About kinder co.
Understanding children doesn't always come from raising them. Sometimes it comes from choosing them, over and over, for nearly 15 years.
I'm not a parent. I'll tell you that upfront. Who I am is someone who has spent nearly 15 years in child development by genuine calling, in schools, homes, and clinical settings, sitting with families in the hard moments and the confusing ones. My perspective isn't "I've been there." It's something different: deep expertise in how children actually develop, and a complete absence of judgment about how you're doing it.
How it started
It started in a backyard, raking leaves and chatting with a group of moms about potty training. I offered some tips. That turned into my first workshop.
What I kept hearing wasn't about my degrees. It was: "You're the first person who made me feel like I wasn't being judged."
That's what kinder co. is. A place parents can come when they have more questions than answers. When Google isn't cutting it anymore. When they need someone in their corner who knows what they're talking about and isn't going to make them feel behind for asking.
Think of it as the village member you can call when things get tough — not to be told what to do, but to figure it out together.
"That's what kinder co. is. A translation. Ten-plus years of child development expertise, distilled into workshops, conversations, and resources that real families can actually pick up and run with, starting today."
Kristen Martin, founder
Based in Tacoma, WA, serving families across the greater Pacific Northwest — from Olympia to Seattle and everywhere in between.
The expertise
The background
behind the work.
My background spans behavior observation and analysis, organizational development, and elementary education. I understand not just how kids behave, but why — and how to build the kind of family systems that actually hold up in real life.
Classrooms, clinical settings, homes across the PNW. Children have always been where the work feels most purposeful.
D.Ed. Candidate
Neurodiversity Inclusion
Penn State UniversityM.Ed. Special Education
Applied Behavior Analysis
Penn State UniversityM.P.S. Organization Development & Change
Systems thinking applied to family dynamics
Penn State UniversityB.S. Elementary Education
Cum Laude · K-5 intervention and curriculum design
Penn State UniversityThe kinder co. philosophy
Real strategies
for real families.
There's no shortage of parenting content. What's harder to find is someone who knows the science, skips the jargon, and shows up without an agenda.
That's the standard I hold everything to.
Evidence-based
Rooted in child development science, not trends, not guesswork, not what worked for someone else's kid.
Judgment-free
No shame about where you're starting. Every family gets a genuine ally in their corner, not a list of things they should have done differently.
Practical
Tools you can use the same day. Not theory, not homework. Strategies that fit into real family life.
Accessible
Expertise shouldn't be out of reach. Priced for real families, not clinical budgets.
Ready to find your footing?
Start with a free intro call, bring Kristen into your home, or reach out with a question. There's no wrong place to begin.
