Cara and Rythea dig into how hypocritical they feel as parent advocates when they fall so short on their own commitment to staying loving. They have a good laugh and some deep process about how childhood wounds and unconscious aspects of self show up when they least expect it. They explore specific situations where they have worked hard to be different, but keep getting triggered into the same kind of reactivity. They brainstorm (and unravel) how the umbrella of non-coercive, collaborative philo...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 16
How is our parenting an act of resistance or compliance to larger systems that harm? How do we know if we are unconsciously carrying out patterns of oppression in our families? What does it look like to step out of what is expected of us and parent from ancestral values? In this episode, Leslie Priscilla shares how being raised by two Mexican immigrants and parenting her own bicultural children inspired her to create Latinx Parenting. She opens up about how parenting in the context of colonizati...
Jun 20, 2025•58 min•Season 3Ep. 15
We heard you and you want to know: How the hell do you collaboratively and consciously parent when you have multiple kids?! Non-coercive, conscious mom-to-five, Tanisha Henderson is here to answer this question and SO MUCH MORE. The episode begins with Tanisha sharing her personal journey to becoming a conscious, collaborative parent. She discusses her inspirations, pivotal moments, and the transformative experiences that led her to embrace non-coercive parenting as her guiding philosophy. She s...
May 26, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In this powerful episode, Cara and Rythea sit down with Josh Connolly , bestselling author of It’s Them, Not You: How to Break Free from Toxic Parents and Reclaim Your Story . Josh has become a leading voice in the mental health world, known for his no-nonsense approach to healing family trauma and supporting those affected by parental alcohol issues and toxic parents. Together, they discuss the importance of simple, direct language when addressing painful family dynamics—and how that clarity ca...
May 10, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In this deeply honest episode, Cara and Rythea dive into the nuanced world of non-coercive parenting through the lens of Internal Family Systems, Parts Work Therapy , and Inner Bonding . They unpack what it means to parent in the moment while working with merged parts —protective internal voices that take over when we're triggered, especially by our kids. This episode explores the uncomfortable but powerful truth: sometimes we see our child as our abuser . Cara and Rythea get real about how this...
Apr 19, 2025•54 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this episode, we sit down with our social media manager/helper/everything-assistant, Joey D’Angelo, who shares their relationship with our work on the podcast. Joey is not a parent, but is full of childlike wonder and endless compassion, and has been on a recovery journey which includes reparenting herself. What happens when we turn the principles of mutual respect, emotional regulation, and co-regulation inward? Joey shares the impact of their upbringing and how that led to their development...
Mar 30, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 11
As non-coercive, collaborative parents, how do we move through self-blame and really trust our child’s process? In this episode, Cara supports Rythea to explore the trigger of being helpless over her daughter’s pain. Rythea unpacks, in real time, patterns of self-hatred and self-blame that are tied to underlying beliefs around parenting and self-worth. Rythea, with Cara’s facilitation, models a process of expressing the unbearable feelings around keeping her child safe, happy, and healthy. This ...
Mar 01, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In this episode, we sit down with Amanda Diekman , author of Low-Demand Parenting , to explore the intersection of PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), neurodiversity, and low-demand parenting. What We Cover: What PDA is and is not – Understanding PDA as a profile rather than a diagnosis, and clearing up common misconceptions. Why PDA is widely discussed today – How awareness of PDA has grown and why so many neurodivergent families relate to this profile. The Low-Demand Parenting approach – What...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this episode of Your Kids Don’t Suck , Rythea and Cara dive into the practical side of non-coercive, collaborative parenting (NCC) - how to guide children without control, how our triggers shape our reactions , and why guiding our kids is an essential part of the philosophy (even though many NCC parents struggle with it). We start by checking in on how we’ve been doing lately and explore how our personal triggers challenge us to reframe our children's behaviors instead of reacting from old co...
Jan 31, 2025•48 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this paradigm-shifting episode, Cara and Rythea sit down with special guest Vivek Patel to explore the transformative power of parenting as a spiritual practice. Together, they dive into the profound ways parenting forces us to confront our deepest blocks, triggers, and fears. From sleepless nights to moments of deep connection, this episode unpacks how the challenges of raising children can lead to unparalleled personal growth and spiritual evolution. Whether you're a seasoned parent or just...
Jan 17, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Do you ever feel like your child makes you become a person you vowed you would never be? Have you noticed that you act like a version of yourself you don’t recognize in regular life? This is because we have parts - internal parts that get triggered by your kids and by feeling helpless as a parent. We go into parts of ourselves from childhood that rear up from our past and cause us emotional responses we often don’t understand. It can be very overwhelming and daunting. In this episode, Rythea and...
Dec 20, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this episode of Your Kids Don’t Suck , Cara and Rythea sit down with researcher and parent Ash Lowenthal to discuss their PhD work on trauma-informed care and non-coercive, collaborative parenting. Ash shares their passion for challenging systems that perpetuate trauma and explores how these principles can inform parenting journeys. Key Topics: Parallels between non-coercive parenting and trauma-informed care in professional settings. Why traditional "authoritative" parenting often falls shor...
Nov 29, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 5
What can happen when two friends (who happen to be therapists) support each other to explore wounds and triggers with the intention of becoming a more loving parent? What does the process of tracking our triggers back in time look like? What does it mean to love the child we once were? In this episode of Your Kids Don’t Suck, Rythea supports Cara as she navigates recent feelings of low-level anxiety, gently guiding her through these sensations using the Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework. T...
Nov 15, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Do you struggle with playing with your kids? When playfulness is required to make a difficult moment easier, do you feel blocked, stuck, shut-down, or reactive? In this episode, therapists Cara and Rythea dive into the transformative power of playing with your kids, no matter their age. They explore the why behind play—why it’s essential for healthy development and connection—and dig into the research on the benefits of play in strengthening the parent-child relationship. Through both personal s...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Sometimes you meet someone online or in person and it changes the course of your life. Dayna Martin’s book called “Radical Unschooling” was part of (co-host) Rythea Lee’s parenting wake up call. She joined Dayna’s support groups and coached with her during a time of deep distress and confusion. Dayna’s loving and articulate allyship of her children and children everywhere helped Rythea turn towards non-coercion and collaboration with her daughter. What are the underpinnings of Dayna’s approach a...
Oct 19, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 2
We’re back with a brand new season featuring the wonderful Iris Chen from @untigering! Iris shares her personal experiences of transitioning from being a "tiger mother" to a parent who fosters connection, collaboration, and respect with her children. In this episode: - Defining Untigering: What does it mean to be a “deconstructing tiger mother”? Iris breaks down the concept of "untigering" and how it challenges the traditional authoritarian approach, especially within the Asian community. - Non-...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In this episode of YKDS, therapists Cara and Rythea delve into a powerful therapeutic process with Rythea, exploring how her triggers impact her parenting choices. Using the Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy modality as a guide, they help Rythea to identify and understand the different parts of herself that influence her feelings and behaviors and how they come into her parenting, particularly in relation to a painful experience she's currently facing. Rythea explores triggers around being a...
Jul 19, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 12
In this inspiring and heartfelt episode, hosts Rythea and Cara sit down with Vivek Patel, dear friend and renowned parenting coach, known for his non-coercive, collaborative parenting approach, and his 27-year-old daughter Veets! The conversation dives into the unique dynamics of their father-daughter relationship, exploring how Veets' upbringing has shaped her view of parents and children, friendships, work-life, her family, and her relationship with herself. Vivek shares more on the underlying...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 11
What are the wins in doing the deep work of dismantling coercion and control in our parenting? Why do it? Why work so hard to break generational patterns? What does it give you, your family, your child? In this episode, Cara and Rythea focus on the profound closeness, joy, and harmony that comes from diving into this parenting philosophy. They give examples with their children and partners of breaking through stuck places to mutual respect and flow. Cara has a toddler and Rythea’s daughter is tw...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Alesandra Rodriguez, Mom of 4 kids in a blended family, joins Rythea and Cara to discuss risky teen behaviors and tells the powerful story of a radical turnaround with her fourteen year old daughter. Alesandra shares her journey of coming to the non-coercion mindset through Rythea’s support group and plunging her and her family into this counter-culture philosophy that has opened up and changed the whole family system. She explains her history of growing up under a fundamentalist Christian house...
Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 9
A few years ago, Rythea had no idea what TikTok was... But she jumped on the app with the encouragement of a friend and her spontaneous video about parenting went viral. Find out what happened next in this episode of Your Kids Don’t Suck, where Cara and Rythea use three TikToks to talk about how humor woke up large numbers of eager parents who were waiting for an alternative to mainstream parenting practices. Topics covered include the problem with “non-negotiables”, creating a culture of honest...
May 24, 2024•43 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In this episode, Cara and Rythea delve deep into an inspiring story of deconstructing a fundamentalist Christian upbringing to embracing non-coercive parenting, with their guest, Siegwen, a single parent of four. Siegwen shares their powerful story of transformation, recounting the challenges of breaking free from a fundamentalist Christian environment and the pivotal moments that led them to embrace non-coercive parenting. They explore the key moments where they felt the pull towards corporal p...
May 10, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Content Advisory: This episode contains discussion of childhood sexual trauma in a therapeutic context In this episode, therapist Rythea Lee introduces the episode's focus on navigating bedtime struggles with her 12-year-old daughter. Rythea explores how her childhood trauma currently impacts her relationship to bedtime triggers, and discusses how it challenges her ability to problem-solve or think clearly about the issue. She takes herself through a process called Inner Bonding®, an emotional, ...
Apr 27, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Welcome back to Your Kids Don't Suck! Today, we're thrilled to have Kelsie Olds, also known as The Occuplaytional Therapist on social media. Kelsie is a parent and occupational therapist specializing in child-led and neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy. We discuss: Kelsie's Training and Approach : Rythea and Cara delve into Kelsie's background as an occupational therapist, exploring what this means and how it shapes her approach to working with children. The Child-Centered Approach : K...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In this episode, hosts Rythea Lee and Cara Tedstone delve into listener questions about navigating conflicts between children and/or siblings, and co-parenting with differing parenting styles. Drawing from their expertise in non-coercive, collaborative parenting, Rythea and Cara provide insightful guidance on fostering connection with your child(ren) within difficult family dynamics. Rythea emphasizes the crucial role of active and involved parenting in resolving conflicts between children and s...
Mar 29, 2024•56 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Welcome to another episode of "Your Kids Don't Suck"! In this episode, hosts Rythea Lee and Cara Tedstone engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Yolanda Williams, a radical justice educator, mother, and conscious parenting coach. Rythea and Cara delve into a crucial discussion with Yolanda on the pervasive influence of capitalism on our lives and, more specifically, on self-care. Together, they explore how societal structures impact our ability to prioritize our well-being and the subse...
Mar 15, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 3
It's an episode you've been waiting for - Cara and Rythea tackle the ever-controversial topic of screen time. As parents themselves and therapists working with families, they delve into the complexities surrounding this issue and offer practical insights for navigating screen time boundaries within family dynamics. We start by exploring why screen time has become such a polarizing and emotionally charged subject for parents. Drawing from our own experiences and observations, we unpack the underl...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode of Your Kids Don't Suck, hosts Rythea Lee and Cara Tedstone dive deep into the world of non-coercive parenting within the framework of coparenting relationships. Joined by Rythea's partner Will and Cara's husband Sanjay, the conversation unfolds into a heartfelt exploration of parenting dynamics and philosophies. Sanjay and Will offer unique perspectives on parenting, bringing diverse backgrounds and value systems to the table. Together, they share their personal journeys into th...
Feb 16, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this episode of YKDS, hosts Cara and Rythea engage in a thought-provoking discussion on the concept of obedience. They delve into its definition, highlighting real-life examples of non-coercive parenting drawn from Cara's day-to-day experiences with her toddler. The hosts explore practical ways to implement collaboration with young children, emphasizing its crucial role in fostering trust, connection, play, and discovery. Cara and Rythea, both therapists, explore how our early childhood relat...
Dec 22, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 9
What does it look like to have grown up being treated like someone of equal value to your parent? Rythea Lee’s long-time sister-of-choice, Naomi Sparrow, parented in a non-coercive way long before there was a name for it. She didn’t call it that, she says: “I tried not to hurt my kid, justify it, and get away with it.” Naomi worked to protect her daughter's autonomy with no support or reference point. Eventually she could name it “attachment parenting a neurodiverse child with sensory issues”, b...
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 8
