Team
Operators, clinicians, and a golden retriever.
A small team working at the intersection of healthcare operations, pediatric clinical practice, and calm software design.
Our beginning
How DaySteps started
DaySteps began as a simple tool Michael built to bring more structure to his own day. When he showed an early version to Drew, she saw how the same approach could help children and families who were relying on repeated reminders, paper schedules, and disconnected systems.
That conversation shaped what DaySteps became: a calm, connected support system that helps children move through daily life one step at a time, gives parents control over how much support they provide, and helps clinicians stay connected to what happens between sessions.
Michael brought the product and healthcare-operations experience. Drew brought the clinical perspective. Their collaboration shaped DaySteps around a shared principle: support should make daily life more manageable without becoming another source of pressure.
Michael Kessler
Founder & CEO
Michael has spent nearly a decade in healthcare strategy and operations across management consulting and value-based care, including roles at Deloitte and Wellvana. His work has spanned fundraising, clinical documentation programs, care-management implementations, and cost-reduction initiatives across health plans and primary-care networks — direct exposure to how clinical software is built, adopted, and used inside organizations that deliver care. He holds a BBA from the University of Iowa.
Michael founded DaySteps to bring that same level of operational rigor to a space historically underserved by well-designed clinical software: executive-function support for children and the clinicians who work with them.
Drew Duffy, M.A., M.Ed., NCSP, BCBA
Clinical Advisor
Drew is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She holds a Master of Arts in School Psychology and a Master of Education from Columbia University, along with an advanced certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis.
Her experience includes placements in New York City and Boston, several years as a school psychologist in Toronto — including work with the district's Autism team — and most recently a role in Denver supporting twice-exceptional students. In parallel, she provides therapy to children and adolescents with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and mood disorders. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Denver, where her research focuses on curriculum development and equity in education.
As Clinical Advisor to DaySteps, Drew brings evidence-based perspective to ensure tools are grounded in research and effective in real-world settings.
Tucker
Chief Routine Officer
Tucker is a golden retriever who lives by a strict daily routine: morning walk, breakfast, a very serious nap, park time and fetch, another nap, dinner, post-dinner greenie, pre-bedtime zoomies, and beauty sleep. Same order. Every day.
He is the most consistent DaySteps user — and a good reminder that predictable routines bring out the best in all of us.
Advisors
People who push on our choices.
We're building a short list of clinicians, researchers, and educators who review our design and product decisions. Credentials listed, relationships disclosed. Get in touch if that's you.