The Heartful Parent Podcast

Have you noticed that kids seem more anxious and overwhelmed than ever?  Doesn't it feel like parenting now poses unique and difficult challenges compared to generations before? How do we equip our kids to be resilient through all they will face in today's world? Laura Gaines, a mental health professional with decades of experience supporting kids, teens, and their parents, joins me on the Heartfu...

Listener Question: How do we help our children stay authentic to themselves? Get your parenting question answered, email me  christy@theheartfulparent.com Rate, review, and share! We are not meant to parent alone.  The Heartful Parent Academy is a great way to find support. Use code PODCAST to get your first month for only $7. Join  HERE .  

I love October and I love Halloween. How about you? HOWEVER, the pumpkin patch, trunk-or-treating, and fall festival season can get a little overwhelming.  Well, rather than do All. The. Things, this year I'm inviting you to join me in taking back Halloween. And by that I mean, let your kids be kids, go out on October 31st and trick-or-treat to their little heart's desire.  Stop making Halloween m...

Listener Question: How can I help my daughter, who is shy, feel more confident in making friends at her new secondary school where she doesn't know anyone? Resources:  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts Get your parenting question answered, email me  christy@theheartfulparent.com Rate, review, and share! We are not mean...

Communicating with our teens is challenging, and I'm not talking about THE talks, I'm talking about the every day stuff: Did you get that project done? Do you have everything you need for soccer? Where are you going, who will be there, and when will you be back? These everyday conversations can cue eye rolls, sighs of frustration, and blank looks. And that doesn't feel like communication. I'm in t...

Listener Question: How do I give my children (and my husband) everything they need to thrive and succeed in life?  Get your parenting question answered, email me  christy@theheartfulparent.com Rate, review, and share! We are not meant to parent alone. The Heartful Parent Academy is a great way to find support. Use code PODCAST to get your first month for only $7. Join  HERE .

"The opposite of opting in is not opting out, it's living free." --Erin Loechner  Does it seem like screens are totally taking over in your house? It feels almost impossible to put our phones and tablets aside when so much of our daily lives is completely dependent on staying connected. Does being connected through technology really give our kids that rich fulfilling childhood we're all striving f...

Listener Question: Will I Ever Stop Being So Tired? Get your parenting question answered, email me  christy@theheartfulparent.com Rate, review, and share! We are not meant to parent alone.  The Heartful Parent Academy is a great way to find support. Use code PODCAST to get your first month for only $7. Join HERE .

What steps can you take to get comfortable with being successful in your career AND being a parent? Is it even possible to do both, and do it well? Are you ready to let go of mom guilt and stop comparing yourself to others? In this episode of the Heartful Parent Podcast , I'm talking about it all with Megan Whiteside. Megan is a friend, a colleague, and a remarkable mom of four who is breaking dow...

Hey there, Heartful Parent listeners! In today's episode, we're diving deep into a topic that touches every single part of our lives as parents, partners, and professionals—effective time management. Now, before you roll your eyes and think, "Oh no, not another time management talk," trust me, you'll want to stick around for this one. Time management can feel like an impossible dream, right? I get...

Hi friends! Welcome back to the Heartful Parent Podcast. This week, we're diving into an important but tough topic: child safety. Specifically, we're discussing child sexual abuse in educational settings. As parents, grandparents, and loved ones, it's our responsibility to ensure kids grow up brain and body safe. This episode might be triggering for some of you, especially if this is part of your...

Hey there, friends! Welcome back to the Heartful Parent Podcast, and a big warm welcome if you're tuning in for the first time. I'm so glad you're here!    Now, let's be real—wherever you go these days, you're probably hearing a lot about the upcoming presidential election. Whether it's through phone alerts, social media, the news, or even in conversations with friends, politics is on everyone's m...

If you've got a middle schooler, high schooler, or a kid heading off to college, this one's for you. And if you're feeling that mix of pride and panic as they head off into the world, you're in the right place. Today, I'm chatting with Carrie Pasquarello, the amazing CEO and co-founder of Global Secure Resources, Inc. Carrie's all about helping parents keep their kids safe at college and when stud...

In this episode, I'm thrilled to introduce you to Dr. Melanie McNally. We crossed paths a few months ago through mutual contact, and from our very first conversation, I knew we were on the same page about how to best support parents and their teenagers. But here's the thing—while Dr. McNally's work focuses on parents of tweens and teens, there's a ton of value here for parents with younger kids to...

As summer winds down, I hope you're settling into the new school year with ease, whether your kids are already back in class or you're soaking up the last few weeks of summer. After a break, I'm thrilled to kick off the fall season with some amazing guests and content that you've come to expect from the Heartful Parent Podcast. Our guest today is Tosha Schore, the founder of Parenting Boys Peacefu...

  In this episode of the Heartful Parent Podcast, we're diving into a topic that hits home for many families—sibling rivalry. With the summer winding down and school either starting or just around the corner, the dynamics between siblings can often become more tense. Whether your kids are getting on each other's nerves or engaging in outright fights, it's a common challenge that many parents face....

Today we're sharing an interview from the 2024 Safe Parenting Summit. Feather Berkower joins me to discuss teaching body safety to children and teens. Feather is a licensed clinical social worker and holds a Master's of Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. She has been a leader in child sexual abuse prevention since 1985 and has educated nearly one-hundred fifty thousand sch...

Hey there, podcast listeners! Welcome back to another episode of the Heartful Parent Podcast. I'm thrilled you're here, especially as we're in the thick of summer. I hope you're finding some time for rest, relaxation, and connecting with your kids in fun and meaningful ways.  I'm currently on vacation with my family, so this week, I'm bringing you an interview that originally aired during the 2023...

I'm thrilled to share an insightful interview with Lenore Skenazy, originally conducted for the 2023 Safe Parenting Summit. Lenore, the author of *Free Range Kids* and founder of the Let Grow Foundation, discusses the importance of fostering children's independence. Last week, I talked about helping kids grow their confidence and competence. Reflecting on a recent airport incident where my daughte...

To help kids become more independent, it's great to encourage their autonomy, give them responsibilities, and offer meaningful encouragement. Things like sleepaway camps and job roles can really boost their confidence and resilience, setting them up for future success. Just recently, my daughter went to sleepaway camp, and I've got a funny story to share about her experience getting there. We'll a...

Today, we're diving into a really important topic: the impact of pornography on children. We've got two amazing guests with us, Amy Lang and Casey O'Roarty, to help unpack this. We're seeing some worrying trends with kids being exposed to explicit content online, and it's more important than ever for parents to step in and have open, honest conversations. We'll talk about the role of proactive par...

Hi Friends,  If you've listened to the podcast for any period of time, you've heard me talk about positive discipline and relationship and the importance of parenting in a different way than we were likely parented and we're going to dig into that and even more detail today with my guest, who I'm so thrilled to introduce you to Reem Raouda Reem is a certified conscious parenting coach certified th...

Whether you are the parent of an LGBTQIA+ kiddo or you don't know yet whether or not you are the parent of an LGBTQIA+ kiddo, or you have an LGBTQIA+ family member, neighbor, friend, or colleague you're going to want to tune into today's episode.  I'm talking with Susan Cottrell. Susan is an international speaker and passionate advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. Susan shares her personal journey...

Hey everyone! Welcome to The Heartful Parent Podcast. Today, we have an amazing episode lined up with the incredible Yolanda Williams, a conscious parenting coach and social justice instructor.   We dive into the world of conscious parenting and talk about how we can raise socially aware kids through meaningful conversations about race and privilege.   Yolanda will be sharing her personal journey...

Hey, friends and podcast listeners! Welcome back to another episode of the Heartful Parent Podcast. I'm so excited to be here with you today.   If you've been listening for a while, we don't just discuss parenting here. As I always say, we wear a lot of hats—we're people, partners, professionals, and so much more. That's why I love exploring various topics on the pod.    This week, I'm particularl...