Raising Kids Who Are Rooted, Ready and Real

A book for parents of children aged 6 to 12. Coming in 2027.

If you cut a tree in half, you can read its whole life in its rings. Every year leaves a mark, and the earliest rings become the heartwood: the strong core that holds the tree up for the rest of its life.

Children grow the same way. Every year of your child’s life lays down a ring, whether anyone is paying attention or not. The Heartwood Principle™ is about having a say in what goes into those rings while they’re still forming.

What you’ll find inside

• Why the years between 6 and 12 are a golden window for your child’s inner life, and why they’re so often overlooked

• Simple, everyday practices you can start immediately, using breath, movement, touch, creativity, play, and time outdoors

• Honest labels on every practice, so you know what’s backed by research, what’s still being discovered, and what comes from longstanding cultural traditions

• Real stories from a family living it right now, imperfect nights included

Why I’m writing it

I’m not a psychologist or a doctor. I’m a mum, and I came to this the way many parents do: through exhaustion, love, and a feeling that something was missing. After my kid’s neurospicy diagnosis, and a subsequent one of my own, I went looking for tools I wish I’d had at her age. This book is what I found, curated for busy families and written by a former skeptic.

— Louise Adhikari, founder of Focused Intentional Things