Zen Pop

Cathy and Todd discuss graduation season and why it's both beautiful and difficult. They discuss the importance of recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month and what Oprah & Prince Harry's show, The Me You Can't See, teaches us about internal vs external success.

Todd and Cathy discuss what they’ve learned over 10 years and 600 episodes of Zen Parenting Radio, and they describe what Zen Parenting means to them (Cathy’s book titled Zen Parenting comes out in 2/22). They also discuss why the perseverance to do something different demonstrates grit, and why Gen Z calls certain millennials “cheugy” (pronounced chew-gee).

Cathy and Todd revisit Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism and why now is an important time to reconsider priorities and focus energy on what really matters. They discuss why deciding what’s essential makes us more content and ironically more productive in the long run.

Todd and Cathy discuss how like rocks in water, we were flooded with information, challenge, and uncertainty in 2020. 2021 is about focusing on our mental wellness and recognizing how like rocks in water, we have been changed and reshaped by difficult times. In Kruti Joshi’s words, The most beautiful rocks have faced the hardest waves.

Cathy and Todd discuss Esther Perel’s 5 interventions and how they can help us cope with uncertainty and grief. They also discuss why the only way out is through, and how looking for the bright side too early can be a form of spiritual bypassing.

Cathy and Todd discuss “invisible” situations (such as being neurodivergent, anxious, have migraines or an autoimmune disorder) and why we are sometimes not “believed” when we try to explain our challenges or differences (this comes from Julie Lythcott-Haims new book, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult, in the chapter about self-care). They also discuss how our attention creates our reality, and why kn...

Todd and Cathy discuss fear, The Golden Girls, and we interview Mercedes Samudio of Shame Proof Parenting where she discusses EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Todd and Cathy discuss this transitional time and why we need to be compassionate with ourselves as we gently and slowly return to a more pre-covid way of living. They discuss why transitions are difficult and how grief plays a role, and why we should rely on compassion, curiosity, mindfulness, and connection to get us through.

Cathy and Todd discuss the natural waves of life, and how we have to appreciate the good moments and also move through the hard times. They discuss the importance of asking for help and setting boundaries when in the midst of a crisis, and why Brene Brown says the most compassionate people are also the most boundaried.

Cathy and Todd talk with Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger and Executive Director of The Representation Project. They discuss the importance of emotional competence, how to discuss gender inequality with our kids, and why we should pay attention to our own gender conditioning.

This podcast dates back to May of 2017, but is one of our favorites.  Todd and Cathy discuss why “figuring out” our partner will cause frustration, but why staying present with every new experience will create intimacy. They use a post from fellow coach Jayson Gaddis They discuss why it’s important to ride the waves with your partner rather than trying to control their emotional expression, and wh...

Cathy and Todd kick-off boundaries month by discussing internal boundaries and the clinical understanding of family enmeshment. They discuss how we take on other people’s emotions, why it’s hard for us to be happy if the ones we love aren’t happy, and how to take care of ourselves while we take care of others.

Cathy and Todd kick-off boundaries month by discussing internal boundaries and the clinical understanding of family enmeshment. They discuss how we take on other people’s emotions, why it’s hard for us to be happy if the ones we love aren’t happy, and how to take care of ourselves while we take care of others.

We talk with our daughter Jacey who identifies as gay, her friend Grace who identifies as bi-sexual, and her friend Edgar who identifies as gay. They share their coming out stories, family reactions, and experiences that have been helpful and harmful. They discuss how to be an ally and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and how to support your kids when it comes to embracing and understanding sexua...

Todd and Cathy discuss Creativity and Balance, Part 3 of Empathy Volume Month. They discuss ideas and tools to take care of ourselves during uncertain times, and how to bring balance to our self-care and relationships.

Todd and Cathy continue their discussion about empathy volume and focus on how to turn down empathy to avoid burnout. They discuss the 3 types of empathy and how we can remain empathetic without exhausting ourselves. They also discuss Adam Grant’s new book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know and how our ability to be “cognitively agile” keeps us curious and connected to the ones...

Todd+Cathy discuss mindful caring as a kick off to their “Empathy Volume” month (how to turn it up and stay connected, how to turn it down to avoid burnout). They share three ways to make empathy a priority, and how having clear intention about what means the most impacts how you show up. They also discuss Dr. Robert Livingston’s new book about racism and bias called The Conversation, and how two-...

Cathy and Todd discuss the “messages and arrows” of our emotions, specifically that they give us the information we need to understand ourselves and teach our kids. Every feeling has an underlying reason, and the more we understand our emotional messages the easier we will see the arrows that point to what matters most. They share that February is “Empathy Volume” Month (Turning empathy up to stay...

Cathy and Todd discuss how accountability leads to unity, and how impunity or justifying something deeply harmful leads to more divisiveness, not healing. They discuss how this is true with our government and the insurrection, and also when we have challenges in our partnerships, parenting, and friendships. Forgiveness is what we do for ourselves, not others, and comes after a process and practice...

Todd and Cathy continue their discussion about how and why we grow and share specific colors that represent our stages of development (often referred to as spiral dynamics). They discuss how this effects politics, values, “fake news”, sports, leadership, and our need to belong.

Cathy and Todd discuss the question that they hear the most – “How can I get my partner to….” – they discuss why this question is multi-layered, messy, and not easily answered. They discuss why wanting to change others feels easier than changing ourselves, why true wisdom comes from quiet, and the life-changing advice Oprah has for all people.

Cathy and Todd focus on Me, We, and Everybody, a teaching of moral development (or Spiral Dynamics) taken from The Robcast. They share why this personal growth model (similar to understanding the chakras or the Enneagram) helps us see ourselves, relate to others, and understand how we all evolve (and regress) in different ways.

Todd and Cathy discuss 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and why the adults dropped the ball in helping Hermy and Rudolph understand their specialness – BUT, it’s still a great holiday rewatch filled with joy, learning, and nostalgia.

Cathy and Todd reference a recent post by Dr. Alexandra Solomon about how we are doing a better job raising our girls to be leaders than raising our sons to be caregivers. They discuss how to raise whole sons who respect every aspect of their humanity, and how failing to do this hurts our boys and society. They also discuss the opinion writer who wants Dr. Jill Biden to drop “Dr.”, what Shawn Mend...

Todd and Cathy discuss the difference between a “bottler” or “brooder” when it comes to negative feelings, and why being curious about feelings allows us to be less reactive and more compassionate. They discuss why darkness is not always bad, and why there is wisdom inside all of our emotions.