Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Siury Pulgar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Siury, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

My good friend Anna Marie had her second child recently and despite being sleep-deprived and juggling a toddler and a newborn, she helped me get my website ready, my email marketing strategy going, and basically lifted me up when my book was coming out last month. Thanks to her kindness and support, when my family had experienced the loss of a relative and my husband had to travel overseas, I was still ready the day of launch and the book release was a success. That was definitely an act of kindness I will forever be grateful for.

Siury, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I had charted a different path for me in my early 20s when I managed the public image of big tech corporations in Latin America. The next step clearly was a better, higher role in public relations. Then, something snapped in me when I walked into a public library, and it was the discovery of the greater good. This idea of just doing good for the simple sake of the betterment of people’s lives and improving society as a whole. That was a new concept. One that was not so common in the South American country I grew up in, where helping others was something only rich people could afford to do. That’s when I chose to use my voice to advocate for worthy causes, to help people instead of giant businesses. I politely declined an acceptance letter into a PR executive program I had applied to and set my goal on a master’s program in international education policy. I got in, and my life forever changed.

What I loved about education is that you don’t necessarily have to be a teacher to make a difference. You can do research, you can set policies, you can create programs, you can reform schools, you can guide families. And, out of all those things, nothing feels more rewarding than supporting parents in their journey of educating their children from a place of calm and confidence. I have taught parents to build reading routines even if they were never read to, spoke the language, or knew how to read themselves. I have helped parents find the sweet spot between supporting their kids with homework and helping them build independence and responsibility.

I am now an independent parent and education coach, helping families to find a school that fits just right for their particular child, not because the reviews say so or because that is the one assigned to them by district boundaries, but because it is the right fit. Kids do better when they learn in an environment where they feel seen, welcome, and valued for who they are at this moment, not for who they should become in the distant future.

When I moved to California in 2011, I was pregnant with my first child. Not knowing anything about the schools in the Bay Area, I spent hours looking at the different learning theories, education approaches, teaching styles and obviously, preschool admissions page. Two things were shocking: tuition costs and the race to get in. Despite the skyrocketing price, schools were at capacity. It seemed a trend all too common in large cities.

This stressful and costly journey of educating your child is not unique to the early years of preschool, but all throughout elementary, middle, and high school. It gets harder when families make moving decisions based on schools.

For example, if a couple without kids get new jobs and move to a new city, renting or buying a home is just renting or buying a home. They probably consider commute time to work, affordability, safety, comfort, etc. But, if the same couple have kids, then the search becomes a hunt for a good school district with high ratings. And, sometimes, the same couple ends up paying not only for the rent/mortgage they budgeted, but also for an expensive private school tuition because they realize the local public school was not a good match.

I am a mother of 2 middle school age girls. I have now experienced first hand a full menu of options: public, private, charter, homeschool, Montessori, parent-participation, project-based, inter-disciplinary learning. The list is long. Every day, I uncover a new trend in education, a new school, a new model. The old me would have collapsed of exhaustion and overwhelm, but overtime I have developed a formula to understand the family and the student and to match them to the right learning environment. I am a sort of student-school match-making.

I coach people to do 3 things:

1-Get to the core of what matters to them when it comes to raising kids. (This is my parenting coaching piece).
2-Get to know their kids extremely well (communication and connection between parents and kids)
3-Ask the right questions, meet the right people and, ultimately, find the right school (education, advocacy and networking)

In the process, I also coach families who may need financial aid to attend private schools or those who want to get into a lottery system for a public charter.

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

I am proud of the book project I was a part of recently. The book launched on May 8th and in less than 24 hours it reached #1 International Best Seller Status on Amazon. It was a collaboration with more than 50 authors who provided their wisdom and expertise about a myriad of topics related to parenting. In my chapter, “Finding the School that Fits Your Child, Not You” I help families support their children’s education journey with calm, clarity, and compassion.

I spend most of my days visiting schools, talking to staff and families, and putting together free workshops for parents. The start of the school year is the ideal time to start the process of school search for the following year. So, whether you have to find a new school because your child is going into middle school or, perhaps, you think your child can be happier in a different environment, I am happy to help you take the first step with empathy, not urgency or stress.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I am a woman, a mom, an immigrant, a daughter, a wife. There are so many demands expected from me. I feel like that fish swimming against the current most of the time. I first had to unlearn my own beliefs about what it meant to be a mom and also a professional. I did not have a lot of role models growing up of women who worked outside the home, who started businesses or accomplished great things while raising kids. So, in many ways, I had to make my own path. At 17, I moved away to a bigger city to study and work and at 23 I left my country, also to study and work. I was the first in my family to do that. Overtime, I have inspired younger generations of cousins to be more independent and brave in their life decisions. I am proud of that.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The one resource I absolutely rely on to continue growing my business is my community, mostly formed by other women like me, also raising kids, and also carving time to further their dreams. There are teachers I have met along the way, parents of my kids’s friends, neighbors, former classmates, and other parent coaches walking a similar path as mine. They are all part of that special supportive community.

During Covid, a good friend suggested I join a workshop led by two Latina women entrepreneurs, 10 years younger than me, who had just become mothers themselves. Their newly formed community was called Conectando Marcas, or Connecting Brands. I did not mind the age gap. I loved the fresh ideas, the innovation, the sorority, the boldness. I learned so much then, and continue to learn now. After five years, we still meet every month to discuss marketing trends, business strategy, technology innovations, motherhood struggles, and so much more. It is this community that lifts me when I feel like giving up. They celebrate my successes as much as I celebrate theirs.

Community is the single most important resource that I have, and it is priceless.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.siurypulgar.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siurypulgar/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siurypulgar/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/criarconintencion/

Image Credits

Zahra Habibi Photography