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Hi, I'm Alison! 

I am a play specialist, parenting expert, and certified life coach who helps people get unstuck, find more purpose, rediscover their sense of play, and (like a good handstand) balance work and life.

I traveled with UNICEF creating play programs around the world, and then co-founded two award-winning businesses, focused on children's learning through play: apple seeds and songs for seeds. As a life coach, I notice that the first thing many adults lose is their sense of play and their ability to prioritize it in a busy life. I am dedicated to helping people shift their energy, rediscover what brings them joy, and then create actionable steps to find more fun and meaning in their one precious life.

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My Journey Through Transitions

PLAY has defined my life’s work from UNICEF to my business to what I do now. I’ve found that when you’re ready for change, following your heart and what i call the lightbulb moment works.

NBC NEWS

After graduating from Boston College (where my twin girls are now!!), I by some miracle landed a job at Dateline NBC in 30 Rock (after my favorite stint at the Today Show…) 

  • What I learned
    The importance of a deadline and the art of telling stories.
  • What changed
    I was doing a story on Afghan women and children living in refugee camps in Islamabad and wanted to be in the story, not behind the camera, so I began to plan my next chapter.

PRINCETON

My two years studying international development and public policy became the gift I’ve never once taken for granted. 

  • What I learned
    I traveled to the most remote pockets of the world and those experiences with people from West Africa to Southeast Asia changed my life.
  • What changed
    I graduated! But months before I did I met the head of UNICEF USA who I had interviewed at Dateline and that connection led me to a job interview…and once again, my life changed. Sidenote: keep your contacts.

UNICEF 

I found my dream job merging my love of children, international travel, and sports. I managed FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, among other sports teams, and brought sport and PLAY programs to countries around the world to support education, health, and child protection.

  • What I learned
    How to be an entrepreneur in a bureaucracy while creating the office, how to write alongside other UN agencies diplomatically, and why PLAY really matters for overall health and happiness…even in the most difficult circumstances.
  • What changed
    I had my twin girls and my life changed…I could no longer get on a plane the same way so I took a leave of absence and gave myself a parenting pause.

APPLE SEEDS 

It was in that pause that I met my friend Allison, and together with our husbands, we created an all-in-one play space for families with children newborn to five years old in the heart of New York City. For 15 years, we served tens of thousands of parents and kids with our indoor PLAYground, early childhood learning classes, parenting events and more, expanding to 3 locations in NYC and 3 locations abroad. 

  • What I learned
    That you don’t need an MBA to run a business, and that the only way to launch your idea is to try. Take action. If it’s right, the rest follows.  
  • What changed
    Given the popularity of our educational kids’ music program, Songs for Seeds, we decided to franchise this class instead of the entire business.

SONGS FOR SEEDS 

In five years, my partners and I built a national franchise platform for this education kids’ music program which meant creating the software, programs, marketing, and training to bring Songs for Seeds to 33 locations from Charleston to Seattle.

  • What I learned
    That much like PLAY, music is also a language, and one of the greatest teachers. I also learned that in business, relationships are everything.
  • What changed
    In addition to Covid changing the way we could operate, I wanted to do more of what I loved in this work which meant coaching people on how to launch their business, how to find balance, and how to find more meaning and involve their kids in their work.

CERTIFIED LIFE COACH

I became a Certified Professional Coach and other fancy titles, including a Transitions Specialist to help others also turn the chapters in their own lives. When I layer my life experiences with Energy Assessments, Mindfulness Teaching, EFT, and Parenting Coach certifications, I feel my toolkit is filled with the elements I need to help you get unstuck, turn your life’s chapter to find more meaning, freedom, and of course fun.

General conclusion needed?  I prioritize play because after 20 years working with parents and children in the area of sports and learning through play, I started coaching and realized that one of the first things adults lose is their sense of play. 

Like awareness, playfulness is inside of you.

I’ll help you rediscover play.

Yes! I'm a Certified Life Coach

"I have known Alison for nearly 20 years. Her entrepreneurial energy and strategic mind enabled her to create a Sports for Development office within UNICEF globally. She has an amazing ability to help others launch ideas, combined with a passion for service and helping children. It’s a powerful combination that led to a variety of ideas, reports and programs that supported in a very concrete way children’s education, protection and development in countries all over the world."

Carol Bellamy
Former UNICEF Executive Director and former head of Peace Corps

6 Playful Facts About Me

1

I Take Mystery Trips

This is when I go to the airport with my friend and former business partner Allison…without a plan. We bring our passports, stay within budget, and choose a destination neither of us has been to before. We book the tickets as if we’re at a train station and figure out where we’ll stay and what we’ll see when we arrive. It turns out that not knowing what’s next in a PLAYFUL way is good training for when you need that muscle to be resilient in the unknown.


2

I Handstand...A Lot

I was a gymnast and dancer who found yoga in my 20s. My parents tell me I used to watch Sesame Street on my head. I’m on a mission to handstand in as many countries as I can before I die, and hold one for over two minutes by the time I’m 60. What I know is that kicking upside down - even for seconds - is not only playful, it’s a metaphor for flipping your perspective on life. What happens when you see your problems in a new way?


3

I Believe Laughter is the Best Medicine

Will mention the influence of my doctor dad, how i learned lightness, and the “Older Self”.


4

I Experience Synchronicity

Will explain why it happens, the importance of tuning in, and briefly about my monthly animal messengers.


5

I've Made History on 5 Continents with a Man Who is Blind

Will explain why being nervous and excited at the same time is important in growth and resilience.


6

I'm a Mom of 3, Including Twins

Will briefly write about the gift times two, life in double… twin mom shout outs.

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