Education Consultant, International Speaker, Published Author

Claudine Fernandez has spent over a decade at the intersection of education, coaching, and human development. She works with children who need to find their voice, families who want to understand each other better and schools that are building the kind of teaching culture where everyone thrives.

Her journey began in the classroom. As a teacher and curriculum designer, Claudine saw firsthand how much a child's ability to communicate clearly, confidently, and authentically shaped not just their academic outcomes, but their sense of self. She also noticed something else: that the most impactful interventions rarely stopped at the child. They rippled outward into the home, into the family dynamic, and into the school environment that either supported or constrained a child's growth.

That insight became the foundation of everything she does today.

For the children she coaches, Claudine creates a safe, nurturing space where young people develop real communication skills: speaking with clarity, writing with purpose, and showing up with the confidence to be heard. Her approach is playful and intuitive, drawing on strengths-based coaching, personality profiling, and narrative techniques to help each child discover their unique voice. Whether a child is preparing for a high-stakes DSA interview or simply learning to express themselves without shutting down, Claudine meets them exactly where they are.

For the families she works with, Claudine offers something equally powerful: the tools to truly understand one another. Through DISC profiling and in-depth debriefing sessions, she helps parents see their child and themselves with new eyes. Why does their child withdraw under pressure? Why do certain conversations always end in conflict? DISC profiling doesn't just describe a child's personality; it illuminates the dynamic between parent and child, giving families a shared language and practical strategies to connect more deeply at home.

For the schools she partners with, Claudine brings the perspective of an educator who has lived the full arc of the profession: from classroom teacher to coach to consultant. She works with school leaders on the challenges that matter most: how to hire teachers who are genuinely the right fit, how to develop and train them in ways that build lasting capability, and how to create the conditions that make great educators want to stay. With a Master's in Education from Harvard University and years of curriculum design experience, she understands what good teaching looks like and what it takes to build a school culture that sustains it.

Warm, rigorous, and deeply practical, Claudine holds a Master of Education from Harvard University, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education from NIE Singapore, and certifications in life coaching, behavioral consulting, and career coaching. She is also a TEDx speaker and brings that same clarity of thought and authentic presence to every client she works with.

At the heart of it all is a simple belief: that when children are understood, families are connected, and teachers are supported, extraordinary things happen. That is what Thriving Saplings exists to make possible.