Welcome back to the Aware Parenting Stories podcast. In today's episode I’m thrilled to be joined once again by Dr. Aletha Solter, the founder of Aware Parenting, to talk about her inspiring and thought-provoking new book, Raising Joyful Lifelong Learners. Her latest book explores how we can best nurture children's intrinsic love of learning through connection, emotional safety, trust and play. Dr Solter explores some of the main misunderstandings in our education systems about learning that are...
Jul 06, 2025•56 min
Welcome back to another episode and the next instalment in my series on embracing our imperfection in Aware Parenting. I really enjoyed this second conversation with Linde lambrechts, was on episode 49. She is an Aware Parenting instrutor, psychologist and psychotherapist with 2 boys and lives in Belgium . In this episode Linde shares more of her journey with Aware Parenting, learning to create a life of connection and meeting needs in her family. We discuss some of the causes of our tendency to...
Jun 25, 2025•53 min
Welcome back to another episode in the series about embracing imperfection in Aware Parenting. In this episode I talk with Helena Mooney who is an Aware Parenting Instructor and a Hand in Hand Instructor with 2 children. She share her journey with learning to embrace her imperfection in parenting and learning to accept her children's imperfection too. We talk about self-criticism and learning a more compassionate inner dialogue. Helena shares the power of receiving her own listening and honourin...
Jun 17, 2025•46 min
Welcome back to another episode in the series about embracing imperfection in Aware Parenting. In this powerful episode, Danni Willow and I share some reflections from our recent extraordinary Aware Parenting Retreat about the truths of motherhood and how embracing imperfection as mothers can be both liberating and deeply healing. We talk about the mother wound and sisterhood wound, two often unspoken pains that show up in our longing for connection, in our guilt, and in the quiet ache for holdi...
Jun 08, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Welcome back to another episode in the series about embracing imperfection in Aware Parenting. In today's episode I am offering a guided meditation to support listeners to learn to embrace their imperfection in parenting and to bring themselves more acceptance, more ease, more self-compassion. If you would like support with this or any other aspect of Aware Parenting, please contact me at support@awareparenting.com.au
May 30, 2025•17 min
Today's episode is a short acknowledgement, celebration and honouring of all Aware Parenting mothers in the run up to Mother's Day. It is a message of love to all mothers doing the often invisible work of offering Aware Parenting in their families. For everything that you are doing for your child/ren, for yourself, for your families and for the world, you deserve appreciation and support. I am sending you all lots of love and wishing you a happy Mother's Day.
May 09, 2025•19 min
Welcome back to another episode in the series about embracing imperfection in Aware Parenting. In today's episode I am talking with Gwen Dunlop from Ontario Canada. Gwen is mother of an adult daughter, a violinist, a yoga teacher, an animal advocate, a qualified and experienced ESL teacher, a certified Facilitator of Self-Healing, a certified Aware Parenting Instructor for a long time. She lives off grid and is passionate about sustainability. In this episode Gwen shares how she found Aware Pare...
May 05, 2025•46 min
Welcome back to another episode in the series about embracing imperfection in aware parenting. In this episode I talk about how normal it is for us all to have painful moments of rupture in our families and how to come back to connection again. I talk about how important it is for us to tend to the source of our behaviour at times of rupture, to support ourselves and make it less likely in future. I share ways we can support ourselves with our thoughts, our needs and our feelings so we can offer...
Apr 18, 2025•59 min
Welcome back to another episode in the series about embracing imperfection in Aware Parenting. In this episode I am delighted to welcome back Maru Rojas, who was previously on Episode 10. Maru is an Aware Parenting Instructor originally from Mexico now based in London. She is particularly passionate about supporting families with potty learning and elimination communication. supporting families with children from 0 to 6. Maru shares her journey with embracing imperfection. She shares some of her...
Apr 13, 2025•53 min
Welcome back to another episode in the series about embracing imperfection in aware parenting. In this episode I talk about why it is so hard to be trying to shift so much in parenting in just one generation. I talk about how our own childhood experiences and cultural conditioning effect who we are as parents and how we feel about ourselves. I talk about what we would have needed to receive as children ourselves in order to be able to be "perfectly" parenting now. I talk about some of the things...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Welcome back to another episode in the series about embracing imperfection in aware parenting. In this episode I talk with Shelley Clarke. Shelley is a Physiotherapist, CranioSacral Therapist, Aware Parenting Instructor and Parent Mentor. She is the mother to three beautiful children and is passionate about the nervous system, human body and helping families thrive. She is the host of the Mind Body Parenting Podcast lives and works in Adelaide. In this episode, Shelley shares her journey with le...
Mar 28, 2025•54 min
I am delighted to share another episode in the series of conversations I am having with Aware Parenting instructors about embracing Imperfection. This is a powerful conversation with Belynda Smith, who was on episode 75 of my podcast. Belynda has been a hand in hand instructor since 2017 and an Aware Parenting instructor since 2023. She lives in WA with her 2 boys. In this conversation Belynda shares her painful experiences of starting parenthood wanting to be perfect and the shame, judgement an...
Mar 19, 2025•51 min
Welcome back to another episode in this series of conversations about embracing imperfection in aware parenting. In this episode I have the absolute pleasure of talking with Mary Walker. Mary is a writer and poet from Aoteroa New Zealand and she lives in the countryside with her husband, 3 teenagers and 5 cats. She discovered Aware Parenting in 2015 when her children were 7, 5 and 3. She has been writing and sharing her poetry since 2017. Her first book of poetry Lullaby for Mothers came out in ...
Mar 11, 2025•1 hr
Welcome back to another episode in this series of conversations about embracing imperfection in aware parenting. In this episode I have the pleasure of talking with Nic Wilson from Peaceful Parenting. Nic is an aware parenting instructor, Marion Method mentor and mother to an 11 year old girl. In this episode Nic shares her journey in moving from an internal dialogue of telling herself she was not good enough, to being more compassionate and accepting of herself. We talk about embracing imperfec...
Mar 03, 2025•58 min
In this new episode, I am talking with Carly Facius. Carly was on episode 85 sharing more of her story so i invite you to listen to that. She is mum to 3, is a registered midwife, lactation consultant, and aware parenting instructor who has been supporting parents from conception to parenthood. And we have had some gorgeous conversations together in person recently about the mistakes, the difficult parts, the mess that is parenting so I was so looking forward to this conversation here. In today'...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Welcome back to another episode in this series of conversations about embracing imperfection in aware parenting. In this episode I have the pleasure of talking with Devon Harris. Devon is an aware parenting instructor and a specialist in child and adolescent behaviour. She supports parents to meet the developmental needs of their children, as well as to capitalise on undesirable behaviour as an opportunity to deepen trust and connection. She loves attachment play and sharing this beautiful appor...
Feb 12, 2025•53 min
Welcome back to the podcast and the second conversation in this series about learning to embrace imperfection in Aware Parenting. This conversation is with my dear friend and colleague Danni Willow, who is an amazing aware parenting instructor with 2 daughters living on the Surf Coast of Australia. We have been running our beautiful Exploring Aware Parenting Community together for the last 3 years. She has also been on many of the previous podcast episodes. In this conversation, Danni shares her...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 13 min
This is the first episode in a new series of conversations on my podcast called Embracing Imperfection in Aware parenting. In this episode I share some of the reasons why it can be difficult for us to accept ourselves and our mistakes in parenting and not go to judgement or harshness, criticism or comparison. I talk about some of the ways that I have supported myself to have more self-compassion and to be able to rewind and reconnect with my children at times of rupture. I share some examples of...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Welcome back to another episode of my podcast where I am talking about offering Attachment Play to teens and tweens and how this aspect of Aware Parenting is still so powerful, healing and connecting as our children grow up and approach adulthood. It is often difficult to know how to be playful with teens, particularly if you haven’t been practising aware parenting since they were much younger, but attachment play is so beneficial for our teenager’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing an...
Jan 13, 2025•55 min
Welcome back to another episode of my podcast where I am talking about meeting needs for our children and ourselves. I share how Aware Parenting supports us to understand needs, to prioritise ways to meet needs and to acknowledge how painful it is when needs are not met. I talk about why it is often hard to value and meet needs, what happens when we have unmet needs, and what some of the core needs might be for our children and for us. I offer some reflections to support a deepening in your unde...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 3 min
In this episode I have a beautiful conversation with Josha van Baalen. Josha is the mother of two daughter ages 10 and 4 and has been an Aware Parenting instructor since 2016 when her first daughter was 2. She is also a psychosynthesis coach and a somatic experiencing practitioner with her own online private practice for clients and offering sessions in all 3 modalities. In this conversation we talk about how Josha discovered Aware Parenting and started listening to her daughter’s feelings. We t...
Dec 22, 2024•57 min
In this episode I have another beautiful conversation with Danni Willow who is an aware parenting instructor and mother to 2 girls. Danni shares her background in teaching and what she learnt during the 5 years working in schools. She shares her family’s story of schooling and describes how and why she recently made the choice to take her children out of school and start homeschooling. We talk about the effect on our children of being outside of the school system and all the ways we see them flo...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 4 min
In this episode I have a conversation with Marion Rose about her wonderful new best selling book Sound Sleep and Secure Attachment with Aware Parenting. Marion, who is a Level 2 Aware Parenting Instructor and the regional coordinator for Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, shares so much wisdom. She shares how to bring ourselves more compassion. She describes how we can interpret what their behaviour is telling us about how they are feeling and what they are needing. Marion shares the 3 ingred...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 14 min
Welcome to the 100th episode of the Aware Parenting Stories podcast! I am so excited to share this celebration of Aware Parenting. I invited anyone who felt called to share, to come and have a conversation about what Aware Parenting means to them and the effect practising Aware Parenting has had on their family. I am so grateful to Lucy, Sarah, Belinda, Vicki, and Vivian for taking the time to join this conversation and share some of what they love about Aware Parenting. I hope you find their st...
Nov 10, 2024•1 hr 14 min
In this episode I respond to a question from a listener who is thinking about taking her child out of school and wanting to know more about the connection between aware parenting and natural learning/homeschooling. I share some of the ways that I see aware parenting and homeschooling fitting together so well and some of the advantages that I perceive of not sending our children to school. If you want to learn more about my Aware Parenting and Natural Learning monthly online circle, please visit ...
Nov 05, 2024•55 min
This episode I talk about how to offer the balance of attention to our children and why this is necessary in order for them to release and heal from stress and trauma. I describe what the balance of attention is and how it works. I then offer lots of suggestions about how to give our children an embodied experience of safety and connection on the one hand, and connection to the past feelings of distress on the other in a way that then supports them to use their powerful natural recovery processe...
Oct 30, 2024•39 min
This episode is a response to a request from a listener to talk about the times when we can’t parent the way we want to, when we feel overwhelmed or in really big feelings ourselves. It is always such a pleasure to share these conversations with Danni Willow. Danni is an aware parenting instructor and has 2 children. In this conversation we talk about overwhelm in parenting. We share some of the reasons why it can feel overwhelming for us all to be practising Aware Parenting. We share how import...
Oct 20, 2024•1 hr 1 min
In this episode I welcome Kirsty Fernandes back to the show. Kirsty joined me in episode 44. Kirsty is an Aware Parenting Instructor in New Zealand and is passionate about supporting mothers in the post-partum period and offering birth debriefing. She is the mother of 2 children and shares her work supporting mothers through her business Honouring Māmā. In this conversation we share our own experiences of trauma in giving birth. We talk about what birth trauma is and some of the ways in which th...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 9 min
This episode dives into why children so often need to cry. I talk about many of the different challenging and stressful experiences that children face, from their time in utero all the way through childhood and share some of the painful feeling they then experience. I offer compassion and support to parents listening so that they can offer compassionate understanding and support to their children. I normalise frequent big feelings for all children and remind parents how important it is to be tak...
Oct 03, 2024•47 min
This episode dives into how we can support our children when they suck their thumbs or fingers. Often in sessions parents express their concern and frustration about these behaviours so if this is happening in your family, you are not alone. I talk about why children suck their thumbs/fingers, how we can support ourselves and how we can support them to not need to do this anymore. To learn more about the Exploring Aware Parenting Community with Danni and Joss, please visit www.awareparenting.com...
Sep 21, 2024•51 min
