PG-ish

If you or your kids have been feeling more stress lately, today's show might be just what you need. We continue our focus on emotional intelligence as I chat with Marcelle Waldman, the amazing mom and teacher behind FeelLinks—a tool to strengthen children's social-emotional connections and confidence. Listen as Marcelle shares tips on open communication, visual cues for kids, and ways to help our...

Parents, you have a lot on your plate. Parenting will turn your life upside down and become the hardest job you could imagine—and it magnifies your weaknesses every...single...day. But in today's talk, author Benjamin Hardy shares why the journey of becoming a foster parent to three siblings didn't break him, but instead built him into a stronger and better version of himself. He explains why carr...

This week we continue our focus on emotional intelligence with Joelle Hadley, the founder and president of The Culture Coaches and an expert in emotional intelligence and personal performance. She walks us through the basics of emotional intelligence and why it's important for success at any age. Watch the full clip here .  I'd love to know what you think, so join in on the conversation! Subscribe...

Join my conversation today with the funny and fantastic duo behind No Guilt Mom, a one-stop shop to help mamas love being a mom again. We discuss our experiences over the last year at home, the expectations on mamas now (and always), and 3 helpful tips to communicate better and work through the homework battles with more success. For more great resources (for you AND for your kids!) from JoAnn and...

On top of an already disconnected society due to technology, add in a pandemic...and we're bound to be a little socially awkward. So if we want our kids to communicate well, be kind and respectful, and apologize and forgive, we must first learn that behavior ourselves. Today Celeste Headlee gives us 10 incredibly useful rules on how to have a conversation, which involves letting go of our own idea...

In an age of impatience and decreased attention spans, it can be difficult to navigate hard issues and conversations—whether it's with your partner, your child, or even a world leader. Today's clip is with Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, who works with her husband to research ways to create and maintain greater love and health in relationships. Listen in as Dr. Gottman gives us tools to learn the art...

We're always talking about relationships here on PG-ish, but this week I want to focus on the significance of marital health and how our ability to communicate affects our children. Dynamic duo Dr. John and Julie Gottman have been studying relationships for over 40 years, and are experts on marriage and parenting. Today Dr. John Gottman gives us insight into how emotional awareness and the ability...

In a culture where we only like to show the glamour shots full of shiny happy people, it's time to have the uncomfortable conversation and share the hard truth: Life Is Messy .  Sadly, many things are left out when we discuss marriage, leaving us with an unrealistic view skewed by movies and social media. Relationship researcher, professor, and author Dr. Carol Bruess hilariously discusses that al...

Seriously, when was the last time you played? While today's clip promotes the value of play in children's lives, I also want to encourage YOU to get out and play—it can break up the monotony, release creativity, build empathy, and keep you healthy. Alex Elliott Lockhart, a primary school teacher and co-founder of Outdoor Cleghorn, will inspire you to get dirty, chase your passions, and reclaim you...

It's Throwback Thursday! Today's clip is from episode 70 with Dr. Gabor Mate. So often we think our kids need to learn how to behave, when we really haven't taken a look at what we're teaching by example. When we don't come to the relationship aware and healed of our own struggles, we pass those on—but if we begin to heal ourselves and change our parenting, we change everything.  Watch the full cl...

Most things in life take time—even though we constantly wish for quick fixes. Disruptive behavior in kids needs to be examined beyond the outburst to get to the root of the issue. Educator Olympia Della Flora, who is passionate about equity and access to quality academic and social-emotional education, shares creative tools to support the struggling, sometimes disruptive, kiddo in your life. Watch...

In today's episode I get to chat with Rebecca A. Weiner, the childhood expert behind Learn Play Grow Educational Consulting. We talk about real ways to incorporate play—not only to help our kids learn in unique ways, but also to maintain our own health and relationships—and how important it is to have realistic expectations of ourselves. To connect with Rebecca: www.learnplaygrowconsulting.com   I...

Need a solid reason to pause your work, chores, and daily tasks to have fun with your kids? Today we get scientific evidence. Child psychologist Dr. Mona Delahooke walks us through the science of how the power of play can calm your child down and build brain health, connection, joy, resilience, and determination. Watch the full clip here .  For more info, go to www.monadelahooke.com , or order her...

We live in an age where extroverts are generally seen as the strongest and best leaders. But it's important that we help our kids recognize how they best think, feel, create and respond to the world—and that it's okay to fall anywhere on the spectrum of introversion and extroversion. Susan Cain breaks down why we need to acknowledge introverts for the beautiful people they are, and in so doing, ce...

Childhood adversity affects lifelong health. Fortunately, when we actually understand how toxic stress is stored in the body, then we can begin to use the right toolkit to address the problem. Today, pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains how exposure to early trauma affects children in every neighborhood of our country, and shares how we can be part of the solution. Watch the full clip here . ...

Anyone else feel like exhaustion has become your natural state? Today Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith talks about the importance of rest—not just sleep—and how it should lead to restoration in seven key areas of your life. Watch the full clip here . For more info, go to www.drdaltonsmith.com , or check out her book, Sacred Rest . I'd love to know what you think, so join in on the conversation! Subscribe,...

Today Stacey Abrams, a U.S. voting rights activist, is here to remind us that setbacks are a part of life. Our job as parents is not to keep our kids from challenges, but to help them learn how to keep moving forward with purpose, using their circumstances to fuel the flame of ambition. Watch the full clip here . Check out Stacey's books, Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair A...

In honor of Valentine's Day, let's do a Throwback Thursday to episode 12 and talk about love. Maya Angelou shares how the unconditional love we show our kids sets them up for a lifetime of freedom and possibilities. Watch the full clip here , and learn more about Maya Angelou at www.mayaangelou.com . I'd love to know what you think, so join in on the conversation! Subscribe, leave a review, or fol...

Today I get to chat with a lady after my own heart—Michelle Smith, from The Whole Smiths. She not only loves to cook, but she also loves to dig deeper into what being healthy really means, beyond diet and exercise. Join us as we discuss food philosophies, time at home with kids, anxiety, snacking, and the bigger picture of teaching kids about a life well lived. For more info on all things Michelle...

The weight of responsibility as a parent is huge. We constantly feel like the success of our kids all comes down to our success as a parent—but the reality is that we're not fully in charge. Simon Sinek reminds us that our role as the leader of our home is to create the environment to inspire, to ask questions, and to listen and understand. Watch the full clip here . For more info, go to www.simon...

While Amanda Gorman's words at the Presidential Inauguration were addressing an entire nation, her message applies to you as a parent as you raise the next generation—a message of unity, hope, purpose and growth. She reminds us that there is always light to be found in the darkness. Watch the full clip here . For more info, go to www.theamandagorman.com , or preorder her book, The Hill We Climb: A...

Your physical space matters—what you surround yourself with impacts your outlook on life. Today architect Scott Wyatt integrates neuroscience with design techniques to explain how our surroundings influence our work. As we move forward in this new remote working world, how can you reset your physical environment in order to improve your mental health? Watch the full clip here . I'd love to know wh...

As we navigate new and continued struggles as parents, we too often either ignore our emotions as if they're not important, or we wallow in them as victims of our circumstances. Although most of our everyday struggles pale in comparison to the experiences of Dr. Edith Eger, who survived Auschwitz, she explains that we choose to become survivors, rather than victims, when we allow ourselves to real...

Today's episode is part two of Marc Brackett's talk about how intentional strategies can shape our families and our world. Although diving into our emotions can be messy, and even scary, Marc shares the importance of taking time to understand emotions—only then can we create the home environment that helps us thrive. Watch the full clip here , and for more info, go to www.marcbrackett.com . Check...

So many of us are still just trying to survive these continued difficult days. We're tired, and we've lost sight of how to thrive. In the first of this two-part series, research psychologist Marc Brackett explains why we need intentional strategies, not short-term coping mechanisms, in order to change the environment we're living in—not just for our sakes, but for our kids. Watch the full clip her...