Julie Grabscheid is a children’s author, speaker, and advocate for emotional connection and kindness. Drawing on her background in communications and psychology, her many years of living abroad, and as a cultural exchange consultant — as well as her experience as a mom — Julie writes books that help children understand their worth and the power of their thoughts.
Her “awesome pie” philosophy reminds readers that everyone has something special to share, and that another person’s success doesn’t diminish our own. Through her writing and outreach, Julie aims to build bridges of understanding between children and the adults who guide them — parents, caregivers, and educators alike.
Before turning to children’s literature, Julie worked in education, training, and consulting — experiences that deepened her appreciation for the ways in which learning, empathy, and perspective shape who we become. She believes small acts of kindness create ripples that can change the world.
Julie is passionate about supporting organizations that uplift children and animals, including Project Cornerstone and the Humane Society of Silicon Valley.
In the spirit of giving back and honoring the MommyMates philosophy of modeling generosity, Julie is donating a portion of each of her book sales to the following two philanthropies:
Project Cornerstone is near and dear to author Julie’s heart, and she has been a supporter of Project Cornerstone for over a decade. As part of the YMCA Silicon Valley initiative, for over 25 years, Project Cornerstone has been implementing a community movement to support children within the school districts of Santa Clara County. Their mission is to ensure all youth feel valued, respected, and known so they can grow into healthy, caring, and responsible adults.
Julie learned about Project Cornerstone through her girls’ elementary school. She was part of the first group of parent volunteers at their site, where she participated in facilitating classroom readings and mini educational lessons every month. After years of this involvement, she was able to establish herself as a “trusted adult” role model for her community.
She saw first-hand the power of this program, and how it educated children to expect respect and become upstanders to bullying. Through the monthly readings, students became aware of a common language, developed a better understanding of inclusion and differences of others, and built skills to demonstrate tolerance and empathy. Julie saw how Project Cornerstone changed the lives of individual children and wants to continue to support their efforts to create kind and safe communities within Santa Clara County.
To learn more about Project Cornerstone, please visit their website.
The Humane Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV) builds bridges from fear to trust and from shelter to home, with healing and hope as their trademarks in the lives of the animals they serve. HSSV is part of the WeCARE alliance with a goal to save every healthy animal entering the Santa Clara County shelters. Since 2011, when they achieved that goal, they expanded their efforts to save more animals by partnering with 20 other shelters in California that struggle with their high numbers of animals.
Author Julie became aware of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, and their wonderful work, when her children took summer camps at HSSV. From this experience, her girls would later go on to become camp counselors themselves and serve as adoption and surgical team volunteers. However, the most impactful involvement was when Julie’s family joined the team as a Foster Family.
They learned that every foster opens a space for another dog and saves the life of an animal. Being dog lovers and watching her own pups, Charlie and Gigi, cross over to the rainbow bridge, Julie and her family lovingly fostered puppies for several years. They concluded their time as a foster family when they adopted 2 of their fosters as forever pets. Julie and her family currently have their second set of pups; Chloe, another smart and spirited chihuahua, and Beau, a loyal, protective shepherd mix.
Julie wants to continue to support HSSV, and all their good work as long as she can. To learn more about The Humane Society of Silicon Valley, please visit their website.
