Parenting Together, founded by Maru Rojas, supports parents in building deep, authentic connections with their children through Aware Parenting, Elimination Communication and conscious parenting practices. Offering online courses, coaching and resources, Maru helps families move beyond control-based methods toward emotional attunement, nervous system regulation and connection-based parenting. With a strong focus on inclusivity and decolonising parenting practices, Parenting Together empowers parents to break generational cycles, embrace ancestral wisdom, and raise emotionally intelligent children – nurturing both family wellbeing and broader social change. Here Maru talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business, how she balances work and family life, the challenges she has overcome, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I spent over a decade working with children as an Artist and Art Educator, thinking I knew a thing or two about kids. Ha. Then I became a mother-and, well, let’s just say that reality hit me like a sleep-deprived freight train. I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and desperate for a different approach to parenting-especially when it came to sleep.
During my pregnancy, I read The Continuum Concept and went all in on attachment parenting-breastfeeding on demand, co-sleeping, the whole beautiful, exhausting package. And yet… my daughter still wasn’t sleeping longer than two hours at a time. I was drowning in sleep deprivation, cycling through every book, method, and well-meaning-but-infuriating piece of advice, all while resisting the pressure to sleep train.
Then I found Aware Parenting. It was like someone finally turned on the lights. I realised my baby didn’t need me to silence her cries-she needed me to listen. To hold space for her emotions instead of desperately trying to “fix” them. And when I finally let go of the idea that I had to stop her from crying and instead just be there for her? Everything shifted. Her sleep improved. Our connection deepened. And I started healing parts of myself I didn’t even know needed healing.
Was it easy? Absolutely not. As someone who wasn’t listened to as a child, sitting with my daughter’s big feelings was like walking barefoot over my own childhood wounds. But doing this work-really showing up for her-led me to show up for myself in ways I never had before. It was life-changing. And once I saw that transformation in my own family, I knew I had to help other parents find the same freedom.
At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to inclusivity, decolonising parenting practices, and helping families break free from the harmful cycles and cultural conditioning that tell us we have to control our children instead of connect with them. I’m here to help parents navigate the chaos, embrace ancestral wisdom, and raise emotionally intelligent kids who will challenge the disconnected, domination-based culture we’ve inherited-so we can build a more compassionate world, one well-loved child at a time.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Back in 2019, I took my first big step into parent coaching and certified as an Elimination Communication and Potty Learning Consultant. Why? Because my daughter was fully out of nappies before 16 months, and I was obsessed with helping other parents see that nappies weren’t the be all and end all and that taking babies to the potty is normally easier than potty training later on. I started running in-person workshops, sharing everything I’d learned with local parents… and then, well, the pandemic happened.
Suddenly, I was stuck at home, pregnant with my second, parenting a toddler, and trying to make sense of this strange new reality. But in the midst of all that uncertainty, something became clear: this work-helping parents feel seen and supported-was more important than ever. So I took the next big leap and certified as an Aware Parenting Instructor, diving even deeper into understanding sleep, tantrums, and how our nervous systems shape our parenting (and our kids’ ability to rest and be cooperative).
Those early days were a wild mix of survival mode, learning on the fly, and figuring out how to reach parents beyond my local workshops. But despite the chaos, it was transformative. I saw firsthand how powerful it is when parents feel held and empowered-when they realise they don’t have to struggle alone. That’s what drives me to keep doing this work: creating spaces where parents can show up as they are, feel truly heard, and build the kind of deep, authentic connections that change everything-not just for their kids, but for themselves, too.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Probably adapting my business to actually thrive during the pandemic. When lockdowns hit, my in-person workshops came to a halt, and I had a moment of, “Well, what now?“. So I shifted gears and took everything online. Suddenly, I wasn’t just working with local parents-I was connecting with families everywhere.
Virtual consultations, online courses, building a real community on social media… At first, I really missed that deep, face-to-face connection that comes with in-person work. I had to figure out how to keep that warmth and intimacy alive through a screen-and honestly? It pushed me to become an even better, more intentional guide for the parents I support.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Balancing work and family life is always a challenge. But honestly, homeschooling has been one of my biggest wins. It gives us the flexibility to shape our days around our rhythms, instead of being tied to a school or 9-to-5 schedule. That freedom means I get to soak up meaningful time with my kids and still do the work I love-helping other parents.
Working for myself also means I get to call the shots on boundaries. I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) that I can’t be available 24/7. So I unplug in the evenings and weekends, making sure work doesn’t creep into every corner of my life.
At the end of the day, I don’t see work and family as competing forces-I see them as deeply connected. My kids fuel the work I do, and homeschooling reminds me daily why curiosity, connection, and balance matter so much in both parenting and business.
