Writing Coaching for Kids & Teens
I empower students to write with authentic voice, skill, and confidence.
What parents are saying…
“Ashleigh’s approach was completely different. She taught my son how to use mini-prompts to brainstorm genuine ideas and write in his own voice. He started to enjoy writing and telling his stories in his own words. Ashleigh supported him with his high school application essays, and he was accepted to 4 of the 5 top NYC-area schools …and waitlisted at the fifth.”
— Janelle L.
“Ashleigh turned the college essay process from dread and anxiety into fun and delight, twice! After the first session, both kids (teenagers!) emerged from their rooms with a smile on their face, and from then on, they actually seemed to look forward to their sessions. The final essays were beautiful, and the kids got into their dream schools.”
— Lorenz R.“Ashleigh is the best. Don't hesitate to work with her! My teenage son ‘hates writing’ but looked forward to his sessions with Ashleigh. His writing improved, but perhaps more importantly so did his confidence. Ashleigh's approach is both relatable and creative and she was really great with my teen. She's also an excellent communicator and very reliable.”
— Stacey H.
“Not enough stars or space available to tout the unique abilities and talents of Ashleigh. While her technical skills are exceptional, it is her wonderful ability to connect with kids on their level, and help them discover a voice they possibly didn’t know they had. Aside from being a complete ninja of an educator she is a wonderful person with a beautiful soul.”
— Eric F.
Writing guidance that creates lasting results.
Writing admissions essays for competitive colleges or independent high schools can feel daunting. I teach students to craft powerful admissions essays in their own authentic voice (and that resonate with top schools). Along the way, students build lasting skills—and everyone feels less stress.
Admissions Essays
Many students continue with me for long-term academic support. I help them interpret teacher feedback, strengthen essay skills, and navigate a range of essay forms—using creative, practical tools that prepare them for in-class and at-home writing. P.S. Students love the positive rapport.
Ongoing Writing Support
Students often reach the admissions process for high school or college with little experience writing personal narrative. I help students access voice, ideas, and creativity so they can express themselves with clarity and confidence—skills they’ll use on school applications and beyond.
Strengthening Voice
Check out my video on 3 College Essay Mistakes (and how students can fix them).
P.S. My College Essay Workshop is coming up on March 16. Spaces are already filling!
Learn more here.
Students today are facing a major challenge.
They need their voice to write admissions essays, speak with authenticity in interviews, express their ideas and feelings in personal relationships, navigate AI as a tool and not a crutch—and more!
Yet when it comes to writing, students often:
✏️ Get stuck before they’ve even started, stifling their ideas and creativity instead of freeing them—especially if ADHD is a factor.
✏️ Lack strategy for expanding ideas with meaning—not fluff.
✏️ Seek AI shortcuts or other quick hacks that fail to connect them to their ideas, voice, and vibrant inner world—much less strengthen their skills.
Do these challenges sound familiar? Let’s connect!
College Essay Workshop
March 16, 2026 6:30-8:30pm, online
What makes a college essay so powerful that it opens doors to schools like Columbia, UPenn, WashU in St. Louise, University of Maryland Honors College, UT Austin, UCSB and other top universities?
It's not ChatGPT.
It's not a go-to essay template.
And it's definitely not a tutor editing your story until it’s no longer yours at all.
In this empowering two-hour online workshop, I'll teach high school juniors to create stand-out, powerhouse college essays in their own unique voice (and to find meaning, not stress, along the way).
Students will walk away with:
The three secret ingredients I’ve used for 15 years as a writing coach (and NYT-reviewed author) to help students craft essays unmistakably their own.
Repeatable visual tools and other strategies to use beyond the workshop.
Writing that harnesses voice, ideas, and creativity—and gets students past the intimidating blank page.
Example essays as powerful guideposts.
A workshop recording.
$395/student. Space is limited to 10 students only.
“I actually reread [my daughter’s] essay yesterday (I still love it!) and was reminded of just how helpful you were to her during such an intense and stressful time - many thanks again!”
Naomi M.
What Sets Write Well Brooklyn Apart?
Hi! Well, first, I'm a New York Times-reviewed author with bylines in Newsweek, G&G, New Stories from the South, and elsewhere.
More importantly, young people tend to connect easily with my personality…since all the way back in my college days as an in-demand babysitter! With 1:1 coaching, connection is essential as students take what I call "the risk of effort.”
My training goes beyond my 20 years in education. I’ve worked closely with not only education consultants and teachers, but also meditation teachers, somatic guides, and—I’m proud to say—a long-time therapist. I stay present with students, paying attention to cues that let me know where they’re at. I model authenticity, curiosity, and sheer enthusiasm.
I use writing strategies that actually work. Outlines too early in the process, unstructured brainstorming, or a one-and-done draft—these strategies are ineffectual at best.* My approaches truly help young people write successfully.
*...and frankly, a direct result of too little diversity in academia for centuries—but that's for another soapbox!
Student successes speak for themselves. Check out a broader list of accolades here—but my favorite part of the job is witnessing teens grow and deepen as human beings.
My students learn scalable strategies that take them far beyond a single assignment.
Want the full version of the Messy Model—for FREE?
After guiding 150 students through the hurdle of admissions essays to independent schools, I’m excited to share this downloadable starter pack for 8th graders applying to high schools. Inside, they’ll find:
- My best tools for creating great admissions essays!
- Outstanding example essays from NYC 8th grade students.
- My Admissions Essay Workshop slide deck with insight into voice and strategy.
- A guide to tackling daunting “XXL” prompts.
…and more!
Admissions Essay Starter Pack for 8th Graders
Why Write Well Brooklyn?
When I was a kid, I knew I longed to express myself in a big way—and at age 12, I got up the courage (despite being pretty shy) to audition for a musical. But when I opened my mouth to sing, no sound came out. NONE. Not even a squeak. Eventually, the accompanist suggested the other kids sing along—and while I managed to eke out the tune, it was the absolute opposite of that “big” self-expression I craved.
Decades later, and with an MFA in fiction writing, I fully committed to expressing my voice: I left a steady high school teaching job in Austin, Texas to write my first novel, and I supported myself with private tutoring.
I began to notice certain patterns in students. Whether writing for English class or a college admissions essay, they often got stuck before they even began—caught up by fear, self-doubt, or perfectionism.
The more I worked with teenagers, the more I realized our sessions involved something deeper than standard tutoring. My students not only learned skills, but gained confidence in their voice and began expressing themselves in new ways.
I eventually published that first novel, The Crocodile Bride, a New York Times Editors’ Choice. I moved to New York; founded Write Well Brooklyn; and tutoring morphed into coaching—a comprehensive term I find more fitting.
As a professional writer, I know first-hand how self-expression can empower, strengthen, and even heal us and others in surprising ways. At Write Well Brooklyn, I love guiding students toward impactful self-expression, too.
With a long-time student (once much shorter than me) in 2019.
With former students at a book tour stop in Austin, Texas in 2022.
Ready for your kid or teen to find their voice, too?
Write Well Brooklyn students are gaining confidence and achieving their dreams—with writing entirely in their own voice.
NYC high school acceptances include Regis, Trinity, Hackley, Beacon, Avenues of the World, LREI, Poly Prep, St. Ann’s, Dwight-Englewood, Columbia Prep, Fieldston, Berkeley Carroll, Riverdale, and more.
College acceptances include into Columbia, UPenn, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, Boston College, Sarah Lawrence, Babson College, WashU in St. Louis, UT Austin, NYU, and more.
Students have gained recognition in The New York Times Summer Reading Contest; Stone Soup; Scholastic Art & Writing Contest—and entry into competitive writing programs such as the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and Kenyon Young Writers Workshops.