Welcome to “Accidental Experts,” the podcast that empathizes with the chaos of everyday parenting and life. If you find yourself overwhelmed by car pools, friendship challenges, homework, childhood anxiety, neurodiversity, teen drivers and behavior challenges, you’re not alone. I’m your host, Bryce Hamilton, a seasoned licensed clinical social worker who has navigated the intricate challenges of family life firsthand. In each episode, we delve into the complexities of parenting alongside insightful guests, offering practical solutions and fresh perspectives on the daily struggles parents encounter. From the seemingly mundane to the intricately complex, “Accidental Experts” breaks down the challenges of parenting, equipping you with valuable tips and strategies to navigate the labyrinth of family dynamics. Join me as we take a moment to breathe and share stories, expertise, and humor, reassuring you that, indeed, it’s all going to work out. Parenting is an adventure, and “Accidental E
The Motherhood Myth with Vanessa Bennett, LMFT
May 16, 2026
Show notes
Author of “The Motherhood Myth”, and licensed psychotherapist, Vanessa Bennett, LMFT, joins child and family therapist Bryce Hamilton LSCSW, in this episode to talk about the concept of “do-it-all” motherhood. Where it stems from, why it matters, and how to combat it.
They share practical tips and support about the expectations of parenting, how to ask for help and build a support system, and the value that comes from doing so. They also talk about the effect of trying to do it all has on our children- the long-term effects for them and for you.
Full of insight, support, and encouragement this episode may be just what you need to start letting go more, to help be more in control of your life, your emotions, and being the parent you want to be!
Vanessa Bennett, LMFT, is a licensed depth psychotherapist, author, and facilitator known for her no-nonsense yet compassionate approach to healing. She is the author of The Motherhood Myth and coauthor of It’s Not Me, It’s You.
A former New Yorker turned Angelino now practicing internationally, Vanessa leads transformational retreats and workshops rooted in Jungian and depth-oriented psychology. She is the founder of Inner Compass Academy, a depth-based training and coaching program, and hosts the Inner Compass Podcast. Through her writing and teaching, she supports both personal and collective healing—helping people break generational patterns and awaken to the ways harmful social systems shape their lives, so they can reclaim agency and live less from conditioning, and more from choice.
Mitigating Adoption Trauma As An Adoptive Parent with Dr. Melody Aguayo
Apr 28, 2026
Show notes
Adoption trauma coach, Dr. Melody Aguayo, meets with therapist Bryce Hamilton LSCSW, to discuss raising adopted children. They talk about things to be aware of and prepare for before the adoption process, during and after.
Dr. Melody defines interrupted attachment, how it affects our children and how to help children cope and move past it.
Together, they also discuss what a dynamic can look like for families with other siblings, and how to cope and make sure all the needs of each child are met when some children may have more pressing or urgent emotional and behavioral symptoms rise up.
Dr, Melody shares her insight on “storywork”. How and when to share your adopted child’s story with them. How to determine when they’re ready and methods to deliver that information, including seeking outside help when necessary. She also shares the research on betrayal trauma and why sharing this information with your child is so important.
They talk about how to build trust and safety with your adopted child, approach cultural and religious differences, including how to help build your child’s confidence, trust, and self esteem when raising a child that is a different ethnicity of others in the household. Where to go to find support and connections, and how to help embrace everyone in the family to step outside of their comfort zones.
Dr. Aguayo holds a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her doctoral and post-doctoral studies have all emphasized the impacts of developmental trauma. She is trained in Circle of Security, Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) & Theraplay. Her coaching practice emphasizes educating organizations, professionals, and families on the impacts of early trauma on development: cognitive, neurological, relational, and behavioral.
For over ten years, she has worked specifically with this population. She herself is an adoptive parent to two children, now adults, one with significant special needs including complex developmental trauma disorder, extreme mental illness, and substance abuse disorder. She approaches all of her audiences with the expertise of a professional and the endless compassion of a mother. She pursued her doctorate because of her son, and he continues to inspire her to learn and grow professionally and personally.
She has written articles for Focus on the Family & Fostering Families Today. She is a notable keynote speaker who has spoken nationwide at many notable locations: CAFO, Vanderbilt’s Neuroscience Symposium at CIA, Empowered to Connect, Wyoming Psychological Association Annual conference and many others.
She is bilingual, speaks internationally and offers her services in English and Spanish.
Parenting Through Addiction with Cat Greenleaf
Apr 21, 2026
Show notes
Host of the Soberness Podcast, Cat Greenleaf, shares her experiences as an alcoholic and getting sober while parenting. She and Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, discuss how addiction and alcoholism affect parents, where and how parents struggling with addiction can find support, and offer empathetic feedback and encouragement.
They share the statistics and first-hand experience of what being a child of a parent with an addiction feels like, and how it impacts their family.
Full of support, encouragement, and actionable steps you can take now, this episode is especially valuable for any parent wondering if they have an addiction problem, have considered seeking help for an addiction, or want to get sober.
Cat created and hosted NBC’s long-running series Talk Stoop—the celebrity interview show filmed on her Brooklyn front steps. Yep, the one with the bulldog that dominated NYC TaxiTV and USA Daytime in the 20teens. Over nine years, she hosted hundreds of guests, racked up four Emmys, launched countless adventures—and had so much fun.
Then she got fired. No fun. After losing her job, she thought she’d never to go back to journalism. With no other marketable skills and no idea what to do next, she entered an epic dark night of the soul.
Looking for light, her family moved to the beach in Coney Island. There, Cat got serious about her own sobriety and began bringing recovery meetings to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and men. That work inspired her to found the nonprofit Restorative Housing Organization. RHO is dedicated to training formerly incarcerated men and women to renovate undervalued NYC waterfront properties, which are then rented to Section 8 tenants. She loves it. But once a journalist, always a journalist.
So when she weirdly got name-checked on Hacks last season, she took it as a sign. Soon after, she heard her old friend, musician Steve Earle, talking openly about his sobriety on a radio show —a thing she didn’t know people were even allowed to do. And she realized she wanted to be the one talking to Steve Earle about sobriety on a show! Soberness was born in September 2024.
Clergy and Teacher Abuse Awareness with Melanie Sakoda
Apr 14, 2026
Show notes
President of the Board of Directors of Coptic Survivor, an organization fighting to end clergy abuse in churches, Melanie Sakoda joins Bryce Hamilton LSCSW to discuss sexual abuse in churches and schools. They talk about the lack of discipline abusers face, common reasons why perpetrators are not held accountable, help outline the profile of typical abusers in these settings, and what we can do about it to keep children safe.
Additionally, they discuss warning signs that a child may be targeted or is being abused, best practice for helping children in these situations, and how to handle adults who give warning signs of grooming or inappropriate behavior toward youth. They tackle the age old question, “why is more not being done?” and provide resources and direct action items to make a difference.
Check out our video chat here!
Melanie Sakoda and friends began a website for survivors of abuse in the Orthodox Christian churches called Pokrov, the Protection of the Mother of God, in 1999. They had spoken up about the way a local abuse case was mishandled by church officials, leaving their lives forever changed by the backlash. Realizing how important their mutual support was, they wanted to reach out to those who did not have that. The website was active until March, 2020. Melanie affiliated with SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, in 2008. She led SNAP support meetings from 2009 until recently. Melanie continues to lead independent virtual support groups and advocate for survivors, particularly Orthodox victims, and is the President of the Board of Directors of Coptic Survivor.
The Blended Family Blueprint with Amy Ambrozich
Mar 31, 2026
Show notes
Blended Family Parenting Coach, Amy Ambrozich, meets with Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, to share her expertise and advice on divorce, stepparenting, and blending families. Relationships after divorce can be difficult to navigate, especially with children involved. Amy and Bryce give practical tips and feedback and vital suggestions for easing the transitions between families.
Using the “SMART” Stepfamily system, Amy discusses stepfamily myths, setting realistic expectations for step parents and children, stages of family development, understanding step-sibling relationships, discipline, and defining roles within the family.
This episode will help empower you to raise your blended family with clarity, empathy, and confidence.
Blended Family Parenting Coach, Amy Ambrozich, has a background in psychology and multiple certifications in parenting education and stepfamily dynamics. Amy has crafted specialized programming specifically for couples in blended family relationships.
Through her coaching program, The Blended Family Blueprint, Amy helps beginning-to-blend couples prepare for and navigate the challenges of stepfamily life. Love is the starting point, not the strategy for success. Amy’s goal for couples in the early stages of blending is to help them create a shared parenting approach and lead their family with clarity, compassion, and confidence.
Preventing Drug Addiction Using Brain Science with Dr. Kristen Gilliand PhD
Mar 24, 2026
Show notes
In this episode, TedX speaker and Executive Director of the nonprofit 22 Forever, Dr. Kristen Gilliand, PhD meets with Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, to talk about what leads youth to use drugs, how to prevent it, and understanding how the adolescent brain works.
Dr. Giliand talks about why programs like DARE often don’t work, and what she’s doing differently to help reduce the rate at which youth are using drugs.
Kristen shares her story of losing her own child to a drug overdose, and all the research and advocacy work she has discovered since his passing.
Together, she and Bryce discuss how children are primed for addiction early on,the role mental health plays, and what we as parents can do to counteract those messages and social conditioning.
This advice is simple and easy to implement as a parent and you can start today. A great episode with digestible, easy to take home information for you and your child.
Kristen earned her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She later served as an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo where she taught Organic Chemistry, Neurochemistry, and the Chemistry of Drugs and Poisons. After Kristen’s 17-year-old son, Anders, developed schizophrenia – which was most likely associated with high-potency cannabis use in his early teens – Kristen joined the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt University (2018). At Vanderbilt, she researched new antipsychotic treatments for schizophrenia. During that same year, Kristen delivered a TEDx presentation titled Rewiring Revolution: Neuroplasticity’s Impact on Wellbeing.Tragically, Kristen lost her son to an accidental overdose in 2019 when his mental health severely declined, and he became addicted to opioids and stimulants.
Two years after her devastating loss, Kristen changed the trajectory of her life to utilize her scientific teaching, presentation, and research skills to educate adolescent-aged children and their parents on mental health challenges and how it can lead to substance use and self-harm. As the Director of Outreach and Advocacy Programs and Assistant Professor of Research at the Warren Center, Kristen delivered presentations nationwide to youth, parents, law enforcement, legislators, prevention coalitions, and recovery programs. In addition, she developed a multi award-winning educational documentary aimed at youth titled “Speaking Through Me” that was released August 2023. Kristen has appeared on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and NewsNation: Elizabeth Vargas Reports regarding increased psychosis risk with high-potency cannabis use during adolescence. The overwhelming desire to reach more youth called Kristen to launch the non-profit “22 Forever” in memory of her son, Anders. As the President and Executive Director of 22 Forever, Kristen delivers adolescent brain health presentations both nationally and internationally. 22 Forever’s focus also includes the development of a middle school brain health curriculum as a means of adolescent mental health and substance use disorder prevention.
Shifting The Parenting Perspective with Dr. Will Dobud PhD, MSW
Mar 17, 2026
Show notes
Award-winning researcher, social worker and educator, Dr. Will Dobud PhD MSW, joins Bryce Hamilton LSCSW to talk about teens, raising children in general and most importantly, provide a fresh spin on how frustrated parents view their challenges with their kid.
In this episode, Dr. Dobud challenges a common model of parenting and provides new perspective- shifting the way we think about and talk about children.
He shares evidence based research that has helped build confidence, reduce risky behaviors, lower crime in communities, and gives advice on how to implement these solutions in families and schools on an everyday basis.
Dr. Will Dobud is a social worker, researcher, and educator who has worked with adolescents and families in the United States, Australia, and Norway. Will is from Washington, D.C., and divides his time between the United States and Australia each year.
Will is an award-winning researcher and educator who has received recognition for excellence in research, teaching, and crime prevention. Dr. Dobud is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Charles Sturt University, Australia’s largest social work school. Will is an invited international speaker who conducts workshops for therapists and families around the globe.
Will’s research focuses on improving therapy outcomes for teenagers and promoting safe, ethical practices. He has investigated and written about America’s Troubled Teen Industry, especially wilderness therapy. He has worked alongside advocates, survivors, researchers, and clinicians to protect youth from institutionalization and harm.
Child Medical Avoidance with Dr. Meghan Marsac
Mar 03, 2026
Show notes
Pediatric psychologist and CEO of the Cellie Coping Company, Dr. Meghan Marsac, and Bryce Hamilton LSCSW meet to discuss childhood medical trauma and avoidance. They discuss reasons children may have medical aversion or trauma. How to tell if a child may be experiencing it, and even smaller signs that may sometimes be overlooked.
Dr. Marsac gives suggestions on how to recognize anxiety and deal with it head on. They give suggestions for how to cope ahead and prepare a child for doctor visits or medical procedures, discuss how much information and when to present it to the child, and how to address anxiety when it presents.
They also discuss how to gauge stress responses for both parents and children and make an action plan for how to respond and reduce stress for both parent and child.
Dr. Meghan Marsac is a pediatric psychologist, tenured Professor, and Division Chief of Psychology in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Kentucky. She serves as the Associate Director for the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress. She is also the CEO of the Cellie Coping Company (www.celliecopingcompany.com), a company with the mission of making medical care better for children and their families.
Dr. Marsac is a leader in the field of pediatric medical traumatic stress, having published approximately 75 academic articles, 12 chapters, blogs in Psychology Today and a book for parents to help support their children through medical care and care for themselves: Afraid of the Doctor, Every Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Managing Medical Trauma. Dr. Marsac’s program of research centers on medical traumatic stress and includes conducting grant-funded studies to identify predictors of emotional and physical outcomes in the context of acute or chronic medical conditions, developing and validating assessment tools, and creating and evaluating programs to promote recovery and/or adjustment to medical conditions in children and families.
In addition, Dr. Marsac specializes in training medical teams in the implementation of trauma-informed medical care. Clinically, Dr. Marsac implements evidence-based practices to facilitate families’ management of medical treatment and emotional adjustment to challenging diagnoses and medical procedures.
Parenting Teens Through Emotional Crisis with Katie May
Feb 24, 2026
Show notes
Best-selling author of “You’re On Fire, IT’s Fine” and licensed therapist, Katie K May, joins Bryce Hamilton LSCSW, to discuss how to help support children and teens who struggled with self-harm and other self-destructive behaviors.
In this episode, they talk about the difference between self harming and suicidal ideation. Discuss the risk factors for self-harm, how to respond to your child after learning they’re engaging in this behavior, and note what to look out and watch for.
They discuss “Wise parenting” and how to stay calm and avoid accidentally reinforcing unhealthy behaviors while still being supportive and caring.
Katie K. May, LPC, DBT-LBC is a licensed therapist, author, speaker, and group practice owner. She founded Creative Healing, a multi-location teen support center in the Philadelphia area, and wrote the #1 Amazon best-seller You’re On Fire, It’s Fine. With lived experience as a teen who turned to self-harm, Katie is one of only 11 Linehan Board Certified DBT Clinicians in Pennsylvania, the gold standard treatment for self-harm and suicidal behaviors. She equips parents and clinicians with practical, trauma-informed tools to decode behavior as survival and create lasting change.
Raising Kids Who Like Themselves
Feb 17, 2026
Show notes
Educational leader turned global thought-leadership coach, and co-founder of Unleash YES, Natalie Vardabasso joins Bryce Hamilton LSCSW, to share support, love, and nuggets of wisdom. Together they discuss self love, forgiveness, and arriving consciously in ourselves to unburden parents and children from harmful societal messages on how we “should be”.
They share tips and parenting techniques for raising children who genuinely love and like themselves. They talk about how to raise confident children, and handle challenging situations, struggles and failures in a way that doesn’t damage a child’s perception of self. They even share hopeful messages for parents and mothers especially, to bring up your own sense of self and self-forgiveness.
Natalie Vardabasso is an educational leader turned global thought-leadership coach, dedicated to reimagining what education can be. As co-founder of Unleash YES and the Canadian Assessment Centre, she empowers educators to build profitable consulting businesses and helps schools modernize assessment so every learner thrives. Her work sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship and educational transformation—proving that when educators step into their power, entire systems shift.
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