Marsha was born in South Africa in 1957. With 4 sisters she was never short of confidants, friends or rivals. In 1980, she graduated from Natal University, Durban, South Africa, with a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology. In 1987, she immigrated to the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, where she lives with her husband, Russell, her four children Ilan, Adam, Dustin and Gabi and more recently, two daughters-in-law Carrie and Shirley, girlfriend, Jess and grandson, Carson. Marsha has this to say about being a mother: –

“While I began this position in South Africa, I have crossed borders with it into Canada. I consider it to be the most important job I have ever had even though there exists very little job description, no leave and I can’t, nor do I want to, resign! Watching my children grow and journey on a path meant for them, feels rewarding beyond any other conceivable experience.”

Marsha’s interests have always been and remain with children. She is a motivated researcher, particularly in the area of parenting. With 30 years of parenting experience, she has lived through many parenting trends but no single one felt complete for her. How could one book on parenting apply equally to all four of her children when they were so different?

When she discovered the idea of emotional intelligence she knew she was onto something. Not only did a child with high emotional intelligence have a greater chance for success in all areas of their lives, and not only could emotional intelligence be learned but the only way to learn it was to focus on the individual feelings, personalities, likes and dislikes of each and every child. So the more we understand our child, the greater our chances are for successful parenting. Marsha has this to say:

 “Every child is different and it is only through honouring these differences that we can allow our children to understand their fit in the world. Their happiness and success depends on this.”