In 2019, Sarah Salisott opened The Foster Lane, a parent coach practice which uses positivity and humor to help families overcome negative behaviors, replace yelling with laughter and create a happier home environment. The Foster Lane works with families in many formats: one-on-one sessions, three-hour workshops, corporate lunch-n-learns and school-hosted workshops.
THE BUSINESS
The Foster Lane helps adults unlearn specific relationship patterns and develop emotional intelligence, so they can model the behaviors they want to see in their kids. By marrying a combination of traditional coaching approaches with therapy-minded education, the small business helps families achieve their goals. Everything The Foster Lanes implements is backed by scientific research and everyone on the team has real life experience with parenting. The staff works together to help expand the understanding of different cultures and belief systems around family dynamics.
Accomplishments with UW-Green Bay SBDC
- Resources and networking
- Business strategy
THE GROWTH
Sarah said, “So much has changed since the beginning! When I started, I was just offering one-on-one coaching in English. Through the work I did with Tara Carr at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW-Green Bay, we uncovered an avenue to reach more families in rural parts of the state. I applied for, and received, over $500,000 in grant funding to help bring those ideas to fruition!”
“Tara was the single most incredible sounding board I could have ever asked for. When I wanted to think aloud about an issue, she was always there to listen. When I had a new idea, she connected me with someone who could help bring it to fruition. Tara also helped me go a bit easier on myself and even kept up with me when she thought I should slow down,” Sarah said with a smile in her voice.
THE RECOGNITION
The Foster Lane was awarded two grants through the Wisconsin Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Grant program. Sarah shared, “We were awarded the first-round funds to help bring workshops to communities across the state as well as funds to help expand our team’s capabilities.” The second grant will be used to hire parent support specialists who can communicate in Spanish, Hmong and American Sign Language.
Sarah is still on cloud nine after participating in the Green Bay Packers Mentor-Protégé Program and winning the Most Valuable Protégé in 2022. The Foster Lane was also chosen as LGBTQ Business of the Year by the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce earlier this year. She said, “The awards and recognition are just icing on the cake. They are a testament to the fact that hard work really does pay off and when you think no one is noticing, people truly are.”
THE FUTURE
Sarah currently offers programing in English and Spanish, and she is excited to be offering Hmong and American Sign Language in 2024. The staff has already grown to include four part-time employees and even more expansion is expected in the future.
“We are working to bring awareness to the workshops we have and continue to develop new workshops that fit the needs of our clients,” Sarah said. The future will also bring more speaking engagements with professional organizations.
Sarah said of her work at The Foster Lane, “I really love that I get to meet new people every day and help people achieve their dream home life. We help people get out of some pretty dark places and enjoy each other again. I truly think the impact will last for generations!”