Meet Our Team
Co-founder
Aliyya Mattos
Aliyya brings diverse experience including project management at a fintech start-up, curriculum development for national charter school organization, social responsibility and sustainability for a commodity trading company, teaching Junior High in the Peace Corps and as the trustee of an AMI Montessori School. She holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Cornell University, Johnson School of Business. She lives in Marin County with her husband and three young children.
Co-founder
Cheryl Chretien
Cheryl brings over fifteen years of classroom experience with three to six-year-olds at an AMI school, where she supports both children and their parents in best practices for independence and child development. Supports families who strive to be better parents and seek to support their children’s learning. She holds a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.A. from Loyola College and Association Montessori International Training from the Montessori Institute of San Diego. She lives in Marin County with her husband and two young children.
Photographer
Katherine Emery
Bringing our concept to life with her beautiful imagery. Follow Katherine on Instagram here.
“I am interested in the fibers connecting self to family and other forms of belonging—but also those that may reveal a tension between how we see ourselves and how we feel defined. As humans, we make sense of our world through storytelling. I am curious about the narratives that confine us, the narratives that connect us, and those we create to set us free.”
Contributor
Desiree Dorfman
Desiree has been focused on raising her family since her first child was born in October 2017. She doubled down on this endeavor when her second child was born in September 2021. She’s interested in helping parents find the joy in every stage of their child’s development while simultaneously recognizing the hard parts. She’s discovered writing helps her process parenting. Prior to holding down the home front, she worked with three to six-year-olds at an AMI Montessori school, where she supported the children becoming lifelong lovers of learning. She graduated with highest honors in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and holds her AMI primary diploma from the AMI Teacher Training Center of Northern California. She lives in Marin County with her husband and two young children. You can often find her walking, talking, and drinking coffee or reading and listening to all the parenting podcasts.
Contributor
Kaitlin Van Acker
Kaitlin Van Acker is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who is trained in the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach. Through a career as an Elementary School Counselor and a private practice, Kaitlin worked with a wide range of children and families. She ran “Courage Groups” for children with OCD and worked with parents of children whom suffered from anxiety. Kaitlin combined skill building from the CBT approach with art therapy techniques. She holds a certificate for AMI Certification Training as well. Currently residing in Marin County, Kaitlin has three young children who attend an AMI Montessori school.
Contributor
Argavan Nilforoush
Argavan is Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with 15 years of experience working with families, infants, toddlers, older children and teens in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Her private practice, Baby Steps Nutrition, offers individualized nutrition consulting and counseling services to children ages birth-21 years with a variety of medical conditions and health issues/concerns.
Argavan also hosts the Baby Steps Nutrition Podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music. She covers a variety of topics related to nutrition and, health and wellness, which impacts children of all ages and stages. Each episode features insightful conversations with experts who offer tips, tricks, and resources to empower families to make positive changes every day that have a lasting impact.
Contributor
Kelly Lauber
Kelly Lauber is a backyard farmer and artist who sees incredible beauty in growing food from seed to harvest and sharing it with others.
Soul Farmer was founded on the vision of inspiring the act of sharing soulful gifts that help us to live a more nourished life. It started in the midst of the pandemic with Kelly’s desire to reconnect with herself and Mother Nature, share inspired meals with her family and community, and simply give a gift of goodness to others. Kelly transitioned her garden to a backyard farm and began the journey of growing, harvesting and sharing curated, one-of-kind, bouquets. Through seasonal bouquets and soulful experiences, Soul Farmer is a gift that keeps on giving to everyone that it touches.
Contributor
Jackie Crown, L.Ac, DACM, CPD
Jackie Crown (Postpartum Doula, Doctor of Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine) is the founder of Fourthouse Wellness, an SF/Marin-based practice focused on elevating the postpartum experience for all.
Jackie calls upon her training in acupuncture, herbal medicine, functional nutrition and doula care to guide her clients through pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery. She fervently believes that postpartum recovery starts long before childbirth, offering her clients a comprehensive curriculum designed to prepare them for the inevitable body, mind and spiritual changes that come with becoming a mother.
Jackie is immensely passionate about postpartum wellness and specifically perinatal mental health, serving as a California Board of Directors member for Postpartum Support International.
Contributor
Johnny Gnall
Johnny Gnall grew up in the Washington, DC area and earned his bachelor's in English at Colgate University before making a career shift into the hospitality industry and attending the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. It was there that he met his future wife and fell in love with her and the Bay Area. Johnny went on to cook in fine dining, catering and corporate catering in SF, before he and his wife, Julia, moved to Sonoma County to open their own catering business and start their family. They now live in Windsor with their children: Jackson, 6, and Leah, 2. In addition to gardening, growing, and cooking all things culinary, Johnny has also been an avid writer since grade school and his work has been published various times in online and printed publications.
Contributor
Kim Berry
Kim is an Art Consultant and admirer of all things beautiful and creative.
Formerly working in Art Management and Product Development for companies such as Serena & Lily, Restoration Hardware and One Kings Lane and with a B.A. in World Arts & Cultures and Art History from UCLA, she now helps people find beauty and creativity within their own lives. Kim lives in Marin County with her husband and two Montessori educated children.
Contributor
Hannah Price
Hannah is a holistic wellness coach and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance. Through her kids yoga program, Hello Yogi Kids, Hannah aims to empower little yogis to connect more deeply with themselves and shine their lights brighter.
Contact hannahlauraprice@gmail.com to inquire about group or one-on-one kids yoga classes.
Contributor
Zil Jaeger
Zil (they/them) is an experienced Montessori teacher, consultant, and coach, with a passion for literacy and a steadfast commitment to anti-bias, antiracist education. They are trained at the 3-6 and 6-12 ages, with multiple literacy certifications. They believe that classrooms should be spaces of joy, critical engagement, and community-minded learning. An advocate for the science of reading, Zil is devoted to translating the latest research into effective classroom strategies. They love supporting teachers, caregivers, and schools to empower children in their learning. You can learn more at their website or on Instagram.
Contributor
Melissa Lari
Melissa is an AMI trained teacher that brings over 13 years of classroom experience with three to six-year-olds children at an AMI Montessori school. She enjoys supporting young children and their families on how to best support their growth and independence. She holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego in Spanish Literature, and Association Montessori International certification from the Montessori Institute of San Diego. She lives in Marin County with her husband and two teens.