OUR STORY

Helping schools grow through connection, care, and cultural understanding.

Sea Change began with a simple but powerful realization: when young people cross cultures, they carry both incredible strengths and invisible losses.

Today, we partner with international schools to strengthen the relationships and systems that make learning possible—through social-emotional learning, wellbeing, mentoring, and leadership development. When people feel supported, schools thrive.

Meet Ellen, Founder & CEO

Ellen Mahoney grew up crossing continents and cultures, and those early experiences shaped everything she believes about learning, identity, and belonging. In 2013, she founded Sea Change to help international schools nurture communities where both students and educators can thrive.

Before starting Sea Change, Ellen worked as a teacher, counselor, and mentor to young people and adults navigating transition and change. Today, she partners with schools around the world to strengthen wellbeing, rebuild trust, and bring humanity back into systems that often forget how deeply relational education really is.

She now calls Hong Kong home—and continues to be inspired by the global community that raised her.

Meet the team

A global group of educators, consultants, and psychologists who share a commitment to culturally attuned, relationship-driven work.

  • Amber Godfrey

    Crisis Team Cultural Liaison & Crisis Team Facilitator

    Amber Godfrey is a PreK–12 certified school counselor with experience supporting international communities across Africa and Asia. A Third Culture Kid herself, she brings cultural fluency, empathy, and authenticity to her work with students and educators. Amber has served as a Resilience Coach with the Circulus Institute, a counselor at the British International School of Phuket and the International School of Ouagadougou. She is currently a counselor at UNIS Hanoi. She’s passionate about helping schools cultivate wellbeing through compassion and connection.

  • Dr. Steven Karaiskos

    Elementary School SEL Specialist & Crisis Team Facilitator

    Dr. Steven Karaiskos is an educator and emotion scientist with over 25 years of experience supporting the emotional well-being of students, educators, and communities. A longtime advocate for suicide prevention and grief awareness, he is the former Senior Director of Community Education & Outreach at Samaritans in Boston and now consults internationally on grief and well-being through his organization, Elpis. Steven has taught from early childhood through university and trains educators in SEL and relational practices. He lives in Wells, Maine, USA. 

  • Kirsten Pontius

    Educator Wellbeing Specialist

    Kirsten Pontius is an international wellbeing specialist and holistic health coach with expertise in integrative nutrition, trauma-informed practices, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. She has partnered with schools and diplomatic communities around the world—including the U.S. State Department and Canadian military families—to strengthen workplace wellbeing. Drawing from her experiences living across Asia, Europe, and West Africa, Kirsten brings a global, compassionate lens to her work. She currently lives in Côte d'Ivoire, where she enjoys hiking and time in nature.

Crisis Response Team

When schools face crisis, this team of psychologists and educators steps in with culturally sensitive care and expertise.

  • Jillian Ma

  • Eva Glaser

  • Steve Karaiskos

  • Kilian Kröll

  • Dr. Laura S. Anderson

  • Sherri Spelic

  • Amber Godfrey

  • Susannah McGlamery

  • Suzanne M. Anderson

Partnering with schools around the globe—50+ and growing

    • Hong Kong International School (Hong Kong)

    • Canadian International School of Hong Kong

    • Carmel High School (Hong Kong)

    • Seoul International School (South Korea)

    • International School of Beijing (China)

    • Beijing City International School (China)

    • Western Academy of Beijing (China)

    • American International School of Guangzhou (China)

    • United World College, Changshu (China)

    • American School in Japan (Tokyo)

    • International School of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo

    • Tsukuba International School (Japan)

    • Fukuoka International School (Japan)

    • Taipei American School (Taiwan)

    • Singapore American School (Singapore)

    • German European School Singapore

    • United World College of Southeast Asia (Singapore)

    • International School of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    • Garden International School of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    • Jakarta Intercultural School (Indonesia)

    • International School of Manila (Philippines)

    • United Nations International School Hanoi (Vietnam)

    • American School of Bombay (India)

    • Oberoi International School, Mumbai (India)

    • American International School of Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)

    • The KAUST School (Saudi Arabia)

    • American Community School Beirut (Lebanon)

    • American Community School Abu Dhabi (UAE)

    • Walworth Barbour American International School (Israel)

    • International School of Helsinki (Finland)

    • International School of Prague (Czech Republic)

    • American School of Warsaw (Poland)

    • International School of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    • American School of The Hague (Netherlands)

    • Frankfurt International School (Germany)

    • Munich International School (Germany)

    • American School of Milan (Italy)

    • American International School of Bucharest (Romania)

    • Pechersk International School, Kyiv (Ukraine)

    • Vilnius International School (Lithuania)

    • American Community School in Hillingdon (UK)

    • American Community School in Cobham (UK)

    • American School of Barcelona (Spain)

    • International School of Tanganyika (Tanzania)

    • American International School of Johannesburg (South Africa)

    • International School of Antananarivo (Madagascar)

    • American International School of Lusaka (Zambia)

    • InterCommunity School of Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

    • Khartoum American School (Sudan)

    • San Silvestre School, Lima (Peru)

    • Pacific American School, Costa Rica

    • International School of Curitiba (Brazil)

    • International School Nido de Aguilas (Chile)

    • Latin American Heads Conference

    • EF Academy – New York (USA)

    • The Carnegie Foundation (USA)

    • International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) (USA)

    • International Monetary Fund Family Association (USA)

    • World Bank Family Network (USA)

    • MENTOR (USA)

    • Schmidt Futures (USA)

    • Council of International Schools (CIS)

    • Near East South Asia (NESA) Council of International Schools

    • 21st Century Learning (Hong Kong)

    • Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE)

    • Academy for International School Heads (AISH)

  • “Working with Sea Change Mentoring has deepened our faculty’s understanding of social-emotional learning and the importance of a responsive, contextualized approach that reflects our community’s culture.”

    The SEL Learning Roadmap has given our teams a clear framework to work from. Over the past couple of years, it has helped us successfully generate topics and themes, while encouraging us to experiment with different SEL instructional approaches and routines. As a result, we’ve seen increased student voice and engagement, along with a stronger sense of belonging and connection between students and faculty.

    – Jackie Whitney, Middle School Associate Principal and Head of the Schoolwide SEL Committee, American International School of Riyadh

  • “Working with Sea Change has provided us with a fresh way of looking at our approach to SEL so that it's an integral part of our school's identity, culture and daily practices.”

    Through ISM's collaboration with Ellen, we dovetailed our efforts to strengthen intercultural competency so that we can honor and live our commitment to nurturing individuals and building a community that flourishes and thrives. With each step, we keep growing and learning more!

    – Clarissa Sayson, Assistant Superintendent, International School of Manila

  • “Ellen is a skilled practitioner whose work is infused with a deep, nuanced understanding of the challenges that accompany life for those who work internationally.”

    Drawing on her own experience as an international student, she easily relates to and connects with international teachers and students. At CIS, we’ve collaborated with Ellen on a range of projects, related to well-being amidst the transitions that all international educators and students must navigate as they move from school to school or school to university. Each time, our work with her was successful and fun. When school or university members call us to ask for help in these areas, we recommend Ellen with great confidence, particularly during this challenging time of anxiety and uncertainty due to school closures, remote learning, travel bans and quarantines.

    — Jane Larsson, Executive Director, Council of International Schools

  • “Ellen Mahoney challenges educators to embrace co-learning with students in an era where social media often fragments our attention.”

    In her plenary at the NESA Learning Futures Summit, she invited us to ‘listen more deeply, turn to each other, and share the journey with compassion and intelligent care for social-emotional well-being.’ Her message was a resonant call to action that inspired the NESA community.

    – Madeleine Hewitt, Executive Director, NESA

  • “The AISH summer seminar led by Ellen was truly exceptional.”

    Her passion for the role of relationships in wellbeing and learning guided us to reconnect with our core values and equipped us with strategies to enhance our own self-awareness and resilience, and to protect the well-being of our communities. Ellen created a supportive and nurturing environment through her calm and inclusive approach. It was an outstanding experience that left a lasting impact on me and, I believe, on all of the participants. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of it.

    – Rachel Caldwell, Head of School, American International School of Bucharest

  • “Ellen provided a space for leaders to connect, share and reflect. She led with both passion and compassion, and I appreciated her ability to tailor the sessions to meet the needs of our diverse group.”

    – Carrie Dietz, Head of School, Australian International School, Singapore

  • “The summer seminar was so well orchestrated and supported by Ellen. With each passing day it increasingly became a place of trust and personal and professional inspiration that I will keep resorting to for quite a while.”

    – Marta Medved, Head of School, Western Academy Beijing

  • “I was struck by the thoughtful way the course was designed, the well-chosen articles and videos and the engagement we had with our colleagues in the course.”

    In the middle of a challenging year I wondered how I would fit this in to my time and work load. I was struck by the thoughtful way the course was designed, the well-chosen articles and videos and the engagement we had with our colleagues in the course. The reading was not overwhelming and at the same time it was thought provoking and insightful. The time we spent each week reflecting what we learned with colleagues in our time zone was beneficial to hear what other professionals were facing in our region and gave support to my own work. I finished the course with a renewed drive to do better for our faculty, our school and for myself.

    – David Munro, High School Principal, American School of The Hague

Ready to explore how Sea Change can support your school?

Let’s start a conversation about your community’s needs and vision.

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