Classes start August 13, 2026
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Check the schedule as we’re always up to something new and exciting.

Who it's for: Middle schoolers in grades 6–8
What it is: A 6-week small group class covering emotional regulation, decision-making, self-awareness, and the mental tools that support everything else your student is learning.
What they walk away with: Language for what they're feeling, tools for what they're facing, and confidence in how they think. It changes everything. ESA-eligible — Sign them up now to accelerate emotional maturity.
🖥 Online via Zoom — Mondays 10–11am · Starts August 13
📍 In Person — Scottsdale — Fridays 9am or 2pm · Starts August 21
📍 In Person — Prescott Valley — Starts September 30 Location: Park Collective Prescott Valley
💲 $360-$650 · ESA Approved Vendor · Up to 14 students per group
Middle school is the most critical two years of your kid's emotional development. The habits they form right now — how they handle big feelings, how they make decisions, how they think about themselves — those habits follow them into adulthood.
The window is open right now. Let's use it.
Somewhere around middle school, most kids start pulling their big questions away from their parents. The one who used to ask you everything starts asking their friend group instead. That's not a sign something's wrong. It's a normal developmental shift — kids are wired to start looking outside the home for some of their answers.
If they don't have a steady, trustworthy voice to land on, they'll find one anyway — just not necessarily a good one. Mind Matters is built to be that steady voice: someone outside the family who reinforces the values you've already built into them, in language they're ready to actually hear right now.
Feelings don't have to run their whole life. They'll learn to name what they're feeling — because if you can name it you can tame it — and what to actually do with the emotions that feel overwhelming.
Zoning out is the drug of choice for this generation. They'll learn to break problems into manageable pieces, know when to ask for help, and handle what they face with confidence instead of avoidance.
Kids feel out of control of their minds. The inner critic. The catastrophizing. The comparison spiral. They'll learn to identify the thoughts working against them — and how to flip them.
When the nervous system takes over, anxiety wins. They'll learn to use their body, their senses, and movement to regulate themselves — a skill that sets them up for a lifetime of mental health.
They'll compromise their values every time to avoid losing a friend — unless they know their own boundaries. They'll learn what's okay with them, what's not, and what to do when someone pushes against that.
Too many choices leads to shutdown. They'll learn to discern what they actually want, how to handle peer pressure, and how to move forward with confidence instead of confusion.

That's developmentally normal, but need another voice in their life. That's exactly the gap Mind Matters is specifically built to fill.
I'm Kelly Garashay, ICF Certified Life Coach and Arizona ESA Approved Vendor. I've spent over two decades sitting across from kids and teens, helping them put language to what they're already feeling and figure out who they are.
I'm not a therapist. I'm not a teacher. I'm not their parent. I'm the outside voice that reinforces what you've already built into them — in a setting they'll be open to.
"Um... because it's Kelly." — Leah, when asked how Kelly made the experience good
"I like how it felt like someone finally understands me." — Naomi
"I would definitely take this class again." — Bailey
"How to calm myself down better. I'll remember those breathing techniques. And "If you can name it you can tame it." — Leah
"I learned how to properly control my emotions." — Bailey
"She wanted me to understand and be understood." — Kimber
"All the emotional stuff. Everything." — Kimber
"She's entertaining." — Kayla
"She's Kelly." — Lucy


Small group setting. Real conversation. Your kid learns alongside peers — which is half the value. Hearing other kids voice their real life struggles normalizes their own, and we specifically workshop these struggles, giving them examples on how to find the solutions that seem impossible to find. Don't miss this semester.

Pick your class and sign up. No application, no hoops. ESA Approved Vendor.
You won't find this on a report card. That's exactly why it's easy to put off.
But these are foundational skills — the kind that make every other part of growing up a little easier to navigate. Middle school is a good, natural window to build them.
"I kinda wish my parents were in it with me because they might be able to understand me better."
She wasn't wrong.
The tools your kid is learning in Mind Matters Class: how to name big feelings, how to identify the thoughts working against you, how to make decisions from your values instead of pressure, those aren't just kid tools.
These tools don't stop working at 18. The same skills that help your student also help you show up steadier for them.
Every Friday at 10:30am Kelly hosts a free 45 minute coaching call for Christian wives and moms. Real topics. Real coaching. Zero fluff.
You don't have to be ready. You just have to be curious.
"I kinda wish my parents were in it with me because they might be able to understand me better." — Life Skills: Mind Matters student