HopeKids Parent Huddle

Marissa Leinart is passionate about strengthening the relationship between parents and their kids. She started the nonprofit Parent Led Academy to equip parents/caregivers with the social-emotional skills needed to model healthy behaviors to their children.

She’s been married to a super rad husband, Bill for 29 years and says her proudest accomplishment is being a mom to 25-year-old Linzey a vet and 23-year-old Will, an entrepreneur.

Marissa strives to keep life simple, peaceful yet courageous. For the music people out there, you would find her somewhere between Earth Wind & Fire, the Bee Gees and Kenny G.

Laurie Arnold is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 20 years of experience working in the field of family therapy who currently sees women and couples in private practice. She’s a native of Colorado who moved to Arizona in 2020 with her husband and 15-year-old
daughter, Julia and their goofy golden doodle, Macaroni.

Laurie’s daughter Julia was born with a rare chromosome abnormality and has lived with epilepsy since infancy. She’s a proud member of the Special Needs Moms Club and has written about and spoken to various groups on the unique and often misunderstood experience of being a special needs parent.

When Laurie isn’t seeing clients or vigilantly monitoring Julia, you might find her intending to
read a book but falling asleep after just two pages.