Community Highlights: Meet Denise Clark Priest of Cut the Crap Parenting

Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Clark Priest.

Hi Denise, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
I love learning, and I love learning about the way the body works. When I was pregnant with my first child, I read everything I could get my hands on about pregnancy, childbirth, and human development. It really changed the trajectory of my life. I embraced a natural and holistic lifestyle for myself and my family. 

Through peer-to-peer breastfeeding support groups, birth circles, and playgroups, I noticed that people were turning to me with questions of their own. They told me they often found themselves wondering, “What Would Denise Do?” 

When I accepted the necessity of leaving my marriage with 3 children under the age of 7 who were benefiting from attachment parenting, I knew that earning money wouldn’t be as simple as “getting a job.” And so, I created a way to support other families who wanted to live happier, healthier lives with clean food, clear boundaries, respectful communication, and less stuff. That way is called Cut The Crap Parenting: Where Gentle Parenting Meets Real Life. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The tricky part of starting a fairly unique business while establishing a new household and navigating the emotional turmoil of divorce was (and still is!) staying present (physically and emotionally) for my own family. I often felt as though I was helping a lot of things (kids, business, myself!) merely survive but not thrive. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Cut the Crap Parenting. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Cut The Crap Parenting helps families live happier, healthier lives with clean food, clear boundaries, respectful communication, and less stuff. The Guided Family Problem Solving session sets this business apart. A specific, recurring struggle is identified, and a specific solution is chosen from several options. It’s well-known that being successful at one challenge feeds the courage to tackle the next, and that’s what I’m here for: Helping families hear their inner voice (again,) rebuild trust, and move forward on their own two feet. 

Beyond working with individual families, I love presenting workshops and helping families at similar stages build their toolbox for common challenges as well as getting prepared for what’s to come. Unlike therapy, we’re looking forward, not back. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Most people don’t know that Cut The Crap Parenting is only a small piece of a big project that will make life better for individual families, which then impacts their community and ultimately, our world. 

The Shoals Center is the first piece to be brought to life. As Wilmington’s first and only intergenerational lifelong learning and community center, T.S.C. demonstrates what’s possible when clean food, clear boundaries, respectful communication, and less stuff are implemented in the arenas of education, the empowerment of stay-at-home parents, and community-building. While The Shoals Center certainly occupies particular spaces, it’s really a culture, a way of doing and of being, and it can exist anywhere. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://CutTheCrapParenting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutthecrapparenting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cutthecrapparenting

Image Credits
Michelle Brinn
ElizabethEllenPhotography