Best-selling author Mary is passionate about empowering children and preparing them for life's challenges by promoting a growth mindset, cultivating self-confidence and helping them deal with difficult emotions and feelings. She has self-published 26 books and her book series “Ninja Life Hacks series” has been developed with the sole purpose of helping children learn valuable life skills. Mary has been successfully enriching people’s lives for 20 years through her companies, Nhinja, Lean CEO, and Grow Grit. This dynamic mom and entrepreneur have been awarded the Forty under 40 and Inc 5000.

Can you tell us about the idea behind your book “Kind Ninja”?M: Kind Ninja was inspired by my boys. They weren’t born with the social, emotional skills needed to navigate life so we intentionally work on it at home. One of our core values is compassion and empathy. It’s important to me that they are able to understand how another people is feeling in different situations.

Who can benefit from reading the Ninja Life Hacks series? Where can our readers purchase your books?M: I believe anyone over 2+ years old may benefit from the Ninja Life Hacks Book Series. You may purchase worldwide from Amazon.

What is your most memorable writing project and why?M:  The thing I will always remember is co-writing my first book with my 14 year old son, Kobe. As part of homeschooling, we learned how to write and publish one together. We even completed a successful Kickstarter for How to Win Wimbledon in Pajamas. I think bonding with my teenage son in this kind of way was really, really special and I’ll forever cherish it.

How are your books being useful for children with disabilities?M:  I think it’s important to say that not all disabilities are physical. With that said, there are many cognitive, sensory, and attention disorders that our books address. Specifically, Gritty Ninja, Perfect Ninja, and Anxious Ninja helps kids focus by teaching them strategies and techniques like deep breathing and positive mantras.

What are the important life skills for a child’s growing years? How can schools assist children with learning these skills?M: Important life skills for all people not just kids include kindness, grit, mental fortitude, growth mindset, positivity, honesty, hard work, health, environmentalism, and integrity.
Schools are doing a great job with our kids but it’s important to note that it’s not the responsibility of schools and teachers to teach our kids social, emotional skills. This is a community effort with the majority of the effort lying with parents.

What is your suggestion for families of children with disabilities to empower their children?M: To empower our kids, we must equip them with the tools to handle challenges and obstacles. Many of these tools can be taught using stories that can kids can relate to. If they’re good stories, your kids won’t even know they’re learning.