Our Story
I thought I was just teaching a game to make a few friends. I never imagined it would lead to something so much bigger.
It All Started With a Little Mahjong...
When my family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in 2025, I knew approximately two people. And as much as I loved our new home, I was missing something: community.
I'd learned to play mahjong several years earlier, and I had an idea. What if I started teaching mahjong in my neighborhood? Not to build a business, but to make a few friends.
So that's exactly what I did.
With a background in teaching, a little competitive streak (okay, maybe more than a little!), and a love for bringing people together, I started offering classes.
And something wonderful happened.
I found my people.
Some of the women who sat around those first mahjong tables became my closest girlfriends. What began as a way to meet neighbors turned into friendships, laughter, and a community I hadn't even realized how much I needed.
Then Came a Different Kind of Connection.
My husband kept encouraging me to turn my mahjong classes into a business. But having previously owned a flower shop called Poppies, where I taught countless floral design classes, I knew what could happen when something you love becomes something you have to do.
I wasn't ready to turn mahjong into a job.
Then, one summer, I taught my son Jack how to play.
And he picked it up in minutes.
After years of homeschooling him, one of my greatest joys
had always been watching the way his mind worked. When he decided to return to traditional school, I missed those everyday moments of discovery.
But there we were, sitting across the table from each other, playing a game we both loved.
I watched him recognize patterns, think ahead, make
decisions, and develop strategies almost instinctively.
And apparently, that competitive streak runs in the family.
Jack is every bit as competitive as I am — so you can imagine how our games go!
Let's just say things can get a little rowdy around our mahjong table!
And I remembered just how powerful learning can be when it
doesn't feel like learning at all.
The Moment Everything Clicked
I still had this feeling that I was supposed to do something with mahjong. I just couldn't figure out what.
Then one day, I watched a simple video about creating educational curriculum.
And suddenly, it hit me.
This was it.
A way to combine my love of teaching, creativity, mahjong, and yes, even a little healthy competition, with something I care deeply about: helping children discover how capable their minds really are.
Not every child learns the same way. And sometimes the most meaningful learning happens when we put away the worksheets, gather around a table, and simply play.
And Mahjong Minds Was Born
Mahjong Minds™ is built on the belief that little tiles can develop big skills.
Through playful exploration, hands-on activities, and thoughtfully designed lessons, we help children build critical thinking, problem-solving, confidence, and connection.
Whether you're a homeschool family, a classroom teacher, or simply someone who believes learning should be joyful, I'm so glad you're here.
Because sometimes a game is so much more than a game.
Sometimes it's a friendship.
Sometimes it's a breakthrough.
And sometimes it's the beginning of something you never saw coming.
Welcome to Mahjong Minds.