Rob Owen

Listen to Noomii's interview with Rob Owen

About Me

I know what it’s like to love a teenage son and still not know how to reach him.

I’m a dad myself. I have two teenage sons, and I’ve spent 25 years working with neurotypical and neurodiverse teenagers as an educator, school founder, author, and mentor.

I’ve been in classrooms, hallways, difficult conversations, and long stretches of silence with boys who were shutting down, acting out, struggling, or simply unable to put into words what was happening inside them.

I’ve also been on the other side of it—as a parent. When it’s your own kid, everything changes.

You can know better and still react harshly. You can lie awake wondering what happened to the boy who used to tell you everything—and whether to push harder, back off, say something, or leave him alone.

I’ve learned that when a boy pulls away, pushing harder usually doesn’t bring him closer.

That’s often where my work with dads begins.

We slow things down. We look at what’s happening between you and your son, but also at what happens inside you when the door closes, you get the one-word answer, or another conversation goes sideways.

I also work directly with tween and teenage boys. Sometimes that’s the better place to begin.

I give young men a place outside the family where they don’t have to perform, defend themselves, or have the right answer. We talk. Sometimes we move. Sometimes we sit with what’s uncomfortable. I listen and get to know the person underneath.

I’m not a therapist, and I’m not interested in fixing your son. I help him better understand himself—what he’s feeling, what his body is telling him, what matters to him, and who he’s becoming.

My approach draws from 25 years in education, decades of martial arts and Zen practice, mindful movement, somatic awareness, and raising three children of my own. I founded a nonprofit middle school and wrote two books.

Sometimes I work with Dad. Sometimes with his son.

Wherever your family is right now, we can start there.