Dr. Emily Wassell
Private educational advisor, PhD educator, and devoted mentor to neurodivergent teens. I help families connect an exceptional education with the confidence, judgment, and independence their teen needs to make the future their own.
Dr. Emily Wassell
Private educational advisor, PhD educator, and devoted mentor to neurodivergent teens. I help families connect an exceptional education with the confidence, judgment, and independence their teen needs to make the future their own.
Experienced guidance. Personal understanding.
PhD educator, global wellbeing researcher, and founder of a private school with 25 years in education and leadership.
Former school director known for building personalized college pathways and option-rich plans for diverse learners
Recognized as Best Holistic College Coach of 2024.
Based in Italy, working with families internationally.
A PhD educator, global wellbeing researcher, curriculum designer, and trained IB educator who learned Theory of Knowledge from the men who wrote it, I have spent twenty-five years inside the world's most demanding academic environments.
I founded a private school centered on student wellbeing, designed an app to measure daily experienced wellbeing, and consult students at elite private schools around the world.
I am neurodivergent, a dual citizen, and a third-culture kid. I have lived the complexity your daughter is navigating. And I have spent my career doing one thing with everything I learned from it: helping extraordinary young women turn their potential into a life that is entirely, unapologetically their own.
I am married with two children, and I live the kind of rich, full life I am here to help your daughter grow into: reading, writing, cooking, dancing, swimming, traveling, and exploring everything.
A thoughtful path through education—and into life.
Back when I went to a boarding high school, I had little guidance.
At my IB boarding school in India, I was an eager learner who struggled with organization, friendships, and decisions about my future. My strengths and support needs were not fully understood.
That experience shaped the advisor I became: someone who asks thoughtful questions, sees the whole person, and stays alongside them as they find their direction.
Photo: Me at 17 in my boarding school: India
Back when I went to college, I had no guidance.
I understand how it feels to be a bright, neurodivergent teen whose strengths and needs are not fully seen. At my IB boarding school in India, I participated eagerly in class but struggled with organization, friendships, tests, and decisions about my future. That experience shaped the advisor I became: someone who asks thoughtful questions, sees the whole person, and stays alongside them as they find their direction.
I found my own path...
After school I did what felt true: I packed a bag and spent a year backpacking across Europe. When I arrived in Florence and learned about a young Michelangelo carving David in his twenties, something shifted in me. I fell in love with the Renaissance, with the idea of a human being who refused to be defined by a single category. I became a Renaissance woman. I threw myself into the research behind how people actually learn, what helps them thrive, what helps them find their passions and express themselves fully. I studied education for over 10 years. I built frameworks and systems to help teens find their best possible futures and claim them with bold authenticity. And then I created a high school with student wellbeing as its central outcome measure, because I know that when a young person feels truly seen and supported, everything else becomes possible.
Photo Credit : Linda Costa
Eventually, I realized that something had to change.
After school I did what felt true: I packed a bag and spent a year backpacking across Europe. When I arrived in Florence and learned about a young Michelangelo carving David in his twenties, something shifted in me. I fell in love with the Renaissance, with the idea of a human being who refused to be defined by a single category. I became a Renaissance woman. I threw myself into the research behind how people actually learn, what helps them thrive, what helps them find their passions and express themselves fully. I studied education for over 10 years. I built frameworks and systems to help teens find their best possible futures and claim them with bold authenticity. And then I created a high school with student wellbeing as its central outcome measure, because I know that when a young person feels truly seen and supported, everything else becomes possible.
I discovered that I love to help teens navigate these pivotal years.
Over the years, I have watched students grow into purposeful young adults: finding their voice, building practical skills, choosing environments where they can thrive, and learning to trust their own judgment. My role is to help your teen understand themselves, navigate these pivotal years, and become increasingly confident and independent.
My research explores the resources, relationships, and environments that support wellbeing. With Rachel Dodge, I co-authored A Multidisciplinary Framework for Measuring and Improving Wellbeing (2015). My doctoral research examined family-care leave policy and children’s long-term wellbeing.
That perspective informs my work with families: looking beyond grades to the conditions that help a young person learn, grow, and build a meaningful life.
Explore my research · View my professional profile
Photo credit: Michael P. Franklin
Years of teaching and earning multiple degrees gave me...
Over the years, I have watched students grow into purposeful young adults: finding their voice, building practical skills, choosing environments where they can thrive, and learning to trust their own judgment. My role is to help your teen understand themselves, navigate these pivotal years, and become increasingly confident and independent.
I realized that teens need a mentor who can support them in this important process.
If you’re a parent of a gifted teen,
and you’d like an educational concierge to support and guide your teen, let’s talk.
A devoted advisor for your neurodivergent teen. Begin a Legacy Conversation.
I'd love to help you get there!
