Rachel Tomlinson

About Rachel

Rachel Tomlinson is a registered psychologist, practice principal at Toward Wellbeing, and the author of Teaching Kids to Be Kind — a bestselling book that has been published in nine languages and reached families and educators across the world. That reach is not accidental. The book addresses something that parents and teachers consistently identify as urgent — the practical question of how kindness is actually cultivated in children, rather than simply hoped for — and it does so with the specificity and evidence base of a trained clinician, not a self-help generalist.

Rachel's practice specialises in child and family psychology, which means her speaking is grounded in the messy reality of how families actually function, how children actually develop, and where the conventional wisdom about raising resilient, emotionally healthy kids tends to come apart. She works at the intersection of clinical psychology and everyday life — translating research on child development, mental health, and emotional regulation into frameworks that parents, educators, and organisations working with young people can actually use.

For parenting conferences, early childhood education events, school communities, mental health forums, and corporate wellbeing programs, Rachel Tomlinson offers something that is both rigorous and immediately practical. Her sessions on resilience, kindness, and mental health are not abstract — they are grounded in clinical observation and delivered with the warmth of someone who has spent years working directly with families navigating real difficulty. Audiences leave with concrete strategies they can apply the same day, and with a deeper appreciation for why the early work of building emotional health is the most important work of all.