The Caring Instinct

Our children and teenagers are more anxious and depressed than ever. Whilst the temptation is to blame the pandemic or the use of mobile phones, gaming and social media, what do the children themselves have to say about what is stressing them out? In this interview Dr. Peter Gray shares what his research into the root causes of the unfolding mental health crisis has shown. The best bit? There is a...

Our children and teenagers are often at least as busy, stressed and sleep-deprived as adults. Amidst an unprecedented youth mental health crisis, our education systems remain divorced from everything science knows about learning and wellbeing. If a book ever was a way out, “The Self-Driven Child” is certainly this, and the conversation with one of its authors Dr. William Stixrud is here to fill us...

What do you do if your toddler’s special talent is jumping on and off furniture? Our guest Rudi Gesch put his own spin on the old nursery rhyme in “No More Monkeys,” a book that feels like a reassuring hug for parents who are horrified by their kids’ propensity for risky play. His science is solid too, as he partnered with an eminent evolutionary psychologist Peter Gray, who makes a cameo appearan...

All eating is emotional eating according to Dr. Deborah MacNamara, the author of Nourished, a book that is a gift to any parent who has felt baffled and frustrated when feeding their child (which is most of us!). Why teaching our kids about nutrition can backfire? Why do we eat when we are not hungry and often don’t eat when we are? What did Maslow get wrong in his hierarchy of needs? Most importa...

Katharine Graves has helped thousands of parents unlock the wonder of natural birth through unlearning harmful myths about labour, reclaiming agency in their antenatal journey and learning to understand and trust their bodies and instincts. What makes KG Hypnobirthing different from other courses? Why the idea of a “due date” is misguided? What are the best ways to support a pregnant woman? Finall...

If a school your kids and their friends need doesn’t exist, you can always create one! This is exactly what Anna Hobbs did. Listen to her incredible story of founding a democratic school that became a breath of fresh air for her students and their families, as well as her journey from being a homeschooled child to homeschooling her three kids. (Did Olga ask Anna about the housework when all three...

As the norms that used to structure relationships between ageing parents and grown-up children loosen, we may find ourselves with more agency to define ours. For some, it means a fresh start, a potential for a more meaningful relationship. How can we move through triggers and old wounds, to meet again? What roles do anger and shame play? What does it mean to honour your father and mother? Can we f...

If I was pressed to choose the most helpful episode of The Caring Instinct podcast, I would pick this conversation with Benjamin Perry, a queer minister and author of Cry, Baby: Why Our Tears Matter. Benjamin is a passionate advocate for crying, possibly the most misunderstood physiological process in our bodies (and the one we sometimes think we are better off without!). Why can we lose our tears...

Are we right in thinking the parents of the past used to be much stricter? What awaits new parents and children after a decade of gentler approaches? Can millennials claim hands-on fatherhood as their achievement? This conversation with Christina Hardyment, the author of “Dream Babies. Childcare Advice from John Locke to Gina Ford,” offers her unique bird’s eye view of parenting advice through the...

We are talking to our friend Nancy Evans, a Relational Trauma and Addictive Behaviours coach, a mum of three sons and true cycle-breaker. Where do you find answers as a struggling mother who still knows for sure that she does not want to raise her kids the way she was raised? How do you become a leader brave enough to take your family on a different path, the one that for Nancy included sobriety a...

If you are parenting a teenager (or are getting ready to!), this conversation with Robin, a sexual health nurse from Calgary and a facilitator of Making Sense of Adolescence at the Neufeld Institure, is gold. How do we support our children through the awkward, grinding and lengthy transition that is adolescence? From friends, screens, food, housework, favourite TV shows to how to talk about sex an...

What is more natural to humans, competition or cooperation? How does a child grow into a good person and how can we help? How do we cultivate joy, curiosity and flexibility, as opposed to fear and rigidity, the patterns our society finds itself in a lot of the time? Finally, how do we raise children that feel one with Nature, are nurtured by her wisdom and kind to other living things? This convers...

We're saying good bye until the next season! Thank you for your listenership, please follow @thecaringinstinct for more.

We give you a sneak peek of what’s brewing at The Caring Instinct and talk about the potential of housework to bring parents and children closer together. Did you know that only 24% of British children chip in with the housework now compared to about 85% when we were kids? Could housework be the missing piece of the puzzle? We’d love to hear your thoughts! #thecaringinstinct #childdevelopment #par...

How do we parent through the climate crisis in a way that helps our children connect with nature, trust its wisdom and feel like they are part of the solution? We are talking to an ecologist, organic gardener and writer Becky Searle @sow_much_more about finding resilience through growing food and enjoying being outdoors. The ups and downs of gardening with kids, foraging and unusual edibles, and a...

When the pandemic hit, Julieta bought $10,000 worth of curriculum to home school her sons, only to get rid of it and start unschooling! What unschooling means, how learning happens, family relationships and the support people might need if this is the lifestyle they are curious to try. Julieta talks beautifully about experiences that are invitations to grow, her ways of connecting with her childre...

Are you a parent of a young gamer? Ash @thegamereducator empowers parents to navigate the world of video games with insight, compassion and practical strategies. What is it about video games that many kids love so much? Can video games make children more violent? Why do they get so grumpy after gaming and how to protect their friendships in the world of online gaming? Are video games the true play...

Rhea and her husband have taken their two teenagers out of school for a year to travel the world. They've travelled through South-East Asia and Africa and are heading to Europe. We caught Rhea in Egypt to talk about her incredible year of worldschooling, her family's journey of self-discovery, strengthening relationships and character building and the practicalities of having the world as your cla...

Part 2 of our conversation with the award-winning Scottish writer and illustrator Debi Gliori. Finding our No Matter What with teenagers and seeing our little ones through the start of school. What it means to follow your heart as a parent. What comes first in a book, the message or the magic. Being in touch with your inner child as an author and illustrator whether you are a parent or not. While...

Debi Gliori is the award-winning writer and illustrator of over eighty picture books and novels for children. In Part 1 we talk about little Debi, going through depression and Night Shift, and how the one and only No Matter What was written in 20 minutes. Art, family and being the parent our child needs – this is one of the richest and most authentic conversations I’ve ever had. Don’t miss this on...

We’re kicking off a series on the psychology behind our favourite Disney stories with an episode on the incomparable Encanto! Mirabel, an ordinary child, desperately works for love and belonging in her extraordinary family, but are her gifted siblings working just as hard? How can parents support a child who is always in the shade of another? What happens when we parent in the context of a large c...

This conversation with Andy Stockton, a community development worker from Sheffield UK, has put a big smile on my face and hope in my heart. How about a community that is a source of belonging and support for families, that looks after the most vulnerable and empowers mothers? A community where the world comes to you in all its diversity. Andy talks about the building blocks and the key to transfo...

If human emotions are like weather, therapists are here to brave the storms with us. In part 2 of our mini-series on Compassionate Inquiry, Olga interviews Joe about how he structures his work, sets an intention and how healing and growth happen. We talk about authenticity, agency, anger and acceptance as guideposts of Compassionate Inquiry and find out what journey awaits Bob, an imaginary client...

Attachment, vulnerability, trauma and growing into our full human potential. The work of Dr Gabor Maté and Dr Gordon Neufeld has been pivotal for both Joe and Olga in how we parent, work, teach, understand our relationships and ourselves. So when The Myth of Normal by Dr Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté came out, we knew we would want to talk about it! Joe is a qualified Compassionate Inquiry practition...

A strictly 10+ conversation about navigating Santa’s imminent arrival with young children. Where does the idea of Santa rewarding good boys and girls and punishing bad ones come from? Do we want to jump on the elf-on-the-shelf bandwagon? What if someone tells my child that Santa is not real? And what if Santa’s secret is the same as Nature’s: that there are no naughty kids? #thecaringinstinct #chi...