Meet Hema Trukenbrod of PediaSource.com

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hema Trukenbrod.

Hema, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m not a writer…so how do I write just enough so you get to know me and not too much so I don’t look back at the article and cringe? There’s a good chance I’m going to use too many words but here goes:

Born in Malaysia, to parents who were not just professors but acclaimed ones, our lives were far from what one would stereotype them to be. We ping-ponged between the fineries of status, dinners with prominent diplomats, well known members of the business-class, government officials, the elite exposure of fine schools to .…doors slamming in our faces and living in shelters.

Given the kind of life I had, I needed a strategy to muffle all the chaos. At 12, thanks to having read somewhere that in order to work through family situations such as mine, the need for safe spaces and healthy environments was a necessity.

Using this rough algorithm as a guide, I curated a ‘library’ and created a ‘living room’ in my regular sized ‘tween bedroom. I developed pastimes like speed reading and immersed myself in martial arts, piano and gardening (loads of pumpkin vines and no pumpkins were a serious disappointment). I stayed very close to my maternal grandmother who was full of love, conversation and teachings.

My friendships were intentionally curated as well. I wouldn’t allow any children who bore the resemblance of trouble. No drama, just great friends with great families. Friends who remain friends of mine until this day.

Years later, thanks to my mother, I found myself in the US. She was not here long and I found myself a senior in high school alone in a foreign country with a few hundred dollars in my pocket. I finished high school unsure of how I would make it to college.

I was not aware of the people I was soon to meet. People willing to take chances on a young girl they didn’t know. One such couple who helped me get started with college… attended my wedding almost 15 years later. I cannot count my stars enough.

After completing my clinicals at the University of Chicago in the mid-90s, I started my career as a Pediatric Sensory Integration specialist. Those were my struggles in what seems like many lives ago. Now I look forward to of my role as a mother and my mission to the children and families I serve as the founder of PediaSource.

PediaSource.com – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Why is it easier to shop for something on Amazon than it is to find the right kind of help for your child? As a mother and a therapist of 20 years, I have answered endless questions at dinner parties or playgrounds. Questions like, “This is what my child does. Is this normal? Is this a phase?” or “What kind of specialist should I see?”

After years of fielding such questions, I decided to create a technology-enabled platform that would do it instead. Parents are consistently confused by the myriad of perspectives on the behavioral health landscape and frustrated by the roadmaps available to them. Parents struggling to understand child development, behavior and learning issues can now turn to PediaSource.com for quick, convenient connection on the phone to clinical experts.

Our just-launched website is a first-of-its-kind technology platform that provides one-stop access to experts in all fields that fall under the umbrella of child behavior, learning and development.

PediaSource.com is a single resource that empowers parents by connecting them on the phone to the right experts. These experts help parents create immediate next steps just right for them and their child’s needs.

With more than 20 experts across 10 specialties, finding the right expert at the right time is extremely convenient. Areas of expertise include Child psychology, Neuropsychology and Testing, Learning specialists, Sensory specialists, Speech-language specialists, Executive functioning, Sleep/potty training specialists, Lactation specialists, Feeding specialists, Parent and Behavior coaches and more.

All experts at PediaSource.com are stringently screened with at least 10 years of experience in practice, research, teaching, and the creation of innovative technology. Setting appointments is easy, and with consultation by phone, parents can connect with a specialist from the comfort and convenience of wherever they are.

On the site parents can:
Review experts, choose a discipline, pick consultation times – Ask for assistance if they don’t know which kind of expert is needed – Choose an appointment based on 20-, 30- or 40-minute sessions with an expert. Nothing is simple about solving child behavioral issues, but PediaSource.com is built to make things easier.

What role has luck (good luck or bad luck) played in your life and business?
The role of luck. Whether one believes in luck, good or bad, I believe in timing and hard work. I think that being brave enough to use one’s skill set and exact the use timing to one’s advantage is a skill.

Learning to bounce back from failures by owning, acknowledging and using it to find my next foothold has been life defining and has propelled me to constantly quest for my next challenge. Being genuine yet vulnerable from a point of strength has never let me down.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1871, #1212, 222 W. Merchandise Mart, Chicago, 60654
• Email: hema@pediasource.com

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