Mastermind Parenting Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Playdate Boss Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever been the parent whose kiddo was bossing other kids around during a playdate? I have, and so has the mom who was on a recent Mastermind call. She’s here to share a story I call “Goldfishgate,” that’s so funny and so relatable. You’ll recognize how it feels to watch your kid push their friends around, and how Mastermind skills can help you recognize and address underlying causes of challenging behavior.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What can make a normally reasonable kid turn into a little tyrant when they’re playing with their friends.
Why micromanaging and redirection might minimize the fallout, but won’t help them grow out of the behavior.
When and how to address the underlying causes, and help your kiddo recognize when they’re starting to cross the line.

And much more!

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 conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-248

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Embarrassing Kid Habits: Nose Picking, Pants Pooping & More Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Parenting can be embarrassing! It’s natural to feel some shame when your potty-trained kiddo smells like a full diaper, or when they’re walking around in public with a finger up their nose. But your best tool for dealing with those embarrassing kid behaviors is putting the shame aside, and creating a home where your kids know they can talk about anything without judgment.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to build trust with your kids by holding space for them to share their most embarrassing moments.
The opportunity that embarrassing habits provide for developing that sharing relationship.
How our instinct to protect kids from teasing can interfere with helping them manage unwanted behaviors.
The most important thing you can say when a kiddo shares something they’re embarrassed about.

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-247

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Mastermind Parenting free support session: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Apply to work with Randi at https://mastermindparenting.com/basics-bootcamp/

Perfect Ponytails and Wardrobe Drama Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

When our kids are upset about things we see as minor, even the kindest parent can find their patience wearing thin. When they’re melting down because the hairstyle you spent time on isn’t perfect, or when they suddenly refuse to wear the clothes they really wanted at the store, it’s hard not to get frustrated. If you can resist the urge to take it personally, and wait until the storm has passed, you’ll have a much better chance of diagnosing what’s actually triggering those reactions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How easy it is to miss the ways perfectionism and sensitivity can act as stand-ins for other anxieties our kids are experiencing.
Why you shouldn’t try to correct strong-willed behavior in the moment, and how to address it when it will actually be productive.
What a huge difference it makes when we show curiosity and compassion about the motivations of challenging behavior.

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-246

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Apply to work with Randi at https://mastermindparenting.com/basics-bootcamp/

The Kid That Can’t Sleep Without You Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

Every kiddo sometimes has a rough night and needs to crawl into bed with a parent. But what do you do when a rough night is every night for nine years? If you’re anything like a mom I’ve been coaching, you get caught up in self-doubt, and you blame yourself for not doing the thing. But a lot of the time, what’s getting in your way is a part of your personality that’s trying to protect you from hurt and fear. What if you could take a step back and think about your responses from a place of understanding rather than judgment?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How self-criticism can short-circuit the learning process, and hold us back from the change we know we want.
Why our yearning to not pass on our own trauma to our kids can lead us to give too much.
The possibilities that open up when we explore our inner patterns with compassion and curiosity.

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-245

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Apply to work with Randi at https://mastermindparenting.com/basics-bootcamp/

No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model, by Dick Schwartz https://ifs-institute.com/store/419

My Mothering Missteps Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

My brilliant, beautiful daughter Avery is turning 22. I’m so proud of the woman she’s become, and the relationship we’ve built. I’m celebrating her by opening up about all the ways I screwed up raising her. Avery grew up as the younger sibling of a strong-willed older brother, so she experienced it all. But we’ve proven that being human and making mistakes doesn’t have to drive a wedge between mother and daughter.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How honesty and humility about your mistakes can help you build a close, resilient relationship with your kids, from childhood through adulthood.
That it’s possible to break cycles of trauma and mistreatment even if you’re not a perfect parent.
How the relationships you had - or wanted to have - with your parents inform the relationships you have with your kids.

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-244

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Mastermind Parenting Live Assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, by Mary Pipher https://marypipher.com/reviving-ophelia/

Queen Bees and Wannabees, by Rosalind Wiseman: https://rosalindwiseman.com/queen-bees-and-wannabes

Bullying and Judy Blume's "Blubber" Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

Judy Blume’s book “Blubber” is a vital book that looks at how kids experience bullying. Judy writes for and about kids with such honesty. Her characters are full, complex people that she trusts her young readers will relate to. She writes with humor and heart, without sugarcoating the struggles that kids face growing up.

In “Blubber,” she writes candidly about how bullying happens, and how even the threat of bullying can make kids turn on their peers. As an adult, it’s such an important read because it reminds us that we can never know all the tough things our kiddos are going through. As parents, we have to lead with compassion, even when they’re taking their bad moods out on us.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why kids are so reluctant to speak up about bullying, even if it’s happening to them.
The huge impact bullying can have on bystanders, and why they might join in to keep themselves from becoming a target.
How to keep ourselves from taking it personally when our kiddos are lashing out.
What sets Judy Blume apart from other children’s authors, and why her books are so often threatened with censorship.

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-243

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Mastermind Parenting Live Assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Judy Blume is having a Moment. Her classic book “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” has been adapted into a movie: https://www.itsmemargaret.movie/

“Judy Blume Forever,” a new Amazon Prime documentary, explores her life and the lasting influence she’s had on generations of kids: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Blume-Forever-Davina-Pardo/dp/B0B8SYKSVS

Summertime Screen Limits Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

It’s so easy for kids to overdo screen time, especially when school’s out. Screens and their content are designed to dominate their attention. Of course, we want to help our kids build a healthy relationship with that influence.

But setting limits on screen time causes friction in so many families. Not only are we the first generation of parents who have to help our kids build a healthy relationship with screens, we’re out here struggling to manage our own screen time!

The good news is, it is possible to set healthy boundaries around screens. AND I have a new resource to help you keep it from getting out of hand.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why shame about our own screen habits can lead us to lash out when our kids are absorbed in the glow.

2. That you can help guide your kids and their use of screens without going completely off the gird yourself.

3. How my first Masterminding Monthly live coaching call can help you face this big, big topic.

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-242/

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Masterminding Monthly, my new, laser-focused, LIVE parent coaching sessions https://mastermindparenting.com/monthly/

Trusting The Mama Bear Instinct, with Dr. Sarah Miller Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Our fav pediatrician, Dr. Sarah Miller, is back for a conversation about neurodiversity, discipline styles, and why she chooses to be the Mama Bear for her kids.

The inspiration for this episode came from a speech Dr. Sarah wrote about the way her children thrived at a preschool that teaches typically developing kids together with their peers who have disabilities and neurodivergence. Part of the reason that so many kids succeed in that environment is because of the conscious discipline techniques used (and taught) in the classroom. But, like many parents, she needed help to make that training work at home.

The missing ingredient for Sarah was the same one I see so many moms struggle with; trusting themselves when they need to take charge and enforce boundaries. Sarah and I talk candidly about why it’s hard to be the Mama Bear, and how stepping into that role can transform your relationship with your kids.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How bringing the Mama Bear energy can make discipline more effective, AND help you reclaim your energy.

2. What happens when well-meaning parents focus on feelings, but aren’t comfortable setting boundaries with their kids.

3. How being honest with your kids builds trust, even when the truth isn’t fun.

4. Why it can be challenging to implement conscious discipline (and how Mastermind Parenting can help).

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-241

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

The Best Parenting Book Ever Written, with author Michaeleen Doucleff May 30, 2023

Show notes

This week we’re revisiting one of my all-time favorite conversations. If you’re a parent, especially one raising a strong-willed child, it’s a must-listen!

Michaeleen Doucleff is the author of “Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans.” She’s also a lovely human who shares her wisdom in the unpreachy-est and most beautiful way.

“Hunt, Gather, Parent” is unlike any other parenting book I’ve ever read. It has quickly become required reading for every parent I work with one-on-one. It’s a fascinating anthropological study of human behavior. The oldest cultures in the world have mastered the art of raising happy, well-adjusted children. What can we learn from them?

We break down what we are getting wrong when it comes to parenting in our mainstream culture, and celebrate the ancient wisdom of our foremothers in a very practical and relatable way. Get ready to learn from Michaeleen. She is absolutely delightful! I definitely have a mom crush on her, and you will too.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. The practices of sustainable parenting that run through cultures around the world.

2. The qualities we celebrate in adults that we too often discourage in our kids.

3. How an investment of time and persistence can change behaviors for the better - and for the long term.

4. Why taking time for yourself and your own interests is good for you AND your kiddos.

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-240

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans, by Michaleen Doucleff: https://michaeleendoucleff.com/hunt-gather-parent/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Puzzling Kids who are often Misdiagnosed and Misunderstood May 23, 2023

Show notes

This week we’re taking you back to the early days of the pod, with an ep that describes the kind of kiddo and parent I most love to work with. This is the episode that some of my most favorite clients have said, “You described my kid like I had never heard before. I finally felt like someone really understood what I was dealing with.”

Puzzling Kids are often sensitive souls who get overwhelmed by everything the world throws at them. Their frustration gets channeled into acting out, or escaping into screens and other distractions. They need plenty of understanding and support before they can break out of those cycles.

Their parents need lots of understanding and support, too! Puzzling Kids push our buttons. It’s so hard to respond to that confrontational energy with compassion, but the tools we’re taught to set boundaries and guide behavior will only make things worse unless we get to a place of understanding and addressing the overwhelm.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why Puzzling Kids are so prone to disruptive behaviors.

2. My firsthand experience helping Puzzling Kids, as a coach and a mom.

3. How genuine empathy can help you reach your Puzzling Kid, and avoid the off-ramp of overdiagnosis and medication.

4. Empathy for yourself as a parent in a very tough situation.

And much more!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts at https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-239

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links