The Heart Behind the Hat
Dr Vinet Coetzee is a mother of two amazing daughters, children’s book author, workshop facilitator and experienced behavioural researcher.
She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of St Andrews and has more than 20 years of research experience exploring human behaviour and health.
Her academic career taught her how to dig deeply into evidence, ask good questions and translate complex research into something meaningful.
Since starting Joy Garden, she has brought that same curiosity to researching emotional regulation, coping and the strategies that can help children and families navigate big feelings.
In the past, Vinet mostly wrote very serious scientific papers. These days, she also writes stories that bring together research, life experience and a little imagination to create playful ideas children can understand and use.
Through her books, workshops and courses, Vinet helps children discover that they already carry much of the wisdom they need. Sometimes they just need a little help finding it.
Why I wrote Chit-Chat the Talking Hat
This book comes from something deeply personal.
As a parent, I often found myself wondering how to help children navigate big emotions.
At the same time, I couldn’t ignore how much more challenging it is to grow up in today’s world. A world that is faster, noisier, and filled with constant distractions.
I remember moments of calm from my own childhood. Lying under a tree, watching the leaves move in the breeze, sunlight flickering through the branches.
But as with everyone, those moments became fewer as I grew older. My thoughts became more persistent, and I often struggled to quiet them.
Then I came across something in The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle that really stayed with me. I realised that I am not my thoughts and feelings. I am something deeper, the one who notices them.
That simple realisation, combined with a few practical mindfulness techniques, helped me quiet my thoughts when I wanted to, to find calm and joy. At first, only for brief moments, but the more I practiced, the easier it became.
It was such a powerful shift that I knew I had to pass it on in a child-friendly way, not just to my own daughters, but to children everywhere.
That’s why I wrote Chit-Chat the Talking Hat.
The story gently introduces children to the idea that they don’t have to be controlled by their thoughts and feelings. Instead, they can learn to observe them and gradually quiet them when they want to.
Alongside the story, the book includes simple mindfulness activities that help children begin to experience this for themselves.
Because when children learn how to find calm early in life, they gain something truly valuable:
A sense of inner stability and joy that can stay with them for a lifetime!