Clarissa Constantine

Clarissa’s journey to champion connection and resilience is deeply personal. Growing up as an only child with a tough relationship with her mom, she always wished for closer family bonds. That experience sparked her passion for helping others build the kinds of connections she longed for.

While studying at the University of Hartford, Clarissa started what turned into a decades-long career as a test prep coach. She’s helped thousands of students navigate the twists and turns of college and grad school admissions. With her natural intuition, she often found herself going beyond academics, supporting students through life’s ups and downs. Her own experiences with her mom drove her to help families avoid the regrets and missed moments she’s known too well.

Clarissa is the founder of ParenT(w)een Connection, a platform dedicated to fostering meaningful relationships within families and professional communities. Through this initiative, she leads two impactful membership programs: the ParenT(w)een Village, a supportive community for parents seeking stronger connections with their teens and tweens, and the Trusted Expert Network, a collaborative space for professionals who work with teens, tweens, parents, and families. She also pours her heart into her signature coaching program, The CONNECTION Blueprint, where parents and entrepreneurs create personalized plans to strengthen their relationships with family, colleagues, and clients.

For Clarissa, connection isn’t just important—it’s everything. She’s on a mission to help people build lasting relationships that bring love, understanding, and joy.

Joe Constantine

Joe's journey has been shaped by overcoming the challenges of his own youth. As a kid, he endured relentless bullying, stuck in the role of the "95-pound weakling" who never felt like he belonged. Everything changed when he hit his growth spurt as a freshman at the University of Rhode Island, where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering.

After more than a decade in the field, Joe found himself burned out and craving a new path. With the encouragement of his wife, Clarissa, he took a leap of faith and returned to school to become a personal trainer. For the next ten years, Joe combined his engineering expertise and his deep understanding of the human body to coach youth athletes, helping them prevent injuries and achieve their full potential on the field and court.

But as 2019 came to a close, Joe realized there was still something missing. His heart was calling him to make a deeper impact—to help the "underdog" kids who reminded him of himself. Kids struggling with self-confidence, depression, anxiety, or even suicidal thoughts often find a lifeline in Joe because he’s been there. He gets it.

For Joe, connection is at the core of everything he does. As he puts it, "Connection creates trust. I can’t do my job without trust." And it's this trust that allows him to guide kids toward not just physical strength but also emotional resilience and self-belief.

The ParenT(w)een Connection

When friends of ours were going through a REALLY tough patch with their then-15-year-old daughter, the mom said, 'I just wish I had other parents to talk to.' It was like a lightning bolt for Clarissa, and The ParenT(w)een Connection was born. We launched a Facebook group and within a few days had over 100 parents join - talk about proof of concept! We knew we had the potential to make a huge global impact and went to the drawing board to sketch out a vision. As it stands today, we have four unique but interwoven segments. Read on to learn more about them!

Join Now

Joining our Facebook group is a GREAT first step! And when you're ready for more - more community, more support, more education - then it's time to join The ParenT(w)een Village. We're a judgment-free zone where you can connect with other parents who've been there, done that, or other parents who could use your insight.

Think Angie's List, but specifically featuring professionals who support families with kids between the ages of 10 and 20. If you're a parent, browse the listings to find professionals who can support you. If you're a professional, join what will become the world's largest network geared toward connecting you with other professionals who support the same clients.

If Covid taught us anything, it's that we CAN use technology in ways we never imagined, including establishing and growing relationships. And we also recognize that we can develop relationships differently in person than we can online. Our local communities & events will be managed by local professionals who are dedicated to cultivating relationships with parents & other professionals in their geographical area.

It's one thing to say, 'Hey, look at all these awesome professionals who can help you & your family.' But if finances are an obstacle to working with these pros, that's not okay in our book. We want to help you get the help you need. We received our approval as a 501(c)3 charitable non-profit in December 2022, so now we're on our way to raise funds to help families!

Learn More!

Our 'Kids'

It may shock you to learn that we don't have kids of our own.

At least not of the human variety. We have two lab mixes, Luna Belle (chocolate girl) and Chara (caramel and white boy) who are our canine 'kids.' We are dedicated to growing The ParenT(w)een Connection out of a desire to help families avoid - or at least minimize - the impacts of the kinds of experiences we had as kids.

So why did we launch a company geared toward kids when we don't have any of our own? Because we remember very clearly how challenging life was as a teenager, and we want to help parents navigate that time successfully. Plus, having a little bit of emotional remove from parenting gives us a unique and valuable lens through which to observe family dynamics.