One of the toughest jobs any parent has to master is helping their children wrestle with the confusing emotions they’re just starting to develop in a world that’s hard on everybody. Qualifying psychotherapist and acclaimed singer-songwriter Tonia Evans Cianciulli will show how to pull off that tricky feat of child-rearing in an upcoming series of book-signing events keyed to her 2023 volume, Flick Your Heart-Light On, Let Your Fears Be Gone! Helping Children Connect to Their Heart to Soothe Their Mind. You can get it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
The fun and educational program Cianciulli has planned underlines why the book is such a powerful resource for both children and their caregivers. It’s structured around a series of engaging, easy-to-understand exercises by which kids can tap into the power of their heart to process difficult feelings like anxiety, fear, anger and sadness. Attendees at the signings will learn how to use those exercises and other strategies to cultivate their children’s self-awareness, self-compassion and resilience—allowing them to discover their own unique talents and then channel those gifts into creating a more loving and compassionate world.
At the same time, the events will draw on Cianciulli’s hugely successful parallel career as a classically oriented vocalist and songwriter whose four album releases—plus the forthcoming Love Me ‘Til I’m Me Again—resonate with themes of mental health and inner forgiveness. Joining her for these signings will be fellow psychotherapist and singer-songwriter Melissa Moore, who shares Cianciulli’s goal of empowering parents and their offspring through love, empathy, education and tailored resources. Together, the two will perform some relevant music, including Moore’s new single “I Love Me,” a jaunty, ukulele-driven singalong that teaches kids to maintain a positive self-image and appreciation of others.
Tonia will also be seizing the occasion to introduce a new online community, A Mother’s Journey, which provides therapy and mentoring for moms and teens.
Dates are as follows:
TORONTO – Sunday, June 9: 5 Hartfield Road
NEWFOUNDLAND – Thursday, Aug. 22–Wednesday, Aug. 28
When it comes to sage advice, the Newfoundland-born, Toronto-based Cianciulli is a source both adults and kids can trust. She’s not only a qualifying psychotherapist with a master’s from Yorkville University, but a certified Neuro Linguistic Programming practitioner and a certified teacher with the Institute of HeartMath as well. She’s also a registered doula/birth coach and the homeschooling mother to two teenagers of her own. Her daughter, Sophia Josephine Cianciulli, provided the colourful and compassionate illustrations seen throughout the new book, and appeared alongside her in the video for her 2023 single, “Thousand Cries.”
Cianciulli’s empathetic and understanding writing has drawn raves from readers of all stripes. Laura Robinson, an Emmy-nominated TV producer and co-inventor of the game BALDERDASH, says Flick Your Heart-Light On, Let Your Fears Be Gone! is “a must-read for parents and kids alike!” International speaker, author, mentor and business expert Tanya Chernova calls it “a warm hug for the heart and soul.” And author and TV host Christy Primmer pronounces it “a game-changer for children and parents alike. Five stars all the way!!’
With her education, career accomplishments and personal life experiences as her guide, Cianciulli has gone one step further in her mission to provide parents and other caregivers with the tools their children need to heal, thrive and create along their personal journeys. Oh, and that book title? It comes from the lyrics to Cianciulli’s song, “Red Carpet,” which encourages listeners to “Flick your heart-light on, let your fears be gone.” The song is available on YouTube and all digital platforms—alongside “Hold His Heart” and “Always Her Home,” two other numbers she wrote and recorded with her children, Sophia and Anthony. That’s lesson number one, moms: The family that autoplays together, stays together.
