Family in Focus®

Perfectionism Is Keeping You Stuck If you keep waiting until you feel completely ready, have the perfect plan, or know exactly how things will turn out, you may never begin. In this episode of Family in Focus , I’m talking about how perfectionism can quietly turn into procrastination, especially when you’re trying to make meaningful changes for yourself or your family. We’ll explore why you don’t...

If you’ve been told to “let your child listen to their body,” you may be wondering what that actually looks like when they refuse dinner but happily ask for snacks five minutes later. In this episode of Family in Focus , I’m breaking down five things parents need to know about intuitive eating and kids, including why an approach designed for adults may not translate directly to a child who is stil...

What happens when comments about a child’s body stay with them long after childhood? And how can you protect your child from carrying the same shame, fear, and judgment many of us grew up with? In this special episode of Family in Focus , I’m joined by Lisa Fipps, award-winning author of the middle-grade novel Starfish . Lisa shares how her experiences with weight-based bullying inspired the book...

Should We Be Talking About Other People’s Bodies? Should we talk about other people’s bodies? What do you say when your child notices a celebrity’s body has changed? And is teaching kids to never talk about bodies always the right approach? In this episode of Family in Focus , I explore the complicated conversations happening around bodies, weight, and health. Using public conversations about Lizz...

How to Set Healthy Boundaries That Help Your Child Thrive How do you set healthy boundaries without hurting your relationship with your child? Why do children push back against limits? Do kids actually need boundaries to become more independent? If you've ever wondered these things, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus , I explain why healthy boundaries aren't about control....

If your child has ever said, "I hate my body," "I wish I looked different," or criticized their appearance, you may have wondered what you're supposed to say in that moment. In this episode of Family in Focus, I share why the most helpful response isn't reassurance, advice, or trying to change your child's mind. Instead, we explore how curiosity, presence, and connection create the emotional safet...

If you've ever wondered whether being kinder to yourself could actually make you a better parent, this conversation is for you. In this special guest episode of Family in Focus , I'm joined by my dear friend Dr. Faryal D. Michaud, DO , palliative care physician, coach, and founder of Physicians Living Intentionally. Together, we explore why the relationship you have with yourself shapes the relati...

If you've seen headlines about glucose monitors now being available for children as young as two, you may be wondering if they're something your family needs. In this episode of Family in Focus , I unpack what the FDA's recent decision actually means, why more health data isn't always better, and how constant monitoring can unintentionally affect a child's relationship with food, their body, and t...

If you've ever worried about your child's eating, weight, or health and wondered if you're doing enough, this episode is for you. Many of us have been taught that helping our children means finding the right meal plan, nutrition strategy, or set of rules. But what if the most powerful thing you can do has far less to do with food than you've been led to believe? In this episode of Family in Focus...

If you've ever been told to "just connect with your child" but found yourself wondering what that actually looks like in the middle of a busy weeknight, this episode is for you. Connection has become one of the most common pieces of parenting advice, but it's often misunderstood. We turn it into a strategy to get our children to eat differently, behave differently, or change. But connection was ne...

If you have ever caught yourself saying something about food or your child's body that sounded just like something you heard growing up, this episode is for you. When you're worried about your child's eating habits or weight, it's easy to believe the answer is more control, better nutrition advice, or the perfect plan. But many of the messages we carry about food, bodies, and health were never int...

If you feel stuck trying to improve your child's eating habits and wondering whether you just need a better meal plan, this episode is for you. Many parents are told that the solution is simple: serve healthier foods, cut out certain foods, or find the right nutrition plan. But if changing meals were enough, most families would already be seeing the results they want. In this episode of Family in...

If worries about your child's weight or eating habits have started taking up more and more space in your mind, this episode is for you. When we're worried, it's easy to focus so hard on what needs to change that we lose sight of everything that's already going well. In this episode of Family in Focus, I share a simple mindset shift that can help you step out of fear, see the whole child again, and...

If you've just been told that your child needs to lose weight and you're feeling worried, overwhelmed, or unsure what to do next, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I walk you through the first three steps you can take after hearing concerns about your child's weight. Because what you do next matters. You may be carrying fear, guilt, shame, or an urgent desire to fix the...

If you feel stuck between trying to “fix” your child’s eating habits and wanting to give up altogether, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I unpack the stress, pressure, and overwhelm many parents experience when trying to help their children build healthier relationships with food and their bodies. Because food battles are often not just about food. Many parents find the...

If you are worried about emotional eating in kids and wondering how to help your child without shame, pressure, or food battles, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I unpack emotional eating in children, stress eating, and the unmet needs that often sit beneath eating behaviors. Because emotional eating is not simply about food, discipline, or “bad habits.” Many times, it...

If you have ever found yourself thinking, “Just tell me what to feed my kid,” this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I unpack one of the biggest misconceptions parents carry when it comes to changing eating habits and weight concerns at home: the belief that the answer is simply finding the “right” foods, meal plan, or nutrition advice. Because the problem is usually not a la...

If you have ever tried to make healthier changes at home and been met with resistance, tears, or a flat-out “I hate this,” this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus , I walk through what is actually happening when your child pushes back on food changes and why it does not mean you are doing anything wrong. Because the resistance you are seeing is not defiance. It is development....

If you have ever watched your child say something painful about their body and had no idea what to say back, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I walk through what it actually looks like when diet culture gets to your kid — and more importantly, four ways to show up when it does. Because the instinct to correct, reassure, and fix is coming from love. But it is often the t...

If you have ever left your child's well visit feeling like you did something wrong, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I break down the history of BMI, diet culture, and why weight became the focus of your child's doctor visit. Because your doctor did not make up that advice. But understanding where it actually comes from changes everything. Because the message has a hist...

If you have ever been told to focus on your child’s BMI, weight, or eating habits and felt like something wasn’t adding up, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus , I unpack the truth about BMI, pediatric weight guidance, and why the traditional “eat less, move more” approach often fails families. Because it is not your child who is failing. It may be the system. We explore ho...

If you have ever left your child’s doctor’s appointment feeling confused about BMI, worried about your child’s health, or unsure how to respond to conversations about weight, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I break down what is often missing from pediatric conversations about BMI and weight, and how weight stigma in children is impacting both their health and their rel...

If your child has ever said something like “I hate how I look,” and you felt unsure what to say next, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I share a different way to respond in those moments when your child is struggling with body image, food, or how they see themselves. Because your child does not need you to fix it. They need you to stay with them in it. Drawing from impr...

If you have ever felt stuck trying to do things “the right way” for your child, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I explore how perfectionism shapes the way we parent and creates stress, pressure, and disconnection in everyday family life. Because it is rarely about getting it right. Perfectionism often shows up as the belief that things need to look a certain way before...

If you have ever felt overwhelmed trying to help your child with eating, weight, or health—this conversation is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus , I’m joined by Joey Skelton, MD, MS, FAAP and Dara Garner-Edwards, MSW, LCSW , co-authors of Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World . Together, we explore how to support your child without shame, pressure, or food b...