Monta Briant, a native of San Francisco, California; and her husband, Paul, of Cape Town, South Africa, began signing with their daughter, Sirena, when she was six months old. The family eventually learned hundreds of signs together. Monta was so moved by the experience of being able to communicate effectively with her then-preverbal daughter that she found herself telling anyone pushing a stroller about baby sign language. In 2001, Monta, a former professional yacht captain, decided to make a permanent career change that would enable her to stay home with Sirena—she founded Baby Sign Language Workshops. An enthusiastic speaker and self-proclaimed "baby sign language evangelist," Monta teaches workshops and signing classes throughout San Diego County and is also available for speaking engagements. Baby Sign Language Workshops classes have been the subject of feature stories in the San Diego Union-Tribune and on Fox 6 News in San Diego.