Dr. Catherine Pearlman is a leading expert on parenting, kids with technology and building a culture of kindness. She’s become a sought-after speaker in schools, corporate offices, conferences and religious houses of worship. Clients respond to her no-nonsense and practical approach. Attendees leave with actionable steps to implement change. Dr. Pearlman has worked with Mercedes-AMG, Hyundai, Yahoo, Thrive Global, Orange County Department of Education, and the Today Show.
In 2007, after a decade and a half of working in organizations, Dr. Pearlman started The Family Coach, a private practice aimed to help moms and dads with typical parenting issues. Her mission was to help parents enjoy their parenting more and build stronger relationships. Through her work inside hundreds of homes, Dr. Pearlman saw firsthand how families are struggling with mental health, technology, and behavior.
To address the most common issues families are facing, Dr. Pearlman authored two books. One is for parents (Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction) and one for kids 8 to 12 years old and their parents (First Phone: A Child's Guide to Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette).
Technology is ubiquitous, and the pandemic has exacerbated it’s influence on children. They are exposed to social media, pornography, cyberbullying and a 24-hour connection to their social world. This kind of access is having grave effects on our children’s mental health. Anxiety, depression, and suicidality are reaching epidemic proportions. In response, Dr. Pearlman wrote First Phone to arm children with the information they need to make good decisions with regards to technology. But now she speaks to parents and organizations about digital safety and self-care because digital education never ends.
Additionally, Dr. Pearlman is a living organ donor. After seeing a flyer in Starbucks, Dr. Pearlman donated her kidney to a stranger in 2019. She immediately felt a pure sense of happiness which made her dig into the research about the connection between kindness and happiness. This was the topic for her TEDx talk in 2021. Now she teaches schools and companies how to create a culture of kindness with concrete strategies to improve relationships, mood and well-being.
Dr. Pearlman is a relatable speaker who melds her more than 25 years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker with her personal mission to improve people’s lives.
