Returning to Us

In this second episode of this re-introduction to the Returning To Us series, Lauren walks through how to build and use a calm down quiet space in your home or classroom. In the last episode, Lauren strategies for recognizing and categorizing emotional states - a critical step in emotional regulation. Creating a quiet space to facilitate regulation is an easy way to help your kiddos with emotional...

In this new series Lauren is going back to the beginning for some re-introductions. From how she got her start with The Behavior Hub to her current role with the University of Pennsylvania, Lauren walks us through her growth as an expert in the brain and human behaviors. She also gives us a re-introduction to the Returning To Us podcast. The goal of the podcast is to give people the information an...

In the final installment of Lauren's series on books that help kids deal with hard topics, she's sharing 4 more books. In this episode, Lauren gives an overview of each book and her recommendations for adapting it to kids in different age groups.  We want to protect our kids, but to do that, we need to give them the language to explain their experiences. It's good to educate them ea...

In this second installment of Lauren's series on books that help kids deal with hard topics, she's sharing 4 more books. In this episode, Lauren gives an overview of each book and her recommendations for adapting it to kids in different age groups.  Most books on these topics are designed for kids ages 5-12, but they can be modified for younger kids. It can be helpful to introduce the to...

This is the first episode of a review series where Lauren introduces children's books that address topics like private parts, abuse, and anxiety. In this episode, Lauren gives an overview of each book and her recommendations for adapting it to kids in different age groups. Check them out online for reviews and Lauren will give her opinion of each book. Different books resonate with different...

Annnnd....she's back! After taking July off to enjoy the summer, Lauren is back with the final installment of emotional regulation strategies. So far Lauren has shared over 30 emotional regulation tools that you can use to build your toolbox. If you missed them, go back and listen to episodes 1-6 so that you can start curating a list of strategies that work for the kids in your life. This is...

For the past 6 weeks, Lauren has shared close to 30 emotional regulation tools that you can use to build your toolbox. If you missed them, go back and listen to episodes 1-5 so that you can start curating a list of strategies that work for the kids in your life. This is the last episode before Lauren's summer break. The podcast will be on break for all of July, but Lauren will be back in Augu...

Lauren is back with 5 more regulation strategies that you can try with the kiddos in your life! For the rest of May and all of June, Lauren is going to share 5 regulation strategies per week. In each episode, Lauren will explain how each strategy works to regulate and then give you specific examples of how you can start using these strategies with young kids (but these can be used with people of a...

Lauren is back with 5 more regulation strategies that you can try with the kiddos in your life! For the rest of May and all of June, Lauren is going to share 5 regulation strategies per week. In each episode, Lauren will explain how each strategy works to regulate and then give you specific examples of how you can start using these strategies with young kids (but these can be used with people of a...

Lauren is back with 5 more regulation strategies that you can try with the kiddos in your life! For the rest of May and all of June, Lauren is going to share 5 regulation strategies per week. In each episode, Lauren will explain how each strategy works to regulate and then give you specific examples of how you can start using these strategies with young kids (but these can be used with people of a...

Lauren is back with 5 more regulation strategies that you can try with the kiddos in your life! For the rest of May and all of June, Lauren is going to share 5 regulation strategies per week. In each episode, Lauren will explain how each strategy works to regulate and then give you specific examples of how you can start using these strategies with young kids.  In this episode, Lauren re-introduces...

Today is the first day of a 6 week series on regulation strategies. For the rest of May and all of June, Lauren is going to share 5 regulation strategies per week! In each episode, Lauren will explain how each strategy works to regulate and then give you specific examples of how you can start using these strategies with young kids.  In this episode, Lauren re-introduces the categorization system t...

We are kicking off a new mini-series on regulation strategies, so we're reviving this episode from 2021 as a way to get you in the right headspace for the next couple of episodes. In this episode, Lauren walks us through the 2 strategies for regulation: the Bottom-Up or Top-Down Approach.  Breaking down the approaches: Bottom-up: These strategies are used for the oldest part of your brain: th...

We're taking a break from our micro-wellness series because the current culture around child abuse has been weighing on Lauren's heart and she didn't want to go another day without talking about it. In this episode, Lauren is talking about child abuse and how it can be prevented by teaching our little ones how to talk about their bodies and advocate for themselves. From the definiti...

The past few episodes have given you 5 minute micro-practices that you can add into your daily schedule to improve your physical and mental health. In this episode, Lauren focuses on how to use these micro-practices and micro-steps to achieve more balance in your life. Recently, Lauren has noticed so many people around her are just exhausted. Knowing how to recognize what to change and taking micr...

Today we're switching gears for our micro-practices series, we've been focusing on the physical body but today we're going to shift focus to the mind. In this episode Lauren talks about the benefits of meditation and how you can start to add meditation into your daily routines.  As someone who struggles with meditation, Lauren shares the tips and tricks she finds helpful to becoming...

In today's installment of our micro practices series, we're giving you an opportunity to level up the 5 minute workout routines we've been doing. Lauren is walking us through a high intensity interval (HIIT) workout that will help you improve cardiovascular health with just a couple of exercises per day. We're giving you this 5 minute habits series as a way to help you move fro...

In today's installment of our micro practices series, Lauren walks us through a 5 minute low intensity workout. This workout may feel slightly easier than the other workouts we've shared, but these exercises are still extremely beneficial. Plus, they can be easily fit into your day. We're giving you this 5 minute habits series as a way to help you move from a survival state to a pla...

Today we're continuing our series on workouts that can improve your body in 5 minutes.  It is so important to maintain muscular strength as you age. Adding even 5 minutes of strength training to your day can help with mental health, stress reduction, sleep, and improves your long-term health. In this episode Lauren shares a 5 minute HIIT workout that anyone can do can add to their daily routi...

Today Lauren is switching it up! She's noticed that her students and colleagues are feeling drained and exhausted. They've been talking a lot about well-being, self care, and stress management. Strength training, even for just 5 minutes a day, helps improve your overall health, longevity, function, and gets more oxygen to your brain. In this episode, Lauren walks us through 5 classic mov...

This is the third installment of out Tiny Habits series. Our focus is on helping you create micro stress management habits that will fit easily into your busy life. In this episode, Lauren walks us through the importance of flow state (or child state) as part of our self care routines. Flow state is an intense state of body and mind in which you are so immersed in the moment and what you are doing...

This is the second installment of out Tiny Habits series. Our focus is on helping you create micro stress management habits that will fit easily into your busy life. In this episode, Lauren presents an alternative to meditating for other people, like her, that find it hard to maintain a meditation practice. There are a variety of types of breathwork and guided breathwork programs that you can try....

In the last episode, Lauren gave tips for making micro-habits stick. Today starts a series of micro-mental health strategies that take less effort to implement and are more sustainable than big changes. Getting out into nature is a small change that you can make to regulate your nervous system and decrease stress. Even just 5 minutes of outside time per day provide benefits. We are biological bein...

It can be challenging to create long-lasting habits that help to keep you happy, functioning, and regulated. It's so common for to set goals, work towards them for awhile, and then go back to your old habits. In this episode, Lauren layouts out a roadmap for creating new habits that will stick. From starting with easy, tiny changes to learning to celebrate yourself, she shares 7 of her techni...

In our society, many of us are experiencing chronic stress instead of the acute stress our bodies are adapted for. During chronic stress, we aren't able to come back into the window of tolerance. In this episode, Lauren walks through Aaron Alexander's align method and helps us to understand how movement purges stress from the body. The Align Method Daily Five will help you get back into...