Meet Elizabeth Valeski

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Valeski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process was shaped by both my professional background and my experience as a parent. My background is in counseling psychology, marketing, communications, and public relations, and I’ve always been drawn to helping people navigate important decisions and life transitions.

After my son was born in 2008, I stepped away from my career to focus on raising my family. Over the next 17 years, my husband and I agonized over endless educational decisions for our two children—from preschool through middle school and high school. Along the way, I became deeply involved in our school communities and gained a firsthand appreciation for the profound impact schools have on children and families. Beyond academics, schools help shape identity, build confidence, foster community, and influence a child’s overall well-being. Through our children’s schools, our family built lifelong friendships and experienced how the right educational environment can shape a child’s future.

Along the way, I found myself helping friends navigate Denver’s increasingly complex school landscape. With nearly 200 schools in Denver Public Schools and more than 200 independent schools in the metro area, families feel overwhelmed by the options and don’t quite know where to begin. I realized I could combine my counseling background, years of educational research and volunteer experience, and passion for helping families into meaningful work.

That led me to start Grove Educational Consulting. My goal is to help families navigate the educational landscape more clearly, identify schools where their children will thrive academically and socially, and find communities where they feel a true sense of belonging. Running my own business also gives me the flexibility to continue prioritizing my family while doing work that gives me a true sense of purpose.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Grove Educational Consulting helps families navigate one of the most important decisions they will make for their children: finding the right school. I work with families to understand their child’s unique strengths, needs, personality, and learning style, and then identify schools where that child can truly thrive.

What sets me apart is that I come to this work as a parent. While I have a background in counseling psychology, my business was built through nearly two decades of experience navigating educational choices for my own children and becoming deeply involved in Denver’s school communities. I understand the excitement, uncertainty, and pressure that many parents feel because I have lived it myself.

Starting a business after 17 years as a stay-at-home mom was not easy. The technology, systems, and tools used in today’s workforce had changed dramatically since I had last worked full-time. I had to learn how to build a website, develop a business plan, market my services, and manage the day-to-day operations of a business while continuing to care for my family and maintain a busy household. There were certainly times when I questioned whether I was capable of making such a significant transition.

What helped me succeed were many of the skills I developed as a parent: patience, persistence, adaptability, organization, communication, and time management. Parenting taught me how to juggle competing priorities, solve problems creatively, and keep moving forward even when things don’t go according to plan.

What I want people to know about Grove is that it is built on the belief that there is no single “best” school—only the best fit for a particular child. Every family has different values, priorities, and goals. My role is to help families cut through the noise, gain clarity, and find a school community where their child feels challenged, supported, and genuinely belongs.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love this question!

Since I live in Wash Park, we’d grab breakfast at Devil’s Food Bakery or The Cookery on Gaylord Street, browse the shops and walk through the park. If it was Sunday, we’d hit the South Pearl Street Farmers Market. It’s one of my favorite things to do in Denver.

At some point we’d grab bagels from Call Your Mother and spend a morning wandering around Denver Central Market. We’d get bikes and ride through Bonnie Brae and Belcaro and stop at Bonnie Brae Ice Cream. At night, I’d take them to Union Station for drinks and people-watching, then wander through Tattered Cover Bookstore before heading to dinner at Tavernetta. And we’d at some point get sushi at Izakaya Den or Italian at Florence Supper Club. So good!

We’d have to spend at least one day in the mountains. One of the things I love most about Denver is that you can have breakfast in the city and be hiking in the mountains an hour later. Denver is all about the lifestyle. It’s biking to dinner, running into friends at the farmers market, spending a Saturday morning in the park, and having incredible access to both city life and the outdoors.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to recognize my family, whose influence has shaped both who I am and the work I do today.

My mom ran a preschool out of our home when I was growing up, so I saw the real impact that education can have on a child, a family, and a community. My dad has always valued education and encouraged me to work hard, stay curious, and pursue opportunities beyond what I thought was possible.

My husband, Ash, gave me the incredible gift of being a stay-at-home parent for 17 years. His support allowed me to be fully present during one of the most meaningful chapters of my life and ultimately led me to discover my passion for educational consulting. My children, William and Sarah, have taught me patience, resilience, humility, and perspective. Through them, I have experienced the joys and challenges of parenting and the profound impact that schools and communities can have on a child’s development. In many ways, Grove Educational Consulting exists because of what they have taught me over the years.

Website: https://www.groveedconsulting.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-steed-valeski