Mindful Mama: Raising Kind, Confident Kids Without Losing Your Cool | Parenting Strategies For Big Emotions & More

Life can feel like one big to-do list, leaving us overwhelmed. So I invited Shonda Moralis back on the podcast to talk about how mindfulness can help us surf the waves of life. This is an unusual episode! Listen to Shonda help me through a tough moment and feel the power of a mindfulness practice.  If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about it and know you...

You should not have to go it alone as a parent. In fact, the United States fails parents in many ways that lead to poor outcomes for children’s brain development. In this episode, Hunter talks to Dr. Dana Suskind, world-class pediatric surgeon, social scientist, and best-selling author of Thirty Million Words, about her latest book, Parent Nation, and the ways we parents can start to expect and de...

To celebrate, we made a special "best of" episode with the top 5 Mindful Mama convos of 2021.   Listen to learn about: How To Be Less Reactive How to Communicate More Skillfully With Your Kids Unconditional Parenting  The Science of Self Care How to help Kids With Self-Regulation Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some way, I...

How can you encourage creativity, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and resilience in your child? PLAY! Free play is absolutely vital for a child’s life. In this episode, I talk to Any Yudina from The Genius of Play, who reminds us that there is no substitute for free, unstructured play for kids and we parents have to protect that time. We also talk about TOYS—what are the essentials your kid...

You have definitely heard or experienced yourself the benefits of mindfulness—better emotional regulation, more calm, and clearer thinking. So what about your kids? Many adults want to share mindfulness for kids but there are definitely some DOs and some DON’Ts. Hunter talks to Kailey Lefko is a teacher, co-founder of Educalme about how we should share mindfulness with kids. Watch this episode on...

Teens and young adults need to know how to navigate the financial challenges of adulthood including debt, credit cards, how to manage their own household, and more. Are we teaching them everything they need to know? In this episode, I talk to Bobbi Rebell, author of Launching Financial Grownups. If you want to know what to teach your child about money, this is a must-listen! Watch this episode on...

How do we motivate our kids to do well—in school, and in life? In this episode I talk to motivation expert Sharath Jeevan about the things we do that kill motivation and how we can help our kids become passionate contributors to our future world instead. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about it a...

You'll know that you're not alone as you hear Hunter's honest and vulnerable sharing of her struggles. You'll see that you are not to blame for your hot temper or feeling like one big button waiting to be pushed. You'll learn research-proven tools and practices that will create palpable changes in your day-to-day life with your child. Raising Good Humans is the roadmap you've been looking for to l...

As children’s lives become more “virtual,” teachers notice a decrease in attention and doctors report an alarming increase in sensory and emotional disorders. How can you make sure your kid is instead healthy, resilient, and strong? Hunter talks to Angela Hanscom, founder of Timbernook and author of Balanced & Barefoot about the power of outdoor play. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube...

Birth to age five is when children form 90% of their brain, and the foundation of emotional intelligence they get in those years can impact the rest of their development. In this episode, I talk to Alyssa Campbell, founder of Seed & Sew about young children and how to support their growth as grounded humans. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and i...

Many of us are confused about what to do about our kid’s education. Should they go to a local school? A private school? Homeschool? I brought renowned expert Peter Gray on so that we could talk about how kids learn and what kind of education best supports their healthy development. Find out what you should (and should not) do to help your child have a meaningful education that keeps their natural...

Sensational news stories about tech can have us wanting to run away to a cabin in the woods without internet or devices! Can there be any good news about kids and tech? In my conversation with Emily Weinstein and Carrie James, authors of “Behind Their Screens,” I found out that there are actually hidden benefits to tech, and that we adults can get much more curious and open-minded about kids and t...

The research is in. Shaming and judging ourselves does NOT help us become better parents. What do we need instead? Dr. Shauna Shapiro came back on the Mindful Mama Podcast to talk about self-compassion and her new guided, “Good Morning, I Love You” journal. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about i...

If your child is consistently irritable, has attention issues, or behavior problems, you may want to check in on how much screen time they have. Dr. Victoria Dunkley talks to us about how screen time affects developing brains—acting as a stimulant for kids. Learn about her intervention and how reducing screen time can radically help mental health disorders. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Y...

Do you ever think that you are a sh*tty parent? If so, you are not alone. A combination of factors has led to this generation of parents being incredibly hard on themselves. Today I talk to Carla Naumburg, Mindful Mama Podcast favorite and author of the new book “You Are Not a Sh*tty Parent,” about how to turn around this judgmental mindset and how it (paradoxically) can help us become better pare...

Cellphones have become a fact of life, with children as young as eight (yes, eight!) getting their very own “devices.” In this episode, I talk to Catherine Pearlman—licensed clinical social worker and parenting expert—about her book, First Phone. I love this book! In it, she speaks directly to eight- to twelve-year-old children about digital safety in a manner that is playful, engaging, and age-ap...

Kids do and say things all the time that trigger intense feelings in us parents. Then we’re often yelling, shaming, or blaming. Where do these intergenerational dramas come from? How can we transform these triggers? In this episode, I talk to psychologist Dr. Lynyetta Willis about all this and more so that we can move on to healing and empowerment. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube ch...

What do you do with a child that won’t listen? Ranine, a single mom of a 7-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy is frustrated with the yelling, so she’s falling on the old tool: take away the electronics. Is there another way to get your child to listen? How do you get your child to clean their room or get off screen time if you don’t threaten? Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel...

How can we help kids get better sleep? Authors of “Generation Sleepless,” Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright help us help our tweens, teens, and even little ones get better sleep! We talk about the “perfect storm” of factors that work against us, and how to hold limits to support kids’ sleep! Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in...

Hunter meets her childhood hero, actress, director, and documentarian, Soleil Moon Frye…aka Punky Brewster! 🌈 Like any parent, Soleil wants to help protect and prepare her teen daughter as she gets ready for life beyond high school. They talk about teen mental health and the importance of being open and honest with your teens. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed...

In this episode, I talk to Gaetan Pellerin about how tools used in negotiating are more than relevant while raising our kids. We talk about the role of the ego, why parenting can be so challenging, and how powerful mindfulness is when identifying the wants and needs of our kids. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some way, I’...

What is it like to be an American Muslim mama trying to raise kids who are 100% American and Muslim? Is it possible to be progressive and Muslim? Many have misperceptions (including me!), so I brought on Zaiba Hasan, host of the Mommying While Muslim podcast to talk about all this and more. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in...

Do you struggle with making time to exercise? As parents, exercising can seem daunting and exhausting. In this episode, I talk to Jennifer Heisz, author of Move the Body, Heal the Mind: Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia, and Improve Focus, Creativity, and Sleep about the importance of daily movement. We talk about how exercise doesn't have to be vigorous or time-consuming. Jennifer sugges...

What do you do with kids who push back… a lot?? Today, I talk to Wendy Snyder about building a compassionate discipline toolkit to deal with challenging kids. We talk about how to stay firm and kind so you don’t become too permissive with your children (and why that’s harmful). This episode is chock-full of practical parenting tools! Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you e...

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Roni Cohen Sandler, author of “Anything But My Phone, Mom!” where we discuss the importance of building a trusting relationship with your daughter(s). We talk about how to set the tone while they're younger, for the kind of relationship you want with them throughout adolescence. You'll also hear about parental anxiety and the modern challenges parents face while rais...