We share entrepreneurial stories to inspire great ideas...
Karen Tompkins
When my first child was born she stopped breathing. Yes, she did survive—but it kept happening. Three years later we learned she was missing a part of her brain that controlled breathing. I desperately wanted to fix her and I didn’t know how. It became my mission to learn all things neuroscience. Over the past 30 years, I have hunted down knowledge from neurologists across the world and in universities across Canada and the States. My passion to help others understand their anger and anxiety began when I became a parent and has been fueled with my love of education. Connect with Karen here…
Join us for an interview with Karen Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real and if you’re on the move here is the podcast.
MoveON with KTompkins, Karen Tompkins
- Contributed By: Karen Tompkins
Tell us a little something about your business...
I create environments where differences are expected rather than the exception. My daughter lives with a rare disorder that includes some brain malformations which result in sensory dysfunction and global developmental delays. As an educator of 30+ years, it was a natural step to share my advocacy strategies and learnings with parents, educators and advocates across Ontario, the United States and England. I have been an invited speaker for many conferences, the most recent at Karis Disabilities Services (previously named Christian Horizons) annual regional conference, the 25th International Fathers and Families Conference as well as the Wyoming Department of Developmental Disabilities annual conference.
My past work has also included several terms as president of the international Joubert Syndrome Foundation, organizing international conferences for researchers working on Joubert Syndrome as a cilia-based condition, and participation with the Genetic Alliance in developing the US-based Patient Centered Outcome Research Initiative (PCORI). In my professional work, my classrooms were very diverse in culture and ability. Our school was hosted a city-wide English Language Learner for new Canadians as well as a city-wide special education program for which I was the program lead for several years. In addition, I was very active in our Gender-Sexuality Alliance, being one of the first schools in our county to offer such a program.
Currently, I am a specialist in inclusive education and recently completed my Master of Education: Curriculum Strand (May, 2024) and hold both a B. Ed. (1990) and a B. A. Honours (1980)with a focus on drama in education, special education and developmental psychology. On numerous occasions, I have been called upon to share best-practices and current knowledge in assessment, curriculum development, as well as addressing special education needs in a mainstream classroom.
I am the author of the children’s book Different is Just… Different with accompanying lesson plans and guided reading scripts. My book Purple Stew: A Journey to a Diagnosis (out of print) is available as a free download in order to assist more parents in supporting their children with rare disorders.
When was your lightbulb moment?
When my first child was born she stopped breathing. Yes, she did survive—but it kept happening. Three years later we learned she was missing a part of her brain that controlled breathing. I desperately wanted to fix her and I didn’t know how. It became my mission to learn all things neuroscience. Drawing on my experience as a teacher and curriculum developer I hunted down knowledge with neurologists across the world and in universities across Canada and the States. My passion to help others understand their anger and anxiety began when I became a parent and has been fueled with my love of education.
What are your three words of advice?
Breathe: There is a wealth of scientific evidence that the simple act of taking a few deep breaths can be calming and focussing. Deep breathing is a regular part of mindfulness and behavioural programs. The added bonus is that it gives you time to think before you react while in a stressful situation.
Educate: Understanding that not all visible behaviour is driven by cognitive decision-making assists you in de-escalating your own reaction to someone else’s anger or anxiety. Anxiety is your body’s response to unresolved stress. Just having that knowledge can make a world of difference… or a different world.
Communicate: You are not alone. Taking the risk to share your fears allows you to find support in people you may not have know could be helpful to you.
Three words of advice...
Breathe *Educate *Communicate
When my first child was born she stopped breathing. Yes, she did survive—but it kept happening. Three years later we learned she was missing a part of her brain that controlled breathing. I desperately wanted to fix her and I didn’t know how. It became my mission to learn all things neuroscience. Over the past 30 years, I have hunted down knowledge from neurologists across the world and in universities across Canada and the States. My passion to help others understand their anger and anxiety began when I became a parent and has been fueled with my love of education. Connect with Karen here…
Join us for an interview with Karen Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real and if you’re on the move here is the podcast.
“May your legacy create a footprint of success for the next person who steps into your shoes”
