They say 'repetition is the mother of all learning' so we've pulled together some of the best bits from my most downloaded episodes to help give you a little extra support, and a new booster resource. Enjoy! Here are the highlights: (01:33) Ep 001 - any attention is better than no attention (05:28) Ep 011 – needs over equality (08:55) Ep 027 – I've noticed that... (14:14) Ep 037 – I am the adult, do as I say (16:35) Ep 044 – no bad emotions (20:50) Ep 055 – small talk is an essential skill (24:3...
Mar 08, 2023•33 min•Ep. 92
At some point our children will grow up and they will need to navigate adult challenges. They'll need to get a job, or start a business, manage their finances, cook, clean, learn to manage conflict, plan, prioritise, and so on and so on. What are the skills they will need, and how can we better prepare them in childhood so we’re not leaving all the learning until adulthood? Here are the highlights: (02:34) Striking up conversations with strangers (04:49) Building confidence in small steps (09:56...
Mar 01, 2023•30 min•Ep. 91
This episode addresses what I feel gets stamped on our foreheads the moment we become parents. Guilt. This guilt comes from the stories we tell ourselves about what it means to be a good mum, so, what are the stories you are really telling yourself and how are they currently serving you?? Plus, I answer a question from one of my listeners, who wants to know what to do about toys in the bedroom! Here are the highlights: (00:33) Listener question: toys in the bedroom (05:11) The geography of paren...
Feb 22, 2023•31 min•Ep. 90
Social and emotional development is made up of skills which help children develop their resilience and manage their thoughts, feelings and behaviour. For me, they are the crucial components to safeguarding our children's long term wellbeing. It’s no guarantee they won’t struggle with their mental health later in life - but it does mean they’ll be better equipped to navigate any future crisis. Here are the highlights: (02:41) The biggest factors to our child’s development (04:38) Helping our chil...
Feb 15, 2023•36 min•Ep. 89
This episode is all about children who get physical and hit. How we respond to hitting follows the same general rules and principles however there will be some additional factors to consider depending on our child's age. For example a young pre-verbal child hitting is a very different matter to an 18 year old. Here are the highlights: (02:33) Why do children hit? (09:42) The importance of establishing around kindness with our hands (14:44) Recognising and dealing with inappropriate behaviour (21...
Feb 08, 2023•35 min•Ep. 88
I want to talk about all things connected with lying. Why children do it, when does it develop, what can we do to encourage our children to tell the truth, and what to avoid in the moments when we catch them. Understanding why children do it is crucial to helping us respond in the best way for our child. Here are the highlights: (00:29) The most common reasons our children lie (02:14) Lying is developmentally normal (07:27) A false belief task (12:02) Lying out of curiosity (15:03) Our children ...
Feb 01, 2023•33 min•Ep. 87
“Tantrums & Meltdowns” is all about how we tackle those inevitable moments when our children simply lose the plot, their emotions get the better of them, or they feel debilitatingly overhwlemed. Of course you may think this is just the domain of the dubbed 'terrible twos' but this can happen to any child, at any ages. In this episode I'll talk about what causes them, how we can prevent them, and what to do in the midst of the meltdown. Here are the highlights: (01:22) Our children will have ...
Jan 25, 2023•46 min•Ep. 86
I am talking all about what we can do when we’re expecting the arrival of our child - however we find ourselves embarking on the journey to parenting. It's also supremely relevant for all the other stages of our children's lives as they reach them -as these are another birth - walking, talking, preschool, school, university, first job, leaving home... My six pointers will help keep you grounded and sane. Here are the highlights: (01:14) Parents-to-Be consume information by the barrel load (05:13...
Jan 18, 2023•35 min•Ep. 85
Here's a thought for you - every interaction you have with your child will leave a trace - in the wiring of their brain. Repeated interactions of the same type will build permanent connections - so we want these to be helpful ones which build resilience rather than reliance. In this episode I'll share the five core skills we should be teaching our under five year olds to give them the best possible start whilst reminding you it's never too late to start. Here are the highlights: (01:02) Our chil...
Jan 11, 2023•37 min•Ep. 84
This episodes responds to a listener question highlighting something so many parents worry about. How do we know if our children or teens are struggling making / keeping friends and if they are - when and how do we help?? In this episode I'll share how best to uncover any potential issues and then how to support them to make the very best of friendships for them. Here are the highlights: (00:30) Leslie’s question (02:27) Building a tribe (06:45) Figure out your starting point (12:26) The fear of...
Jan 04, 2023•31 min•Ep. 83
Children's brains are built. At birth they have nearly 90 billion brain cells, and these cells makes connections which then wire together. Understanding how this happens and the role experience plays is crucial if we are to raise children who become happy, confident, resilient adults. I'll share four facts we all need to know. Here are the highlights: (01:00) Neuroplasticity (03:44) Brain stats (08:02) Neurons that fire together, wire together (14:00) Nature and nurture’s influence on brain deve...
Dec 28, 2022•32 min•Ep. 82
My next interview was so good I’ve split it into two parts! So for the next two I am joined by the excellent Nadim Saad. Nadim is a parenting and relationship coach and author of seven books including the highly acclaimed Kids Don’t Come With a Manual, Happy Confident Me Journal series and Raising Happy Confident Kids. Father of three and founder of The Happy Confident Company – focused on helping children become the best version of themselves. We talk parenting, how our childhood affects our pa...
Dec 21, 2022•35 min•Ep. 81
My next interview was so good I’ve split it into two parts! So for the next two I am joined by the excellent Nadim Saad. Nadim is a parenting and relationship coach and author of seven books including the highly acclaimed Kids Don’t Come With a Manual, Happy Confident Me Journal series and Raising Happy Confident Kids. Father of three and founder of The Happy Confident Company – focused on helping children become the best version of themselves. We talk parenting, how our childhood affects our pa...
Dec 14, 2022•43 min•Ep. 80
This episode is all about ways we can encourage our children to do what we ask first time! I know it’s probably one of the most frustrating things we can up against as parents - ask isn’t once, twice, three times and then getting angry and frustrated that our children haven’t listened. Now I’m going to tackle this in two half’s because there’s the dealing with it in the moment and then there’s the putting expectations in place. The more we’re clear in communicating our expectations and consisten...
Dec 07, 2022•31 min•Ep. 79
Wife to Harry, Mummy to Lola Kit & Lockie, Violinist, and Author of Dare to Dream & Mindfulness 4 Mums. With all the ‘perceived’ privilege and celebrity status people might attach to someone with over three hundred thousand followers on Instagram Izzy couldn’t be more real, humble, and honest about her and Harry’s parenting journey - from IVF, childhood anxiety, to juggling three children. I know Izzy’s honesty has been a lifeline to so many mothers who relate so much to her stories and ...
Nov 30, 2022•43 min•Ep. 78
Resilience is all about our children’s ability to bounce back from setbacks and it is very closely related to confidence and self-esteem. Resilience isn’t innate, it’s learnt and as their greatest teachers you can use my simple strategies to start developing your child’s resilience as well as asking yourself this simple question - “how am I modelling resilience??” Here are the highlights: (01:36) Our children are like computer programs (04:12) Framing the situation (10:45) The importance of mode...
Nov 23, 2022•30 min•Ep. 77
In life there are times when you come across people who you just know are going to be instrumental in changing your perspective on life and I am really not over playing it when I say this about Zoe. She has read, trained and pulled together all the research and best practice on navigating motherhood with self-awareness and her insights on intergenerational cycles, conditioning and what every child craves are tempered with super practical things we can do with this new found self-awareness. I wis...
Nov 16, 2022•42 min•Ep. 76
Alright, so this episode is all about New Year's resolutions and its only November!!! Please just go with it as it could quite literally change your life and inspire your children too. It all starts with this simple question “If you could design your life for 2023; how it makes you feel, who you want to spend it with, and what experiences you want to have, how would you design it?”. In this episode I will share the answers I gave in 2020 for my 21 for 2021 and how I’m doing it differently in 202...
Nov 09, 2022•32 min•Ep. 75
As the saying goes, ‘we all juggle multiple hats’ as parents and finding balance seems to be illusive to most of us. Some days we feel we’re acing it, yet I think I speak for most of us when I say we more often than not feel like we are constantly teetering on the edge of exhaustion. Helen Hopkins is a Wellness Coach and approaches balance from the perspective of habits and how we can find opportunities for balance in those habitual ‘dead times’. You will quite literally be blown away by her sim...
Nov 02, 2022•45 min•Ep. 74
Friendships can be one of the biggest challenges our girls have to navigate. It can cause so much upset and make life miserable. So, Amy and Jess wrote a book to help their daughters so they never had to struggle with friendships as they did. They hope the hard lessons they learned help smooth the road for young girls and help them walk with their heads held high, never doubting who they are, or wondering if they are enough. Whilst the book was written for girls, the lessons and techniques are j...
Oct 26, 2022•50 min•Ep. 73
When we have a child who seems hellbent on arguing with everything we ask of them, making up their own rules, and struggling to manage their emotions – it can leave its mark on all of us. We often feel like we’re parenting in a war zone and then feel guilty and sad with how we’ve handled things. There isn’t a magic wand approach which will change everything, yet my seven strategies could just save your sanity and relationship with your child, without breaking their spirit. Here are the highlight...
Oct 19, 2022•33 min•Ep. 72
In this episode Stephanie shares her strategies as an educational consultant and coach for supporting children and teens as they navigate tests and exams. Whether your children are taking tests which measure their progress, exams to get into their next schools, or exams at 16 and 18 which are likely to determine University or career pathways you’ll want to listen to this. In fact I found so many great tips for talking to our children about life and challenges - beyond tests - so you’re in for a ...
Oct 12, 2022•40 min•Ep. 71
A whole generation of children and teens are desperately unhappy. A recent survey by the Children’s Society ranked UK children amongst the unhappiest in Europe, although the unhappiness trend is not just a UK phenomenon. I’ll share my thoughts on why so many children are unhappy and what we can do to reverse this worrying trend. Here are the highlights: (00:28) The three reasons your child might be unhappy (04:31) Life is too fast (08:49) Never underestimate a good bedtime routine (15:35) Being ...
Oct 05, 2022•31 min•Ep. 70
This is the first in my Investing In Yourself mini-series where incredible people share their wisdom and expertise across different areas in which we can invest in ourselves as parents. Heather, the driving force and dynamo behind Supermums talks about her journey investing in herself, and how we might go about doing the same. Whether we want a new career or a better balance between work and home, she’ll share how she made the decision to invest in herself and start a new career. Here are the hi...
Sep 28, 2022•33 min•Ep. 69
Whilst the release of this episode is immediately after the death Queen Elizabeth II, the approach I suggest is intended to cover any situation where a child comes into contact with the death of someone - whether that’s a direct relative, a friend, neighbour, public figure etc. For some the current world event may mean you are talking about death for the very first time and your child might be really still quite young, for others the Queen’s death might be bringing up old sadness for a loved one...
Sep 21, 2022•27 min•Ep. 68
Do you feel overwhelmed with the task of having a full work life whilst being present for your children? Juggling work and being a parent can be a challenge, prioritising one without the other being affected is something many parents struggle with. In this episode I discuss tips and tricks on how to manage this balance and reduce stress. Here are the highlights: (03:23) 45% of parents feel burnt out (07:07) Asking for help (11:42) Managing expectations (17:38) Recharge (22:28) Plan B 💚 Let's gr...
Sep 14, 2022•28 min•Ep. 67
We have all heard a variation of one of these comments from our children - “I am not very good at... ‘this is rubbish’, ‘I can’t’, I’m not good at…’ but what does it mean?? There are potentially 6 different reasons why and yet, it is doesn’t really matter which reason it is – the comments tell us something about how they are experiencing things right now AND how to help them. I will talk you through my 6-point solution – what to do and how to solve the issue longer term. Here are the highlights:...
Sep 07, 2022•28 min•Ep. 66
Josh is one of the UK’s most influential mental health advocates. Josh has also spoken in the House of Commons, contributed to mental health policy and even advised the scriptwriting team on Hollyoaks. He has run resilience workshops for village schools and global brands alike. Additionally, he is an ambassador for Nacoa – a national charity supporting people affected by a parent’s drinking. In this episode he talks about being a dad, resilience, children’s emotions and how it all has to start w...
Aug 31, 2022•36 min•Ep. 65
Let’s talk honestly about the impact of social media. From Twitter to TikTok and the whole Metaverse in between, it is now well documented to have a significantly negative impact on our children’s mental health – linked to depression, anxiety, and increase suicide rates. What do we need to know about these platforms, how do we help our children and teens navigate these platforms, and where do we draw the lines. I’ll be answering these questions and setting out my honest thoughts on social media ...
Aug 24, 2022•29 min•Ep. 64
Siblings argue, this is perfectly normal. They are vying for a limited resource – our time. Yet the type of battles our children have with each other, are very much influenced by the ‘role’ our children play within the family dynamics. You cannot begin to make meaningful changes, until you fully understand, and potentially address any issues which arise from these roles. I will talk about ‘roles’ and how they are created, before moving onto how we can avoid constantly refereeing our children’s a...
Aug 17, 2022•29 min•Ep. 63
