It was one of those conversations I’ll never forget – not because of the drama, but because of the discomfort. Back when I worked as a community nursery nurse for the NHS, I sat among a circle of health visitors and nursery nurses in a shared office, sipping tea and debriefing between visits. We’d compare case notes, learn from each other, and question the blurry lines between safeguarding and cultural difference.

One day, a colleague returned from a home visit with a story that stopped us in our tracks.

Cultural Misalignment or Cause for Concern?

She had visited a British African family, where the mother had scooped up her newborn baby – not in her arms, but by his foot. The baby, barely weeks old, was hoisted in one swift, fluid movement, foot first, into her arms. To the visiting health professional, it looked shocking. Even dangerous. But was it?

A second colleague gently interrupted the anxious deliberation. “In parts of India,” she said, “you’ll still see mothers washing their babies in lines in the street. They scrub them hard – and it looks brutal – but it’s just their way.” And with that, we fell into a deep and respectful conversation.

This wasn’t a debate. It was a reckoning with our own assumptions – and a reminder that the lens through which we interpret family behaviour is often clouded by our own upbringing, training, and unconscious cultural values.

Understanding Through Stories, Not Statistics

That moment has stuck with me through my years in therapy. Not because of the answer (we didn’t have one), but because of the lesson: bias hides where it’s most comfortable. I’ve worked with families from a rich diversity of backgrounds since then – and I can tell you with certainty, the pressure points aren’t always obvious.

In some families, children are pushed to the edge with intense academic demands, where excellence is expected and rest is a privilege. In others, hierarchy rules, and a child’s voice might be seen as disrespectful – even dangerous. And in some families, the belief is that life is hard, and so parenting must be harder, too.

This is where the strength of our NLP4Kids coaching franchise really shows. We aren’t just training people to be therapists. We’re training them to become curious, flexible thinkers – people who can challenge their own programming, meet families where they are, and still make meaningful change.🧠✨

When we train franchisees, we don’t just teach them to think. We teach them to rethink. Every session, every family, every story is an opportunity to choose understanding over assumption.

The Bias You Don’t Know You Have

It’s easy to forget just how invisible our own norms are until they’re confronted. We might judge a parent for co-sleeping, for spanking, for being ‘too strict’ or ‘too soft.’ But what if the way they raise their child is the same way they were raised, in a community where that approach created strong, safe adults?

As NLP practitioners, it’s not our job to impose our beliefs. It’s our job to understand their beliefs – then use that insight to help the child thrive within that environment. The magic of this coaching franchise isn’t just in the tools, it’s in the humans who wield them. The ones willing to challenge their worldview, get it wrong sometimes, and grow anyway.

And that’s why being part of a diverse team, rich in life experiences and cultural backgrounds, is such a gift. When we listen to each other’s stories, it expands what’s possible in the work we do with children.

Good therapy isn’t about being right. It’s about being real – and recognising that culture shapes everything from how we speak to how we love.

Let’s Build Something Wiser Together

If you’re someone who’s already passionate about child development – but also curious, reflective, and open-hearted – our coaching franchise could be the right next step for you. It’s not always easy work, but it is transformational. For the families, and for you.

We’re looking for practitioners who are ready to do the inner work as well as the outer work. Those who see the value in discomfort, and know that the best learning often comes wrapped in uncertainty.

So if you’re ready to join a team where insight is just as valuable as intervention – where your own cultural lens is gently challenged – and where your work has the power to shift generational stories for the better…

Come find out what the NLP4Kids coaching franchise really offers.

by Gemma Bailey (with the help of Ai)

Becoming a Licensee