Tracey Ellery Learning Support Coordinator

Laura brings her passion for teaching and her extensive knowledge of the curriculum, to her consultancy business. Laura helped us write a homeschool application and plan at the start of this year. She identified my son’s learning strengths and developed a model of learning that best catered to his specific needs. Laura demystified what initially looked like a daunting application process and broke it down in bite size chunks. In her methodical and caring way she assisted us in writing an application that we were really happy with. I absolutely recommend Laura as a mentor/consultant for this process.
Jo, homeschooling parent, Bay of Plenty Aotearoa