Holding Steady: Self-Belief Coaching for Exam-Season Parents
Your teen’s exams are looming.
The pressure is rising.
And no one prepared you for just how much it would trigger... you.
If you’ve found yourself overthinking, second-guessing, or quietly panicking as your child faces their GCSEs or A-Levels, you are not alone.
This isn’t just any exam season — this is the fallout of years of uncertainty.
Why this cohort is different.
The teenagers sitting Year 11 and Year 13 exams today are not walking the same path you did.
They are the lockdown generation.
Their learning, social lives and emotional development were shaped by isolation, disruption, and the weight of uncertainty.
And it’s not just their self-belief being tested — it’s yours, too.
Because whether you realise it or not, exam season can stir up your own buried school memories:
➖ Past experiences of failure or pressure.
➖ The stories your own parents told you about success.
➖ Old beliefs about what "achievement" means.
This isn’t just your child’s challenge. It’s yours, too.
I’m Maria and over the past 17 years I have…
Worked as an English Teacher in various secondary schools in London and Dorset for over 13 years
Coached and mentored dozens of teenagers to help them build their self-esteem and find their place in the world
Worked 1:1 with many GCSE and A Level students to get them exam ready
The truth? Calm, steady parenting starts with self-belief.
When you feel grounded and steady in yourself — your teen can breathe easier, think clearer, and show up with more confidence.
When you stay calm under pressure, you model the emotional resilience they’ll need — far beyond exam season.
But the shift doesn’t happen by accident.
Testimonial
“"E did really well and literally smashed it with an 8 in English Lit! And a 7 in Art and 5 and above for the rest which puts her way above her predicted grades. She is so happy. She got there her way, and you gave me and the family the confidence to stand back to enable this to happen. She is empowered. I really appreciate all you did to help."
— Kate mum of Year 11 student
This isn’t a group programme — it’s tailored, focused 1:1 coaching designed just for you
Holding Steady combines the same evidence-based mindset tools I’ve used to support hundreds of teenagers through their exams — but this time, the focus is on you, the parent. Because while your teenager is preparing for one of the most demanding academic seasons of their life, you’re carrying the weight of your own worries, old stories about success and failure, and the pressure to keep everything calm. In our weekly sessions, we’ll work together to strengthen your self-belief, so you can show up with clarity and confidence — able to hold your teen’s emotions without being overwhelmed by them. This is deep, practical support that helps you stay steady, grounded, and strong — even when the pressure’s on.
This is where we untangle the stories you’ve carried — so they don’t get passed on.
In each session of Holding Steady, we’ll explore the deeper beliefs you hold about exams, success, failure — and where those beliefs came from. Whether it was the pressure you felt as a teen, the messages your own parents passed down, or the anxiety that creeps in when you see your teen revising too much or not enough — we’ll bring those stories to the surface, gently examine them, and start to rewrite them.
Together, we’ll:
✨ Uncover and reframe the self-doubt narratives that exams trigger in you
✨ Find new, grounded evidence to support healthier beliefs around success, effort, and outcome
✨ Create space for all your fears, worries and frustrations — so you can offload, reset, and show up with more calm
✨ Learn how to stay present and steady, without becoming entangled in your teen’s emotional rollercoaster
This is the mindset work you didn’t get as a teenager — and it’s the foundation your teen needs from you now. When you feel more anchored, you give them the gift of being believed in, just as they are.
Testimonial
“I gained more ‘clarity’ and insight than weeks of endless Googling I had done. She has a calm and open listening style and is obviously very knowledgeable… I felt empowered to deal with what had previously seemed insurmountable.”
— Scott (Dad of 3)
Holding Steady
Self-Belief Coaching for Exam-Season Parents
A 6-week private coaching programme designed to help you:
✅ Untangle old beliefs about success and failure.
✅ Break the cycle of stress, pressure and projection.
✅ Stay emotionally steady through your teen’s exam season.
✅ Support your child with calm, clarity and confidence.