20 Questions with ACM Team Member Stephanie Tsapakis

The Alamo City Moms team is made up of all kinds of women, with all kinds of experiences and knowledge and life lived. Get to know them through our “20 Questions” series.

Today, meet Stephanie: A grateful San Antonio transplant that fled the midwestern winters at the first opportunity. Driven by her core values, faith, family, and knowledge, Stephanie and her husband are passionately raising their two daughters – Nikoletta (2017), Eleni (2019), and Emmelia (2022). With a husband from Greece, travel is a big part of their family life along with their Greek Orthodox identity. Stephanie has a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology and is a licensed teacher, dyslexia therapist, and school principal. She is also the CEO and Founder of The LD Expert, a nationwide company that brings the best tutoring and dyslexia intervention to schools and families through virtual instruction.

How do you like to start and end your day?

I always start my day by washing my face and brushing my teeth. Then I like to cl

ean the kitchen first thing in the morning while the coffee brews.

What part of parenting drains you? What part of parenting energizes you?

One thing about parenting that drains me is cleaning up toys—when my house is cluttered, my brain feels cluttered. I get energized when my kids make up new games for us to play!

What’s one thing you’re learning now or learned recently?

I recently earned a new certification and moved from a Dyslexia Practitioner to a Dyslexia Therapist—a 15-month process!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I love long soaks in the tub.

Are you reading anything interesting right now?

I am currently reading (listening to) No Drama Discipline and it is really helping with how I parent my three-year-old!

What’s your favorite tradition (holiday or otherwise)?

I love everything about Christmas! Celebrating Christ, decorating, wrapping, shopping, gift giving and receiving—just alllllll the things.

What’s one thing you’re currently trying to make a habit?

I am trying hard to bring exercise back into my weekly routine on a more regular basis. I am about five months post-partum with baby number three, and it turns out three kids are harder than two!

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

I wish I could tell my teenage self that being kind is the best way to make the kind of friends you want.

What topic could you give an hour-long presentation on with little to no preparation?

I could talk endlessly about strategies for teaching a child to read, and most importantly, what works and what does not.

What’s one song you have completely memorized?

I know every word to “Bombs Over Bagdad.” Most people do NOT know this about me, but I feel like a BA sharing it now.

What’s one item you can’t leave home without or that is always in your bag?

I always have lipstick or chapstick in my purse. It is also near my bed, in my car, at my desk… (You get the picture!)

What’s one thing you wish you’d known when becoming a mom, or what advice would you give to a new mom?

This may seem a little deep, but I wish I knew more about post-partum anxiety. I suffered from this tremendously after my first and second pregnancies, and I did not know what was normal and what wasn’t.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? How’d that work out? What do you do now that fills your days with “work”?

I asked for a pointer for Christmas when I was seven years old so that I could feel like a real teacher when I played school. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and that is what I became!

 What’s one “life hack” that changed how you do something?

This summer I looked up videos of different ways to cut a watermelon. It was so helpful!

What’s your ideal way to spend your weekends?

I love to spend my weekends relaxing with my family and hanging out by the pool. I also find it very helpful for my mental health to get lots of errands done on weekends when my husband can help.

What is something you’re doing as a mom/parent that you never anticipated doing?

This is a tough one… I never anticipated travelling to Europe every summer with three children. But, I married a man from Greece and we go every year to visit his family.  

If you grew up in San Antonio, what’s one thing that you loved about your childhood here? One thing you love that your children are getting to know? If you didn’t, tell me where you grew up, how you got to SAT, and one thing you love that your children get to do/see/experience here?

We moved to San Antonio in 2012 for my husband’s job. I love how family-friendly San Antonio is. There is always something for me to do with my kids here.

What is your favorite place in San Antonio?

I love the River Walk but rarely go. I also love Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne.

What is your favorite restaurant?

Jet’s Pizza

Another thing I love about San Antonio is…

that so many of the neighborhoods have amenities!

What is something near San Antonio, but technically out of the city limits, that you love being close to or enjoy going to or WANT to explore? 

I think visiting the caverns is such a fun thing to do. I would love to explore a cave someday.

I am the CEO and Founder of The LD Expert—a company that specializes in virtual reading and dyslexia intervention, tutoring, and diagnostic evaluations. We believe that learning differences are not disabilities, and our motto is “learning enabled.” We love bringing amazing teachers to students who are struggling with reading or any other subject in school.  

Stephanie
A grateful San Antonio transplant that fled the midwestern winters at the first opportunity. Driven by her core values, faith, family, and knowledge, Stephanie and her husband are passionately raising their three daughters - Nikoletta (2017), Eleni (2019) and Emmelia (2022). With a husband from Greece, travel is a big part of their family life along with their Greek Orthodox identity. Stephanie has a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology and is a licensed teacher, school principal, and dyslexia therapist. She is also the CEO and Founder of The LD Expert, a nationwide company that brings the best academic tutoring and dyslexia intervention to schools and families through virtual instruction. Favorite Restaurant: Jets Pizza Favorite Landmark: Marriage Island Favorite San Antonio Tradition: Cascarones