Calm and Connected Podcast

Friendships are such a wonderful and special part of life. From memory making to going through the highs and lows with your peers makes life so much richer. As a child, learning social skills and how friendships fit is a huge learning curve as they go through their childhood and find their ‘people’. As a parent, how do you connect and how do you teach your kids basic social skills and about what a...

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘gratitude’? Is gratitude something you display or practice each day? Practicing and looking for what’s gone well in the day is a great routine to get into in order to get past the tougher moments.  In this episode we discuss: What emotions we display when we aren’t practicing gratitude Saying the things we’re grateful for out loud  The power o...

During the week what physical exercise do you do? Or which would you like to do? Today Janine looks at movement coping styles, specifically big body movement and how exercise helps your mental health and not just your physical and cognitive functioning. Did you know that those who exercise have fewer days of poor mental health than those who don’t exercise. But what is the best activity for you an...

We don’t always have the time to relax and stop during a busy day when we head to work or school. Today Janine encourages us to take mini mindful moments and use our senses to create some pause points.  In this episode Janine discusses: Sight - noticing things around you that you wouldn’t usually notice and look for Taste - taking a mindful sip, whether that's your first sip of coffee in the...

Playing is one of the biggest stress relievers in adults just as much as kids. It can help us look at life differently, have a break from life, be creative and lift your mood. In this episode Janine mentions a book called Play by Stuart Brown and Christopher Vaughan and some of the areas of play which are helpful tips and reminders.  In this episode Janine discusses: How play removes stress f...

What do you enjoy and makes you happy? Knowing what is really important to you, may be different to other people and how your mind and body works is really key to finding the best relaxation strategies for you. Some strategies will work some days and may work better on different days. Today in the episode we’ll discuss the following strategies: Imagining your favorite place Tracing shapes and lett...

Have you ever felt like you’re in fight, flight and freeze mode? Does the situation you’re facing feel really intense and you need to take a moment to pause? Whether high stress situations or whether you’re doing a presentation, deep breathing strategies can help you get to the ‘rest and digest’ space.  In this episode Janine looks at deep breathing strategies and she discusses: What fight, f...

What does happy feel like? What about being nervous? Sad or excited? Learning to identify feelings is so important for kids - when kids can label their feelings, it’s easier for them to self-regulate. One of the best ways to learn is through play, and you can work on feelings identification in fun and playful ways.  In this episode Janine discusses: The importance of labeling our feelings How...

How do we teach our children social and emotional awareness in a fun and play filled way? Eventually our children will become adults so when they walk out into the world, we want them to step into their lives as aware and in control of their emotions as possible.  In this episode we discuss: The resources Yara has put together to support social and emotional learning The importance of playing...

Building a strong connection with our children is really important and taking the time to invest in our relationships with them at each stage of childhood and into the teenage years. Today Janine considers the opportunities we create for them to share what they like and what you enjoy also in day to day life. How can we connect with our kids well so that when they face challenges or difficulties t...

Have you noticed social skills missing in your kids? Caroline Maguire, author of Why Will No One Play With Me?, joins me to discuss how to support your child and build them up through play. Here’s some of the areas we cover: The importance of play How to play with your kids in a role play situation The power of storytelling to explain social situations  Debriefing with your kids and working o...

Has your child hit their teenage years and puberty has started? Have you noticed their emotions are changing? What about their most extreme emotions? Do you find that your teenager can feel really angry at times? In today’s episode, Janine unpacks some strategies to help you as parents support your teenager and how to develop that connection between yourself as the parent and them.  Here’s wh...

OCD can manifest itself in different ways with different obsessions and focus that are going on in your life. Children’s author, Marin Canaday describes OCD feeling like a monster devouring your emotions and feelings, where you could get to the point where you feel out of control and you begin to believe the lies the OCD obsessions tell you about yourself.  Marin joins me today in this episod...

A child at Elementary School will be learning and figuring out what emotions are and what’s going on in their bodies when their ‘big feelings’ appear. They’ll be learning to put names to their emotions and trying figuring out why they’re feeling what they are.  In the moments when they feel upset, overwhelmed and unable to put words to their emotions, there are some straightforward strategies...

The transition to preschool to elementary school can be such an anxious time for both parents and for the children. There’s a lot of unknowns to get them ready for and sometimes we think there’s lots we have to do to prepare them for starting. Today we discuss what you can do to help reduce anxiety for your little one with nursery practitioner, Caroline Allen.  In this episode they discuss: G...

It’s wonderful having a home set up where you have a reset or safe space where your kids can use strategies and process their emotions. But what happens when we go out? Having coping strategies ready is just as important. Whether that’s at school, traveling, out with friends, before a medical appointment or at parties knowing what you can do outside of the comfort of your own home is really helpfu...

When you’re expecting a baby or experiencing the first year of their life, there are books which tell you all the key development growth points to be looking out for and what comes next. We don’t talk about these as well as we could as our children go through childhood and adolescents. What emotions should they be feeling at what point? Is this behavior or outburst normal?  As they grow and d...

Today’s question is, what can you do in 5 minutes or less that will make you feel happier, healthier or stronger? There are many moments in life when the day to day can feel stressful. Anyone can feel this. Whether you’re a working professional or a parent at home with kids in any stage of life. You may hit those moments and ask how can I take a moment for myself in the midst of the situation you...

Have you ever considered the neuroscience behind how we self-regulate our emotions? How do these two work together? Some children may respond in fight or flight mode in some situations. But how does your child’s body and emotions respond and why in these specific moments?  What pathways are connecting in your child’s brain to cause certain reactions? Knowing your child and techniques to keep...

Have you noticed your child doesn’t enjoy being at birthday parties? Do they struggle hearing loud noises? Does your child appear to not like the seams in their socks? Or have they felt overwhelmed by crowds and are very observant? Some people may read this list and think you’re describing the symptoms of Autism. They could be right but did you know it could also be the symptoms of high sensitivit...

We all know those kids who can’t quite get settled in the classroom. They may have a hard time sitting down to get their homework done. They may be zoning off in the middle of a lesson in school. Or they may look like they are paying attention, but their mind is constantly wandering off. These kids might benefit from a fidget! Today's solo episode of the Calm and Connected podcast is all about fid...

Every school should have a school counselor and there are so many reasons why a school counselor may work with any student at any stage of their educational career. But what do they do? From individual 1-1 support to whole class workshops, a school counselor is there to see students thrive and support them with strategies so they can love and enjoy learning. They give the tools the student needs f...

Firstly I want to pre-warn you that my guest Meghan Joyce Tozer and I discuss some tough topics during this episode. Today’s podcast talks about sexual abuse and suicide. We encourage you to keep this in mind when listening to this podcast. Please be aware, especially if younger ears are listening, and please click play with care.  CALM AND CONNECTED - EPISODE 141 Sexual assault and harassmen...

Firstly I want to pre-warn you that we discuss some tough topics during this episode, like sex and consent, talking with your kids about death, and bullying. Please be aware, especially if younger ears are listening. Please click play with care. All parents will face that moment when they have to have some of life’s hard conversations and speaking with your child to prepare them for what comes in...

Do you ever sit and think about how you actually became an adult? Think of all the skills you have from tying your shoelaces to presenting a report at work. How did we learn these skills? … with lots and lots of practice! And for us to practice, our parents or caregivers have to ease the control a little to allow us to make mistakes. Imagine if your parents still followed you around all day waitin...