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

Screen time has a BIG effect on kids’ attention, brain development, and more. We know that we want to limit screen time, but how do we do that when every other child has a phone? In this episode, I talk to Arlene Pellicane, author of Screen Kids, and host of the Happy Home podcast about how to limit screen time. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, a...

Do you want to do everything? Homeschooling mom Kasii Oakley has five kids in Vermont. She’s a nurturer at heart and wants to do everything! She wants to make all their food from scratch and have time to do some writing or painting for herself. Is it possible? What are the deeper challenges beyond just efficient scheduling? Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed thi...

Many of us are suffering from parent burnout right now and kids are also. Mental health challenges for kids have skyrocketed. How does our parenting affect kids' mental health? We want to protect our kids, but too much protection is actually harmful. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Hansa Bhargava, pediatrician, and author of Building Happier Kids which is being published by the American Academy of...

What makes life meaningful? Meaning comes from connection and interconnection but our dominant culture is one of separation from the rest of life. How do we then find meaning through connection? We talk about all of this and more this week with Jeremy Lent, author of The Web of Meaning. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some...

We want our children to be able to regulate their emotions, but how do we teach them how? How do we know if a child is deliberately testing their boundaries versus having a fight-flight-freeze stress response? If you’ve wondered about these things, you’re in luck because in this Mindful Mama Podcast episode I talk to Mona Delahooke, author of Brain-Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behavior and...

When our kids are little, we don’t know whether they will ultimately be gay, straight, or other. So how do we raise kids to feel loved and accepted no matter what their sexual orientation is? How do we raise confident, secure, emotionally healthy LGBTQ kids or LGBTQ allies? To get the answers, I talk to Chris Tompkins, author of Raising LGBTQ Allies. Watch this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube...

Why should we shift from old-school punishments to a more respectful, mindful way of parenting? Because when we know better, we do better. Mr. Chazz is an internet sensation who translates children's language in a way that any adult can understand. He gets it! 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 abou...

Do you wish your child were more helpful around the house? I do! In this episode, I talk to Michaeleen Ducleff, author of Hunt, Gather, Parent about the secrets that indigenous cultures can teach us about how to raise helpful children. She talks about her travels and how in western cultures have been teaching parents a really hard way to parent, generating conflict between themselves and their chi...

Do you and your parenting partner struggle post-kids? In this episode I talk to Kara Hoppe, MFT and Stan Tatkin, PsyD about what happens to couples after having children. We discuss the idea of secure functioning and how important it is for partners to make their relationship a priority. We touch on the importance of listening open-heartedly to each other, even when you don’t hold the same views a...

Am I being too tough? Am I being too soft? Am I doing any of this right? We all ask these questions of ourselves, wondering if we could be doing better. Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, registered psychologist, parenting educator, founder and director of The Wishing Star Lapointe Developmental Clinic, and author of Discipline Without Damage, is here to help us find balance, with some guidance on how to be a...

Today I talk to Jenny Woo about selfish self-less syndrome. We talk about the importance of community and relationships, as well as how powerful it can be to acknowledge how hard parenting can be rather than always being the Pinterest-perfect parent. *New!* Watch video clips from this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some way, I’d lov...

Have you ever wondered why we have an inner voice? Today, I talk to Ethan Kross, an award-winning psychologist and author of the national bestseller, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It. In our conversation, we discuss the benefits and pitfalls of having an inner voice. He also shares some tools on how to harness your inner voice to combat anxiety, improve physica...

What do you do when you’re an overwhelmed, frustrated mom, pregnant with your third child? When the yelling and threats are not creating lasting behavior changes? Carrie is a pediatric occupational therapist and mom of three. She knew there had to be a better way of raising her children than the “top-down,” authoritarian approach, which is the predominant parenting style in her Texas community. In...

Today, we're going to be sitting down with Darcia Narvaez, professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame and host of EvolvedNest.org. She's also the author of the award-winning book, Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom. Listen in as we talk about indigenous wisdom, the “Evolved Nest,” and their influence on health, wellbeing, our society, and...

Hunter makes a guest appearance on Happily Together Podcast, with Kara (a former celebrity chef) and Caleb (an ex-NFL Linebacker). In this conversation, we talk about what it means to parent mindfully. This is a must-listen for any parent, but also for anyone who is looking to increase their mindfulness and learn how to consciously move from reacting to responding in life. *New!* Watch video clips...

In this episode, I talk to the brilliant Johann Hari. Johann is the author of three New York Times best-selling books, including the newly released Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention. In our fascinating conversation, we discuss some of the biggest shifts in modern society that have had detrimental effects on our attention and the attention of our children. The good news is that each of thes...

Courtney has been struggling with her son ignoring her questions. Having recently been diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes, her four-year-old is feeling a loss of autonomy. How can she help to restore some of this lost autonomy and get her own needs met too? In this special on-air coaching episode, learn Mindful Parenting tools for cooperation. *New!* Watch video clips from this episode on the Mindful...

Why self-care isn't enough and what moms can do to get the support they need (plus 3 things to do before hiring any care-provider/sitter) - The power of releasing expectations, especially in certain seasons of life. *New!* Watch video clips from 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 and know your bi...

What do you do when your parenting isn’t working? When you’re yelling and that’s the last thing you want to be doing? For Robin Greenwood, the answer was to get some help, ASAP. From there, she went on to not only transform her own parenting but to take her journey further to learn how to teach Mindful Parenting! *New!* Watch video clips from this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel! If yo...

Why is it often so much easier to be compassionate towards others, than it is to be compassionate towards ourselves? In my conversation with Kristin Neff, author of the bestselling books Self-Compassion and Fierce Self-Compassion, we discuss how having compassion for oneself is really no different than having compassion for others. We are all worthy of compassion, it is not something to be earned,...

Today, I am going to be sitting down with Bethany Saltman, researcher, editor, and author of the newly released book, Strange Situation: A Mother’s Journey Into the Science of Attachment. What does it mean to have a secure attachment? What are the key ways to develop a healthy attachment? In our conversation, we really dive into the science of attachment as Bethany breaks it all down for us. *New!...

No one needs to tell the mother of a daughter that their relationship comes with its fair share of unique challenges, but why is this? Join me as I talk to Dr. Michelle Deering, author of What Mothers Never Tell Their Daughters, about the complexities of a mother/daughter relationship and how we can best navigate the challenges while appreciating the unique bond that comes with raising a daughter....

We have all experienced judgemental looks and unsolicited advice from others about our parenting. Why does our society shame parents, who are simply trying their best to raise children? Today, I talk with Mercedes Samudio, LCSW, a licensed psychotherapist, speaker, and bestselling author of Shame-Proof Parenting: Find your unique parenting voice, feel empowered, and raise whole, healthy children,...

Today, we're talking about the secret to being a Zen parent with Cathy Adams. Cathy is the author of Zen Parenting, co-host of the Zen parenting radio podcast, the co-founder of the annual Zen parenting conference, social worker, certified parent coach, former elementary school teacher, yoga teacher, and she teaches at Dominican University. In our conversation, we talk about how to be a more Zen p...

How much time do you spend picking up the house every day? In Mindful Parenting, we focus on finding balance. One of the biggest challenges to parenting mindfully is the problem of too much. Today, I talk to Krista Lockwood about how to declutter without becoming a full-blown minimalist and finding balance in your home. *New!* Watch video clips from this episode on the Mindful Mama Youtube channel...