When your child is struggling, but there’s no help, or just lengthy waits for counsellors, what can you do as a parent?
Well, for Lauren Ballester, a South African Mom of two and now Maltese resident, she was driven to help her son and create her own tools and now launch an app.
When her son Rafael was diagnosed with SPD at four, Lauren sought solutions, but found a critical gap. There was limited at-home support. Relocating to Malta didn’t ease their challenges. One morning, Rafael’s said he wished he’d never been born.
This was the turning point for Lauren.
“That moment was a call to action,” Lauren says. She relentlessly pursued knowledge, studying and learning as much as possible to help her child. One day she watched her children playing with trading cards and got an idea. What about simple cards to help kids understand and manage their strong emotions. And so, Life Wizards Power Cards, were born.
The cards quickly became snapped up by parents, reaching families worldwide, including in South Africa, Australia, Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.
Then Lauren managed to secure funding through the TV show Changemakers (which is like Shark Tank/Dragon’s Den), to go a step further and develop The Life Hero App, bringing her powerful techniques to a wider audience.
“I know as parents we want to reduce the amount of screen time our children have, but this is a tool that’s designed to help kids in a space they’re already comfortable in. I really wanted it to be fun and interactive game that would also give them the language and tools to understand their emotions.”
Designed as a freemium app with in-app purchases, the Life Hero App lets kids collect cards, unlock new experiences, and build their own emotional toolkit—without feeling like they’re in a therapy session. Instead, they embark on immersive, game-like scenarios where they exercise the power of choice and discover strategies to navigate emotions in real life.
“It’s been several years in development to get it right. I’m so grateful to my own kids, Rio and Rafael who have given me feedback along the way. They absolutely love it and I can’t wait for more kids to benefit. Imagine a generation of children who grow up to be adults capable of managing their emotions. These are the people who will prevent conflicts and spread joy.”
Designed for children aged 6-12, this game-based app transforms screen time into a productive learning experience, teaching kids to independently manage frustration, stress, and disappointment through engaging gameplay and real-world scenarios.
“In the app, I’ve created all these different real-world challenges. Kids get to identify triggers, solve puzzles with strategic card play, and discover positive reinforcements, all while building a strong emotional vocabulary.
The Life Hero App is also about reducing parental stress as it provides a self-led learning environment, and offers a guilt-free, developmental screen time option.
“I know what it’s like to be busy mom, juggling a career and your family. But having a child with big emotions that you can’t fix , makes the guilt and heartache even worse when you can’t do anything. I want to give that parent a tool that will really help.”
The Life Hero App is coming soon for download on the Apple Store and Android Store. Find out more here.
For media inquiries, interviews, or partnership opportunities, please contact Lauren at magic@lifewizardsacademy.com.
