About
Making Grey Matter exists to help people build "cognection”, the powerful combination of
Cognitive Engagement
+
Social Connection
that suppports brain health, engagement, and wellbeing.
Guiding Principles
The 5 guiding principles that SHAPE all of our work, supporting caregivers and the people they love, while promoting brain health and lifelong learning:
Science-Informed
Activities are rooted in research on education, brain health, neuroplasticity, and geragogy, the study of education for older adults. We are continually learning too.
Holistic
We address the whole person (mind, body, and spirit) to foster engagement, relaxation, independence, and social connection. Humor and heart are essential.
Accessible
Our services are designed to fit into your life and schedule. Exercises are designed to meet you where you are, knowing abilities and needs will change.
Physical
Movement is a core component, fostering brain health, energy, and engagement. Similarly, we aim to meet you where you are.
Experiential
We honor the unique experiences, learning preferences, and life situations of both those living with cognitive challenges and their caregivers.
Founding Story
Making Grey Matter did not start as a business plan. It started at kitchen tables—in the United States with my mother, and in Germany with my mother-in-law—as both families learned to live with dementia. Same label, completely different trajectories over more than a decade.
Two healthcare systems, two cultures of care, and the same hard truth in both places: families are largely left to figure it out alone, emotionally, cognitively, and practically. The overwhelm. The second-guessing. The wish to do the right thing without a clear map for a disease that keeps changing the rules.
I also noticed a second gap. Even with decades of work in learning and development, education, and coaching, I struggled to find support that was practical, humane, and grounded in how brains and behavior actually change. Generic tips were not helping and time was very limited.
Making Grey Matter grew to address those gaps to provide resources, coaching, and brain-training support for dementia caregivers and the people they love—so daily cognitive engagement and real human connection (what we call cognection) feel doable, less lonely, and worth showing up for. We also believe in humor and lightness wherever we can find them.
I bring both lived experience and professional training to this work. Before founding Making Grey Matter, I spent 15+ years in edtech designing leadership and learning programs for global organizations and universities, and coaching global leaders through high-demand seasons of life. That background shapes how we build: clear, usable, and respectful of attention when life is already full.
Being a family dementia caregiver inevitably teaches you that how you show up and for whom you show up in the world matters far more than what initials surround your name. Kindness is paramount. Credentials are contextual. For those who are interested, my relevant ones are:
International Coaching Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach (ACC)
Holistic Memory Trainer (BVGT.de) and BRAINKINETIK® certification
DPhil (PhD), Educational Studies, University of Oxford
If you’re caring for a loved one with cognitive impairment, at any stage, please start here to identify which resources you will find more helpful.
If you are interested in partnering with Making Grey Matter, or learning more, please get in touch.
Kind regards and many thanks,
Kim
Founder of Making Grey Matter