Parenting Well Podcast

I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today I sit down with Katie Kimball, author of The Picky Eater Playbook. Katie talks about why picky eating is rarely about the food, how pressure turns dinner into a power struggle, and what parents can say and do instead. Episode Description "One of the greatest food gifts you can give your kids is to help them connect what they are eating with how they feel....

“I have kids in their 20s. They’re not remembering that one mistake that we did. They remember that I was really silly as a mom, and I was really happy as a mom at home, loving on them and really cheering them on. I can’t tell you how many times I didn’t handle something exactly right.” Cheryl Donaldson Bio: Cheryl Donaldson is a licensed marriage and family therapist with three decades of experie...

"We grew up with 'the talk.' But now we know that the best way to talk to kids, adolescents and teens is many, many small conversations that build on each other. We don't have to get it all right at one time. We don't teach our kids to wash their hands once." Most of us grew up with "the talk," one awkward conversation that was supposed to cover everything. I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and tod...

What Love Requires: A Parent’s Journey Supporting a Transgender Child  What does love require when your child’s journey challenges your expectations, fears, and instincts as a parent? In this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, Dr. Shelly Mahon talks with Cat Lindsey, mother of a transgender daughter, and Cristian Solano-Córdova of Motus Theater about What Love Requires: Stories from Parents of...

“There is a big gap between being welcome and being wanted. It's not just translating something into Spanish so that you feel welcome. It's asking what kind of programs people actually want, because we have things to learn too.” — Melanie Piazza I’m Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today I bring you Melanie Piazza of the Parent Engagement Network and Marinela Maneiro-Goodwin of Boulder County's In...

“One thing that kids think is, I don't want to burden my parents with this, this is too much for them. And when we're willing to say, ‘Are you struggling with suicide, do you have a plan, do you want to die by suicide,’ that opens the door for them to say, Wow, maybe I'm not going to burden them. Maybe this isn't that bad. They brought it up to me, so it must be okay.” I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your h...

“Safety is found in parents providing those bumpers, but eventually there is a line. I love you enough to know that this is our line right now. And I’m sorry that’s hard. And I am here to help you find solutions within those parameters.” Adolescence asks parents to hold two things at once: stay close enough to help, and step back enough to let a teenager grow into an adult. In this episode, therap...

“Parents, I love you. I feel you. It is something to navigate these waters of parenting. It's not for the faint of heart, and we are thrown into it.” Batya Greenwald After 27 years as an educator, Batya Greenwald realized the parents she was talking to needed something more than another behavior chart. They needed a way to understand what their child's behavior was actually telling them. In this e...

“We don't want to remove all the obstacles your kids are going to go through. We want to teach them that they can handle whatever obstacles come their way, even if they are feeling anxious.” When your child is anxious, the instinct to reassure, rescue, or remove the stressor feels like love. But according to Dr. Allie Morford, licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in Child Psychia...

What Looks Like Misbehavior Might Be Something Else Entirely, with Lisa Shanken What if the behavior you're seeing isn't defiance, laziness, or a phase, but a sign of something happening underneath?  I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host. In this episode we sit down with Lisa Shanken, executive functioning coach and founder of Tri-Wellness, to unpack what's really going on for kids who struggle with foc...

“Am I helping my child succeed today or am I helping them succeed tomorrow?” Welcome to the Parenting Well Podcast. I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today's well source is Dr. Nicole Hipp. Dr. Hipp is a licensed psychologist, executive function coach, and educational consultant with a passion for helping children, teens, and families thrive. As Executive Director of Collegiate Coaching Servic...

"I hear you, I see you, and I am present with you." I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today we are joined by Dr. Lisa Templeton. Dr. Templeton is a licensed clinical psychologist, author, and founder of The Interpersonal Healing Center in Colorado. Her work brings together mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral tools, acceptance, and compassionate relational care. She helps individuals and families...

I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and you are listening to The Parenting Well Podcast. Today's guest is Dr. Jazzmon Trotty-Herring. Jazzmon is the creator of The Connected Family System, a parenting and family-development framework focused on emotional stability, structure, communication, and healthy connection within the home. Through her work, she helps parents move away from reactive parenting a...

“If we don’t pay attention and aspire to a life where we are all living better, happier, healthier lives that are sustainable, then I don’t know that we reach it accidentally,” Martin Ogle I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today's Well Source is Martin Ogle. Martin is an environmental educator, naturalist, and founder of Geo sapiens , an initiative focused on helping people become “Earth-wise h...

“The complex is simple and the simple is complex”  Welcome to The Parenting Well Podcast. I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today's conversation is with Mark Talaga. Mark hosts the podcast Hopelessly Gifted, a deeply personal and thought-provoking exploration of intelligence, identity, achievement, and emotional well-being. Through candid storytelling and hard-earned insight, Mark examines what...

“There are many ways to show up in the world, so pick the one that feels good” Dr. Darla Bishop I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today's conversation is about raising money smart kids with Dr. Darla Bishop. Dr. Bishop- known as the “FinanSis”-  is a mother, a former high school educator/bilingual elementary school reading coach, children’s book author, and passionate entrepreneur who founded F...

The teenage years can feel like losing your child in slow motion. The pushback, withdrawal, and irritability make it’s easy to assume they need less from us. But what if adolescence is actually the time they need us most? I’m Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and in this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, I sit down with Kimberly Bryant to explore how the way we “meet” our teenagers during this mas...

Anxiety is everywhere right now. It's in our culture, in our homes, and often in our own nervous systems. So how do we raise brave, resilient children without unintentionally reinforcing the fears we’re trying to protect them from? I’m Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and in this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Samantha Grigsby, clinical psychologist and founder of Foothills...

I’m Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and in this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, I sit down with Stacey J. Acquavella, founder of Neurodivergent Uprising and speaker at our Stress & Anxiety Conference, to explore her powerful message: Regulation Is the Self-Care. Register Here Many parents, especially those raising neurodivergent children, are told to add more strategies, more routines, mor...

Communication is often treated as a skill to master, but in this conversation with Susan Caso, we explore why it is far more complex than scripts and strategies. When stress and anxiety are high, conversations can quickly become reactive, escalating, or disconnected. But when parents create emotional safety and presence, communication shifts from mechanics to connection. We talk about what it real...

I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and in this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, we’re talking about what truly shapes your child’s emotional health in the earliest years of life. I’m joined by Emily Fried, LCSW, a specialist in infant, early childhood, and perinatal mental health, to explore what’s really happening beneath toddler behavior — and how attachment, brain development, and parental...

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Melissa Holland. Melissa Holland is a parenting coach, founder of Inner Wisdom Parenting, and a PEN Ambassador at SHMS who is passionate about helping parents raise emotionally healthy, resilient children, starting with themselves. Melissa works with parents of young c...

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Lisa Kaplan. Lisa is a Registered Nurse and Life & Mental Wellness Coach dedicated to supporting families through life’s pivotal transitions. With a background grounded in both healthcare and emotional wellness, Lisa brings a unique blend of clinical insight and co...

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Marie Nowacki Ford. Marie is a postpartum doula, new parent educator, and certified Child Passenger Safety Technician based in Boulder, Colorado. She supports families through the emotional and practical transition into parenthood, with a focus on reducing stress, buil...

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Jenny Hecht. Jenny Hecht is a licensed therapist and parenting expert who specializes in helping families navigate anxiety, emotional regulation, and the everyday challenges of raising kids in a high-pressure world. With a warm, practical approach, Jenny supports paren...