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

In this very first on air coaching session, I talk to Christine, a Mindful Parenting alumni, who is struggling with getting her 4 and ¾ year-old son out the door. Listen in as we problem solve this issue so that she can get out the door and keep her relationship with her son close. Christine shares about her journey and what’s coming ahead. Hear her takeaway and how it goes much deeper than daily...

Hunter talks to Anna Seewald about Three Steps to Stop Yelling. We know in our gut that it’s harmful to yell, but it’s so hard to stop. In this episode Anna Seewald comes back to talk about how yelling affects children and the three steps you need to stop. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Yelling is a sign that you need to pay attention to your overall stress level. It’s time to re...

Hunter talks to Joanna Faber & Julie King about How To Talk So Little Kids Will Listen. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Accepting kids’ negative feelings is vital to happy, healthy relationships. 2. Threatening kids is less effective for cultivating cooperation and creates a backwash of resentment. 3. It’s not easy to change how you speak to your kids! We naturally want to fix the...

My conversation with Suzanne Tucker was chock full of powerful lessons about life and parenting. She’s got the heart and the research behind her insights on expectations, goals, understanding the brain and play. Suzanne helps parents create rituals of connection that teach children the most invaluable tool they have in this world: emotional intelligence. Some big takeaways from this episode includ...

Hunter talks about Does Punishment Work? When things go haywire in our families and we’re stressed out, we fall back on old parenting techniques that seem to work, like punishment. But does it really work? In this episode, Hunter answers that question for caring parents who also want to have control over their children. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. What do children learn from p...

Hunter talks to Katherine Lewis about Good News About Bad Behavior. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Kids don’t have the same ability to manage thoughts and feelings as they did 30 years ago. They have less self-control now. 2. Rewards actually discourage the behavior you want to incentivize. 3. The 3 common elements to the parenting paths that work. Katherine Reynolds Lewis is an...

The Mindful Mama Podcast is going on a summer recess for a month or so. Hunter takes a few minutes to explain why she's pressing the PAUSE button right now and what to expect when the podcast returns.  ABOUT HUNTER CLARKE-FIELDS: Hunter Clarke-Fields is a mindful mama mentor. She coaches overstressed moms on how to cultivate mindfulness in their daily lives. Hunter has over 20 years of experience...

Hunter talks to Jenny Berk about How To Intuitively Eat & Love Your Body. Today you get permission to throw away your scale and all the “rules” about eating. It’s time to tune into your inner wisdom for greater health and happiness. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. You can’t tell on the outside who struggles with food. 2. Why you should tune inward to your own wisdom rather than th...

Hunter talks to Julie Lythcott-Haims about How To Raise An Adult. Are you undermining your child’s future by doing too much for them? Julie Lithcott-Haims shares with us the frightening consequences of over-parenting. She calls it the “checklisted childhood,” and it’s leaving a generation of kids who are anxious and overwhelmed by life. In this podcast we talk about how to avoid the overparenting...

Hunter talks about How To Go From Lack To Abundance. In parenting a scarcity mindset can lead to all kinds of suffering -driving us into a cycle of negativity that we unwittingly pass on to our children. And the worst part is that we usually don’t even realize it! In this episode you’ll learn why it’s so easy to fall into this trap and how to cultivate the opposite feeling -that of abundance. Some...

Hunter talks to Carla Numburg about Summer Survival Guide. Summer is coming and your kids are going to be home all day -- yikes! In this episode Carla Naumburg and I talk about how to survive and thrive this summer with your kids. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Chores and boredom are good for your kids! 2. What are your show-stoppers or non-negotiables that you must keep in the s...

Hunter talks to How To Be Present & Share Mindfulness With Kids about Angie Harris. Talking to Angie is like talking to an amazingly wise older sister who just gets it. Her story will keep you riveted. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. We have to make an intentional choice about feeling life’s discomfort so that we can be present for our children, our families, and more. Then, we ca...

Hunter talks to Bob Stahl about How To Stay Calm In the Storm. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Meditation helps us meet the preciousness and fragility of life. It helps us work with change and impermanence. 2. Taking responsibility to our pain. If we can get ourselves caught, we can get ourselves uncaught. Things that are considered bad news by many people (anger, fear, pain, etc)...

Have you fallen into the trap of being a self-sacrificing mom? In this podcast Hunter Clarke-Fields and Carla Naumburg talk about why the ideology of “Mommy Martyrdom” exists, why it hurts both women and families, and how to get out of that trap. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. All the information on parenting can lead to overwhelm - there’s always more we could be doing. 2. The 6...

Our children will inevitably make mistakes, say hurtful things, be selfish, and mess up. They HAVE to do that. It's part of growing up. So if we realize this, how do we deal with it? How do we handle the inherent anxiety of parenting? You might be surprised that the answer is not about training our children more completely. The answer is in you. This podcast episode will help you realize that you...

Hal Elrod has an amazing story of crash and resurrection. Here it all came to a devastating halt for this young man, at the top of his game. And how he used his determination to pick up the pieces and keep going. It's inspiring to say the least. Hal is the author of best-selling book, The Miracle Morning, which lays out a life-changing morning routine. My takeaways: The way you start your day can...

Hunter talks to Courtney Carver about Soulful Simplicity. Do you feel overwhelmed with all of your stuff and responsibilities? Then this interview with Courtney Carver, author of Soulful Simplicity is a must-listen. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Our lives of too much -- too much stuff, too much busyness, etc. -take us away from what is really important and can even lead to stres...

Hunter talks about 6 Ways To Stay Calm With Challenging Kids. Do you have challenging kids? Most of our worst parenting happens when we lose it. If we stay calm instead, we can de-escalate situations and parent more thoughtfully. In this episode, you’ll learn from Hunter Clarke-Fields, Mindful Mama Mentor HOW to respond with calm to your child. Understand the biology of your stress response How to...

Talking to Jeff Warren was like talking to my long-lost meditation friend who totally “got it.” His story about how meditation helped him notice the “neurotic ways he was in pain,” will help you understand the power of this practice at a deeper level. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Everyone can experience the sacred dimension of practice no matter what your background is. 2. The...

What do you do when you have little kids and your life falls apart? Cheryl Jones knows that answer to this question all too well. She discovered that her marriage was unravelling at at child's birthday party.  Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Social conditioning has lead us not to recognize things in our life as loss. We have to acknowledge what the loss is. We tend to do that to “...

Hunter talks to Carla Naumburg about How to Make Time For Mindfulness Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Meditation’s impact is dose-dependant. The more you do it, the more you experience the benefits. 2. Consistency is more important than time. What you do every day a little bit matters more than what you do once a week. 3. You can be creative about how you meditate! It can be lying...

A powerful and vulnerable conversation about the humbling power of parenting, fear, the nature of our thoughts, how to grow and change, and more. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Fierce Kindness is a constant, lifelong practice and state of mind. 2. It’s essential to become the observer and not listen to everything you tell yourself. Melanie calls this accountability for how you ar...

Be prepared to have the ground under your feet shifted by the powerful wisdom of Hal Runkel. He’ll question your basic beliefs and transform the way you think about parenting. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. The most damaging lie of parenting is that we are responsible FOR our children. 2. Kids are born to test us. Parenting asks us that we become grown ups and we do that by becom...

Hunter talks to Dr. Dan Siegel about The Yes Brain. Some big takeaways from this episode include: 1. Learning the importance of a “yes” brain - receptive, present, and open versus the reactivity and rigidity of the “no” brain. 2. We can build resilience in our children by teaching kids what it feels like to be in the “yes” brain mode and widen their window of tolerance for uncomfortable feelings....

What are the good parenting habits that we should be cultivating? And what are the bad habits that you should drop like a stinky toddler shoe? Perhaps, we need to reframe this whole conversation in a more mindful way! Hunter and Carla discuss habits like self-care, self-compassion, forgiveness, fun, outside time, and more. What are the bad (or, “unskillful”) parenting habits? Berating yourself whe...