I get this question a lot. Sometimes people ask me because they know they want to be more peaceful, but some people ask because they think it means raising kids who are entitled snowflakes. I get it, and frankly, I wasn’t sure if it was for me until I understood what it was all about. In a “full circle moment” I'm interviewing Kiva Shuler, the CEO of the Jai Institute of Parenting where I was trained and certified as a Parent Coach! We are talking about what “Peaceful Parenting” is, and what it ...
Apr 04, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 195
Can you really change your reality by changing the way you see a situation? My guest, Laura Noel says YES! In fact, the truth of this is not theory, it’s backed by scientific evidence. Do you have a situation you’re struggling with? What are your thoughts about it? How does it make you feel? What are your emotions? What do you “do” as a result of those thoughts and feelings? And finally, what does it cost you? Did you know that if you change your attitude about that situation that’s been plaguin...
Mar 28, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 194
Can you overcome fear and anxiety? The answer is a huge YES! My guest Dr. Friedemann, is going to show you exactly how to do it! In this episode, I have the most interesting conversation with Dr. Friedemann, that at times, his answers left me speechless. He talks about how powerful our subconscious mind is and how it’s always operating in the background working to keep us safe and happy. AND, if our lives have been overtaken by fear and anxiety, how to use this powerful operating system to get b...
Mar 21, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 193
If you have a child with ADHD, you know how hard it can be to parent them. In fact, it’s exhausting! Well…parenting your ADHD kiddos are about to get a lot easier! Dr. Melissa Dvorsky is my guest and she is an EXPERT among experts in the area of ADHD and organizational management for kids to help them improve time management and planning skills, improve organization. In this episode, we talk about Executive Functioning, what it is and how it impacts our kids’ behavior, mood and conduct. ADHD sho...
Mar 14, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 192
Did you know that the most popular content on YouTube is kid's videos? How often are your kids on the platform watching videos? How often are you? Not only am I on YouTube with my channel, Parenting for Connection, my kids are also users. I say this to let you know I’m not vilifying or judging the millions of people who watch. It is however, important for you to know and understand how the app works so that you can be discerning about what you consume and what you allow your kids to watch. YouTu...
Mar 07, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 191
Did you know that if your child poops less than 3x a week, they’re constipated? As a mom, I talk about poop more than I ever thought I would! But there’s so much to talk about!! It’s especially important when there is a lack of poop = constipation! That’s what I’m talking about in this episode! I’m talking to Dietitian, Raquel Papu (pronounced Papoo! 💩😉) about why kids get constipated, what causes it, and how to treat it. We talk about a food first approach and also how exercise helps relieve ...
Feb 28, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 190
This is one “talk” we can’t avoid…The Money Talk! Things have changed so much about the way we interact with money (who even carries cash anymore!?). What is money anyway? Is it bitcoin, crypto currency or is money still money? What is inflation? What is Shrinkflation? We are talking about all things money so your kids can have a healthy understanding of what it is, and how to use it wisely. My guest Robin Taub, who is an expert on all things money, is breaking it down for us in the most non-bor...
Feb 21, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 189
There are so many good Dads out there so I want to cover this topic carefully. The fact is that I have so many questions from moms asking how to get their husbands more involved, and to help out more. So many complain that their partners aren’t equal partners and that leads to resentment, frustration and anger. If your husband is disengaged in parenting, what do you do? My guest, Jason Kreidman, the founder of “Dad University” is here to give us a dad’s perspective on how to approach your hubby ...
Feb 14, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 188
Did you know that we aren’t meant to be happy all the time? Did you know we are set up for rewards? So much of what we do as humans is because of the way our brains are wired. It explains so much! And most importantly, it explains so much about our kids! I love talking about the brain and in this episode, I’m talking to Dr. Loretta Breuning who is teaching us about what drives human motivation and how our brains are wired and why we should care! In this episode we are talking about how critical ...
Feb 07, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 187
How do we make sense of the information we are surrounded by when it’s so divisive, polarizing and confusing? What if we have fallen victim to disinformation and we feel embarrassed that we did? How do we teach our kids the truth if we don’t even know what’s fact or fiction? My guest is the author of the book, What the Fact and is a medical doctor, journalist, epidemiologist and professor at UCLA so Dr. Seema Yasmin, knows what she’s talking about. Seema is a self-described “former” conspiracy t...
Jan 31, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 186
No parent looks forward to “The Talk” with their kids! We would rather talk about their mental, physical and emotional development instead of their sexual development!! The truth is that when kids view the topic of sex as normal, not weird or secret, they are more likely to feel better about who they are as a person and make better decisions. My guest, Amy Lang has made a career out of helping parents have The Talk with your kids; which by the way, isn’t just ONE talk! She helps to normalize it ...
Jan 17, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 184
It’s so important to understand that we all feel fear and anxiety. Fear is meant to protect us and keep us safe so when our kids are scared, we need to reassure them that it’s normal and natural. We want to honour their feeling but we also want them to know that they can manage their fears and control their unhelpful thoughts. This helps kids feel more confident and that leads to higher resilience. Christina Furnival is returning to my show for the second time to talk us through how to teach kid...
Jan 10, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 183
Climate change is on all of our minds and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed, depressed and helpless about the state of the planet…but you don’t have to feel that way anymore! I’m super pumped to talk and introduce my guests and co-founders of The Cool Down ( www.thecooldown.com ) Anna Robertson and Nina Tooly. These moms have gone from sharing green product recommendations with each other to building The Cool Down, a climate content and commerce startup that's working to take the overwhelm out o...
Jan 03, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 182
If you have a child with ADHD, chances are, your child’s behavior has changed the way you thought your family would be together. ADHD can cause a child to have severe tantrums, intense hyperactivity, uncontrollable impulsivity and can toggle between lack of focus and intense focus. It turns out there is a huge connection between certain foods and inflammation that can greatly increase and intensify ADHD behaviors. Many of us have heard about the brain-gut connection but this is the first time I’...
Dec 27, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 181
There are MILLIONS of kids with food allergies in the US, and in Canada, 1 in 2 households are impacted by food allergies. This is a huge topic and I’m thrilled to have one of the foremost experts, Dr. Rania Nasis, on to talk about what allergies are, and what we can do to support kids with allergies and their parents. In this episode, Rania and I talk about the basics of allergies and what qualifies as an allergy - it’s an immune response to the food that’s life threatening. We also talk about ...
Dec 20, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 180
What if you have worked for 20 years to get your dream job, at the top of your field, only to realize the hustle, 12-hour days, and big paycheque aren’t what you ever wanted. This is what my guest, Jamie Fiore Higgins, lived. She didn’t just have the hustle, she also endured a toxic workplace where she was expected to tolerate misogynistic comments, harassment, exclusion and physical abuse. In this episode, Jamie and I talk about being professional women in the workplace and how there is still a...
Dec 13, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 179
How many times have you said to your child, “how was your day?” only to be met with one-word answers or grunts? Well, we are aiming to end that, so you can have meaningful conversations with your kids now, and always! My guest is Rebecca Rolland who has over a decade of experience in speech and language and is a mom to two, so she understands how hard having, starting and sustaining conversation can be with your kids. The most important lessons I learned from Rebecca is to give “silent time” to ...
Dec 06, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Can you imagine if every girl was raised to become a leader in her own life and didn’t feel like they had to chase their worth? As parents, I know all of us feel the enormous responsibility of raising kids to be strong adults in this ever-changing and complicated world. Thankfully, we have Nellie Harden to help us raise them! Nellie helps parents of tween and teen girls navigate the ups and downs of power struggles with their daughters to help them grow into confident wise and respectful young w...
Nov 29, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Why would hackers even care about me!? If you’ve said that to yourself (like I have), you need to listen up! There are some simple things you can do to keep your information safe and private from people who wish to do you harm. My guest Cathy Pedrayes is an expert in safety and online safety. She’s sharing simple tips and tricks to keeping yourself and your family safe online. In this episode, Cathy and I talk about: Why not to give out your phone number and what you can do instead phone and app...
Nov 22, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Who wants some SCREEN FREE options for your kids that are FUN? Allow me to introduce you to Tonies if you don’t know of them already! They are fun and learning all wrapped up in an adorable and durable box! Not only are the fun to play with, you can use them as a way to bring family together through story, and use them as a screen free way to do bedtime stories. There is even an option with the Creative Tonie, that comes without stories to create your own or have a loved one share one of their s...
Nov 15, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Our kids are naturally curious explorers who can easily get caught up in their own world of make believe and play! It’s wonderful to experience and it’s vital to their growth and development. BUT we don’t have to take on the role of full-time entertainer, and our kids don’t need us to (it’s also not a crime if our kids are bored!). My guest, Dr. Jody LeVos, explains all of this and talks about how play helps kids develop social emotional skills, cognitive abilities, solve problems, develop physi...
Nov 08, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 174
What if you didn’t have to work a typical 9-5 job? What if you could set your own schedule and make the money you want? My guest, and mom of three, did just that! I’m so pleased to welcome Lauren Golden, the mastermind behind the Free Mama Movement. In this episode, we talk about what lead her to re-examine her home and work life, how she started, and how she teaches others to live a life where they can have a business they love and the time for their family they want! Lauren has created a progr...
Nov 01, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 173
Should we be thinking about social media as risky behavior, equal to drinking alcohol, doing drugs, unprotected sex and operating heavy machinery? Sciencedirect.com defines risky behavior as: “Risk taking is any consciously, or non-consciously controlled behavior with a perceived uncertainty about its outcome, and/or about its possible benefits or costs for the physical, economic or psycho-social well-being of oneself or others.” In other words, it’s behavior that can cause harm to yourself and ...
Oct 25, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 172
Talking to your kids about online safety, needs to be as normal as teaching them to safely cross the street. I know we would rather not talk about pornography but the reality is, that every child with a device connected to the internet, is a portal to porn. If you don’t talk to your kids, they will be all alone when they come across porn, (not if, when) and not know how to process what they’ve seen, or have the language for it. Thankfully there are people like my guest, Kristen Jeson who is the ...
Oct 18, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 171
I never thought I would be having this conversation in such a personal way. In this episode, I’m talking to my friend, and LGBTQIA+ educator and coach, Heather Hester, about what to do when your child comes out to you. For me, I’m sharing, for the first time, that one of my sons has come out as bisexual to me. My own reaction surprised me because I’ve always been open, accepting and affirming of everyone in the LGTBQIA+ community all my life. This led me to questions like: Are you sure? How do y...
Oct 11, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 170
For so long, talking about periods, discharge, infections, smells, sex and how to take care of “down there” has been taboo, embarrassing, and associated with shame. NO MORE I SAY! Well, it’s not so much me saying it as it is my guest, Dr. Jennifer Lincoln! She is passionate about helping girls, women, and those assigned female at birth understand their bodies. She’s the non-judgemental and knowledgeable friend we all wish we had! In our conversation, we talk about: How and when to start talking ...
Oct 04, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 169
In this Episode, I’m talking to my friend and Safety Expert, Jason Brick, on how to teach your kids how to stay safe during a school shooting. (But these strategies will work in any active shooter situation). As a parent, we don’t want to have to think about this; it’s our worst nightmare that our child might be hurt or killed in a school shooting. Parenting is hard enough, without worrying about doing the simple things in life that should be safe like taking your kids to school and going to the...
Sep 27, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 168
This is the second time I’ve had Cindy Utzinger on my show, and I know it won’t be the last! She is an expert on the Sensory System and on kids with “Sensory Differences.” These are kids that don’t necessarily have a Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis, but have sensitivities to light, sound, smells, touch, etc. So often we misunderstand the behaviour of our kids, when in fact, they might be acting out because they are overstimulated or under stimulated. Your child hitting you might have more ...
Sep 20, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 167
There is no such thing as a perfect parent. Neither my guest or I would ever claim to be and in fact, we both agree that parenting can be looked at as a “practice” versus something we are striving to be “perfect” at. My guest is Cathy Cassani Adams who is the author of “Zen Parenting - Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World.” We talk about the meaning of Zen Parenting and that, in the simplest of terms, means to have an awareness of reality; what’s really going on, and a...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 166
Emotional intelligence is more and more important, especially in parenting, especially in today’s day and age. EI, or EQ, for short, or SEL, social emotional learning, means: the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathise with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. It’s critical to teach our kids to develop their EQ…BUT it’s tricky because chances are we were never taught how to manage our own! GOOD NE...
Sep 06, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 165
