You think you’re parenting with one mind. You’re not. There’s the mind that reads the books and makes the plans. And there’s the other mind—the one running the show when your kid does that thing that makes your jaw clench and chest tighten. Kirby Fling sees this clearly. His Two-Mind Method helps you understand the two versions of yourself that show up every day. The one that wants to be patient. And the one that actually is patient. The difference? That’s where attachment gets stronger. Where f...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 326
I’ve been saying for a long, long time that raising kids in the digital age is like the Wild Wild West! We are all just trying to make the best decisions for our kids with the info we currently have at any given time. And it’s really hard to know what the right decision is when you’re a pioneer parent ( as all of us are here - raising kids at a time in human history where tech is causing us to move at a more rapid pace than ever before ). In his book “The Anxious Generation,” Jonathan Haidt pull...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 325
Gentle Parenting has become a sort of parenting movement over the last decade or so. I’ve been here for more than a hot minute and it’s interesting what I’ve noticed. You see, before Gentle there was Conscious Parenting and before that there was Love and Logic and and and. I think the original founders of these methods were probably drinking the same koolaid I like…we secretly want to raise our kids even better than our parents did. We want our kids to feel loved and enjoyed. We don’t want them ...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 324
We want to raise “good kids.” Kids who are kind. Kids who share. Kids who can handle themselves in a respectable manner when they go over to a friend’s house for dinner. We don’t want our kids to be high maintenance or frankly, bratty. We want to raise kids who can get along in the world, but we also want to raise kids whose behavior shows the world that we did a good job as parents. You know what? That’s okay! Listen in as Avery and I break down this question that has been popping up for tons o...
May 20, 2025•46 min•Ep. 323
A common anxiety I often uncover with my moms is: Now that I know what I know about the dangers of tech… it just feels too late to change things with my kids. Maybe you read the NYT best seller, Anxious Generation, and… let’s just say, you’re feeling VERY. FLIPPIN’. ANXIOUS. You’re beginning to understand why your kids act like raccoons on meth when it comes to screens - (ipad, phone, tv, video games). You might feel like it’s a lost cause and ask : Is it even possible to undo this obsession wit...
May 13, 2025•47 min•Ep. 322
Spoiler alert! Ya’ll probably know that I LOVE a good TV show. A comfy blanket and a cozy watch is a reliable happy place for me. So when my family recommended the Netflix thriller, “Adolescence,” I have to say I was a little resistant. But eventually they convinced me, and I am SO GLAD they did! “Adolescence” is a short 4-episode drama series about a teenage boy accused of murdering a girl in his class. But unlike most murder mysteries, this show really digs down into how a seemingly normal kid...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 321
Raising a strong-willed kid is harder. Even draining sometimes. Sitting on the floor and playing with toys felt like the worst to me. I now realize that I found other playful ways to be with my kids… but I still sometimes feel a little guilty about not being a Barbie or Legos kind of mom. So when Dr. Shawn Hondorp invited me on her podcast, The Innovative Therapist, to talk about play and pack leadership, I have to admit, I may have baby barfed a little. But I love Shawn, and I had so much fun w...
Apr 15, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 320
You want to help your kids succeed in school - that’s a given. School success is a big area of anxiety and worry I often see with parents I coach. Many well-intentioned parents get more and more involved in their kids’ homework - but more involvement often leads to more long term struggles. Becoming the homework helpline might help get your kids’ grades up temporarily. But it also teaches them to rely on you instead of learning how to figure things out for themselves. There’s no opportunity for ...
Apr 01, 2025•53 min•Ep. 319
You’ve probably heard me talk about pack leadership, and how I believe it’s the holy grail in creating a more peaceful family. Humans learn through stories, and I have SO MANY stories about empowered parents, stronger family connections, and sensitive kiddos who finally feel understood. But sometimes you have to go back to basics, like I did this week with therapist, podcaster, and long-time Masterminder, Dr. Shawn Hondorp. On a recent episode of her show, The Innovative Therapist, she asked a s...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 318
Apologizing can feel hard. Maybe even harder than we care to admit to ourselves. It’s vulnerable to look at a situation where you may have hurt someone you love…especially when that someone is your own kid. Owning your mistake in a heartfelt way can potentially repair a fractured relationship. Which is why Avery and I had to talk about a very public apology we listened in on, from a recent episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast . Mel and her daughter Sawyer talked about their new book The Let Them T...
Mar 11, 2025•42 min•Ep. 317
It might feel like terrible news that building our pack leadership involves going back into our own childhoods. It can feel scary to go back to the “belly of the beast”… after all, you survived your childhood. Who on this God’s green earth would actually choose to look back when you’re so focused on changing cycles and moving forward? When the patterns we’re trying to break involve the often invisible trauma of emotional neglect, they can be extra tough to identify. Grownups raised by neglectful...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 316
Did you know that the parenting tools you learn on this podcast also work with other strong-willed creatures? I’m chatting with Avery “favorite daughter” Rubenstein this time about pack leadership and what she has learned from “Ben, the strong-willed horse”. I think it’s incredibly helpful to practice the tools you are learning here by applying them to other areas of your life…your work, your adult relationships and even your relationships with animals. You see, pack leadership is about becoming...
Feb 18, 2025•51 min•Ep. 315
Y’all probably know I’m not the biggest fan of the way learning happens in most classrooms…and oh, there are so many reasons. I have believed for a long time that traditional education is outdated and needs a ginormous revamp. However, I wasn’t willing to homeschool my own kids. I liked the break and having my days as my own. So year after year, I made a “self-ish” decision when it came to my own kids’ education. I always felt a tinge of guilt and don’t really think they received the best. So I ...
Feb 04, 2025•57 min•Ep. 314
Is it even possible to continue building your relationship after your birdies leave the nest? Come be a fly on the wall for one of my catch-up calls with my daughter, Avery. We share a hilarious Modern Fam video and recap our winter break family vacation, including an old pattern that made Avery upset and embarrassed. I think you’re going to love our honest conversation about the “un-pretty” parts of our dynamic. Avery also teaches us a critical part of Pack Leadership and the term, weaponized i...
Jan 28, 2025•59 min•Ep. 313
How exciting is it when you have a conversation that sparks a ton of ideas you want to share? That’s how my daughter Avery and I felt after our chat with Michael DiMartino . Talking about how kids learn through stories got us thinking about how much stories have taught us, both as kids (mostly in her case) and in adulthood (mostly in mine). Our follow-up conversation takes the focus from the epic right down to the personal. Avery and I talk about some of the favorite books, movies, and TV shows ...
Jan 21, 2025•41 min•Ep. 312
Humans have always learned through stories. It can be easy to forget this fun fact when there are toys and backbacks and shoes covering the floor. AND we still want them to learn morals and values and life lessons. This is where brilliant storytellers like Mike come in. Michael DiMartino’s stories have had a huge impact on my kids, and children around the world. Mike is the co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the author of comic books, novels, and podcasts. He tells stories that are ep...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 311
Oh the pressure of December… SMMS S o. M uch. M om. S tuff. My gift to you this season is two time-tested treats that will help you plan a holiday that’s memorable. ( The good kind of memorable of course: ) First reminder involves: How to deal with and even shut it down, when judgey relatives are questioning your parenting choices. Next, I’ll remind you of some of my favorite tips for pack leading your 2024 holiday, (with a little help from the Gilmore Girls:). You’ll be prepared to make magical...
Dec 24, 2024•35 min•Ep. 310
Recently, I was a guest on “The Art of Parenting” podcast. The host, Jeanne-Marie, asked some great questions and you might even be surprised by some of my answers. We discussed what it means to have a strong-willed child and why I like to use that phrase. She asked me about my approach to helping these sw kids. And of course, we talked about one of my favorite topics to spotlight: Performative Parenting. We ended with the advice I would give my younger self, and everyone who’s just starting out...
Dec 10, 2024•50 min•Ep. 309
My daughter, Avery, is first-gen Mastermind Parenting, (once removed:) . The “once removed” was her description - “the MMP recipe was still being perfected:)”. She’s grown and flown now, but it’s been fascinating to watch her put Mastermind principles into practice. These days she probably teaches me more than vice versa. Avery is on the pod this week to share some wisdom that I think you’re gonna eat right up. She shares a few real life stories - what the “how” looks like - how to talk to kids ...
Nov 26, 2024•35 min•Ep. 308
Divorce is a reality for lots of families, and it’s a gigantic emotional challenge. As you’re struggling to realign your life, you’re also managing a lot of big feelings. You want to make things as easy as possible for your kiddos, but how can you do that when things get messy? How do you help your kids understand what’s happening? How do you support them as they process the fear, sadness, and uncertainty they’re sure to feel? My guest this time understands these questions, and she’s here to edu...
Nov 12, 2024•45 min•Ep. 307
Humans learn through story. It’s been this way for thousands of years. For realz:). And when you’re raising strong-willed kids, no script or tip has ever had the same impact as saying “Hey, remember in that story when...” I think we need to take a step back from memorizing the words of the latest social media parenting professional and get back to simpler times. Dare I say, indigenous times. This week I have the gifted and delightful Andrew Newman, author of the Conscious Bedtime series, on the ...
Oct 29, 2024•57 min•Ep. 306
Kids are naturally motivated to feel purposeful. In other words, kids want to feel like they bring value to the pack. It’s primal actually. You see, bringing value/ helping out/ feeling as if “these people might be lost without the amazing me and my mad sweeping skillz:)”, are all ways kids feel when they are given purpose. Purpose can be a tiny thing (clearing their plate from the table)… Or it can be much bigger like, (reading to a younger sibling and helping to care for them). Unfortunately, ...
Oct 08, 2024•57 min•Ep. 305
I’m a fan of good therapy. But I also see so many moms, who are trying to help their strong-willed ones, in the wrong order imo…they look for a therapist first, before changing anything at home. Well this is what I’m talking about today with our fave author, Michaeleen Doucleff. In part one of this conversation, we discuss why pack leadership seems so natural for some folks, and so elusive for others. We also get into the topic of purpose, attention seeking, attachment styles and even disagree o...
Oct 02, 2024•53 min•Ep. 304
Big changes mean big feelings, and as my youngest heads off to college, I’ve been deep in them. I’m so glad I got to talk to psychologist and attachment expert Eli Harwood about this. Eli literally calls herself The Attachment Nerd, and she totally gets it. This one was vulnerable and raw and felt like a therapy session for me. As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live convers...
Sep 18, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 303
You know those moments, when a little deal feels like a much bigger deal? And even though you tell yourself Don’t sweat the small stuff or Settle down, Sister… You just can’t help it. I call these Bratty Little Baby moments , and guess what? We all have them. Big people. Little people. All the people have Bratty Little Baby moments. Why you may ask? Cuz… Human-ing is hard. And messy. And and and. And the more we understand this, the less Bratty Little Baby hijacks happen. In this episode, you’ll...
Sep 05, 2024•20 min•Ep. 302
Have you ever met someone who is doing the thing you wish “younger you” had known? Recently, I met Esther and wow…Just. Wow. In many ways she reminded me of “younger me” but better. Way. Better. (And with a cool accent to boot:) She’s been a mom on a mission to turn her household around. And she has implemented so much in such a short amount of time - literal lightning speed. I feel like what took me decades to figure out has taken Esther minutes. She’s inspiring to say the least…especially if y...
Aug 21, 2024•59 min•Ep. 301
Getting the kids out the door in the morning… I don’t think most parents would describe this simple daily process as simple. But what if it could be? When I was thinking about what to share with you on the podcast this week, I remembered this resource, and had to share it with you to help simplify the mornings and set your family up for a super successful school year. If you need help with the morning madness, this is the episode for you. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why nurturing your child’s...
Aug 13, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 300
You listen to parenting podcasts. You read books. You are a student of how to be the best mom for your kids. You work your tushie off for your kids…maybe even to be the parent you would’ve wanted. I see you. And I know you beat yourself up about the hard moments when you just can’t hold it together anymore. And wouldn’t it be amazing to have a partner that sees all of you? All that you do. All that you are as a mom. Would it help you to not be so hard on yourself for those “oops” moments with yo...
Aug 06, 2024•20 min•Ep. 299
If you’re looking for support in figuring out the “now what” after diagnosis, you’ve gotta know Yetta Myrick. Yetta has been in the trenches, supporting her son for 21 years, who was diagnosed early with Autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability. When it came to finding stellar support for her child with cognitive and developmental challenges, Yetta had no quit! This often felt like an uphill battle in a confusing and uncaring system. She is an Erin Brockovitch level Mama Bear - inspiring like a...
Jul 30, 2024•53 min•Ep. 298
Teenage-hood. It’s a loaded topic. It’s a loaded time. Just you wait til this one’s a teenager. Payback’s a bitch - you were a nightmare as a teenager! We turned out fine but the risks are too risky for kids today. Ya’ll have been asking me for teenager resources for forever. The teen years have always been tough. Changing schools, changing bodies, racing hormones. But today’s teenagers face more. The world has become more complicated. #FACTS. Recently, I talked to Coach Kevin Baker, and I think...
Jul 23, 2024•54 min•Ep. 297
