How Not to Screw Up Your Kids

This episode is all about school holidays and how we can not only survive them – we can thrive as a family. Cliché I know but go with it. I will share with you the tools I used when my children were younger, which worked so well – my children asked for them each holiday!  The holidays are long but they don’t have to be a huge juggling act, battleground, or source of untold stress.  I als...

It is estimated 1.25 million people have an eating disorder in the U.K. and the data is pretty similar worldwide. Eating disorders are a mental health condition where you use the control of food to cope with feelings and other situations. Unhealthy eating behaviours may include eating too much or too little or worrying about your weight or body shape. The key, in my view, is being able to pick up...

This episode touches on the slightly uncertain ground many parents face as to whether they should or shouldn’t be worried about their child’s mental health. Maybe your child lacks a little confidence, they struggle to manage their emotions sometimes or often, maybe they even say they don’t like themselves or they wish they weren’t around anymore. Is this something which all children go through or...

This episode is all about the six essential skills your children wish you'd teach them before they became adults. The skills which are crucial to successful adulting and you will be surprised by what’s on the list!   Some of them may seem too simple, possibly irrelevant but as every successful adult can attest – without these skills, the world of work and adulthood can be tricky to navig...

Over 50% of children worry about how they look, 36% say they will do whatever it takes to look good, and 57% have considered going on a diet! Scary statistics when all we want is happy children who celebrate their own uniqueness.   That’s why today’s episode is all about body image - a tricky subject for us as parents to navigate, so hope by listening to this podcast you come away w...

This podcast episode is a bit different - it’s about my worldwide campaign - One Million Moments which launched on 8th June 2022 and aims to positively impact 1 million lives. Can you help me spread the word, and give your children the tools to be emotionally resilient? Click here to find out more about ONE MILLION MOMENTS     Here are the highlights:  (00:36) Children’s mental...

Let’s talk about how we can help our children succeed at school. Success at school is of course linked to academics, but it is also linked to social aspects such as friendships, and confidence. So I will talk about how our children can succeed by becoming independent learners, and owing their learning journey.   You might find this useful if your teen is studying for big exams as well as...

In this episode I am joined by Stephanie Haynes, education coach and consultant. We talk about how we can raise children who believe all options are open for their furure - whether that’s going to university, an apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, or something else AND it starts earlier than you think. Some truly mind-blowing revelations and advice. A must listen whether your child is 2 or 22! ...

In this episode I want to talk about how we can promote a can-do growth mindset in our children. Helping our children to see they are capable of almost anything they set their minds to and helping set high aspirations for themselves.  Here are the highlights:  (02:07) A fixed versus growth mindset  (05:35) Teaching our children how the brain works  (09:27) Using the right vocab...

I want to talk about children’s mental health. What is it, why do we keep hearing about rising numbers in it, what are the common factors which affect it, and are some children more likely to have issues with it???? I will then share my top 5 tips on how we can best equip our children to safeguard their mental health.    Here are the highlights:  (00:52) What do we mean by ment...

Enjoy my conversation with the amazing Anna Mathur, a psychotherapist, mother of three and best selling author of Mind Over Mother.  Anna’s passion for taking therapy out of the therapy room has culminated in her wonderful new book The Little Book of Clam for New Mums, which I feel is a must read for any mother regardless of the age of your children. We talk rage & irritability, fears of...

I have had a number of conversations this week with friends - without breaking any confidences - who’s children have either become very drunk, they have caught their children vaping, looking at porn, taking drugs, or sneaking downstairs to switch the wifi back on and grab their devices! These are all incredible parents, wonderful parents in fact who have a great relationship with their children. T...

Doesn’t every parent want an independent, self motivated, resilient child or teen who takes ownership of their learning (and revising), their bedroom, their behaviour and their choices??   Sound too good to be true?  It’s really not but the secret is starting early and please don’t worry if you’ve already got a teen - all is not lost!!   Independence breeds confidence and...

This episode I am doing something a little different. I am answering 4 listener questions which cover ADHD, Autism, Teen Friendships, Death and a Fear of Flying. Your children or teens might not be struggling with the exact same challenges but I can guarantee you will get some very useful tips from listening. So here goes..  Here are the highlights:  (01:10) I think my son has ADHD ...

I want to talk about what might possibly feel like the elusive art of raising happy children. Everywhere we are reading about children and teenagers struggling with their mental health and yet there are a vast number of children growing up happy. What’s the secret??   Sometimes it is hard to get the balance right between what makes our children happy and what’s actually in their best int...

In this episode I talk about being a mother and having personal ambitions.  Wanting something for you which feels worthwhile striving for and yet comes with a whole host of guilt about whether you are failing at motherhood because of your ambitions.  At 52 I no long worry what anyone thinks of me, my drive, or my ambition. I am unapologetically me, and by the way –  I know I am a gr...

You know that time when you are expecting and you’re lost on those dreams of what your child will be like? The interests you think they are likely to have because of you and your partner’s interests and passions. The qualities you feel they will inherit and how they will utilise them. Maybe you are both musical and you imagine them growing up to have an appreciation of classical music, as you do....

This is episode is brought to you as a result of a listener email. We are going to talk about real parenting - the messy, dirty, ugly, crying, shouting, despairing trials which confront us - often it feels, on a daily basis!! Whether you’re feeling totally knackered, as though you’re failing. Feeling as though you are throwing random threats out when your children make poor choices and then not be...

Societally we juggle more than our parents ever did when they were raising us. We are a generation raised on the notion we could have it all - a great marriage, fulfilling careers, wonderful children, holidays, a big house, nice cars, after school paid activities, tutoring, the best schools, and so on and so on. Add social media, rolling news, and the need to be constantly 'on' and it's no wonder...

In this episode I want to tackle the complex subject of how do we have conversations with our children about scary world events.  Now if you are listening to this episode in March 2022 you may find this relevant for explaining to children about what is happening with Ukraine and Russia. However, the advice I will give is relevant across a number of issues, whether it’s climate change, wars, r...

This is episode takes a slightly different tack to parenting - looking at it from the perspective of “If only I knew!”    It takes the approach if I knew then what I knew now - how would I parent differently? I believe quite strongly that it’s never too late to start afresh, we genuinely cannot screw up our kids, if we approach parenting consciously - constantly reflecting back on c...

In this episode we are talking about back-chat and pushing boundaries. I get asked about this a lot as I know it’s something we can really struggle with as parents.   We usually associate this type of behaviour with the teenagers; thirteen, fourteen-year-olds being rebellious and pushing every boundary. Yet what I know to be true is this pattern of behaviour is not limited to any age. It...

Children’s willpower is like a rechargeable battery; it starts the day full and slowly drains away to nothing, before sleep recharges it for the next day.     How quickly your child’s battery runs flat depends in part on their character, how much their willpower has been used throughout the day, and whether they have regularly visited a recharge station.    ...

I want to regularly answer your most burning questions as part of my Help! Question. So here is our first. Help!! I’ve completely lost it with my children!! We have all been there right?? You know, those times when we become some sort of mum/dad zilla - unleashing anger, fury, and frustration in a way which almost feels like an out of body experience, and you just can’t seem to stop your...

This episode is all about the importance of play for our children. I am often asked about how much time school-aged children should have to play each day. My answer is always the same…I believe play is the single most important activity for children to engage in, each and every day, for at least one hour. The research evidence is overwhelming in documenting the power of play for children’s emotion...