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About Curious Neuron

We are on a mission to build the field of proactive parental well-being

The mom of 3 and neuroscientist behind Curious Neuron

About 7 years ago, I made the decision to step away from academia to focus on raising my children. That’s also when Curious Neuron was born. Originally conceived as a resource to assist parents in understanding their child’s emotional development, it quickly evolved into something much bigger.

I soon came to realize that for parents to truly support their children, they needed to prioritize their own well-being first. That realization led Curious Neuron to transform into a globally recognized platform dedicated to nurturing parental well-being.

Here at Curious Neuron, our mission is simple yet profound: to develop accessible, user-friendly tools and content that proactively supports parental well-being.

Every piece of content we produce is grounded in scientific evidence. I firmly believe that arming parents with scientifically-backed knowledge and skills is crucial in helping them navigate the beautiful yet challenging journey of parenthood.

The black hole of parental well-being

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of connecting with thousands of parents. Every conversation has led to some version of “I wasn’t well, yet I had to raise and nurture my child during this difficult time and there were no resources out there to help me”.

From moms and dads retrospectively realizing they had postpartum anxiety (yet no one evaluated them at the doctors office), to parents telling their doctor they were not well, yet not meeting the diagnosis for a depression or anxiety and therefore being sent home without any support.

Our mental health care system is reactive. It waits until you can’t functioning anymore, THEN it gives you some support. However, there is LOTS of room for improvement. We are seeing more well-being and mental health support for parents but these resources are not placing the control in the parent’s hands like we are.

We want to help parents learn, reflect and practice skills that are known to support your well-being. Emotion regulation skills, communication skills, conflict resolution, mindfulness, emotional awareness are all examples of ways we can proactively nurture our own well-being and mental health.

The better the relationships are in our lives, including the one with ourselves, the more connected we feel and the happier and more fulfilled we feel as well. This means that when a stress arises, we can handle it better and feel more resilient.

Welcome to Curious Neuron, you are not alone!

Scientific publications, speaking engagements and collaborations

Dr. Cindy Hovington has published her work in psychological and educational journals including Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, BMC Psychiatry, Schizophrenia and Science and Children.

She is a parenting contributor for CJAD800 and has appeared on Global News Montreal.

Curious Neuron and Dr. Cindy Hovington’s work has been highlighted in Canadian, US and UK magazines. Click here to learn more about her media appearances.

She has given webinars for Learn Quebec, The Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists, The Society for functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy 2021 conference and more.

She has worked with companies including Pampers, Pok Pok, Brightlobe, Edx Education, Dadditude, Grin Natural, Groops, Peanut and more.

About Curious Neuron

At Curious Neuron, we are dedicated to empowering parents by providing evidence-based resources and fostering a supportive community, enabling them to prioritize self-care, understand their child's emotional development, and cultivate essential emotion regulation skills.

Mission

Our mission is to empower parents to become emotionally regulated, connected, and resilient leaders for their children. We are dedicated to supporting parental well-being by providing science-based insights, practical skills and fostering supportive connections.

Vision

Our vision is to pioneer innovative practices in parental well-being, empowering every parent to foster a nurturing and supportive family environment.

Too busy to read our articles?

Listen to the our podcast

Meet The Team

Our team members are passionate about supporting parents!

“I love how Curious Neuron asks parents what they need rather than assuming!”

Cara, Colorado, USAMom of an 18-month-old

Cindy Hovington, Ph.D.

Founder and CEO

Photo of Denisse Martinez

Denisse Martinez Zamora

Marketing and Community Lead

Claudia Belliveau, Ph.D.

Administrator and Director of Knowledge Translation

Rachel (Ph.D. Candidate, McGill University)

Knowledge Translation Lead

Our Clinical Advisory Team

Dr. Tamara Soles

Psychologist

Member of the Ordre des Psychologues du Quebec

Founder and director of The Secure Child (Instagram)

Host of This Hour has 55 min Podcast

Quebec, Canada

Dr. Ruchi Agnihotri, MD

Pediatrician

Canadian Paediatric Society Executive

Ontario, Canada

Bethan O'Riordan

Psychotherapist specialising in parenting support

Founder of the Calm Parenting Club - supporting parents to be the parent, and person, they'd like to be.

Host of the Mum Mind Podcast (or how to stop your mother falling out of your mouth)

Cork City, Ireland

Our Advisory Team

Dr. Ashley Wazana, MD

FRQS Senior Clinician Scientist, McGill University

Early Childhood Disorders day treatment program, co-director at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal

Quebec, Canada

Lise Milne, MSW, RSW, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina

Chair in Child and Youth Health and Well-Being, Child Trauma Research Centre
Full Faculty Member - McGill Centre for Research on Children and Families

Alberta, Canada

Dr. Deborah Da Costa

Associate Professor, Department of Medicine

Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, & Psychologist at the McGill Comprehensive Health Improvement Program.

Eszter Szekely, PhD

Assistant Professor, McGill University

Lady Davis Research Institute, the Jewish General Hospital

Department of Psychiatry, McGill University

Enough Talk, Let's Build Something Together

Want to work with Dr. Cindy Hovington?

We don’t only work with parents. We collaborate with brands and organizations dedicated to supporting well-being.

  • Parental well-being content creation (articles, video’s, podcasts, etc.)
  • Workshops dedicated to support parents at your workplace
  • Leadership training focused on stress management and the science of well-being at the workplace