A passion for parenting
Sue and Raphaelle are passionate about
helping parents be the best they can be.
Who Are We?
Parenting with Purpose was launched in 2017 while Sue was attending the Distinguished Careers Institute at Stanford University. On her return to the UK, Sue was joined by Raphaelle and they now offer team-taught on-line classes to parents in the United States, South Africa, Europe and the United Kingdom.
About Sue
Sue Kumleben has worked in the rapidly developing field of Parent Coaching for over 18 years helping thousands of parents. Sue received her initial training from the New Learning Centre in London where she worked with children who had been expelled from or left mainstream school. From 2004 until 2016, she worked with The Parent Practice, a London-based consultancy. Sue has lectured at schools on three continents, worked with corporations in the UK and US, received a European-wide accolade from the Young Presidents’ Organization, and mentored countless private clients. In January 2017, Sue was accepted to Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute. While enrolled in a wide variety of psychology, neurobiology and Master Teaching courses, she also taught parenting classes for Stanford students and staff. One father commented that her class was “way more impactful than most of my classes here at Stanford”.
When the pandemic hit, Sue and Raphaelle taught their courses for free for one year, asking parents who could to make donations to a South African family charity, raising well over a quarter of a million rand.
Born in Buffalo, NY, Sue and her South African husband moved to the UK in 1992 where they have raised three children. Their eldest child needed to come out of mainstream school at age 7. Once Sue discovered the skills she now teaches, her son was able to return part-time to school at age 9 ½ and ultimately attended Westminster School in London for 6th form. He now holds a BA in philosophy from the University of Chicago and a Masters in Political Philosophy from Claremont. Sue began her previous career as a lawyer with Davis Polk, a Wall Street law firm, then as Associate General Counsel for Remy Martin. She graduated from Williams College (BA History), and holds a JD from the University of Virginia Law School and a BSc in Voluntary Sector Organisation from the London School of Economics.
Sue’s clients describe her as a “modern day Mary Poppins”, and a “parenting Ninja”, but what many parents mention is her deep empathy and the power of the many stories she shares, her own and clients, to help them turn their good intentions into reality.
About Raphaelle
After graduating from the Sorbonne with an MA in Entertainment Law and a BA in History of Art, Raphaelle spent 15 years in the art world, running her gallery BISCHOFF/WEISS and consulting for clients.
Following her passion for yoga, she qualified as a teacher and did numerous trainings to further her interest in somatic practices. She also spent a summer at SOAS studying the history and philosophy of yoga and meditation. In 2017 she joined the development board of Client Earth, an environmental NGO that uses law to defend the planet.
A mother of 2 teenagers, she attended her first parenting course in 2007. While she revisited the course regularly, she also attended the Hoffman Process in 2011. Since 2020 she has been co-teaching with Sue, bringing her extraordinary empathy and wisdom to Parenting with Purpose.