The Balanced Parent Podcast

214: Finding KIND Name Later with Kari Baker Feb 18, 2025

213: Helping Our Kids with Their Big Feelings with Anna Housley Juster Feb 11, 2025

212: Teaching Our Kids to Be Self-Regulated with Polina Shkadron Feb 04, 2025

211: How to Practice Digital Minimalism with Grace and Compassion with Jennie Crooks Jan 21, 2025

210: How to Be Happier as a Parent with Marc Fussell Jan 15, 2025

209: Finding Ease in Chaos: Overcoming Parental Overwhelm with Sam Bennett Jan 07, 2025

208: Empowering Children to Forge Their Own Paths with Seth Marlowe Dec 17, 2024

207: Navigating Tween Years: Shifting Parental Roles and Support with JoAnn Schauf Dec 11, 2024

206: Supporting Kids Who Struggle to Share Their Feelings with Kimberly Bartlett Dec 04, 2024

205: Understanding Sensory Challenges: Support for Kids and Families with Eva Lassey Nov 26, 2024

204: Supporting Spirited Kids in Getting the Sleep They Need with Macall Gordon and Kim West Nov 19, 2024

203: Supporting Children Through the Grief of Pet Loss with Anne Marie Farage-Smith Nov 12, 2024

202: How to Engage Mindfully and Intentionally with Screens and Technology with Autumn McKay Nov 05, 2024

201: Anxious Teens - How to Build Confidence and Resilience with Monica Crnogorac Oct 30, 2024

200: Becoming Calm and Steady Through Reparenting with Tania Johnson Oct 22, 2024

198: Critical Thinking, Intentional Decision-Making, and Global Awareness: Influencing Our Children and Communities with Kavin Senapathy Oct 15, 2024

199: Parenting and the Power of Social Networks: Nurturing Friendships and Adult Connections with Florence Ann Romano Oct 15, 2024

197: Bullying and the Mental Health Crisis: How Parents Can Support Kids and Build Peer Support Oct 01, 2024

196: Navigating Parental Anxiety and Effectively Managing It for a Successful Life with Dr. Kirk Schneider Sep 24, 2024

195: Parenting Gifted and Twice-Exceptional Kiddos with Dr. Matt Zakreski Sep 17, 2024

194: Rediscovering Presence and the Magic of Noticing How to Live Intentionally in a Tech-Driven World with Joey Odom Sep 10, 2024

193: How to Quickly and Easily Reduce Stress with Dr. Greg Hammer May 28, 2024

192: How to Actually Heal Trauma That Is Affecting Your Parenting with Dr. Frank Anderson May 21, 2024

191: How to Deal with Friend Drama with Sheri Gazitt May 14, 2024

190: The Ins and Outs of an ADHD Diagnosis in Kids with Dr. Yael Rothman and Dr. Katia Fredriksen May 07, 2024

189: Tiny Traumas and How They Affect Daily Life and Parenting with Dr. Meg Arroll Apr 30, 2024

188: The Mental Load Is a Whole Family Problem But One You Can Solve with Samantha Kelly Apr 23, 2024

187: Disability Rights: Ins & Outs Parents Need to Know with Kelley Coleman Apr 16, 2024

186: How to Raise Emotionally Intelligent Teens with Melanie McNally Apr 08, 2024

185: The Yoga of Parenting with Sarah Ezrin Apr 02, 2024

184: The Benefits of Play-Based Learning with Rachel Robertson Mar 26, 2024

183: The Science of Playful Parenting with Dajana Yoakley Mar 19, 2024

182: How to Slow Down For a More Peaceful Life with Stephanie O'Dea Mar 12, 2024

181: How To Become More Intentional and Present in Your Parenting with Holly Swenson Mar 05, 2024

180: What's Really Going On with ADHD with Dr. Connie McReynolds Feb 27, 2024

179: How Acceptance Can Transform Your Parenting with Andee Martineau Feb 20, 2024

178: Parenting Beyond Power with Jen Lumanlan Feb 13, 2024

177: What Parents Need to Know About Teen Suicide with AnneMoss Rogers Feb 06, 2024

176: How Understanding Anxiety Styles Can Help You Be Unflustered with Amber Trueblood Jan 30, 2024

175: Why Moms Need Time Away: The Transformative Effects of Retreat with Dr. Jen Riday Jan 23, 2024

174: True Attachment Parenting - How Understanding Your Own Attachment can Change Your Parenting with Annette Kussin Jan 16, 2024

173: Why It's So Hard To Stay Organized and What To Do About It with Star Hansen Jan 09, 2024

172: Mindful Parenting During the Holidays: Staying Present and Enjoying the Moment Dec 12, 2023

171: Can You Use AI for Your Parenting - Answering Your Parenting Questions Dec 05, 2023

170: Discovering Rest: A Deep Dive into the Ins & Outs of Resting Nov 28, 2023

169: Loving Kindness Meditation for Busy Times Nov 21, 2023

168: Parenting in a Tech World with Titania Jordan Nov 14, 2023

167: Sitting with Discomfort with Jenna Hermans Nov 07, 2023

166: Siblings of Spirited Kids: Compassionate Strategies for Families Oct 31, 2023

165: Kindness Starts at Home - Parenting with Social Justice in Mind with Nat Vikitsreth Oct 24, 2023

164: Becoming a Safe Haven for Your Kids with John Sovec Oct 17, 2023

163: Learning to Process Big Emotions with Alyssa Blask Campbell Oct 10, 2023

162: Welcome Back - Navigating Challenges; Finding Purpose Oct 03, 2023

In this heartfelt episode of The Balanced Parent, your host returns from a summer sabbatical to share a deeply personal journey. After taking a break to reconnect with my children and my purpose as a parenting coach and educator, I faced immense challenges, including the diagnosis process for my daughter. During this time, maintaining authenticity on the podcast became a significant struggle, as my family's difficulties were intensely private. Hence, I took a break from work and social media.

161: Getting in Touch with the Authentic Self through Mindfulness with Kelly Smith May 16, 2023

In this episode, we are joined by Kelly Smith, a yoga and meditation teacher and founder of Yoga For You. Kelly shares her insights into how mindfulness and yoga can help us connect with our authentic selves and cultivate inner joy and power. She encourages us to find our own personal practice, listen to our bodies, and access our most authentic selves.

160: Redefining Intelligence for Ourselves & Our Kids with Dr. Rina Bliss May 08, 2023

I'm excited to share that my latest podcast episode features a special guest, Dr. Rina Bliss. Dr. Bliss is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University and the author of several books, including Rethinking Intelligence: A Radical New Understanding of Our Human Potential.

159: How to Increase Connection through Mindful Eating with Dr. Caroline Clauss-Ehlers May 02, 2023

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Caroline Clauss-Ehlers, an award-winning psychologist, researcher, and professor at Long Island University, Brooklyn, to discuss the power of mindful eating for family connections.

If you're looking for practical ways to improve your family's eating habits and deepen your connection with your children, this episode is a must-listen. Join us as we explore the power of mindful eating with Dr. Caroline Clauss-Ehlers and discover how it can transform your family's relationship with food and with each other.

158: How Nutrition can Help Kids with ADHD with Momina Salim Apr 25, 2023

I am excited to share with you the latest episode of my podcast, where we explore the topic of nutrition and ADHD in children. As a parenting expert, I always emphasize the importance of a holistic approach to raising our children; this episode is no exception.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Momina Salim, a certified Pediatric Functional Medicine Health Coach with extensive experience supporting frustrated parents of children diagnosed or suspected of ADHD. Momina helps parents address the underlying root causes of their child's hyperactivity, inattention, and behavior issues through diet, lifestyle changes, and other holistic interventions.

157: Overcoming Burnout and Guilt with Andryanna Gonko Apr 18, 2023

As a parent, I know how challenging it can be to juggle the many responsibilities that come with caring for our children, partners, and ourselves. As you may remember, recently I've been struggling with health issues and burnout, and it has been a really difficult journey. I've come to realize that many other parents are experiencing similar struggles, and it's time we have a compassionate conversation about it.

That's why I'm excited to share my latest podcast episode where I speak with Andryanna of The Juggle is Real podcast (where I was a guest recently!) about burnout and how it affects our mental health and relationships with loved ones. We delve into the topic of mom guilt and the pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect parents, often at the expense of our own well-being.

If you're looking for more support on these issues, I also offer online courses and group coaching through my BalancingU membership. You'll have access to a community of like-minded parents and resources that can help you find more balance and compassion in your life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and I hope our podcast episode can bring you some comfort and support during challenging times.

To know more about Andryanna, visit her website andryanna.com and follow her on Instagram @andryannag.

156: Social Skills for Connection with Miriam Campbell Apr 11, 2023

This week on The Balanced Parent podcast, we will have a deep-dive discussion into how we can help our children develop crucial skills for building meaningful social connections, like perspective-taking and problem-solving. Miriam Campbell will be joining me in this discussion. She is a mom who uses her experience as a speech therapist, social worker, teacher, and parent to support parents who want to develop their children's social and emotional skills.

If you want to consult with Miriam, you can schedule one here and visit her website skillsforconecction.com for more resources. You can also find her on Instagram @skills4connection.

155: Harnessing the Power of Kindness with Teresa Ramirez Apr 04, 2023

When I ask the parents I work with about their long-term goals for their children, kindness is one of the qualities I hear most about, and it's no wonder, right? Most of us have personal experiences where we have been on the receiving end of the kindness (and unkindness) of others, and it makes sense that we hope that our children will put good out into the world. But how is something like "kindness" taught and learned? Well, similar to the idea of "balance" it's not necessarily a thing you "do" but a way of "being" and those things are often taught best through modeling by embodying them ourselves. And that's why for this week's episode on The Balanced Parent podcast, I want to highlight kindness - the science behind it and how to put this into practice in our homes with the hopes of upbringing children with the value of kindness.

And to help me in this conversation, I'm so happy to welcome Teresa Ramirez, a Kindness Ambassador for loving parents who want to raise kind children. Through her enlightening videos ( check them out here ) and blog posts her goal is to inspire us to create fun, happy moments with our children through acts of kindness.

If you wish to connect with Teresa, you can join her Facebook community Journey in Kindness .

154: Doing the Work of Conscious Parenting with Dr. Shefali Tsabary Mar 21, 2023

Ok, so we've all heard the term "conscious parenting" before, right? We've even talked about it on the show, but out there in the online world I see a LOT of people talking about it in a lot of different ways and I'm not always sure we are talking about the same thing. In my mind there is a difference between respectful, collaborative parenting (which is about HOW you interact with your kids, like the actual practices and things you say and do) and conscious parenting.

So what exactly is conscious parenting when you distill it down, and how do you put into practice day-in and day-out in your family?

That's what we are digging into this week on the podcast!

To learn more from Dr. Shefali, you can visit her website www.drshefali.com, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

153: The Truth about Maternal Instinct with Anya Dunham Mar 07, 2023

A huge part of my mothering journey has been learning to quiet the fears and outside influences, and seek instead to truly learn with curiosity about my child and myself. The more I learned about the unique child I had been blessed with, the more I was able to see her true needs and trust myself to meet them. I kind of had to figure out how to do this on my own (although the RIE approach helped immensely) and I wished I'd had someone to tell me that I could trust myself and my child, and then tell me HOW to do it, someone like my guest on the today!

And to help me in this conversation, I have brought in Dr. Anya Dunham. She is a mom of three young children and a scientist studying how living things relate to one another and interact with their environment. She is the author of Baby Ecology, a book that examines child development research through the unique lens of ecology – and distills it down to building blocks of the nurturing environment that can be easily created in our homes to give babies the support and freedom to sleep well, explore happily, grow into adventurous eaters, and reach their full potential.

To get more support and parenting advice, visit www.kidecology.com and follow her on Facebook (Anya Dunham - KidEcology)

152: Navigating the World of Social Media with Kids with Lena Derhally Feb 21, 2023

As my child approaches ten and has started to ask for a phone, it is important that as parents we know how to guide our kids in navigating technology and social media with intention and safety in mind. An important aspect of this is figuring out how to model for our kids the boundaries and relationships with social media that we want them to have.

To help me in this conversation, I have brought in Lena Derhally. She is an author and Imago-certified psychotherapist in private practice. She was formerly a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the George Washington School of Medicine, where she mentored medical students, and she is on the advisory board of 1455 Literary Arts.

To know more about this topic, follow Lena on Instagram and Facebook. You can also check out her works on www.lenaderhally.com

151: Helping Our Children Develop Self-Discipline with Carol Muleta Feb 07, 2023

On this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, I will be joined by Carol Muleta and we will be chatting about how we can help our children develop self-discipline and resilience. Something that I know we all want for our children but that can be difficult to figure out how to nurture respectfully.

Carol Muleta is a Parenting Strategist and Consultant. She created The Parenting 411, a portal where she engages parents and awakens the JOY in their journey with her fresh approach to addressing challenging behavior, building strong family connections, and fostering children’s success in school and in life. Carol teaches parents through workshops, webinars, group coaching, a parenting radio show, and a podcast.

To help you even more, check out carolmuleta.com and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and get the resources you need. She also has a wonderful podcast called The Parenting 411 that I was recently a guest on, so check that out as well.

150: How to Enjoy Play More with Sarah Scott Dooling Jan 24, 2023

We are nearing the end of my 30 Days of Play Challenge. And with that, I would like to thank those who have joined. I want you to know that I am proud of everyone who put in the work to know more about their children through play and made the effort to make independent play better. I am also proud of every parent in this community who committed to becoming balanced.

And before we end our play challenge, I would like everyone to know that there will be a Wrap-Up Webinar on January 31st at 1 PM Central. If you'd like to join us just CLICK HERE, and I'll make sure you get the link the day before!

Alright, now for this week on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we are going to talk about how to enjoy play more, not just with our kids but for ourselves too! We are so focused on parenthood and other responsibilities that sometimes we forget to have fun. And so, to help me in this conversation, I have invited Sarah Dooling.

Sarah is a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. She provides supervision and consultation to clinicians who work with children and maintains a small private practice. She also created the Kinship Club, an online membership community where clinicians can learn and experience comfort, connection, and FUN. As the creator of the Parenting Power Hour, a program that harnesses kid wisdom, she explores the restorative powers of play and offers doses of comfort and kinship to parents navigating life in the trenches. Co-experiencing joy, delight, and curiosity with like-minded & like-hearted kid therapists nourish her in the best way.

To connect with Sarah, follow her on Instagram @healwithplay and visit her website www.sarahscottdooling.com.

149: How to Build Kid's Resilience with Structured Play w/ Dr. Deborah Gilboa Jan 17, 2023

We are now halfway through our 30 Days of Play Challenge. For the past few weeks, we've talked about unstructured, independent play and its wonderful advantages it has for kids. Today, I want to give you a full well-rounded picture of how play can help support your kids, and how you can harness the power of a specific type of play, "structured play" (think games with rules someone else made up), to encourage 4 skills that are key to building resilience.
To help me in this conversation, I have brought in Dr. G (Deborah Gilboa, MD). She is a board-certified family physician and Resilience Expert. She works with families and businesses to improve resilience and strengthen mental health. She's currently working with ThinkFun, a games company, and the larger toys and games industry to strengthen kids' mental, emotional and social health through play.

To connect with Dr. G, follow her on Instagram @askdoctorg and visit her website www.meshhelps.org.

148: Five Things You Can Do to Boost Your Child's Play Jan 10, 2023

As you may have been aware, we are now in the midst of our annual 30 Days of Play Challenge. And when it comes to the play challenge, one of the main things everyone asks for is assistance in figuring out how to encourage your children to play independently more often. Last week we discussed the things your child needs in order to get into independent play, and this week we are going to discuss what YOU can do to really deepen their play skills and experience.

And so in this episode, I will be discussing the following five steps on how to boost your child's play. These things will increase the quality and depth of the play they engage in both with you and on their own.

Alright, if you are not in the play challenge yet, you can still sign up and join us here! Most days of the challenge I share a Reel on Instagram with the day's prompt, so if you want to participate that's a really great place to share your observations with me!

147: Understanding Children's Needs for More Independent Play With Blanca of Whole Child Home Jan 03, 2023

We are now back on The Balanced Parent podcast! As you all know, we focus on our children's play every January. And I would like to invite you to join me in my 30 Days of Play Challenge. As part of this challenge, the episodes on the podcast for this month will be all about PLAY! Yay!

To start the month off, I wanted to focus on one of the most common questions I get: How can I get my kids to play more independently? The secret to getting more of the coveted independent play we first have to figure out what's getting in the way currently. The play challenge will help you carefully observe your child and get curious about the things that may be blocking independent play in your own family, and in this episode, we will be digging into the underlying needs children have that need to be met in order for them to get into deeply immersive independent play. To help me in this conversation, I have brought in the genius behind one of my favorite Instagram accounts: Blanca of Whole Child Home.

Blanca is a licensed professional counselor with graduate training in clinical psychology who specializes in supporting children’s mental and behavioral health. She is also a parent of a toddler and is now pouring all her professional training into something she has always been passionate about—empowering parents to nurture healthy emotional development at home with evidence-based strategies. She founded Whole Child Home to offer parents an online platform with workshops, social media bits, and personalized consults to guide parents and caregivers worldwide.

Bonus Episode: A Little Bit of Break and Taking a Pause Dec 06, 2022

As we enter into a season meant to be filled with light, love, & joy, I wanted to just acknowledge that this can also be a time filled with pressure, stress, and overwhelm. We take on a lot as parents during this time, and just in case no one has said this to you yet, it's ok, more than ok, it's GOOD, to say "no" to some things. To release traditions that feel confining, to embrace slowing down, doing less, and savoring more, and to pause what needs to so that you can be fully present with yourself and your family.

That's exactly why, for the first time since starting The Balanced Parent Podcast, I'm taking a few weeks off from publishing new episodes. After this week, for the rest of December, I'm going to be slowing down, spending a bit more time with my family. Before the break however, I did want to leave you with one last episode. This episode contains a short, guided visualization and meditation that I hope will support you in slowing down and coming back to yourself over the next few weeks. I'm including it here simply because I know that the upcoming weeks may be stressful and overwhelming for some families, and it may be difficult to find a moment to pause and gain some perspective, peace, and compassion for yourself. I hope that you find it helpful and come back to it whenever you need it. If you like this sort of thing, let me know and we can do more of this!

We will return with new episodes in January when we turn our attention back to my annual Play Challenge. I'll be sharing details about that soon. If you have any specific hopes or requests for the play challenge, I would LOVE to hear them. I'm hoping to do some revamping, so your feedback would be super helpful! Just shoot me a message laura@laurafroyen.com.

146: Aligning Your Parenting with Your Long Term Goals (Live Couples Coaching) Nov 29, 2022

This week's episode is going to be a little different. If you have been following me and The Balanced Parent Podcast, you know that there are times where members of my BalancingU membership community so generously allow us to "listen in" to their coaching sessions. It can be so helpful to hear others' experiences and I know that you may have similar struggles and questions. This way, you would know that you are not alone and just like you, the couple that I coached in this episode wants to figure out how to

communicate expectations and boundaries in a way that is meaningful and respectful
align their "in the moment" parenting with their long-term goals

If you've ever wondered if respectful parenting is too permissive, or if you can set healthy boundaries without trying to "control" your kids (while helping them learn self control too) this one is for you!

BalancingU members have the opportunity to be coached on the podcast for free as a perk of being the membership. If you're interested in learning more, check it out here!

145: How Gratitude Can Change Your Life with Stef Tousignant Nov 22, 2022

This is a time of year where we are meant to reflect with gratitude on all that we have, and I just want to express how grateful I am for this beautiful community! And as a token of appreciation, every year for my birthday I put all of my courses & programs (and this year coaching) on sale for the week, STARTING NOW!

Check out my Birthday Sale here !

In keeping with the theme of gratitude, this week's episode digs into how consciously and intentionally cultivating gratitude can make parenting easier, lighter, and more enjoyable. To help me in the conversation on gratitude, I have brought in Stef Tousignant, a parenting expert and gratitude nerd.

If you wish to learn more from Stef, you can check out her works on parentingwithgratitude.com and visit her on Instagram @parent_differently .

144: Re-Parenting Ourselves in the Here and Now with Christine Dixon Nov 15, 2022

For those of you who are working through Parenting from Within inside my BalancingU membership, this week's episode could not come at a better time! We are currently working through the process of uncovering our inner voices and children and starting the good (but hard) work of healing. If you're interested in this program you can learn more here. We have already started, but it's available as a self-study on its own or as a part of my membership. Let me know if you have any questions!

Ok, on to the episode. One of the things that have been the hardest for me in my respectful parenting journey, is swallowing the uncomfortable truth that I can't expect to become a more respectful parent to my children when I'm still using the same old negative tactics on myself, in my own mind. If we know that change and learning and growth for our kids don't happen via shame, blame, and guilt, why would it be any different for us right? And yet it is so hard to let those old patterns go, and start treating ourselves with the same love and compassion we show our children.

And that is where "re-parenting" comes in. Without it, respectful parenting can be quite a slog, because your inner narrative and approach is not aligned with the outer one you're attempting to use with your children. However, WITH IT, in my experience, there is so much healing and grace that it allows respectful parenting to flow through you much more easily.

Re-parenting is actually pretty straight forward and simple and I'm so excited to share with you a process that has been so helpful to me personally. In this week's episode, we will explore how we use Internal Family Systems (IFS- See this previous episode for an introduction!) to help us reparent ourselves and parent our children with compassion, grace, and curiosity.

To help me in this conversation, I brought in Christine Dixon, an IFS expert who I adore learning from. With more than 20 years as an Educational Therapist, Christine's own relational, religious, and medical trauma eventually resulted in panic attacks and bodily symptoms that left her incapacitated. In a desperate effort to heal herself, Christine discovered how integrated her mind and body truly are. After training with renowned Life Coach, Martha Beck, Christine fell in love with the modality of IFS - Internal Family Systems - which she found to be the most direct, effective, holistic, and compassionate inner healing method she had ever encountered. She is committed to sharing her learnings with those who need it.

If you want to know more and learn how to navigate your internal family systems, visit www.theordinarysacred.com (there are courses such as IFS 101 and Self-Compassion through an IFS Lens- which I loved and is a perfect complement to Parenting from Within) and follow Christine on IG @the_ordinary_ sacred.

143: Fed Up: How to Balance Emotional Labor in Your Relationship with Gemma Hartley Nov 08, 2022

Over the past year my husband and I have been on a journey in figuring out how to be more balanced in our roles at home. We noticed that my husband did a lot of the visible labor, like dishes & laundry, while I did most of the invisible work, like holding emotional space for my kids' big feelings, carefully considering the play and reading materials in our home, and planing meals. A part of our work this year has focused on both of us fully recognizing and acknowledging all of the invisible, emotional, and mental labor that I do every day. I have to tell you, I've never felt more seen and heard in our family, but getting here wasn't always easy.

A big part of what we need to grow s a couple is an opportunity to learn from teachers who aren't me, so that I can learn alongside my partner, rather than be the one teaching him. It evens the playing field a bit and allows for more vulnerability. Part of that is reading books together and discussing them weekly, like a couple's book club. And one of the books we read was Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women and the Way Forward by Gemma Hartley and I was thrilled to get the chance to interview her for the podcast this week! Gemma is a freelance journalist, speaker, and author who has spoken on the topic of emotional labor around the world, from corporate conferences to festivals at the Sydney Opera House. She is passionate about creating a more equitable world in which invisible labor is valued and supported by both personal partners and public policy alike.

I'd love to hear from you on this topic! Do you and your partner have balanced roles? Is emotional labor & mental load something you're actively discussing together? Let me know!

If you want to know more about how to balance your emotional labor with your partner, visit www.gemmahartley.com and follow Gemma on IG @gemmalhartley.

142: Learning to Trust Yourself as a Parent with Cathy Adams Nov 01, 2022

This week we will be talk about intuition and how we can learn to tune into and trust ourselves as parents and partners and create that beautiful relationship with ourselves as individuals. For many of us, our experiences out in the world have taught us to look outside of ourselves for answers, feedback, validation, and wisdom. Has that been your experience? It definitely has been mine! For me, conscious parenting more than tips, trick, and scripts has been about learning to tune out the noise and tune IN to myself and my child. That's what I want to share with you today!!

To help me in this conversation, I brought in a colleague, Cathy Cassani Adams, LCSW. She is a co-host of Zen Parenting Radio (one of my favorite podcasts!) and the author of Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World. She is a social worker, certified parent coach, former elementary school educator, and yoga teacher.

If you want to get more support from Cathy, visit zenparentingradio.com and follow her on IG @zenparentingradio.

Bonus: Live Coaching - Helping a Child Take Responsibility after a Mistake Oct 28, 2022

This week will have another bonus episode - a live coaching I did with one of my BalancingU community members. We will be talking about how to help a child take responsibility after a mistake WITHOUT forcing apologies. I hope that as you listen, you can pull out meaningful takeaways that apply to your family. And if there are, I'd like you to share your reflections on Instagram and tag me @laurafroyenphd.

141: What You Need to Know about Childhood Substance Use with Richard Capriola Oct 25, 2022

The topic that we will be tackling for this week's episode on The Balanced Parent podcast is a bit tricky, but it's also something we will all need to think about sooner or later: Substance Use. I don't love the idea of parenting from a place of fear, as I'm sure you know, but I also know the statistics about teenage substance use and the risks. I want to be mindful and conscious as my children approach their teen years, with the hopes of fostering honest conversations that help my kids see me as a safe space to get information and help when they need it. I also know that some of you with teens may be feeling a bit lost for warning signs to look for and how to hold boundaries while honoring your teen's autonomy.

No matter where you are in your parenting journey, I hope this conversation can be there for you when you need it! To help me in this conversation, I am joined by Richard Capriola. He has been a mental health and addiction counselor for over two decades. He worked as an addictions counselor at Menninger Clinic in Houston Texas for over a decade where he treated adolescents and adults diagnosed with mental health and substance use disorders. He is the author of The Addicted Child: A Parent's Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse.

If you want to get more support for your kiddo, visit Richard's website helptheaddictedchild.com.

140: Shifting Focus from Behavior to Seeing the Whole Child with Shani Mandel Oct 18, 2022

As a podcast host, I get approached by experts in different fields. And one of the fields I get approached by a lot are board certified behavior analysts who practice a form of therapy called Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). ABA is one of the very few forms of therapy that are "approved" for autistic folks and in listening to and learning from the autistic community, many have outlined the harm caused by ABA to themselves and their loved ones. And while the ABA field as a whole seems to be working to change their practices and stop the most harmful of them, it is still grounded in a behaviorist perspective that can be incredibly dehumanizing.

On the flipside, I also have desperate parents reaching out to me on a regular basis who are looking for guidance and ABA is the only option being recommended to them, and I simply don't know enough about ABA, and how it is changing to, to make a responsible recommendation. It's a really nuanced issue and I felt the need to discuss it with someone who knew ABA from the inside, who knew how to look beyond behaviors, and who if all possible identified as neurodiverse.

Well, I finally found the person to come on and talk about it with us, so here we go! For this week's episode, I am excited to introduce Shani Mendel. She is a certified provider of Collaborative and Proactive Solutions and has formal training in the RIE parenting method. She is a neurodivergent adult and a parent coach specializing in transforming parents’ relationships with their children. She is also a former Applied Behavioral Analyst.
If you want to get more support for your kiddo, visit Shani's website yourconfidentchild.com. And, follow her on Instagram @your_confident_child.

139: How to Support your Sensory Kids with Laura Petix Oct 11, 2022

Let me ask if this sounds familiar:

Your child freaks out if there are tags of seams on some of their clothes or the transition to weather-appropriate clothes is a nightmare...

Or it feels like your child is always crashing into you or things, jumping off of high stuff or needing a wrestle...

Perhaps loud noises or bright lights overwhelm them...

Or maybe they are just so. dang. loud. themselves?

If this does sound familiar for a kiddo in your life, your child may need some support with sensory processing! I hear this sort of thing from parents all the time, but sensory processing needs are still something that a lot of the professionals in our kids lives aren't fully versed in, let alone in how to help. So, to help us understand how to recognize "sensory stuff" when we see it and figure out if Occupational Therapy could help, I brought in the wonderful human behind one of my favorite Instagram accounts, The OT Butterfly (@theotbutterfly). She is a mom to her own sensory kiddo, wife and pediatric Occupational Therapist. With a degree in Neuropsychology and Masters in Occupational Therapy, she teaches parents how sensory processing impacts their child’s behaviors and how to support them.

138: Creating Success for Children w/ Learning Differences with Victoria Waller Oct 04, 2022

It can be so hard to see our children struggle to learn new skills, especially in school, where learning differences often manifest as behavioral challenges. In so many cases when our kids are young, the advice is to wait and see, and trust that they will do it when they are ready, but sometimes we get to a point where we know our child needs more support than they are getting, and we need help figuring out what that needs to look like.

To help me in this conversation, I brought in Dr. Victoria Waller. She shares with parents, teachers, and therapists her proven techniques for helping any child to discover their natural love of learning, overcome their particular challenges, and succeed in school. Her methods are designed and proven to draw out the singular genius within your child, whether they’re just a reluctant reader or have a diagnosis such as ADHD or other learning differences.

If your child has trouble reading, can’t sit still in class, or doesn’t feel like they can participate, then this episode is for you! Plus, there are some great tips for every parent about recognizing your child's unique interests and supporting them in exploring them! For example, in the episode she recommends a weekly news magazine for kids. We decided to check it out and my kids absolutely love it!

Bonus (Group Coaching Call): The Power of Mindset When Big Kids Meltdown Sep 30, 2022

Hey, my dears! We are going to do something a little bit different for today's episode. I'm going to let you listen in on one of the group coaching calls that I had recently in my membership, Balancing U.

You may have been following along with the Reactivity to Responsiveness Challenge and if you have, then you know that I have decided to move all of my courses and programs into my membership. And starting next week on October 10, we're going to be doing my program Parenting from Within as a part of the membership, which means you get to have my biggest program for the monthly right of Balancing U.

So, I wanted to give you a taste of what it's like to be in a group coaching program with me, and what it's like to hop into a Zoom room and get to discuss the ins and outs of being a conscious parent in this conversation.

137: How to Help Your Child With School Struggles with Philip Mott Sep 27, 2022

Every year in the month after school starts back up here in the States, I get flooded with questions from parents about how to ease their child's transition back to school and how to navigate an educational environment that is not always grounded in the same principles of respect that we focus on at home. And I know from personal experience that big transitions are never easy, especially for those of us with sensitive, spirited kiddos when moving into an environment where they aren't fully seen and accepted. And so, to give you tips on how to help children with school struggles, I brought in Philip Mott, a homeschooling father to three and a monthly contributor to First Time Parent Magazine and FatheringTogether.org. He runs Kids Are People and Self Directed Community, two online groups for parents who are practicing and supporting each other in a non-authoritarian approach to educating and raising their children.

If you are looking for more resources, visit Philip's website www.philipmott.com and follow him on Instagram @philip.mott.

136: Language Development: What You Need to Know with Leanne Sherred Sep 20, 2022

For this week's episode, we are going to talk about speech development and how to go about getting your children's support. To help me in this conversation, I brought in a speech pathologist and therapist, Leanne Sherred. She is currently the President and Founder of Expressable - online speech therapy, a company that envisions a modern and affordable way for anyone who needs speech therapy to access these vital services.

To get more resources and look for more support from Leanne, follow her on Instagram @expressablehq and Facebook.

135: Why Coming Home Can Be So Hard, and How to Make It Easier Sep 13, 2022

I hear a lot of parents who want to help their kids make transitions a little bit easier, but transition can be difficult for us, adults, too! Like when you come in from a grocery store run and you'd like to just unload in peace but everyone needs something! Whether you've just been gone for luxurious solo Target run, a relaxing yoga class, a lovely nature walk, or even a night away, the chaos of coming home can feel like it "un-does" the alone time you just had. I wanted to know if I was alone in experiencing this and if anyone had developed any strategies to make home-comings as a parent a bit easier. Well, my IG community agreed that they can sometimes be so hard they aren't really sure the trip out is "worth it". When I asked my community if they had any rituals or practices they do to make their transition back to their homes (after going out, buying groceries, or taking a mini vacation alone) a little bit easier, most of them answered NO.

And so, for today's episode, I want to help find a bit more ease and peace for those moments when you need to transition from being away from home to being with your kids and put on our 'mom' or 'dad' role.

Hey, we are already halfway through September! If you didn't get the memo yet, I'd love to invite you to join me in my Reactivity to Responsiveness Challenge taking place at the end of of this month. All the details for signing up are here: www.laurafroyen.com/reactivity.

134: The Sneaky Double Standards of Parenting with Blimie Heller Sep 06, 2022

I truly believe that the way for us to teach kids the values we really want to pass on, is to do our best to embody and model them in our daily lives. But it's hard because sometimes these double standards are so sneaky, and are cloaked in our cultural conditioning that can make us prejudiced against kids so that we can feel justified in saying, "my kids can't do this but I can since I am an adult." And some of these may be so deeply ingrained that we aren't even aware of them, which means we may be perpetuating them without even realizing it! (And I'm right there with you on this, I still find myself setting double standards from time to time, and luckily we've created an environment where our kids feel safe enough to push back and question us, and show us where the double standards are. They are such amazing partners in this parenting journey.) And that is why, for this week's episode, we will be talking about the sneaky double standards that gets in our way of parenting.

And to help me in the conversation, we have Blimie Heller of Unconditional Parenting (one of my favorite Instagram accounts, go check it out @unconditional_parenting). She is a mom who’s passionate about helping parents build relationships with their children based on respect and trust.

We would like to invite you for a little homework after you listen to this episode. Grab a notebook or your journal and list down the double standards you notice in your parenting and share it on Instagram. Don't forget to tag us, @unconditional_parenting @laurafroyenphd so we'll know. And if you're up for more work, I'd love to invite you to join me in my Reactivity to Responsiveness Challenge taking place at the end of September. All the details for signing up are here: www.laurafroyen.com/reactivity.

133: Break the React & Regret Cycle to Reclaim Your Power w/ Christian de la Huerta Aug 30, 2022

Mainstream parenting (aka the parenting most of us received, and that most of us are trying to move away from) often relies solely on power currencies that are inherently damaging to relationships: fear, control, and hierarchy. If any of those are present in a romantic relationship, we know (even if we can't always see it from the inside) that it's not ok, not healthy. Yet they tend to be the default for so many of us, myself included, and not just with our kids, but in our own heads even as we try to change ourselves. The irony of trying to become a more peaceful, respectful, and compassionate parent by using the very tactics we are trying to avoid with our kids on ourselves, will always fill me with bemused sadness. And yet each day is a constant practice of reminding myself that I, too, am worthy of compassion, dignity, and respect. And that releasing shame, blame, judgment, fear, and control is just as healthy for me as it is for my kids. And what's more, if I want true and lasting change, then it starts with me. Not in my actions in the world with my kids or my partner, but in my interactions with the person I will be in a relationship with the longest: myself. This work, this life-long work, is the topic of not only the Reactivity to Responsive challenge (taking place at the end of September) but also this week's discussion on the podcast with my guest, Christian de la Huerta, a sought-after spiritual teacher, personal transformation coach and leading voice in the breathwork community.

If you want to find out more about the work Christian do, you can do so at SoulfulPower.com (if you get on his email list, you will get a sample chapter from his book!) and follow him on Instagram @christiandlh. You can get a copy of his book, Awakening the Soul of Power, here.

132: Parenting as a Spiritual Journey with Mary Van Geffen Aug 23, 2022

If you were able to listen to the bonus episode last week, let me know if it helped you in dealing with a spirited child who is stuck in their big feelings (if you have one), I always love hearing from you! To continue the conversation around this topic, we will talk about how parenting a challenging, strong-willed kiddo can be seen as a spiritual practice and a journey.

I know that raising a spirited, strong-willed child can be well... a lot. And so, to help me in this conversation, I have brought in a wonderful colleague, Mary Van Greffen. She is an international parenting coach for overwhelmed moms of strong-willed & spicy children. She believes that when a mom realizes how hard she is on herself and cracks the door open for some self-compassion, her entire family is bathed in light!

If you are looking for more support, you can visit Mary's website and follow her on Instagram @maryvangeffen.

Bonus: Live Coaching - How to Help A Kid When They Are Stuck In Their Big Feelings Aug 19, 2022

Listen in to this coaching session with a wonderful mom from my BalancingU Membership community as I help her problem solve how to help her spirited kiddo who is struggling to move past his strong feelings.

Free (anonymous if you prefer) coaching on the podcast is a perk of being in my BalancingU membership.

131: Keeping Kids Safe with Jen Szeghi Aug 16, 2022

In this episode I am joined by a special guest, Jennifer Szeghi. She is a parenting expert and the founder of Successful Parenting.
Here's a summary of our conversation:

What we can do as parents to keep our kids safe
Having a conversation with kids on developing a healthy relationship with their bodies
Protecting Your Child from unsafe adults (and who is responsible for their safety)
Keeping our kids safe in the social media space

130: Helping Your Child Get Comfortable With Going To Therapy with Jamie Edelbrock Aug 09, 2022

If you are a parent to a kiddo who is struggling with behavior issues, anxiety, or ADHD, my heart goes out to all of you. Please know that you are not alone. There is support available to you and that is why for this week's episode, we are going to talk about what we can do when one of our kids need help. This is something I have coached a few moms through in my membership, and if you'd like to listen in, those replays are available inside.

To help me in this conversation on the podcast, I brought in a mom who has been right where you are, Jamie Edelbrock. She is married to her high school sweetheart and together they have three daughters. She has worn many hats, some of which include a homeschool mom, preschool director, family ministry director, blogger and author of the children’s book “Tangled Up.” She wrote this book after her starting therapy with her child.

If you want to learn more, visit Jamie's website www.jamieedelbrock.com and follow her on Instagram @tangledupbook.

129: Supporting Anxious Kids without Making Things Worse with Dawn Friedman Aug 02, 2022

For this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we are going to dig in into childhood anxiety and specifically delve into the most common missteps that well-meaning parents of anxious kids make that actually end up increasing anxiety in the long run. As a parent to an anxious kiddo, I've found myself caught in a few of these traps and I think my conversation with Dawn Friedman, therapist and child anxiety expert will be so helpful.

If you are looking for more support, visit childanxietysupport.com and follow Dawn on Instagram @dawnfriedmanmsed.

128: How to Raise Anti-Racist Children with Britt Hawthorne Jul 26, 2022

I know we all want a better world for our children, that's a big part of why you're on this respectful parenting journey with me, right? At some level, most of us believe that by raising our children with dignity, respect, and emotional intelligence, we will send out emotionally healthy, whole children who know how to stand up for themselves, what healthy relationships look like, and how to advocate for a more just world. This is truly powerful and world-changing work, and a significant part of creating this truer, more beautiful world, is helping our children learn to see inequity, get curious about bias and prejudice and engage with the process of dismantling the -isms that hold us all back.

But the "how" of actually doing that work, can be so daunting. So I invite you to join me for a super practical conversation on this topic with
Britt Hawthorne. She is a Black bi-racial momma, teacher, author, and anti-bias and antiracist facilitator. Britt partners with caregivers, educators, and families to raise the next generation of antiracist children. Together with her beloved partner, they are raising their children to become empathic, critical thinkers, embracing justice and activism.

Be sure to follow Britt on her Instagram @britthawthorne (her page is one of my favorites- so much gold!) and visit her website britthawthorne.com. And if you want to learn more, check out her beautiful book Raising Anti-Racist Children.

127: Coping with ADHD as a Mom with Patricia Sung Jul 19, 2022

ADHD is getting a lot of buzz out there in the world recently, and many adults, especially woman (who as girls perhaps had their symptoms overlooked) are getting diagnosed, sometimes alongside their kids. I've spoken to quite a few of you who have gone through this process and so many of you have expressed initial feelings of relief, that there is a real, true reason that things have always seemed a bit harder for you, and it's not because you're a failure, you're just wired a bit differently. But after that relief there tends to be a feeling of... "Ok, what now?"

So, if you're newly diagnosed with ADHD , or even if you have some suspicions that this may be going on for you or your kids, this episode is for you! I have brought in a friend and a colleague, Patricia Sung, who is an ADHD expert and the host of the Motherhood in ADHD podcast. She helps moms with ADHD get themselves together one step at a time and feel confident in running their family life. After years of serial entrepreneurship and teaching middle school, she has a uniquely practical perspective on strategies for building a life that works when your brain is different.

Whether you have it yourself and it complicates your life or if you're noticing it in your kids, Patricia will help us figure out how to make things a little bit easier for you.

If you want to learn more and find courses on how to navigate ADHD, visit Patricia's website www.motherhoodinadhd.com and follow her on Instagram @motherhoodinadhd

And, if you're looking for a deeper dive, we will be having a great conversation on adult ADHD coming up in the BalancingU membership. Click here to learn more!

126: College or Not Series: Helping Your Child Find Their Purpose w/ Greg and Beth Langston Jul 12, 2022

This week's episode is the final installment of our College or Not Series. I've heard from so many of you that you've been enjoying the series, even those of you with littles, and I'm so glad to hear that! When I was navigating decisions about my future as a child and teen, college was the *only* option presented to me by my family full of teachers and while that was the right choice for me and I'm so happy I am where I ended up, looking back I wish I'd been presented with a wide range of options. The necessity of this became even clearer as a professor guiding students who were burdened by crippling debt. I want something different for my kids, something guided by their hearts rather than society's "shoulds".

And so, we are going to be talking about how we can help kids develop a growth mindset and help them figure out who they are and their goals early on as they get closer to college. To help me in this conversation, I have Greg and Beth Langston. Greg is an expert in building high-performance teams across 10 different industries while Beth is an expert essay editor with a proven track record of helping students navigate the dreaded college applications essay process with tremendous success. Together they develop transformational self-discovery courses for high school students.

If you are interested in their self-discovery courses, you can check them out on their website: www.collegeflightplan.com.

125: College or Not series: Helping Your Child Identify the Future that is Right for THEM w/ Oie Dobier Jul 05, 2022

I hope that the first episode of our College or Not Series helped you find resources in supporting your child in determining their passion in life. For this week, we will have the second installment of the series which will tackle figuring out if college is the right path for your child and supporting your child in finding careers that are fulfilling for them (and not what we think is right for them). So much of respectful parenting is about setting aside our preconceived notions of how children "should" be and learning to accept and parent the child in front of you, and educational choices should be no different!

To help me in this conversation, I brought in Oie Dobier. She is the founder of Project Who Am I where she, along with her daughter, helps students who are struggling with their career choices discover their natural talents, passions, and values so they can pursue a fulfilling career.

You can find Oie on projectwhoami.com and they have a special free guide for those who have teens (yay!). GET IT HERE.

They are also on Facebook and Instagram (her daughter, Nya, shares lots of stories and reels on teenage perspectives) so be sure to follow them.

124: College or Not Series: Four Conversation to Help Your Child Find their Passion with Stephanie Haynes Jun 28, 2022

For the next couple of weeks, we are going to be having a conversation around college and careers for our kids. I will be bringing in colleagues and experts to discuss how we can support our children as they grow and find their passion and career that is fulfilling for them. When I meet with a family for the first time, or they sit down to do one of my courses, one of the first things we do is start crafting a vision of the future: hopes, goals, and dreams for their kids. At some point, most families mention that they want their kids to be "successful" and that opens a whole new conversation!

The world is waking up to the idea that there are many pathways to and definitions of a successful future, and I'm hoping that this series will get you thinking about these big questions for your own family. No matter your child's age, there is a space for you in this conversation, but I hope it's particularly helpful for you if you have teens and tweens!

For the first episode, I brought in Stephanie Haynes. She is an Education Coach and Consultant. Specializing in post-high school pathway development, goal setting and time management, and classroom and school culture development, Stephanie’s vision is to motivate her clients to take the time to create a compelling vision for their future, their classroom, or their school and develop actionable steps to build it into a reality.

If you want to have a guide in navigating all the options available to our kids after high school, check out Stephanie's book, College is Not Mandatory.
Follow Stephanie on Instagram and Facebook, and visit her website www.stephaniehaynes.net.

123: How to Have a Fulfilling Sex Life, Even as a Busy Parent with Janna Jun 21, 2022

For this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we are going to talk about something a little different: how to keep the fire of our relationship with our partner burning. To help me in this conversation, I have my dear friend (truly, we are besties!) and colleague Janna Denton-Howes. She is a women's Desire Coach and she's going to talk to us all about how we can stay connected and enjoy our couple relationship, even as busy parents.

*One disclaimer: Janna is a desire coach for women married to men, and she lists this as her area of expertise, not to be heteronormative but because it reflects her own lived experience and she wants to recognize that the struggles in this area for folks with other identities may be very different than her own. That said, I carefully reviewed this episode and I do believe, regardless of our identities, that we are all affected by the cultural soup of misogyny and patriarchy that can make it so hard to want and enjoy sex and intimacy with our partners. So, if your lived experience is different than Janna's and mine, it is my hope that you will listen in, take what feels aligned and leave the rest. And please know that you are seen, held, loved and supported here.

122: How to Ask for What You Need in Any Relationship with Kerstin Kirchsteiger Jun 14, 2022

I don't know about you, but as a mom and a wife, I often get the message that I need simply need to stop being a martyr and ask for what I need if I want a more balanced or fulfilling life.

Seriously, the biggest hurdle most of the moms and couples that I work run into is NOT that they don't ask for what they need, and it's NOT that they don't have a partner who is actively looking to support them (most of us do!); it's that they don't actually KNOW what they truly need in order to be able to ask for it.

And that is exactly the conversation I want to share with you today, along with my guest Kerstin Kirchsteiger. She is a Scientist turned Life & Leadership Coach. The emotional rollercoaster that motherhood took her on, led her to leave science and dive deep into the study of Emotional Intelligence. Her journey of motherhood and entrepreneurship made it clear that work-life integration is a topic most working, homeschooling moms struggle with. Leveraging her analytical nature combined with understanding for individualized solutions, she has created a system for moms to peel back the layers of obligations, expectations and guilt and build a life they're excited to get up for every day.

Be sure to follow Kerstin on Instagram @kerstin_kirchsteiger and visit her website. She has wonderful podcast called Work-Life Flow Podcast that I recommend for you to listen, too (I was a guest awhile back!)!

Bonus: Sensitive Kids Who Can't Take Correction (Live Coaching) Jun 10, 2022

Hey, my dears!
For this bonus episode, I will be doing a live coaching session from one of BalancingU members (free coaching on the podcast is a member's only perk!) about how to handle sensitive kids who can't take correction.
And in our conversation, I have recommended books to help them navigate this topic. I want to share it with you, too (you can find it in the show notes).

121: Raising Complex Kids with Grace & Ease with Elaine Taylor-Klaus Jun 07, 2022

For this week’s episode, we are going to talk more about raising complex kids. And to help me in this conversation, I am joined by Elaine Taylor-Klaus. She is the co-founder and CEO of ImpactParents.com, an online support resource for parents of complex kids in the world, serving parents on six continents and more than a hundred countries. She is the author of 2 books including The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety, and More -- a typical parenting book for kids who are not so typical.

If you want to learn more about this parenting approach, follow Elaine on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Elaine is offering a free gift to everybody. (Yay!)
If you go to ImpactParents.com/guide,you can get extra stuff that’s not in her book and more comprehensive information as well.

120: Four Steps for Embracing Psychological Flexibility in Parenting with Diana Hill May 31, 2022

One of the things I teach the parents in my community (which is you!), is to be more present in the moment and be fully aware of our thoughts and emotions so that we can fully understand our needs. In this way, we can better address what we need to be more balanced as a parent and as an individual as well. It is so easy to get stuck in a feeling or a narrative of ourselves and our lives, and we can sometimes tell ourselves that it's just always going to be this way, and in these moments of "stuckness" the ability to be psychologically flexible is absolutely critical. And so for this week's episode, my guest, Diana Hill, and I will be talking about how to be more psychologically flexible and model that to our kids too. Diana is a clinical psychologist and co-author of ACT Daily Journal: Get unstuck and live fully with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She is a co-host of the popular podcast, Psychologists Off the Clock and offers regular teachings in compassion and ACT through InsightLA and Mindful Heart Programs. Through her online teachings, executive coaching, clinical supervision, and private therapy practice, Diana encourages clients to build psychological flexibility so that they can live more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Be sure to go through her website drdianahill.com or visit linktr.ee/drdianahill to see her latest offerings. You may also check her works on Instagram @drdianahill.

119: No Longer Last on the List with Jo Bevilacqua May 24, 2022

The past few weeks have been a brutal reminder for me that prioritizing my own health and well-being is absolutely critical, not only for parenting and partnering consciously, but just for living a purposeful, meaningful life! So often when self-care is taught to parents, especially moms, we get "sold" on it by highlighting the benefits of taking good, gentle care of yourself for your family:

You'll be able to be a better parent!

It will be easier to stay calm and well-regulated!

You'll be able to enjoy your kids more!

Your kids & partner will feel more loved and connected if you're able to be fully present, and self-care can help with that!

The list goes on. But very rarely do we just come out and say it: you would be worthy of rest, nourishment, and gentle care even if you weren't a parent and even if it did nothing to help you be better for others. You're worthy because you are living. Because you're a person with human needs. You don't have to earn it, and it's ok if something is just for you.

That's what this week's episode is all about! I am joined by my new colleague, Jo Bevilacqua, author of No Longer Last On The List and its for women who are juggling the pressure of life and expectations.

If you want to read her book you can get it HERE. Be sure to follow Jo on Facebook and Instagram!

118: Healing the Mother Daughter Relationship with Ann Dillard May 17, 2022

For this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we will have the second installment for the motherhood series. And in this episode, we are going to dive deep into the mother-daughter relationship and figure out how we can have a healthy relationship between us and our daughters, and our Moms too! To help me in this conversation, I am joined by Ann Dillard who is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist offering mental health services to teen girls and their families. She hosts conversation circles and coaching programs internationally, where she helps women of all ages to navigate challenges in their mother/daughter relationships.

If you are having challenges keeping a healthy connection with your daughter (and your mother), then this is for you!

To get more resources, visit her website at www.anndillard.com.

117: Five Steps for a More Confident Motherhood with Zelmira Crespi May 10, 2022

For the rest of this month, we will be talking all about motherhood starting with an interview with Zelmira Crespi, author of Happy Mom, Happy Kid
We will be talking about the transition to motherhood and how to find ourselves, happiness, and joy in this journey, including

Managing stress levels and find ways to live motherhood on a positive note
Managing expectations that we have of ourselves as mothers
Cope with guilt and shame, and learn to enjoy the ride

116: Things We Don’t Talk About with Parent Mental Health with Amanda Gorman May 03, 2022

When it comes to parenting and especially motherhood, there are so many things that we hide or gloss over, dirty little secrets that shame and fear and judgment tell us to keep to ourselves. Sometimes it's the small stuff (like how each of my kids have had YEARS long stretches of sleeping in their clothes the next day to avoid the morning getting dressed battles) and then sometimes it's the big stuff. On this week's episode my guest and I dive into one of the most hidden and shame-laden topics there is in parenthood: Rage. Specifically postpartum rage.

Grab a cup of tea and settle in as I share my own story of the rage I experienced as a part of a perinatal mood disorder after the birth of my second child, and witness my guest's story too. As we share our stories we also discuss how we got support and moved forward, and the ongoing work we're doing. If you've experienced that rush of overwhelming emotions, seeing red, irrational, explosive reactivity, then you know how hard it can be to get support and to manage and I hope this episode is a balm to your soul. And if you haven't, you'll likely still benefit from the experience of witnessing another's story. There will be pieces that resonate for everyone.

Be sure to follow Amanda on Instagram as well. Her social handle is @findingyourvillage. And if you want more resources about birth, postpartum, and parent mental health, her Finding Your Village Podcast will be a good listen too!

To learn more about developmentally appropriate behaviors, CHECK IT HERE.

115: Feel the Joy of a Healthy Couple Relationship with Erin and Stephen Mitchell Apr 26, 2022

As couples, it is inevitable that we argue sometimes and that's understandable because even though we are married or in a relationship, we are still two different human beings with different personalities. And a few of the many questions I get on parenting is that...

Is it okay to disagree in front of our kids?

How do we do that without harming them?

How can we still feel the joy in marriage despite the disagreements?

To help me answer these questions, I brought in Erin and Stephen Mitchell. They are a couple who has been married for 13 years. Erin works as a Writer and Relationship Educator while Stephen is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Professor. Together, they have the privilege of creating couples courses to provide relationship education and make couples stronger.

If you want more support, follow Erin & Stephen on Instagram. Their Instagram handle is @couples.counseling.for.parents. You can also check out their website createyourcouplestory.com.

Bonus: Live Coaching: How to Finally Stop Using Bribes, Threats, & Control in Your Parenting Apr 22, 2022

One of the perks of being a member of this community is that members will have an opportunity to come on the podcast where they share their experiences and get free coaching with me! If you are interested in joining us and getting access to the other benefits (like weekly Office Hours!), just send me an email at laura@laurafroyen.com or my assistant, Eugene, at team@laurafryoen.com and we will give you the details!

In this Live Coaching episode, I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful mom who is interested in diving deep into conscious parenting. You see, she's been working hard on improving how she parents and I am really excited to share our conversation on how to finally stop using bribes, threats, and control. I hope that listening to our conversation may help you learn to make mindful shifts in your parenting.

If you want to learn more, follow me on Instagram @laurafroyenphd.

114: Perfection Culture in Parenthood & What to Do About It with Lindsay Adams Apr 19, 2022

I don't know if you know this story yet. But if you have been with me from the beginning, then you probably know I have struggled with perfectionism and limiting beliefs, just like most of you. And this has affected how I parent. It was weighing me down and realized that if I continue to let this limiting belief and need for perfection drive the ship, it will take me away from my true goals for my children. One of my deepest hopes as a mom is that my kids will grow up knowing that they are lovable, worthy, and valued for who they are, not what they do.

But this truth that I wanted to convey to my children, is not one I always embody myself, and kids learn by watching us just as much as they learn through their interactions with us. How could I hope to teach my kids something I didn't know how to do for myself? Sure, they would be safe and held and seen in my home, but eventually, they go out into the world and are exposed to cultural narratives of productivity and value and worth, and I want to be able to teach them how to walk in the world, a world that is beautiful yet hard to be in, with confidence and compassion for themselves and others.

The way I see it, the hard work of addressing our limiting beliefs and releasing perfectionism is a crucial part of conscious parenting. And so for this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, I brought in a fellow podcaster, a mom, and a therapist, Lindsay Adams. She is a social worker and she hosts the Mindful as a Mother Podcast.
If you are struggling with perfectionism and looking for more support, follow Lindsay on Instagram @Linds_AdamsLCSW.

113: How to Support Your Kiddo With A New Sibling with Hannah & Kelty of Upbringing Apr 12, 2022

So, I know you know that nothing is ever just one thing, that we are constantly in a place of "both/and" but I have to tell you, it was really hard to see that in the early days of being a parent.

If you've ever wondered what my transition to parenthood was like, or want to hear about the bumpiest part of my journey raising two kiddos, I'd love to have you check out this week's episode of The Balanced Parent podcast, where I sat down with my friends and colleagues Hannah & Kelty of @Upbringing.co to get a bit raw and vulnerable about those hard days, what we learned, and how we can support you.

Even if you're out of the baby years, there is wisdom in this chat for you!

However, if you do have a little one, or are expecting one or are planning to grow your family, check out the full show notes to learn more about their new course, Right from the Start (Doors close until April 13th)

Check them out on Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest!

112: A Curious and Collaborative Approach to Technology with Kids w/ Carrie Rogers-Whitehead Apr 05, 2022

Two things for you this week:

1.) I'll be going live on Friday at 12:30 on IG with my friends, Hannah & Kelty of Upbringing, to chat about sibling issues, especially helping prep kiddos for a new little one.

**Parents of kiddos under 2 or those that are expecting, be sure to read the PS

2.) Details on the podcast episode this week are below! We will be doing a giveaway on the featured book, so be sure you're following me on IG (@laurafroyenphd) for updates!

As a result of the pandemic, the use of technology has risen and changed the way we socialize and interact with each other, for better or for worse. And although we are slowly getting back to normal, there is no denying that our use of online technology will continue. I have been hearing from a lot of you that as you move back into "regular" life you're wondering how to set yourselves and your children up for success when it comes to tech.

And so for this week's episode, we'll talk about screen time, internet safety, and raising digitally literate kids in a way that feels safe and balanced for your family in a tech-heavy environment. To help me in this conversation, I brought in an expert and the author of The 3 Ms of Fearless Digital Parenting, Carrie Rogers-Whitehead. She is the founder of Digital Respons-Ability, a mission-based company that works with educators, parents, and students to teach digital citizenship.

Visit digital-parenting.com and respons-ability.net for more.

111: How to Help Our Kids Avoid External Validation with Mory Fontanez Mar 29, 2022

We want our children to understand and know their worth, advocate for themselves, and be confident in who they are. And that they do not need to be anything other than who they are to be appreciated, loved, and seen in our family. But the more time children spend out in the world, in school or sports or online on social media, the more they start comparing themselves to others and seeking external validation. It's just how the world is set up, and we sometimes, with the best of intentions, do it too! We give praise that isn't specific or focuses on outcomes instead of effort, we give feedback rather than directing them to reflect on themselves, and try as hard as we might, we compare and label siblings. (I do it too, even though I know better! Sometimes the doing and the knowing are two different things, right?)

As parents, it can happen to us too. Seeing photos of what seem to be perfect families and perfect lives on social media ruin our self-esteem, suck us into comparison, and lead to feelings of discontent. It's one of the reasons I've been far less active on IG these days. I hop on to make a silly reel for you (did you see my dancing in this one?? 😂 ) and then close the app so that I can focus on my true life, rather than the fantasy social media can suck me into...

But it's not easy. And as a person who was raised to thrive on external validation: praise, accomplishments, good grades, degrees, publications, awards, grants, etc; releasing the need for that feedback to prove my worth has been ongoing, deeply challenging work. I still face it, every time I read a review of the podcast or one of my programs, or get an email from one of you about how your family is changing and growing it is WORK for me to feel the JOY and DELIGHT that I get to do this as my job, all while not letting it mean anything about my WORTH as a human. It would be so easy to live for your reviews, feedback, and emails, but I know the flipside is crushing. Wondering if I'm worthless if I can't be of service...

It's not what I want for my kids, and it isn't what I want for myself! What about you? Is this something you're working on?

Well, if you at all identified with Luisa or Isabela in Encanto, this week's episode of The Balanced Parent Podcast is for you!

We will talk about external validation and how it can distract us from staying true to ourselves. To help me in this conversation, I brought in my colleague, Mory Fontanez.

Do follow Mory on Instagram. Her social handle is @moryfontanez.

110: How Implementing Boundaries Can Improve any Relationship with Melissa Salmeron Mar 22, 2022

Did you ever feel forced to do something uncomfortable because you do not want to offend that person? Do you struggle with saying "no" even when you know you should? There is so much pressure on us as parents, especially the moms reading this, to be everything and do everything for everyone. And we know the answer is to set more boundaries, to actually say no when we need to so that we have more time and energy for the things that truly matter to us. But it's not actually that simple, is it? The art of saying no is complicated and often it's an inside job.

So, what is a healthy boundary and what is not? How can we set a personal boundary that would not come off as being arrogant or rude?

For this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we are going to dig deep into healthy boundary setting and how it can improve any relationship that matters to us. And to help me in this conversation, I brought in my friend and colleague, Melissa Salmeron. She is a Certified Master Life Coach and helps other moms give themselves the space they need to defeat overwhelm, step into their power, and show up as their true selves through the power of the CARE Method.

REMEMBER: If you find the podcast helpful, rating and reviewing on your favorite listening platform helps me land amazing guests and helps other struggling parents find this amazing community! Taking a few minutes to send your feedback really helps (and I read each and every one!) Thanks for your support!

109: Challenging Behaviors Re-Imagined with Dr. Mona Delahooke Mar 15, 2022

I am so excited for today's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast because our guest is one of my favorite authors. She's got a great book that you may already have read: Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges. Plus a brand new book we are going to be discussing that will radically change the way you approach your child's challenging behaviors! Her work has transformed the lives of so many children and families, including my own, and I am so excited to share what I have learned from her with you!

I know learning to understand our kid's challenging behaviors can be really difficult as there's so much for us to uncover. And so for this episode, we will be figuring out how to see beyond our kids' challenging behaviors and really dig deep and understand what's going on for them, the underlying reasons for why they are the way they are, and how to support them more fully. To help us, Dr. Mona Delahooke has joined me in this conversation. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than thirty years of experience caring for children and their families. She is a senior faculty member of the Profectum Foundation and a member of the American Psychological Association. She is a frequent speaker, trainer, and consultant to parents, organizations, schools, and public agencies.

To get more resources, follow Dr. Delahooke on social media and visit her website.

Instagram: @monadelahooke

Twitter: @monadelahooke

Facebook Page: Mona Delahooke, Phd

Website: monadelahooke.com

Dr. Mona's new book BRAIN-BODY PARENTING: How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids is on-sale today!

GRAB A COPY HERE

(That's an amazon affiliate link, so I make a small commission that supports the podcast at no cost to you. Of course if you have a local, independent book store you love, I always recommend shopping there!)

108: How to Change Your Brain Patterns to Achieve Your Goals with Adele Spraggon Mar 08, 2022

I know that you are doing your best to improve on your parenting and I'm right there with you, doing the work myself and cheering you on! But when it comes to actually implementing all that you have learned up until now, it can be really difficult. And so, for this week's episode, we are going to learn how we can change our brain patterns to achieve our goals in parenting and in our lives.

To help me in this conversation, I have brought in, Adele Spraggon, a behavioral change expert and award-winning author. After decades of feeling stuck in patterns of procrastination, avoidance and quitting, all of which kept her from living her life to its greatest potential, Adele set out on a journey of discovery and learning. The result is the creation of her proprietary 4 Step Re-patterning Technique, which she delivers through a member portal called the Pattern Maker Hub. Today, She now works with thousands of people to help them attain high levels of happiness, peace of mind, prosperity, goal achievement, and life fulfillment.

To get more resources, follow Adele on social media and visit her website.

Instagram: @adelespraggon
Facebook Page: Adele Spraggon Repatternist
Website: www.adelespraggon.com

Grab a copy of her book Shift: 4 Steps to Personal Empowerment HERE.

107: Supporting Yourself Through Hard Times with Tanisha of MedicalMomsofNICU Mar 01, 2022

For this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we are going to talk about a topic that is a little bit different from what we have tackled before and is quite personal in my own parenting journey. Many of you know that while I was pregnant with my second daughter I got into a car accident that started me down a path that eventually lead me away from academia and into my work with you all. But something I rarely talk about is my first daughter's traumatic birth that resulted in a Neonatal Intensive Care stay. During both of these incredibly difficult moments, I had to dig deep to figure out how to support myself and how to be fully present with my family. I struggled with my self-worth, knowing what was right, and feeling like I was constantly failing. During both of these incredibly difficult moments, I had to dig deep to figure out how to support myself and how to be fully present with my family.

It wasn't easy and at the time I felt incredibly alone.

I am speaking more about this experience TODAY in this online retreat, I'd love to have you join me!

I know now that my emotions and experience in response to these stressful situations were incredibly common and understandable and that I'm definitely not alone. And while you maybe haven't had these exact experiences or had a medically complex child, I know that there have likely been times, especially over these past two years, where things have felt very heavy and hard. And that's what I want to support you with in this week's episode with my guest Tanisha Burke-Wormley. She is a NICU mom of a medically complex child who supports moms all over the world as they move through the space of having to stay in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with their child. Her son, Jaleel, is a NICU and Kidney Warrior who she helps conquer Chronic Kidney Stage 5 everyday as a Stay-at-home Medical Mom. She also has a healthy daughter, Jameela, that she gave birth to at home in October 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

To get more support, follow Tanisha on social media and join her Facebook community. She is a grad student and donates much of her time to these causes, so supporting her by giving her a follow or spreading the word to moms you know who need support is hugely appreciated!

Instagram: @medicalmomsofnicu
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/MedicalMomsofNICU
Facebook Group: Medical Moms of NICU Group

106: Making Meditation Accessible for Ourselves & Our Kids with Keli Carpenter Feb 22, 2022

For the past couple of episodes, we have been focusing a lot on mental health and how to overcome the many hurdles we are facing in our lives. And you've likely heard A LOT that meditation can be a powerful tool for mental health and wellbeing, right? Well if you're anything like me, when I first started dabbling in meditation it seemed like a tool that is "ideal" but not really "doable". And as a recovering perfectionist, if I can't do it "right" then I may as well not do it at all. Sound familiar, or is that just me??

I had to learn how to make meditation and mindfulness work FOR ME instead of it being yet another thing I was failing at. Here are some things that helped me get started:

- Giving myself permission to keep it short and sweet. Even 30 seconds was "enough"

- Inviting mindfulness into everyday moments, like washing the dishes or observing my kids play

- Offering loving kindness to myself and others during natural "downtime" like waiting in line or at a red light.

- Seeing it as an opportunity to model imperfect action to my kids

These practices have been instrumental in helping me be a more present, aware, and attuned mom AND have directly enabled me to be able to get the coveted "PAUSE" so I can respond rather than react when I'm triggered or overwhelmed.

If you're wanting to learn more about how mindfulness and meditation can help you as a parent, and maybe even your child when they are overwhelmed, you'll definitely want to check out this week's episode!

To help me in this conversation, I am joined by Keli Carpenter. She is a Chopra Center certified Transcendent Meditation (PSM®) instructor, Forgiveness Coach and Breathwork Practitioner, and a mother herself! Her commitment to maintaining her practice has allowed her to raise three beautiful children with mindfulness, overcome limiting self-concepts, and experience unity consciousness.

105: Recovering from Adverse Childhood Experiences with Dr. Bre Gentile Feb 15, 2022

Mental health is as important as our physical health. And as parents, we need every bit of help regarding this matter because parenting is never easy when we are mentally exhausted. Not to mention, our wonderful children have a real knack for showing us know where we have healing to do, right? And so, we are going to talk about mental health and trauma-informed practices and how understanding our pasts can help make our parenting a little bit easier.

To help me in that conversation, I have invited Dr. Bre Gentile. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology at Gonzaga University and has gone on to receive two master's degrees, one from Golden Gate University in Counseling and the second from Palo Alto University in Clinical Psychology, where she also got her Ph.D. Dr. Gentile has spent over 10 years working to improve outcomes for children, teens, and their caregivers working through her research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress. Her work with mental health providers, communities, and families has allowed her to develop a keen insight into the challenges of supporting resilience through trauma-informed practices.

To get more resources, visit Dr. Gentile's website www.drgslab.com.

You may also check:

www.stresshealth.org

centerforyouthwellness.org

www.theconfessproject.com

104: How to Release Negative Self-Talk for Yourself & Your Child with Dr. Anjani Amladi Feb 08, 2022

We all have an inner critic; this voice that ever so helpfully (but not always nicely!) tells us all the things we are doing wrong. And while sometimes we are aware of this inner negative voice, because they can be LOUD, sometimes these negative thought patterns are just kind of running in the background, outside of our conscious awareness. And it's hard to tell which is worse right? On the one hand, it can be exhausting to be beaten up from the inside all the time, but on the other hand, at least you're aware of it and can start working with the negative self-talk, right? When it's running in the background and you don't even know it's going on, it can still impact your mood and self-confidence, right?!

Now, I want you to know that there is a way to release yourself from the vicious habit of negative self-talk. While it is okay to honestly, and compassionately assess ourselves so that we can improve and move toward our goals, engaging in chronic negative self-talk isn't actually helpful. No one learns to do better by being made to feel worse, right?!

That is why for this week's episode, I invited Dr. Anjani Amladi on the show! She is an adult and child/adolescent psychiatrist who takes a holistic approach to patient care. Dr. Amladi has an extensive experience treating a wide range of psychiatric diseases, including ADHD, OCD, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other mental health issues. Her best-selling book, When the World Got Sick, focuses on guiding parents and children to discuss about the effects of COVID-19 and how to cope during this difficult period.

To get more resources, visit Dr. Amladi's website anjaniamladimd.com and follow her on Instagram @anjaniamladimd.

Get a copy of her book When the World Got Sick HERE.

103: Helping Kids with ADHD with Arti Kumar-Jain Feb 01, 2022

Not too long ago, I released an episode about ADHD and how we can help children who are diagnosed with it. And I know that one episode is not enough to give you all the resources that you need. There is still so much more to learn and apply in our day-to-day routine especially for those with kids who have it.

And that is why I'm bringing in Arti Kumar-Jain for this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast. She is a parent-child family coach who focuses on providing support through deep empathy, care and a space.

If you are in my BalancingU Membership, you also have access to a training with Arti on Childhood Anxiety if you're looking to learn more from her.

To get more support and resources, follow Arti on social media and visit her website. Instagram: @loveandlight4kidzFacebook: Love & Light 4 Kidz LLCWebsite: www.loveandlight4kidzllc.com

102: How to Heal Our Own Wounds with Sonnet and Veronica Jan 25, 2022

One of my biggest fears as a parent is that I will pass down hurts, wounds, fears, and thought & behavioral patterns that have not served me well. That through my own unconsciousness and wounding that I will hurt my child in the same way that I was hurt. That they will worry about their worth. That they will struggle with not feeling good enough. That they will feel pressure to be anything other than the imperfect beings they are.

And that is what we are going to focus on in this week's episode! I am so excited to introduce you to Sonnet and Veronica of Raising Children You Like and Conscious Mommy (two of my favorite Instagram accounts!). They are two friends who became mamas and started their motherhood journey together. Their mission is to help parents deepen their connection with their children by understanding their underlying needs and healing their old wounds in the process. And that's what they are going to bring in this conversation.

To get more support and resources, follow Raising Children You like (@raisingchildrenyoulike) and Conscious Mommy (@consciousmommy) on Instagram.

101: Helping Kids Simplify for Better Quality Play with Allie Casazza Jan 18, 2022

Last November, I released an episode about how to move from the feeling of overwhelm to simplicity with intention and grace with Allie Casazza. And I heard from so many of you how much it resonated and helped you (I love it when that happens!). Thank you for sharing your experiences with me and how decluttering helped you find some clarity and peacefulness in your homes.

BUT a LOT of you expressed the need for specific support around decluttering with KIDS! One of the big questions that came up from that episode is how to declutter our kid's toys so that they too can find the simplicity they need to get deep into their play. And so, for this week's episode, I'm bringing back Allie (if you missed her episode on How to Move from Overwhelm to Simplicity with Intention & Grace, listen HERE).

She has a new book coming out designed specifically for KIDS (plus if you pre-order it comes with a free course, that her kids teach to your kids!! Love kids teaching kids!) and is going to share some of her secrets with us today! (Pre order here!)

To get more support, follow Allie through her social media and website:

Instagram: @allie_thatsme

Facebook: www.facebook.com/alliecasazzablog

Website: alliecasazza.com

Listen to her podcast: The Purpose Show

100: Reconnecting to Play for Our Own Wellbeing with Amanda Evans Jan 11, 2022

It's my 100th episode in The Balanced Parent Podcast! I can't believe it has already been this long and I want to extend my sincerest gratitude for tuning in, for sending in your feedback, for sharing your takeaways with me, and for welcoming me into your homes and hearts each week. I am on a mission to bring more presence, ease, & connection to parenting, and I couldn't think of a better community to be doing this important work with. Thank you so much for your dedication to this work; I honestly believe that together we are changing the world, one child at a time.

Okay so, we are now in the second week of my 30 Days of Play Challenge and one of the goals of the challenge is rediscovering and reconnecting with play for OURSELVES. You see, as we grow older, the weight of expectations and responsibilities of adulting and parenting put so much pressure on us and we get the overwhelming message from our culture that it's time to "grow up" and leave childish things behind. And while yes, we are the grown ups and no one is coming to save us, we are also human beings, equally deserving of time, rest, and yes, even fun! But figuring out how to have simple pleasures in our lives just as we did when we were children, is so NOT simple. There are parts of us that resist it, that see it as frivolous, unproductive and therefore unnecessary, and those parts need a bit of time, attention, and healing, before we can play with ease.

Which is why this week we are focusing on how we can use play for our own inner work and healing. For this week's episode, I am joined by Amanda Evans. She is a Parent Coach, Speaker and Intuitive Energy/Play-based Healer who is passionate about supporting children and families to be their happiest and healthiest selves! Her own healing journey taught her so much about the extraordinary healing powers of play, love and connection and helped her develop her "stay and play method" to supporting both children and parents alike. She is dedicated to helping people take their health and happiness into their own hands, believing in their own magic and the power to heal from within.

To give you more support, follow Amanda on Instagram @mind_body_soul_miracles and visit her website www.mindbodysoulmiracles.com.

If you want to catch up with the challenge, you can still do so here: laurafroyen.com/playchallenge. And once you've signed up for the play challenge, don't forget to check the private podcast feed this year!

099: Mindful Tech Use for Parents and Kids with Sophie Brickman Jan 04, 2022

Nowadays, play does not only happen through the use of toys and that as we move forward in time, our kids adapt more and more with technology. Hence, play also happens through the use of phones and other gadgets. Sophie will be helping us know how to use technology mindfully.

For more information, visit www.sophiebrickman.com.

098: How to Actually Enjoy Playing with Your Kids Dec 31, 2021

No matter what the last year has looked like for you, I want you all to know that I am so proud of you for all the efforts you've made into finding more connection, joy, and balance in your life. You have showed up here and in your homes with love, commitment, and grace and it absolutely shows! And I want you to know how truly honored and grateful I amfor trusting me to be a part of your journey. 💕 Okay, are you all set up with our Annual 30 Days of Play Challenge? We began on January 2nd but there is still PLENTY of time to join us! If you haven't signed up yet, don't worry, you're not behind, you can just jump right in today. There really is no "behind" for our kids or for us as parents. There is only starting where we are, in the here and now, and moving forward with intention at the pace that is right for us!

If you are participating in my Play Challenge, then you know that I asked you all to fill out a survey to get a starting point for the challenge. And one of the things I learned from your answers that the majority of you are hoping to learn how to actually enjoy playing with your kids AND want to connect with them on a deeper level. So that's what this week's podcast episode covers!

097: Becoming Unbusy with Monica Berg Dec 28, 2021

As we settle into this space between the winter holidays and the New Years, I want to invite you all to slow down and drop into the present moment with yourself. Let's just take a minute to check in. How are you doing? No really, how have you been.

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling a bit harried, overwhelmed, and honestly, burnt out. I always have this big push in December as I prepare for our annual 30 Days of Play Challenge, the winter holidays, and everything else, and this year has been no different. And with the added layer of another Covid Christmas... It's a lot. But one thing I have been doing that has made it all a bit easier is to take short, simple, self-compassion breaks. I would love to invite you try it with me, right now!

Place your hand over your heart and repeat these words (aloud if you're comfortable):

May I be safe & protected.

May I be happy in body, mind, & spirit.

May I live in comfort & ease.

That's it! Repeat these words (or similar phrases with the same energy of self kindness and grace) as often as you need to. A mindfulness practice does not need to be big or complicated to reap loads of benefits! LET ME KNOW IF YOU TRY IT!

And if you're looking for another way to invite more mindful presence, and connect with your kids at the same time, I would love to have you join us in our play challenge this year. I know you're likely thinking "Laura, what does mindfulness & kids play have to do with each other??" The answer is, EVERYTHING when you approach it in the way we do in my Annual 30 Days of Play Challenge.

In the challenge you will learn how to drop into a mindful, nonjudgmental and presence-filled state with your child and it has the potential to not only improve your own and your child's wellbeing, but that of your relationship too. Plus, folks who do this challenge see a dramatic increase in their children's ability to play independently, which is 100% my number 1 secret for taking good care of myself and staying balanced as a parent. As we know, to a child "love" is spelled "T-I-M-E"(Zig Zigler) and this challenge helps you figure out how to get the time that everyone needs to feel balanced & connected

As we discuss in this week's episode of The Balanced Parent podcast with guest Monica Berg, our relationships with time and how we spend it is of vital importance to our feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment in parenting.

To get more resources, follow Monica on social media and check her website.
Instagram: @monicarberg74
Twitter: @monicaberg74
Facebook: @monicaberg74
Website: rethinklife.today

096: Understanding Your Child's Personality for Ease in Parenting With Sandra Etherington Dec 21, 2021

A key part of being a conscious, attuned parent is deeply understanding your UNIQUE child and adjusting your approach in a way that works for THEM. This is where understanding more about your child's temperament and personality can be SUPER helpful! And for that reason, I am bringing in one of my friends and colleagues, Sandra Etherington. She is a mom of two beautiful kids and is the owner of Family Personalities and the co-host of the Family Personalities Podcast, a fun and sometimes cheesy podcast, that uses personality type to help change the way you see your family. Sandra uses her experience and training in Myers-Briggs personality type, to work one on one with families, helping them parent more effectively and compassionately based on their children's unique wiring and needs.

I hope that through this episode we can better understand our children's needs and find ease in parenting.

To get more support, follow Sandra on Instagram @familypersonalities and visit her website www.familypersonalities.com.

095: Honoring Your Unique Child with Ryan Haddon Dec 17, 2021

For this episode, I am so excited to be joined by Ryan Haddon. She is a certified Life and Spiritual coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and certified meditation teacher with over 16 years of experience with clients around the world. We will be diving into how you can use parenting as an opportunity to grow and heal through crafting healthy, well-differentiated relationships.

To get more resources for this topic, follow Ryan on Instagram @ and visit her website.
Instagram: @ryan.haddon

Website: https://ryanhaddon.com

094: Racial & Educational Equity & Advocacy with Sonia Lewis Dec 14, 2021

In this episode, I am joined by my friend and colleague Sonia Lewis. She is a California native, wife and mother, former high school history teacher, turned entrepreneur. She is the visionary and founder behind ASCRIBE Educational Consulting, where they lift and center equity, humanity, and belonging. Long story short, Sonia is an Anti-Racism Impact Strategist, ready to face challenging topic without blame and shame.

To learn more about this topic, follow Sonia on social media and visit her website:
Instagram: @ASCRIBEsuccess
Facebook: ASCRIBE Educational Consulting
Twitter: @AscribeEd
Website: www.ascribesuccess.com

093: How to Help Your Child Have a Healthy Relationship with Food with Jennifer Anderson Dec 10, 2021

I have an amazing guest for this episode. She is Jennifer Anderson of the amazing Instagram account @kids.eat.in.color. She is a registered dietitian, a mom of two very exciting boys and a cheerleader to hundreds of thousands of parents feeding kids through the Kids Eat in Color social media movement. She helps parents let go of mealtime battles, reduce their stress, and get their kids on the path to eating better.

Find more resources on how to end your food battles with kids by following Jennifer on social media and visiting her website.

Instagram: @kids.eat.in.color

Website: kidseatincolor.com/links/

092: How to Use Logical Consequences with Wendy Snyder Dec 07, 2021

In this week's episodes on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we are going to talk about getting into a healthy mindset with two of the biggest issues parents face: Discipline and Food!

For the first episode, I’m bringing in a friend and a colleague, Wendy Snyder of the Fresh Start Family Podcast. She is a Positive Parenting educator, family coach and advocate. She is also certified in Redirecting Children's Behavior & The Joy of Parenting Program.

To know more about logical consequences, follow Wendy on social media and visit her website.

Instagram: @freshstartwendy

Facebook: Fresh Start Family

Website: www.freshstartfamilyonline.com

091: How to Find Ease & Flow in Parenting with Kiran Trace Dec 03, 2021

For this episode, I am happy to be joined by Kiran Trace. She is a human development expert and spiritual teacher with 15 years of clinical experience in childhood development and early childhood education. She has built education, leadership, and developmental skill programs for children in high-risk populations and respite programs for adults and children with mild to severe developmental disabilities for organizations such as Boys & Girls Club, Outward Bound, Bay Area Parks & Recreation, and the Association of Neighborhood Houses. Today her work focuses on helping parents give fulfilling lives to their children.

To know more about parenting, follow Kiran on social media and visit her website.

Instagram: @kirantrace

YouTube: www.youtube.com/kirantrace

Website: kirantrace.com

090: How to Move from Overwhelm to Simplicity with Intention & Grace with Allie Casazza Nov 30, 2021

I have a secret: I have been really struggling with STUFF lately. I am not sure if it's because of pandemic stress, or simply a need to feel safe and secure, but for the past year and a half I have been holding on to a LOT (both physical stuff AND emotional stuff). And I don't think I'm alone in this? Have you been holding on to stuff too? Are you feeling overwhelmed and a bit lost on how to let go and clear the way for a new mindset? If so, hit replay and just type: ME TOO!

Shame lives in the shadows and "ME TOO" is one of the most powerful phrases we can say and hear. It can help us feel seen, heard, known, and not so alone. It capitalizes on the concept from Compassion-Based Mindfulness called "Common Humanity" and it is a vital part of beginning to validate our normal, imperfect human experience.In the spirit of holding to the light that we often wish to hide, I am going to be open and vulnerable with you this week and it is going to be a little different from what we usually do.

For this episode, I am going to be the one who's getting coached by my good friend and amazing colleague about the transformational process of decluttering. Allie Casazza, Decluttering Queen, is on a mission to eradicate the "hot mess mom" stereotype by empowering other women. She has built a massive audience and a multimillion-dollar online business based on her proven, family-oriented approach to minimalism. She is the author of Declutter Like A Mother and the host of The Purpose Show, a chart-topping podcast, and the creator of multiple online programs and courses. Her platforms continue to grow every day as more women discover her life-changing approach to creating an abundant life.

She will be helping me get out of feeling overwhelmed and create more space in my life, my home, and my family. Listen in as she brilliantly coaches me through mindset blocks & shifts I never even knew I needed. Be prepared, I do get emotional in this (it's that deep!) and I hope that my vulnerability in this episode inspires you to a deeper level of honesty and vulnerability with yourself.

To get more support, follow Allie through her social media and website:

Instagram: @allie_thatsme

Facebook: www.facebook.com/alliecasazzablog

Website: alliecasazza.com

Listen to her podcast: The Purpose Show

089: Defining Beauty for our Children & Ourselves with Abbie Sprünger Nov 26, 2021

The topic for this episode is a problem we all likely face, and with the mixed research coming out on the effect of social media on teens, it's particularly important. With the ever-changing beauty standards and the influx of social media, our perception and definition of beauty are heavily focused outward as opposed to inward. And no matter how well you meet society's standards of beauty, this can have a truly damaging effect on a person's self-concept and worth. I don't know about you, but I want my kids to know that their worth as a person is not in any way tied to their physical appearance or their performance, but rather to the simple fact of their humanity. How to get there is what we discuss in this episode.

To join me in this conversation, I’m so excited to bring with you Abbie Sprünger. She has authored multiple books for young adults and families, and works alongside her husband, Micah, as a caretaker of Wesley Gardens Retreat. She is a proud mother of three beautiful girls. As the survivor of eating disorders and exercise addictions, she drew from her personal journey of healing to positively impact new generations of girls everywhere.

If you wish to get a copy of her book “What Is Beautiful?”, you can purchase it HERE.

088: A Simple Tool for Checking In with Yourself with Cher Kretz Nov 23, 2021

I'm guessing you are all busy with the upcoming holidays. And as parents, sometimes the preparations and pressures of this time of year can pull up in a million different directions and away from what truly matters to us. And so for this week, I have a podcast episode to help us do a quick "check in" ourselves to make sure that we are aligned with our goals and intentions. This is super important for the holidays as we interact with people who maybe aren't in our daily lives and our boundaries get a bit challenged (Check out this reel for some quick boundary setting phrases you can memorize, and don't forget about one of my very early episodes on setting boundaries! Finally, if you're in my BalancingU membership the Intentional Holidays Workshop is a great one for this time of year! If you're not in the membership, now's the time to join during my Birthday Sale!)

And in this episode, my friend and colleague, Cher Kretz, will join me to help us in this conversation. She is a wife, a mother of 3 girls, and a Family and Kids coach and school counselor. She has counseled kids ages pre-kindergarten to graduation and ran parenting classes for over 15 years. Her podcast, Parenting 2.0 The Focused Mindset, helps families use a solution focused approach to help get through any challenges they face.

To get more resources for this topic, make sure to follow Cher on social media, visit her website, and subscribe to her YouTube Channel!

Instagram: @cher.thefocusedmindset

Facebook Group: Solution Focused Families

Website: www.thefocusedmindset.com

YouTube: Cher The Focused Mindset

Podcast: www.thefocusedmindset.com/podcast

087: How to Save your Relationship with Kimberly Beam Holmes Nov 19, 2021

Our different responsibilities and even the demands of our jobs can take a toll on our marriage. To help us understand how we can deepen our connection and have a more fulfilling relationship as busy parents living through a pandemic, I have invited Kimberly Beam Holmes to dive deep into what it takes to have a long-lasting, fulfilling relationship. She is the CEO of the Marriage Helper and is currently working on her Ph.D. in psychology.

To get more support from Kimberly, visit her websites itstartswithattraction.com and MarriageHelper.com. And do follow her on Instagram @kimberlybeamholmes.

086: Teaching our Kids to Ask for Help with Nyasha Chikowore Nov 16, 2021

Asking for help can be so hard, for grown-ups and kids alike! Knowing when and how to ask for help and where to find support is an important skill that is developed with time and practice, that most of us are still learning. How wonderful would it be if our kids could learn this while they are young and the stakes are low? So, for this episode, I wanted to give you a resource on how to help children learn the important skill of figuring out when they need support and ask for it. Nyasha Chikowore is a clinical psychologist and a licensed clinical professional counselor who provides classroom and school-wide prevention activities related to mental health, with an emphasis on destigmatizing asking for any type of help. She is currently working on her doctorate in clinical psychology.

To get more resources on this topic, check out linktr.ee/nyashamc and follow Nyasha on Instagram @nyashamc.

085: How Trauma Gets Stuck in the Body & What to Do with Irene Lyon Nov 12, 2021

084: Conscious Parenting Basics with Sidu Nov 09, 2021

I am so excited for this episode because I have been talking about this topic in my community. Actually, this is the center of what I have been teaching which is conscious and respectful parenting. And so, I have brought a new friend and colleague to help us dive deep into what exactly conscious parenting is. To help me in this conversation, I would love to introduce Sidu Arroyo-Boulter. She is a licensed professional counselor associate specializing in relational issues, anxiety, and parenting. She has pursued additional education in perinatal mental health to support new families. Additionally, she offers parenting support through her online community Instagram (@conscious.parents).

To know more about conscious parenting, check out Sidu's website and follow her on social media.

Website: newseedcounseling.com

Instagram: @conscious.parents

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theconsciousparents

083: How Embracing Creativity Can Help You as a Parent with Sierra Casher Nov 02, 2021

When we think of "creativity", we immediately think of art, paintings, and drawings. But it actually goes way beyond that and creativity is a crucial skill we need as parents for ourselves & our own experience, and for our kids as they grow. Embracing creativity means encouraging our children's (and our own!) curiosity and using everyday situations to stimulate new ideas, find new ways to see old problems, see things with a beginner's mind, and find innovative solutions.

So, even if you don't see yourself as a "creative" person, I invite you to listen to this week's episode with an open mind as we delve into the incredible ways creativity can support you as a balanced, conscious parent. And I have a really wonderful guest with me for this week's episode. Her name is Sierra Casher and she is going to help us talk about cultivating creativity in our kids and ourselves. Sierra and I first connected in a Clubhouse room and I just loved everything she has to say about creativity, embracing JOY, worthiness, and how cultivating creativity can bring more fulfillment and peace. Sierra is a woman who fearlessly embodies creativity while inspiring others to do the same. She's a wife, a mother of two vibrant kiddos and an artist who paints pictures both with her inspiring stories and on canvas with her magic paintbrush.

If you want to have more support on how to be creative, follow Sierra on Instagram.

082: Helping Kids (And Parents) with ADHD with The Childhood Collective Oct 26, 2021

I've been getting a lot of questions from my community about how to handle kids' challenging behaviors and where to get support. And a lot of the stories I hear about this kids send my “ADHD” alarm bell ringing. Kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can look like they are simply misbehaving or being defiant when in reality they have something getting in the way of them being able to meet expectations.

“Kids do well when they can.” - Dr. Ross Greene

Now, if you are a parent who has a child with ADHD, I know that it can be tough and that you might be feeling worried that something is wrong with your kiddo or that you’re failing them somehow. And I also know many parents maybe suspect something is going on for their kid but are worried about them being diagnosed, labeled, and pidgeon-holed. I get that so much! I’ve had similar concerns for my own daughter when I was seeking to understand her struggles when she was younger.

Navigating the world of diagnoses, therapies, and schooling accommodations can be confusing and lonely. And so, for this week's episode I wanted to help you understand how your child's brain works, help you see how this diagnosis can empower you as a parent, and can help your child get the support they need to do well in all their settings! And to help me with this conversation, I like to introduce you to a crew of amazing parenting and child development experts, Mallory Yee, Laurie Long, and Katie Syverson. Through their work in private practice, they saw a great need for parents to more easily access research-backed parenting tips and tools, particularly those parents raising kids with ADHD, anxiety, learning disorders, and speech/language delays.

To get more support, follow Diana on social media, Facebook: www.facebook.com/childhoodcollectiveInstagram: @thechildhoodcollective

Clubhouse: @thechildhoodco

Or follow their website www.thechildhoodcollective.com They also have an online course, Creating Calm, for parents raising kids with ADHD ages 4-11 years.

CHECK IT OUT HERE

081: Social Justice Parenting with Traci Baxley Oct 19, 2021

I truly believe, from the bottom of my heart, that one of the most effective ways we as parents can change the world is through our children and our parenting. That conscious, respectful parenting is in itself a radical act of activism in a world that is unjust. And that anti-racist activism is an integral part of this work that we are all doing as we raise our kids differently than how we were parented. I know that you too seek to raise a generation of children who know who they are and what matters to them, who deeply understand justice and seek it in all their spaces, who are fierce advocates not only for themselves but for others, who are more proactive in their kindness, and who intercedes when harm is done.

This is why I'm so thrilled to have Dr. Traci Baxley of Social Justice Parenting as a guest for this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast. She is a professor, consultant, parenting coach, speaker, mother to five children, and the author of a new book that comes out TODAY: Social Justice Parenting. As an educator for over 30 years with degrees in child development, elementary education, and curriculum and instruction, she specializes in diversity and inclusion, anti-bias curriculum, and social justice education.

To learn more, follow Dr. Traci on social media and visit her website:
Website: socialjusticeparenting.com/home
Instagram: www.instagram.com/socialjusticeparenting
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tracibaxley

Dr. Traci's book, SOCIAL JUSTICE PARENTING: How to Raise Compassionate, Anti-Racist, Justice-Minded Kids in an Unjust World launches today! This book tackles not only the basics of respectful, connected, empathic parenting, but also what a social justice approach to parenting looks like and what it requires of us (because they are wrapped up in one another!). It also digs deep into specific, practical applications, giving you concrete parenting tools to put the philosophy into practice with your kids immediately!.

GRAB YOUR COPY HERE!

080: Critical Skills for a More Fulfilling Parenthood with Diana Ballard Oct 12, 2021

Parenthood can be really tough. There's so much to think about like house chores, taking care of our kids, keeping our cool, and even managing our careers. It's a LOT. And when we are bombarded with so much stress and fatigue juggling all of these responsibilities (especially after the last 18 months!), we may start to really feel like we are failing, not doing any one thing well, and have this lingering feeling of dissatisfaction.

I know I've been there at various points in my parenting journey, and this past year has brought this on for so many of us and I really want to support you in this, especially as the holiday season approaches (yes, you read that right! It's coming faster than we think!). And so, for this week's episode, I have invited a colleague who is the host of the Mom Training Podcast, Diana Ballard. She is passionate about helping women balance their responsibilities, find fulfillment, and thrive as moms. Now, this episode may be addressed to moms but this can help dads, too! Diana will guide us in creating your own experience according to what works for you so that you can feel fulfillment in your parenthood.

REMINDER: Don't forget that your chance to learn LIVE with me ALL ABOUT SIBLINGS is coming up quick! Head here for all the details: www.laurafroyen.com/sibling

To get more support in your parenting journey, follow Diana on social media,

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Dianaballardlive

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dianaballardlive

YouTube: Mom Training Channel

or join her Facebook community Dancing Through Motherhood and visit her website www.dianaballard.com

079: Coaching Sibling Squabbles Oct 05, 2021

I hope you learn a lot from the Challenging Behavior Series for the past two weeks. If you have any questions about this topic, please let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts, concerns, and your experiences.

Okay so, since last week's episode I have been getting quite a lot of questions from parents asking how they can approach sibling conflicts. SO many of you are wondering how to navigate bickering, hitting, jealousy, etc. And so, for this week's episode, I will be teaching you how to get out of the middle of your kids disagreements and start coaching THEM on solving their own problems.

If you want to have MORE support, I am so excited to announce an opportunity to learn all about Sibling Relationships with me LIVE! My dear friend and colleague Anna Seewald of The Authentic Parenting Podcast and I are collaborating to bring to you a comprehensive two-part workshop designed to help you navigate the murky, sometimes turbulent waters of Sibling Relationships.

DETAILS:

October 21st & November 4th @ 11:00 AM Central

Replay available for those who can't attend live

10% discount for my BalancingU members (email me if you want to join before you register to get that discount!)

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

You can fill out this survey here to make sure that your needs and questions are addressed in the workshop:

https://forms.gle/m3EmSqTJiXY23dcVA

078: Live Coaching: Challenging Behaviors (Challenging Behaviors Series No. 2) Sep 28, 2021

I really hoped you enjoyed last week's episode, which was the first installment of a two-part series on "challenging behaviors". We really dug into the "why" behind these behaviors and how to help kiddos through these hard times. Now, I know that sometimes my episodes are a bit conceptual, or theoretical, and that can make it hard to really know what this all looks like in practice. This is why I love it when one of my BalancingU Membership folks agrees to talk through some common challenges on the podcast with us (free coaching is a perk of the membership, learn more here!)

And so, for the second installment of the Challenging Behavior Series, I have invited a member of my Balancing U Community to share her experience on this topic. Now, this mother has five kiddos with different personalities. Two boys are internal processors who are calmer in general but are still aggravated when upset. Another one is a verbal processor who is impulsive both physically and verbally. There is a lot going on in this family and this wonderful mother handles it with so much love and grace! In this live coaching session, we will be tackling how to have boundaries and reframing them so that we can address challenging behaviors with compassion and patience. With practice and our help, our children will be able to stop themselves from hitting, kicking, and throwing. And to help you even more, download my free cheat sheet on how to build self-regulation through play!

GIVE IT TO ME!

077: Using Brain Science to Understand Challenging Behaviors with Lauren Spigelmyer (Challenging Behaviors Series No. 1) Sep 21, 2021

Sometimes kids can be so tricky, right? We don't know exactly what will set them off, and then what do to when they are in the midst of their big feelings and the challenging behaviors that can go with them. Things like defiance, aggression, and destructiveness. It can be a lot and it's no wonder we can get super triggered by it all. It's so hard to keep our heads on straight and remind ourselves that these are little humans that we love that are simply having a hard time. As a parent of a kiddo who has had some super challenging times, I promise, I get it and I want you to know you're not alone in it. AND there are some pretty simple things you can do to help.

Which is why I am so excited for the next two weeks on The Balanced Parent Podcast because we will have a two-episode series on Challenging Behaviors. We are going to talk about behavior, what it tells us about our kids, and what they need from us in moments when they are dysregulated.

For the first episode, Lauren Spigelmyer will help us understand how to use brain science to understand our kids' challenging behaviors. Lauren is a parenting and education consultant and runs The Behavior Hub. It is an organization that works with schools and families to address the needs of students with challenging behaviors through a holistic whole-body approach.

If you wish to get more support on how to handle challenging behaviors, please check out Lauren's website thebehaviorhub.com where you can find quite a few online courses on this topic. You may also contact her via the website for coaching support, follow her Facebook page The Behavior Hub and join her Facebook Group Raising and Teaching Respectful Children. And as a bonus, Lauren is going to giveaway a few phone backgrounds on the five needs area discussed in the episode.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

076: Surviving The Teenage Years Without The Drama Sep 14, 2021

Okay, so my first-born daughter is almost nine years old. And I know that just a few short years from now, I will be dealing with a teenager. This is something that I have been thinking about a LOT lately! I don't want to be caught off guard or unprepared for the teen years, and I know that what I'm doing now as a parent is laying the groundwork for a smooth transition for both of us as individuals, AND for our relationship.

And I and guessing I'm not alone in all of this! I know you all are likely curious about how to deal with soon-to-be teenagers OR understanding your teen (if you have one now). So for this episode, I'm bringing in a friend and colleague, Deborah Ann Davis. She is a speaker, coach, educator, and the author of "How To Keep Your Daughter From Slamming the Door." She will help us survive the teenage years without the drama, even if you don't have a daughter.

To learn more about dealing with teenagers, follow Deborah on her social media and website:

Facebook: Deborah Ann Davis

Facebook Mom Group: The Mom Meet-Up: Raising Confident Girls

Instagram: @awesomemomtribe

YouTube: Deborah Ann Davis

Website: www.deborahanndavis.com

And if you like to checkout her book "How To Keep Your Daughter From Slamming the Door", you can find it here:

GET MY COPY!

075: Embracing An Abundance Mindset With Ilana Beigel Sep 07, 2021

As parents, most of us share the same goal: to provide them the unconditional love & support that we missed (sometimes) growing up. As I transitioned into motherhood I wanted so badly for my daughter to know how deeply she was loved, that I was there for her, that I was sensitively attuned to her needs and would be there to meet them. But in the process, I, like so many of you, found that I was really struggling. In my effort to be everything to my daughter, I had abandoned myself.

Things really came to a head after the birth of my second child. I started to feel there was not enough time for me, the woman I was, anymore. I had so many pulls on my time and attention. There just wasn't ENOUGH of me to go around AND I worried I wasn't ever going to be ENOUGH for my children. I was stuck in scarcity. It was around this time in my life where I started my business (yes, this podcast is part of a business dedicated to supporting both your family & mine! 💕), and I was learning about money mindset and "abundance" mindsets. And I just knew that what I was learning applied to my life as a parent: That I was stuck in scarcity and if I wanted more joy, presence, & connection, that I needed to shift into abundance. That was 6 years ago, and at the time it felt like NOBODY in the parenting world was talking about abundance mindset as it applies to parenthood (at least that I could find).

So I wrote this article: https://www.laurafroyen.com/blog/scarcity and started applying the principles in it.

I wanted to share this powerful mindset shift with you, so I sat down with my friend and colleague Ilana Beigel, who will help us understand how we can embrace an abundance mindset as a parent. And that, there's plenty of time for our children to learn and be resilient. She is a mom of three, a yoga teacher, a speech pathologist, and a mindful parenting coach. Ilana helps moms integrate mindfulness practices into their lives so that they can create effective communication and ultimately peace and fulfillment in their hearts and homes.

If you are a part of my monthly membership, BalancingU, Ilana did a deep dive training on Abundance for us! You can access the replay of that in the course platform. If you are NOT part of the membership, but would like to be, CLICK HERE to check it out!

You can find Ilana on Instagram @ilanabeigel, Facebook, and at www.ilanab.com.

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

074: The Who Does More War with Dr. Jennie Rosier Aug 31, 2021

Do you ever feel so overwhelmed by your responsibilities as a parent that you feel like you are carrying a huge burden, all on your own? Like no one sees all you do, and that no one else in the family is doing as much as you? Well, you aren't alone. Most of the parents I coach who are parenting with a partner struggle with communicating with their partners on navigating parenting and responsibilities at home.

And the reason for this is complex and simple at the same time. Our homes & experiences growing up informed our (often unspoken) expectations for the division of labor and load in our families of creation. Whether we unconsciously absorbed what we saw modeled in our family of origin OR we actively decided we wanted something different for our new family, what we learned & witnessed makes a difference in how we show up with our partners. And because you and your partner grew up in different families with different experiences, OF COURSE your expectations will be different too! But the big problem is, most of us don't actually COMMUNICATE about these differences in approach or expectation in a way that is healthy & connecting.

And that's what we are going to talk about in this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast. To help me in this conversation on expectations around parenting and how couples can go about feeling more like a team, I'm bringing in a new friend and colleague, Dr. Jennie Rosier. She is the host of her podcast Love Matters and the author of the book "The Who Does More War." As an expert in romantic and parent-child relationships, Rosier focuses much of her research, speaking, and writing endeavors on helping others create more realistic expectations while enhancing the communication skills needed to maintain these bonds with empathy, respect, and attachment.

To find more resources about this topic, follow Dr. Jennie on her social media and website.

Facebook: The Relationships, Love, Happiness Project

Instagram: @RelationshipsLoveHappiness

Website: www.RelationshipsLoveHappiness.com

I also want to give you my free Partners in Parenting Workbook (if you haven't downloaded it yet). It's a tool I use with my private clients to help them navigate their parenting styles. DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

If you want even MORE support, I have an entire course dedicated to getting more aligned and connected with your parenting partner! You can learn more about The Partners in Parenting Course HERE!

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

073: Raising Little Brains: How Neuroscience Can Inform Our Parenting with Dr. Sarah Allen Aug 24, 2021

For this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we are going to GEEEK OUT on the amazing stuff going on in your kids BRAIN. If you have been following me, you would probably know I love this topic. I love to talk about brains and understanding what's going on inside our kids' brains and I truly believe it can help us understand their behavior, tap into compassion, and meet them where they are!

So, we will be geeking out on this episode, and to help me in this conversation, I have invited Dr. Sarah Allen. She is a mother and a pediatric neuropsychologist. She specializes in making neuroscience translatable in our lives, and so, Dr. Allen aims to help kids and parents find their strengths and who they are so that they can live as healthy, happy, and self-aware adults.

If you want to understand how our kids' brains work, head over to Dr. Allen's website at www.brainbehaviorbridge.com. You can also find her on:

Facebook: Brain Behavior Bridge

Instagram: @dr.sarahlallen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-levin-allen-ph-d-cbis-75a9b668/

And if you're looking for more support, send her an email at drallen@brainbehaviorbridge.com. She would love to hear from you.

And I just have a perfect game for you that you can play with your kids to help them hard-wire these self-regulation skills into their brains! With practice, they will be more able to stop themselves when they get the impulse to hit, kick, throw, smash, etc. and YOU will be able to relax a bit more!

GET IT HERE: laurafroyen.com/selfreg

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

072: Divorce from a Child's Perspective with Kimberly Ewertz (Divorce Series No. 2) Aug 17, 2021

I know that for most couples, as they are navigating a divorce and separation, one of their biggest worries is the effect it will have on their children. Most modern research on divorce is showing that the negative effects on children can usually be attributed to the negative conflict in the years leading up to the divorce, rather than the divorce itself, and can actually be minimal when the couple divorces and then co-parents in a "healthy" way (see last week's episode for how!).

We actually have very few accounts from the child's perspective on the effects of divorce and how to make it easier on kids. As parents committed to honoring children's emotions & experience, doesn't it just make sense then that we would seek to understand divorce from a child's perspective? So when an author reached out to me with a book filled with first-hand accounts of adults who reflect on their parent's divorce & guidance to parents navigating these waters, I knew I had to share them with you!

And so for the second episode of the Divorce Series, we are going to focus on the child' experience. And to have this conversation, I'm bringing in a colleague, expert, and a former analyst, Kimberly Ewertz. After experiencing divorce, she witnessed the devastating effect it had on her child. She got support and with the help of a therapist realized that some of what she had been doing in an attempt to protect her son was actually making things worse. She very bravely details these mistakes and how she went about repairing with her son, and her insights and suggestions actually apply to ALL parent-child relationships!

To learn more about a child's perspective on divorce, get Kim's book Family Redefined: Childhood Reflections on the Impact of Divorce. It's available on Amazon.com and her website www.familyredefinedbook.com. Her book has been nominated for several prestigious awards and won first place in the Midwest Book Awards for the non-fiction Family/Parenting category. And to be updated on Kim's work, follow her on Facebook @FamilyRedefinedBook.

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

071: Conscious Coparenting with Ashley Wood (Divorce Series No. 1) Aug 10, 2021

One of the things that we focus on a lot here at The Balanced Parent is conscious communication. Often that comes up in the context of couples, but the skills I teach are just as important for families that are in the midst of separation or divorce or are looking for support in navigating co-parenting with a former partner.

This stage is difficult. It brings in fear, depression, and anxiety towards what will happen to us in the future. If you are experiencing this right now, I want you to know that you aren't alone & there is help & support available. And so for two weeks, we will have a Divorce Series wherein you will get resources on how to navigate through this stage especially 1) how to consciously co-parent with a former spouse, and 2) how to understand our children's feelings and give them the support that they need.

Even if you aren't currently in the midst of these life changes and transitions, these episodes are filled with golden nuggets on setting healthy emotional boundaries with ourselves and others. I highly recommend you give them a listen, there is something there for everyone!

And so for the first episode in this Divorce series, I’m bringing in one of my favorite Instagram and TikTok accounts, Ashley Wood of @theconsciouscoparent. She is a coach who specializes in working with mothers of young children who are overwhelmed and worried about the emotional and financial drain of divorce and feel hopeless about the idea of co-parenting. She also has a great podcast called Split: The After Ever After Podcast. She helps moms who have difficulty leaving relationships to overcome and navigate divorce. And in this episode, she will give us tips and advice on how to consciously co-parent with our former spouse.

If you are in need of more support as you navigate through divorce, you can find more resources from Ashley here: linktr.ee/theconsciouscoparent. Her Instagram account is @theconsciouscoparent so do follow her as well.

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

070: Raising Responsible Adults with Future Focused Parenting Aug 03, 2021

How do we raise responsible adults? I know that for many of you, with your eye on the "long game" that this is one of you goals. You want to raise kind, good humans who know how to take care of themselves and those they love. Who know how to work hard, solve problems with creativity, & have successful lives. And "responsibility" often is a big part of that!

And so, in this episode, we are joined by Deana and Kira of the Future Focused Parenting, the groundbreaking parenting philosophy that starts with the end in mind, encouraging families to make intentional parenting choices. As a child educator and a doula, Deana helps families prepare for the transition of becoming parents and everything that comes afterward. Together with Kira, a parent coach, they co-host the Raising Adults Podcast and discuss topics related to parenting with a long-range view and prepare families to thrive in their parenting journey.

Deana and Kira will help us answer those questions so that we can learn to raise responsible adults not just in doing house chores but also in decision-making.

If you want to get connected with Deana and Kira, follow them on Instagram @futurefocusedparenting and visit their website www.futurefocusedparenting.com. They are also on Facebook. So be sure to follow their page @futurefocusedparenting.

Get their 12-month Character Trait Freebie where each month you will get information on different character trait like emotional intelligence, wisdom, kindness, activities that you can do with your kids, and books to teach about these character traits. SIGN UP HERE!

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

069: The Mental Load and How to Ease It with Dr. Morgan Cutlip Jul 27, 2021

I don't know about you, but before I became a mom I had no idea how heavy the load would be. Not just the day-to-day tasks of feeding and caring for a family, but all the unseen, unspoken, invisible labor that is a part of modern motherhood. The planning, the home organization, the lists, the mental maps, the appointments... EVERYTHING seems to fall on us at times.

If you ever felt this way, I want to send you compassion and grace for what you are going through. As a mom, I know how it feels and I don't want that for you anymore than I want it for myself. Over the past few years, my husband and I have been slowing chipping away at the inequities in our marriage that were kind of just there by default. In this episode, I hope to get you started on that process for yourself too, so I invited a colleague, Dr. Morgan Cutlip of @mylovethinks to help us break this all down and actually do something about it. She is a relationship coach, speaker, and online course creator and has a Ph.D. Degree in Philosophy. She is a wife and mom of two spirited kids. Working with her father, Dr. John Van Epp, she shares the mission of helping parents feel empowered, stay in love, and ease the burden that surrounds parenthood.

And if you want to get more personal advice to ease your mental load and find practical ways to approach your relationship, follow Dr. Morgan on Instagram. Her handle is @mylovethinks.

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

068: Why We Choose Our Partners & How to Engage In Mutual Healing with Heidi Biancat Jul 20, 2021

I am so excited for this week on The Balanced Parent Podcast because we will be having a unique "combo" episode! The first part is a replay of a Facebook Live I did where I discussed some "subconscious" reasons we choose our partners. And then a community member reached out with some awesome follow-up questions that really took things to the next level, so I asked if we could record our conversation so that you all could listen in!

And if you are looking for a way to be more connected and aligned with your partner, here are some of my resources that would help you (it's FREE to download!):

Partners in Parenting Workbook: www.laurafroyen.com/partners

Random Acts of Connection Game: www.laurafroyen.com/random-acts-of-connection

You may also check my website www.laurafroyen.com for more resources. I also have a Partners in Parenting course so go check that out!

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

067: Teaching Kids About Body Safety & Consent with Rosalia Rivera Jul 13, 2021

For this week, I have invited Rosalia Rivera of Consent Parenting to talk more about bodies, particularly: consent, body safety, and boundaries. She is a consent educator, abuse prevention specialist, and sexual literacy and child's rights advocate. She is a speaker and host of the fabulous AboutCONSENT™ podcast for survivors. As a founder of CONSENTparenting™, Rosalia is on a mission to help all parents educate their children about body safety and consent so that they can empower their families to prevent abuse.

I know that this can be an uncomfortable and scary topic to even think about, but it is so important. I know your child's safety is so important to you and I want to equip you with the skills and tools you need to keep your kids safe. We will be providing you information & solutions so that you can protect your children.

To get more resources on this topic, follow Rosalia's social media handles and visit her website:

Website: www.consentparenting.com

Instagram: @consentparenting

Facebook: www.facebook.com/consentparenting

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

066: Healthy Cycles For Ourselves & Our Kids with Aviva Romm Jul 06, 2021

For this week's episode on The Balanced Parent Podcast, we will be tackling a topic that I am very passionate about, and I know many of us struggle with: Our relationships with our bodies. Particularly for anyone who menstruates, getting comfortable with our bodies, how they change as the years go by, our cycles & hormones, can bring a layer of stress to our daily lives that can make peaceful parenting just that much harder. And our kids are watching and learning from us all the time, including how we think about, feel about, & take care of our bodies. I have been working hard the past few years to shift my mindset and beliefs toward my body, not just for me, but also for my children. I want my girls to develop a sense of confidence, wonder, & joy in their bodies, and I know that starts with me.

And so this week on the podcast we will be talking about our health, cycles, hormones, and how we can raise a generation of children who have healthy relationships with their bodies. To help me in this conversation, I am thrilled to introduce a world-renowned expert on this topic, Dr. Aviva Romm. (totally #fangirling over here!)She is a Yale-trained MD who aims to redefine women's health by bridging traditional wisdom and modern medicine. She is also mother to four grown and a grandmother of two (9 and 6).

Okay so if this topic interests you and you want to know more, visit her website and follow her on social media:

Website: www.avivaromm.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AvivaRommMD
Instagram: @dr.avivaromm

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

065: How to Handle Lying with Vivek Patel (Feature on Fathers Series No. 4) Jun 29, 2021

We are now down to the last episode of the Feature on Fathers Series. I hope that through this series, Dads will feel heard and seen because you are. You are loved and you matter. If you feel that you are struggling in your parenting and in your relationship with others or with yourself, please don't hesitate to reach out and ask for help! I want you all to know that there's no shame in that. It is my mission to help parents find peace and balance in their parenting and in their relationships. I would be glad to help you even more.

And so, for the last episode of this series, we will be talking about lying. Although this topic does not focus specifically on fatherhood, it helps us handle something that might be triggering for us but is developmentally appropriate & important for our children. To help us with this topic, I have invited a great guest, Vivek Patel, who is a father and the genius behind @meaningfulideas handle on Instagram. He is also the host of a beautiful podcast called Gentle Parents Unite where he helps parents have a closer and gentle relationship with their kids.

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

064: Becoming a More Present Father with Baba of The Present Dads (Feature on Fathers Series No. 3) Jun 22, 2021

Happy Belated Father's Day to all those who identify as Dads! We see you, doing the hard work of becoming a present, compassionate father and we think you are just amazing! Partners, if you're the one who listens to this podcast but you know a dad who is heeding this challenging call to grow up alongside their kids, please share this with them!! We really couldn't do this without you!
To help you (Dads) even more, I'm so happy to be inviting a new colleague and friend, Babatunji Fagbongbe for the third episode of the Feature on Fathers Series. Baba is the founder of The Present Dads community. This community came about when he realized he did not have much time with his family while working in a corporate job. And so, he committed himself to find a balance between being a father and the provider of his family. The Present Dads' goal is to help fathers spend more time with their families while also doing what they love in their careers. Yes Dads, you too really can have it all, just like us moms! *wink wink* (Ok, that was a bit "tongue in cheek" but I had to poke a bit of fun at #thepatriarchy 😂 ... We moms hear this all the time, that we can "have it all" but really what we get is burnt out trying to be all things to all people. THAT is not what we are about here, so I hope this conversation will help you figure out how to nurture your family and yourself without getting burnt out - there is an important message for ALL caregivers in this episode!).
If you want to be part of this community, follow The Present Dads Facebook Page and visit his website www.thepresentdads.com. Baba also welcomes any of you who want to reach out and ask for resources on how to be a present father. You can DM on his Instagram @babatunjif.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

063: What We Need to Know about Dads with Ryan Roy (Feature on Fathers Series No. 2) Jun 15, 2021

How was the episode last week? If you are a dad, did it resonate with you? If you are parenting with a dad, what takeaways did you get to apply into your relationship? Let me know! I would love to hear your comments. And for this week, we will be listening to the second installment of the Feature on Fathers Series. Dads, just like Moms, are human beings with fears and uncertainty in life.

In this episode, I want you to know that you do not have to live in fear. We are here to support you and guide you every step of the way. And so to help us understand what Dads undergo and the fears that bind them, I have invited a new friend and colleague to talk about parenting as a Dad. His name is Ryan Roy. He is an accountability coach, a husband, and a father of two boys, ages nine and three. He is committed to being a better father and helps parents take action in making the changes they want in their lives.

Ryan is heavily involved with his community and has created The FBI Dads (Fathers Being Involved) Program. For fathers and those who identify as one who wants to be involved in this, visit his website www.fbidads.com and join his Facebook community, FBI Dads (Fathers Being Involved).

If you want to spend more time with your kids but you don't know how, get the "Dad's Daily 4". This is a free workbook for busy dads who have trouble finding extra time for their kiddos. DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

He is also on Instagram @fbidads and Twitter @FBI_Dads. So, go ahead and follow him!

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

062: Dad's Mental Health Matters Too! with Eli Weinstein (Feature on Fathers Series No. 1) Jun 08, 2021

So we just ended our month-long series for Motherhood and now, I want to give you another series that will focus on fatherhood & feature some amazing dads! The parenting world is filled with the voices and perspectives of mothers and while I love having space where our voices are prioritized, I also think it can contribute to the idea of the mom being the "default" parent or the one who is responsible for doing the research and learning associated with parenting. But what the research actually shows is that dads play a unique and important role in kids' lives and that kids in families with both a mom and a dad do BETTER when their dad is actively involved in the day-to-day tasks of parenting.

And for the first episode, I'm bringing in a friend and colleague, Eli Weinstein. He is a dad, a coach, and the host of The Dude Therapist Podcast which aims to give men and women alike a safe space for them to grow. He will help us learn and be aware that Dads' mental health is also important.

Follow him on Instagram @eliweinstein_lcsw and visit his website www.elivation.org. To learn more on what he does and his services, check out linktr.ee/elivation.

Don't forget to tune in to his podcast. There's a lot of good information in there about mental health and parenting. LISTEN HERE!

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

061: Live Coaching: Transitioning to Motherhood (Motherhood Series No. 4) Jun 01, 2021

We are down to the last installment of the Motherhood Series. I hope you have felt seen and held during this month. If you have some takeaways, please do share it with me by replying to this email. I would love to hear from you!
To end this series we have a live coaching call with one of my Balancing U Community members. She is a first-time mom to a baby born in August last year, and she will share with us her vulnerable journey to motherhood during a pandemic. I hope you will hold a kind and compassionate, loving space as you listen to her story. The transition to motherhood is a very tender time, and even if you made that transition years ago, I am confident that there will be peace & companionship in this episode for you. And if things resonate with you in this podcast, I hope you know that you're not alone, and that you'll reach out and let me know.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

060: Self-Kindness, Growth & Boundaries with Ida of To Every Mom (Motherhood Series No. 3) May 25, 2021

We are going to have another amazing episode this week for the Motherhood Series on The Balanced Parent Podcast! I’m so excited and if you will notice from the introduction, I had a little fangirling moment because the guest that I interviewed for this episode is a TikTok sensation whom I love and adore.
So, join me and Ida who is a single mom to a beautiful girl. She does so much amazing content on Instagram (@toeverymom) on how to be kind to yourself and how to hold healthy boundaries with others.
To get more content on this topic, subscribe to Ida's YouTube Channel To Every Mom and follow her on Tiktok @toeverymom. She also has a new children's book series coming out, so we will get to hear about that too!
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

059: Finding Your Purpose & Identity as a Parent with Ashley Lyon (Motherhood Series No. 2) May 18, 2021

For this week's episode in The Balanced Parent Podcast, we are going to talk about transitioning to parenthood and how in shifting to becoming a parent, our identity changes quite a lot. To help me with this important conversation, I brought in a friend and colleague, Ashley Lyon.

She is a DONA-certified postpartum doula, a yoga teacher, and the founder of Bloom Mama. Becoming a mom changed her life and it began her self-discovery journey. She realized that there is a major lack of resources and places of community for new moms so she used everything that she has learned to create the Bloom Mama Platform where she can help other moms who desire personal development just as much as they desire to grow as a mom.
Follow her on Instagram @ashleylyon___ and don't forget to visit her website www.bloommamadoula.com for more resources.
She also has a group program coming out on the first of June! If you want to have an energetic reset as a Mom, join here: www.bloommamadoula.com/Lit-Up-Mama
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

058: Re-Mothering Ourselves with Amelia Mora Mars (Motherhood Series No. 1) May 11, 2021

Happy (Belated) Mother's Day! To be honest, one day is not enough to celebrate our motherhood. We made a lot of sacrifices in this journey but we also made great moments with our family and kids. Some days are challenging but there are also days that are a blessing. And I am happy to see your growth. Thank you so much for trusting me to be a part of your journey.
So, for the month of May, I want to dedicate the upcoming episodes of The Balanced Parent Podcast to our motherhood. In this series, we will be focusing on re-mothering ourselves, finding our purpose and identity as a parent, and learning to be kind to ourselves. We deserved to be loved just as how we give love to our kids and family. That love must also come from within.
And so for the first episode, we are going to dive into the powerful work of reparenting and re-mothering ourselves and learning how to set healthy, respectful, compassionate boundaries. I'm so excited to have a partner in this conversation, my wonderful guest, Amelia Mora Mars, who is a mom to six daughters and four sons (Phew!), a psychotherapist and mom coach to women raised by emotionally unavailable mothers.
Follow her on Facebook and visit her website www.momconnections.com to get more resources on this work. If you want to be part of her community, join her MomConnections Re-Mothering Tribe on Facebook.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

Bonus: Live Coaching: Inner Child & Reparenting Work With a Challenging Child May 07, 2021

For this episode, I will be doing a live coaching with a member of my Balancing U Community. One of the perks of being a member of this community is that members will have an opportunity to come on the podcast where they share their experiences and get free coaching with me! If you are interested in joining us and getting access to the other benefits (like weekly Office Hours!), just send me an email at laura@laurafroyen.com and I'll get you the details!

In this Live Coaching episode, I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful mom of three kids. It is my hope that by being able to listen in to our discussion as we work through some triggers she has with her 3-year old, you will see what the Inner Work of Conscious Parenting can look like in action.
If you want to learn more, follow me on Instagram @laurafroyenphd and visit my website www.laurafroyen.com.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

057: Compassion Starts With Us with Jeffrey Marsh (Inner Work Series No. 5) May 04, 2021

We are now down to the last installment of the Inner Work Series, where we dive deep into our inner self for healing and understanding. In the past few weeks, we learned to pause and untangle our triggers, meet our inner critic, become the confident leader of our internal family, and find joy through our inner child. And as we wrap up this inner work, I am giving one more episode (Actually, there is also a BONUS live coaching episode coming too! See details below.). In this episode, we are going to focus on self-compassion and self-acceptance, as these are the prerequisites to conscious parenting. And what better way to help us on these topics than bringing in a radical self-acceptance advocate and my personal hero, Jeffrey Marsh!!

Jeffrey is the first openly non-binary public figure to be interviewed on national television and was also the first non-binary author to be offered a book deal with any "Big 5" publisher. It is their lifelong mission to help individuals learn to accept themselves for who they are, and we share the belief that if we hope to accept our kids unconditionally, we MUST start with ourselves. Interviewing Jeffrey was a dream come true, and I can't wait for you to hear it!

For more resources, visit www.jeffreymarsh.com, follow them on Instagram @thejeffreymarsh, and hear him speak on TEDTalk!
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

056: Finding Joy through Your Inner Child With Kelly Rollins (Inner Work Series No. 4) Apr 27, 2021

A significant part of this inner work is reconnecting with our inner child. And while this may mean meeting their needs for comfort and safety, they also need connection, fun, and play. If you've been feeling like you don't know how to have fun anymore, let the little one inside you show you how! Our Inner Child is the BEST person to guide us to that joy!

And so for this episode, I'm bringing in Kelly Rollins, a beautiful mom, and wife who rediscovered fun, play, & joy in parenting by getting back in touch with her inner child. She is a crochet designer and has been crocheting for over 15 years to bring people's inner child to life for them to love and find joy in life again. Hear her story, her struggles as a mom, and what made her decide to make crocheted dolls as a part of her life's purpose of helping people reclaim their inner child.
See more of Kelly Rollins and her beautiful creations on Instagram @innerchilddolls. Join her community on Facebook and visit her website www.innerchilddolls.com (you can find the steps to take here for you to get your own inner child doll!).
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

055: Becoming the Confident Leader of Your Internal Family with Gabriela Blanco (Inner Work Series No. 3) Apr 20, 2021

How are you? I hope everything is going well with you. I know, as we do this Inner Work, we will be uncovering unpleasant feelings and memories from the past. But I do hope that YOU will not give up. I am here for you and we are all in this together. You don't have to go this alone, even within your own heart. You see, we all have multiple sides to ourselves, little sub-personalities that are all vying for attention and for the chance to "run the show". And they are all waiting for YOU, the real you, to step up and lead them with confidence. So, for this week, we will be meeting the different parts of ourselves so that we can become the confident leader of our internal family.

I'm so excited to bring in a guest expert on this topic. She's Gabriela Blanco who is a conscious parenting coach who works with parents who are intentionally healing as they parent. She provides tools and strategies to support them in leading their internal families so that they can show up better for themselves and their external families. Now, in this episode, we are going to talk about a mode of therapy that will help us understand what is going on inside ourselves, how we can do internal healing work that we need to show up as conscious, and whole parents for our kids.
Follow Gabriela on Instagram to get regular prompts about IFS and the internal healing process. Her Instagram handle is @healingparents. Check her website www.gabrielablanco.net as well. It contains a lot of resources for doing this internal work.

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

054: Meeting Your Inner Critic with Compassion with Xavier Dagba (Inner Work Series No. 2) Apr 13, 2021

I hope you liked the first episode of the Inner Work Series and learned a lot from it. Now, for the second episode, we will be digging into our Inner Critic so that we can heal our past traumas and wounds. I know this work might be uncomfortable for you. And so, some of you wanted to shut down your Inner Critic. But we have to face our fears so that we can finally move forward.

For this episode, Xavier Dagba will be helping us in meeting our Inner Critic. He is a transformational life coach committed to bridging trauma and inner child work so that people can free themselves from the wounds that bound them.
If you wish to DIVE EVEN DEEPER into taming your inner critic, then I would love to invite you to a workshop that Xavier is holding later this week (Thursday the 15th!) on exactly that. To register for the (free) workshop, just CLICK HERE!
Don't forget to have the Companion Journal (it's FREE!) with you as you navigate through this work. DOWNLOAD IT HERE!
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

053: Getting the Pause through Inner Child Work w/ Trish Philips of The Doodle Doc (Inner Work Series No. 1) Apr 06, 2021

I'm so excited for the month of April because we will be digging into our inner work of conscious parenting series. So for the next four weeks, I'm going to bring in some experts in the field to help us with important concepts.
For the first episode of the series, Dr. Trish Phillips of The Doodle Doc will be joining us. She is a coach who helps people reconnect with their inner child through doodles (check out her Instagram @thedoodledoc!).
If you wish to know more about The Doodle Doc and how to become a loving Inner Parent, visit their website www.thedoodledoc.com.

Want to take this inner work to the next level?

This month of content is practically a course in and of its self! I've worked really hard to bring together these amazing experts and resources and I really want you to get the most out of them, so I put together a companion workbook for you to use as you listen and process these episodes. It's completely free and is a great example of the resources my BalancingU members get in my membership.
GET IT HERE!
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

052: Discussing Differences with Danny Jordan of The Capables Mar 30, 2021

As I'm sure you're aware, kids are SUPER good at noticing differences! They are primed to be noticing them, it's part of normal child development, which can be kinda... uncomfortable for us parents who have been kind of conditioned to downplay differences ("shh! That's not polite!") rather than celebrate them. Differences can refer to race, gender, class, development, disability, and other forms.

However our children are natural curious beings and at times, they will point out the differences they see. I know questions such as "Mom, why is his skin color like that? Dad why is her arm shorter than the other?", can make us feel uncomfortable. And so, I want to help you address those queries by bringing in Danny Jordan in this podcast episode.

Danny Jordan is a proud husband and dad of a beautiful daughter who was diagnosed with an upper limb difference back in 2018. He's here to share with you his story and how he became an advocate for inclusion and accurate representation of disability in media.
Let's create a world that is more loving and accepting. Tune in and don't forget to follow Danny on Instagram. You can find him @dannyjordan and @thecapables.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

051: How to Set Healthy Boundaries After Narcissism with Triptta Butkovich Mar 23, 2021

Today we are talking about narcissism. What it is, what it isn't, how to spot it, & how to recover from a relationship with a narcissist. Narcissistic people have traits such as a lack of empathy, extreme sensitivity, and manipulative behavior that could lead to an abusive relationship. So what do we do? Should we leave them and stay away? What if we can't? And if we can't, how can we set healthy boundaries with them?

This is a heavy topic, so to help me with it I've brought in an expert on this topic in my podcast and help us learn how to set healthy boundaries after narcissism. It is such an honor to introduce to you Trippta Butkovich who is an Emotional Resilience Coach. She has dedicated her life to helping people recover from narcissistic abuse as she was married to a narcissistic husband before.
Follow Trippta on Facebook and learn more about recovering from narcissistic relationships. Check out her website www.designyou.ca as well to find more resources or join her Facebook Community.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

050: Raising Kids with a Healthy Money Mindset with Chris Farrell Mar 16, 2021

As a kid, my parents did a LOT right when it came to teaching me about money, including investing small amounts for me for college and encouraging me to always save/invest part of my income (think birthday money) by "matching" it. But most of the time that all happened out of my sight and without my active involvement. So when it came time to go out on my own, I really felt woefully unprepared for managing my own finances. As a parent, I really wanted to do it differently with my own kids

And I think I'm not alone in this, right?
And so, I'm excited for you to hear Chris Farrell who is an expert in this field and is SO passionate about educating young people about money and business. Chris and his business partner launched their foundation FUNancial Freedom where they help kids set up for a successful and FUN future.
If you wish to learn more and achieve FUNancial freedom for your kids (and for yourself too!), follow Chris on his social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram (@funancial.freedom). Visit www.funancialfreedom.com and grab a copy of the free digital FUNancial Freedom Book! GET IT HERE.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

049: How Fear & Lack Blocks You from Authentic Connection & Joy with AmyJo Mattheis Mar 09, 2021

Do you ever feel that you are not enough, that you can't get all the things done, or that you can't give enough to your kids and your partner?

I sometimes feel and think this way, and I know I am not alone. As Brene Brown puts it, we all have moments of this "never enough" problem, and we becoming overwhelmed by feelings of disconnection, lack, and fear...

As you know, I am on a MISSION to help parents overcome these feelings of fear, lack, and separation. In this community, I want us to help each other heal our old wounds & find new ways of thinking, feeling, and BEING with ourselves and our loved ones so that we can live in love, abundance, and unity.

To help us achieve that, I'm bringing in a colleague who shares this mission: AmyJo Mattheis. She brings years of rich and varied professional experiences to all she does. She is a scholar and a former professor like me who now helps people live more authentic, connected lives.
If you want to learn more about AmyJo's methodology, visit her website www.pavonavigation.com.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

048: How to Get Kids to Help with Chores Mar 02, 2021

Are you having trouble getting your kids to clean up their toys?

Or are you frustrated because they resist to help you with house chores?

Well, I get asked about this A LOT from my community. As a parent, we want to teach our children to be responsible. We want them to take care of their belongings, their home, and their family. But the bigger question is, how can we get them to do this because they WANT to, because they value being a part of the family and contributing the home? That's the big, long-term goal, right? But sometimes, in our effort to just "get $h!t done" we use methods, like rewards & punishments that actually UNDERMINE those long term goals and lead to resistance and resentment. So then, what do we do??

In this episode, I want to give you the tips you need to get your kids to help with house chores (without rewards or punishment). Just so you know, in our home, we don't use rewards system or punishment to make our children do some tasks. So, how did I do it? Be sure to listen to the podcast for more details and check my IG post!
Do you want to have a roadmap for creating rhythms, routines, and rituals that keep you grounded in your values and connected as a family?

YES? Then, be sure to get my Step-by-Step Guide (if you still haven't got a copy!)
www.laurafroyen.com/rhythm
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

047: Yes Parenting With Bea Feb 23, 2021

So often in parenting, we focus so much on the "no's".
"No, you can't eat that."

"No, you can't have more screens."

"No, I don't have time for my old yoga class."
If it feels like you are "stuck in no" right now, I'm here to help you, and I've called in the Queen of "Yes" my friend and colleague Bea Marshall of "Yes Parenting".

DISCLAIMER: There's a little bit of explicit words used in this episode (just two!) but rest assured, these words are used with PURPOSE to explain a practical process to guide parents in Yes Parenting.
If you want to learn more about this approach, follow Bea on Instagram and be sure to visit her website beamarshall.podia.com where you can find more resources. Check out her course on Yes Parenting as well. See it HERE!
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

046: Parenting Differences and Triggers: How to Get to the Root Cause and On the Same Page with The Uprooted Podcast Feb 16, 2021

This month I had the privilege to be a guest on The Uprooted Podcast - where a happily married couple John and Christine, navigate their way through life and parenting in between. In the episode, I answered some questions of theirs that I am confident you will relate to as well, so I wanted to share the episode with you here on The Balanced Parent. We covered a lot of ground, but it all really centered around differences in parenting style and getting to the ROOT of why it can be so hard to stay patient & calm.
If you wish to learn more about how to create rhythms and routines to bring more connection and joy to your daily life, download my Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Rhythms, Routines, and Rituals Workbook (it's free!)
GET THE FREE WORKBOOK HERE: laurafroyen.com/rhythm
And if you are ready to start parenting as a team, I just have the right tool for you.
DOWNLOAD IT HERE: laurafroyen.com/partners
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

Bonus Episode: Building a Resilient Couple Relationship Feb 12, 2021

Happy Valentine's Day!

So... I kinda don't love Valentine's Day... There, I said it! And I don't think I'm alone in that, right? One of the reasons is that I really don't like the idea that ONE DAY is enough to measure the success of a relationship, or enough to nurture a relationship. If we are partnered with a person, we need regular check ins and nourishment for that relationship, not just one day! So, with that said, here is an episode for how to consistently show up for your relationship (not your partner, but the relationship you have with them), in a way that is sustainable and supports the building of a resilient relationship that can weather any storm.

With this bonus episode, I want to give you Five Tips To Build a Resilient Relationship with your partner that you can put into place today! Now, these tips will also be helpful not just to your relationship with your husband or wife, but these tips will help nourish ANY close relationship you have (so don't miss out on this episode!)
And if you want to bring more connection, ease, and joy into your relationship, try out my relationship building game! It's fun, simple and can help you reconnect and feel more loved, (and it doesn't cost a thing!).
GET IT HERE: www.laurafroyen.com/random-acts-of-connection
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

045: How to Foster A Secure Attachment with Paula Sacks Feb 09, 2021

This week we are going to geek out on Attachment Theory! Attachment is an emotional bond that forms in early childhood and if this is not met, our child develops attachment disturbances growing up. These disturbances make it difficult for them to have secure relationships. May it be in school with their peers, their families, and in their work as adults. (We will also spend a bit of time discussing how Attachment Theory and Attachment Parenting are different- they aren't related AT ALL!)

I know for many of us that one of our deepest wishes for our children is that we form a lasting, healthy connection, a secure attachment with them. That is why I'm bringing in my new friend and colleague, Paula Sacks. She's a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Attachment Specialist. She's also the author of a beautiful book called "Love Rays". With her expertise, we are going to dig deep into how to foster a healthy attachment, while also giving ourselves permission to be wonderfully imperfect!
We are also doing our first ever BOOK GIVEAWAY for this episode. So, one lucky listener will get a chance to win BOTH of Paula's books! See my IG for information!

For more resources, you can visit her websites www.paulasacks.com and www.paulasackslicsw.com. To learn more about attachment and get the help you need, you can find courses here TheAttachmentProject.com

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

044: Cultivating Curiosity and Wonder with Margie Tours Feb 02, 2021

This weekend my daughters had the chance to sit down with an actual Astrophysicist and ask her their big questions about the universe. Guess what most of the answers to the burning questions my daughters had (like what was there before the "big bang"? and how could there be NOTHING??") were: We don't know, and we will likely never know.

Talk about an invitation to get comfortable in a place of "not knowing" right??

And with the current state of the world, with so many of us serving not just as parents but also teachers, I wanted to support you in that! So, I brought in my friend and fellow "Wonder Enthusiast" (yes, that's a thing, I promise!) Margie Tours who is a Biologist, a Mom, and an Educator. She's passionate about making science simple and cultivating curiosity and enjoy a sense of wonder of the world around us without always getting the "right" answer.
To learn more, join her Facebook Group: Simple everyday science for parents of curious kids where you can find tools and tips on how to make science simple and fun (and discover basic science concepts through curiosity!)
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

043: Make Play Your Parenting Superpower! Jan 26, 2021

As we enter the last stretch of our month-long focus on play, I wanted to leave you with some super practical, easy to put into action tips for how to take your play with your child to the next level.

We just had a tough year because of the pandemic and this is still a stressful time. We've been dealing with a lot of changes and kids CAN have a tough time processing these things too. And if you are noticing changes in their play, I want you to know that you don't have to worry.

Play is children's language. It's their natural way that they communicate. It's the way that they process and it's the way that they learn best.

These behaviors that you're noticing are their means to communicate and cope with the stresses. And so in this episode, we will be talking about play and how it is important for your kids and their healing process.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

Bonus: 5 Tips for Fulfilling Child-Led Play Jan 21, 2021

These days will be completely dedicated for you to take intentional and decisive actions to achieve a fulfilling child-led play.

Play is important. If there is one thing you take away from this month we've dedicated to playing, it's that play MATTERS, to children, adults, & relationships. It's one of the powerful ways for our children to express themselves. And so, in this episode, I will be helping you learn what exactly child-led play is, why it's so important & how to let your child be the "director" in their play.

In this episode, I will be giving you tips to achieve this goal.
I challenge you to do these tips and if you do, let me know how it went for you. Share your answers with me. Shoot me a message on Instagram @laurafroyenphd.

042: Preparing the Environment for Independent Play with Haley of Sweet Home Montessori Jan 19, 2021

For the past few weeks, we have been slowing things down, observing our own reactions to play, and reflecting on how we feel about it. Now, we are getting ready to move into the ACTION phase! I know this episode will be packed with helpful mindset shifts and actionable tips to get deeper, more immersive independent play from your children

And so, I am happy to have my new friend join me for today's podcast. Haley from Sweet Home Montessori is a beautiful mom of a 2-year-old with a degree in Early Care Education and a certificate in Early Childhood Development. She has also a Diploma in Montessori Early Childhood (3-6 years) working on helping families get the tools and guidance for their child's development.

Haley will give us tips on how to prepare the environment for independent play.
Follow her on Instagram and visit her website www.sweethomemontessori.com to get more tools and resources. It's also a place to find workshops and consultations on Positive Discipline and Respectful Parenting.
And if you are looking to find more balance in your lives and in your parenting, join my Balanced Parenting Facebook Community and follow me on Instagram.

041: How to Actually Have Fun as a Parent wtih Ange Jan 12, 2021

In the previous episode, you have learned about the importance of independent play. But do you still hear your child say: "Mom, Dad, play with me!" multiple times that it felt like IT IS AN OBLIGATION to do so? And when you do play with them, it drains the life out of you?

Well, I want to help you be free from this pressure and teach you how to have more fun and bring playfulness into your homes.

So for this episode, we have an awesome guest (and one of my favorite Instagram accounts 😍), Ange, The Singing Parent Coach! She has a background in Performing Arts and has performed all throughout her college days. She brought music into every aspect of her life and ever since she became a mother of two wonderful kids, Ange decided to bring her musicality into parenting.
Make sure to follow her on her social media handles where she shares more tips on how to have fun raising your kids. She's on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. And if you have Tiktok, check her account as well @angedallesandro.
Join me with my 30-Day Play Challenge as well. We are already halfway through it but you can still join!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Join my Balanced Parenting Facebook Community and follow me on Instagram. The challenge takes place there so don't miss out!
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

040: Supporting Independent Play with Lizzie of the Workspace for Children Jan 05, 2021

Happy New Year!

The year 2020 gave us a lot of worries and fear but I hope you were able to welcome 2021 with positivity. And I wish that you and your family will have the peace and healing that you need from all that you have experienced in the past year.
As we welcome the new year, I want to help YOU become more balanced, centered, and deeply connected to those you love. And when it comes to kids, the way to their hearts is through play, which is why we will be focusing on PLAY for the month of January.

We start off our month of conversations dedicated to play by exploring how we can bring more independent play into our homes. I'm so excited to have one of the leading experts on play to join me for this conversation: Lizzie of the Workspace for Children is a mom of three creative kids (ages 6, 9, and 11). She has a Masters degree in Education and supports parents all over the world through her blog and Instagram account in the areas of play, art, & conscious parenting
If you want to learn more, follow Lizzie on her Instagram and www.workspaceforchildren.com where you will find creative resources for supporting your child's play.

Join my Balanced Parenting Facebook Community and follow me on Instagram.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

039: Deepening Learning & Connection with The Reggio Approach with Toni Herbert Dec 29, 2020

Early child developmental theorists used to believe that children are blank slates and it is our job as parents to "fill them in". Luckily the field has moved on from this and modern research has demonstrated repeatedly how untrue this really is. Children are curious beings who love to explore and discover new things. And thus, they are capable of initiating & directing their own learning process. And we can play an active role in this process by giving them the right activities and materials to activate their curiosity...
In this episode, we are going to learn about one model of early childhood education, Reggio Emilia, where children are viewed as individuals who have the potential to learn on their own. I'm bringing in Toni Herbert, who is a Reggio-inspired Early Years Specialist, to guide us in learning to apply the Reggio approach to our everyday interactions with our kids.
You can learn more about this learning approach through www.thereggioparent.com. Follow Toni on her social media as well. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

038: Live Coaching: Healing Old Wounds for Healthier Relationships in the Present Dec 22, 2020

In my Balancing U Membership Community Facebook Group, members are able to join me on the podcast for free Live Coaching. And so, for this week’s podcast, we will be having a live coaching call with one of the members. This member, who is a beautiful mom, bravely took this opportunity to take action towards bettering herself and her parenting for her good and for her family.

There’s going to be a lot of inner child and attachment theory sprinkled throughout this episode but I think it’s going to be really helpful to you, especially if the holidays leave you feeling a bit tender or confused about your triggers & family of origin relationships. If there are old narratives, old stories, and default ways of responding that you’re having a hard time letting go of, then join me as I guide this mom in healing herself.
Also, at the end of the episode, I announce enrollment in my annual 30 Days of Play Challenge! It happens just once a year, so don't miss out! www.laurafroyen.com/playchallenge
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

037: How to Handle Bedwetting, Accidents, & Potty Learning with Dr. Steve Hodges Dec 15, 2020

I have been receiving a lot of questions from parents lately telling me that no matter what they do, they just can’t get their child to stop wetting their bed and/or having accidents, and the pandemic seems to only have made things worse. Have you been there too?

Well, I just got the answers for you... are you ready for what we are affectionately calling "The Poop Episode"?? (I swear, I haven't talked this much about poop since my kids were newborns and poop was an integral part of the daily conversation...)

And so, for this episode, I am so thrilled to have Dr. Hodges who is an associate professor of pediatric urology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. According to Dr. Steve Hodges, bedwetting is not caused by deep sleep, hormonal imbalance, or underdeveloped bladder. The underlying cause is constipation of all things!
You can contact Dr. Steve Hodges for your bedwetting and potty training concerns through their website www.bedwettingandaccidents.com. There are so many resources for you to use. One of which is the M.O.P Anthology Books to learn the methods that actually work to stop bedwetting and how to potty train.

You can also check them out on Facebook.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

036: Trusting Children, Digging Under Behavior, & Getting the Pause with Mr. Chazz Dec 08, 2020

You know that moment where you realize you haven't heard your kids for a few minutes; where your house is suddenly suspiciously quiet?? And then you go and look for them and find them happily engaged in... redecorating your walls with markers, squeezing all the toothpaste out on the counter, climbing a bookcase (😱) or, (as happened once in my house) spreading shea butter all over themselves and the floor of their room.

Yup. It happens here too!
And in those moments it can be pretty hard to stay calm and not get lost in the flood of thoughts we have about our kids and ourselves, right? That's why it's critical that we as parents learn to pause, TRUST our kids that they aren't bad or naughty and seek to understand what's going on for our kids in those moments, that they have developmental drives and needs, and figure out how to help them meet those needs in ways that are also within our boundaries.

So, how can you learn to trust your children?
In this episode, I invited my dear colleague the super fun Mr. Chazz, Mr. Chazz to help us in digging under our children's behavior and learning to understand and trust them. He is a teacher, a mentor, and a motivational speaker.
If you wish to learn more from Mr. Chazz he is offering 1-on-1 coaching at $20/month. Wow! You can find that on www.patreon.com/misterchazz
Follow Mr. Chazz on Instagram and Facebook as well. And check out his podcast (I'll be a guest soon!) "Mr. Chazz's Leadership and Parenting Podcast".
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

035: Helping Children Get the Sleep They Need During Stressful Times with Paula Morales Dec 01, 2020

Tell me, does this sound familiar?

You are getting your little one ready for bed but suddenly they burst into tears or explode into a tantrum. You are already tired from a long day and really just need bedtime to happen so that you can finally get a chance to relax, to turn off. But no matter what you do to try soothing your child and get them to sleep, it just won't work and you feel stuck. They are resisting sleep and you are resisting their resistance, yes?

I know from experience how hard this can be, which is why I called in my dear friend and colleague Paula Morales who is a sleep expert and a fellow conscious parenting nerd. She is an early childhood educator turned mom and sleep coach. She will be guiding us in understanding that it is not our job to force our children to sleep, but rather it is our job to provide the environment that allows sleep to happen.

If you need more support with sleep, I highly recommend consulting with Paula! She has amazing, affordable options and offers tons of free support on her Instagram page. Check Paula's website www.newparadigmmotherhood.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

034: Raising Sensitive, Strong Willed, or Spirited Children: How Occupational Therapy Can Help with Candice Curtis Nov 24, 2020

Do you ever experience having your child sit on your face? Or your child keeps on chewing that toy? Or who likes to spin in circles and to move constantly?

I do and I know parenting with sensitive, strong-willed, or spirited children can be tough. This can be a cause of stress and anxiety for us.

For this episode, we are going to discuss a topic that you may find a little bit technical. But, I know for sure can help you understand your child's behavior. And so, I am super excited to be joined with Candice Curtis who is an Occupational Therapist and a Sensory Integration Specialist. She's a beautiful mom of two amazing boys. Her mission is to help parents with children who have sensory processing and executive functioning difficulties. It is her passion to give these parents the right tools to help their kids with sensory needs so that they can enjoy life as a family.
If you want to learn more about this topic, follow Candice on her website www.integratefamily.com as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

Listen to her podcast as well The Autism and Sensory Parenting Podcast! You'll love it.

Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

Bonus: Inviting Peace In Times of Stress Nov 20, 2020

The holiday season is a time for gift-giving, parties, and fun-filled activities that are meant to bring us feelings of happiness and love. But it can also be a stressful time for us (especially parents!) and a time when we often feel a lot of pressure to BE a certain way and to have it GO a certain way, and this can lead us to unconsciously slip away from our true intentions and goals for our family.

In this little mini-episode, I would like to share with you some really practical tips for how to go about inviting peace and calm in the stressful moments in your life. Now, this holiday season will have its unique stressors, especially with everything going on in the world right now. And this gives us even more reason to be intentional and mindful of the emotional environment that we are cultivating in our homes and within us.
For more notes on how to have a safe, healthy, and intentional holidays in a pandemic, listen to episode 32 of The Balanced Parent Podcast.

Also, be sure to CHECK OUT MY BIRTHDAY SALE! Each year I offer a discount on my services and programs during the "Black Friday" period. My Birthday Sale starts NOW (November 20th) and goes through Cyber Monday (Nov. 30th). This year I'm turning 37, so I'm giving you all 37% off of all of my courses! So, go check out the options, and be sure to use the coupon code "BIRTHDAY" at check out to get the discount.
I also have FIVE "birthday sessions" available this year. Birthday sessions are 37 minutes of coaching for 37 bucks! Now usually, I have more of these available, but with the pandemic and my parenting load, I'm just not able to offer more. So these are first-come, first-serve, and when they are gone they are gone! Normally 1:1 coaching is only available to folks who are in my BalancingU Membership, so if you've been wanting 1:1 support and you aren't already in BalancingU, this is one of the only ways to get on my schedule! So don't wait on this one! (If you want in on the membership, that's on sale right now too! Yay!)

If you have questions about the Birthday Sale, don't hesitate to reach out! I always love hearing from you!
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

033: How to Help Your Partner When They are Triggered Nov 17, 2020

Tell me if this has happened to you:

You're with your family and the kids start squabbling or acting out and you can see your partner's blood start to boil. You can tell they are getting triggered and that their thoughts are going down a path that will lead them to start parenting outside of your goals and values...

Have you been there?

Me too! And it can be so hard to know what to do in the moment when you aren't the one who is triggered! On the one hand, you feel pulled to step in, to help out and take over from your partner... But on the other hand, you don't want to undermine them in front of the kids, right?
In this episode, I will be pulling back the curtain a bit and sharing with you (with my husband's permission!) an experience where he was triggered over some jealousy between our kids over a piece of cake and how we handled it respectfully, AS A TEAM, without anyone feeling undermined.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

032: How to Have Safe, Healthy, & Intentional Holidays w/ Dear Pandemic Nov 10, 2020

As you pack away your Halloween decorations and begin looking toward the start of the holiday season if you're anything like me you're already feeling the worry and overwhelm starting to bubble up. The holiday season during ANY year can be stressful for families, especially moms who carry so much of that load.

But this year is a whole other story.

This year we have a pandemic to worry about...

In this episode, I am honored to have two of the "nerdy girls" behind Dear Pandemic join me in discussing how to be intentional and SAFE while we celebrate this holiday season. Dear Pandemic's mission is to educate and empower individuals to successfully navigate the COVID -19 overwhelm. They provide credibly, curated, and timely information about the pandemic. I was so excited to sit down with them (over zoom!) to discuss how to have a safe AND wonderful holiday season

Keep yourself updated with COVID-19 and visit their website dearpandemic.org. Tune in to their Dear Pandemic Podcast as well and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

031: How Releasing Control Can Help Fully Step Into Your Power as a Parent with Hannah & Kelty of Upbringing Nov 03, 2020

As we evaluate our parenting, we realize that what we do is reminiscent of how our parents raised us. And this traditional way of raising our kids, lead us to control, yell, isolate, and punish our kids when they resist or when they feel big emotions. If we continue this path, our kids will eventually pick up what we teach them and bring this with them into adulthood.
In this episode, we are going to further learn how releasing control can help you fully step into your power as parents and how this can help our children grow more fully into the amazing human beings they already are.
Join me as I sit down with two wonderful women of the Upbringing, Hannah and Kelty. They are twins, moms raising their kids and themselves together, and certified coaches of parents for sanity and social change movement. Their general goal is for parents to grow along with their children specifically elevating their discipline practices one conversation at a time. And that's exactly what we do in this conversation!
If you want to know more, download Hannah and Kelty's resources through their website www.Upbringing.co
Check them out as on Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest!
Did you lose control and yell at your kids? Get crystal clear on how to change your thoughts and feelings so that you can RESPOND to your child instead of reacting unconsciously from old scripts. Here’s a workbook that will help you stay calm in the future. GET IT HERE.
Find show notes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

030: Balancing the Emotional Needs of Children in Different Ages and Stages Oct 27, 2020

If you're parenting children of different ages, I could imagine how difficult it must have been for you to balance each of their needs. Each age brings its own challenges, so how do we support everyone in a way that is developmentally appropriate for each individual kid?

How do you balance your children's emotional needs at various stages of life? How do you help each of your children with their big feelings, without leaving anyone feeling left out or left behind?

In this week's podcast episode, I am doing something new and I am really excited to welcome two wonderful beautiful conscious parents Nikki and Brian on to the podcast for a live coaching session. I teach them strategies for helping kids with their feelings at ANY age, and I know this will be so helpful for them!
You can also help them build their self-regulation through fun games they will love. DOWNLOAD THE GAME HERE.

For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

Bonus: Balanced Approach to Halloween Candy Oct 26, 2020

Even though Halloween in the time of Coronavirus is looking like it will be a little different, one thing that will be the same is the increased access to candy and sweet treats our kids have this time of year. If you've ever wondered how to take a balanced, healthy, and evidence- based approach to halloween candy (and treats year round!) then this episode is for you!
So, how can our kids have a healthy and safe (but fun!) Halloween?
While I know how important it is to you that your kids have a healthy diet for their growing minds and bodies, we also want them to have a healthy RELATIONSHIP with food too, right? That's why it is important to have a balanced approach towards candies and sweet treats.

In this episode, we're having a replay of a classic and much loved Halloween Candy episode. I'll be sharing with you how my family handles sweets, how we moved from a family with kids who were preoccupied with sweets to where kids feel really relaxed and easy-going around sweets and are able to listen to their bodies.

If you want to learn more about how to have a healthy and safe Halloween, follow Dear Pandemic on Facebook.
Here is a free printable sign for a safe Halloween from them: https://dearpandemic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/lawn_sign_2.pdf

For more info on how we as ADULTS can have a healthier relationship with halloween candy, check out the awesome info from the Balance365 Life podcast: https://www.balance365life.com/episode139/
Find shownotes for this episode here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

029: The "No Rules" Approach to Parenting with Dr. Jacob Kashiwagi Oct 20, 2020

Growing up you were likely told by your parents what to do, how to do things, how to behave, etc. And because of how you were brought up, you bring with you these learned values in parenting your children. And even though you are working toward embracing more relationship-focused, respectful approaches, you likely still have the tendency to control your kids' lives (I know I do!)...

But what if you grew up in a house with no rules?
In this new podcast episode, I am joined by Dr. Jacob Kashiwagi who is an author of the No-Influence Leadership Theory. He believes that letting go of control, stepping back, and giving your kids the freedom to experiment on what they like to do and what they're capable of, will make them more confident and more responsible.
Connect with Dr. Jacob Kashiwagi on LinkedIn to know more about his work and check out his books HERE. You can download a free preview copy of his book “Understanding Teenagers and Encouraging Their Success” and other books of your choice.
If you are looking to find more balance in your lives and in your parenting, join me in conversations with my free Facebook Group: Balanced Parenting Community. See you there!
For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

028: How to Be Intentional in Dividing Parenting Roles with Stacy Spensley Oct 13, 2020

I know that as you transition from being a couple to becoming new parents is overwhelming. Your SLEEP DEPRIVED, EXHAUSTED, AND ISOLATED. And it's even more challenging when you and your partner have misunderstandings about your roles as parents.
In this episode, my guest Stacy Spensley and I will be talking how to be intentional in dividing your parenting roles for you not to feel overwhelmed and isolated.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE TRUE PARTNERS IN PARENTING?

Do you believe you and your partner need to be a "united front" for this parenting thing to work, but you don't know how to get there? I AM HERE TO HELP YOU GET CLEAR, CONNECTED, AND ALIGNED WITH YOUR PARTNER.
LEARN MORE HERE!

For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

027: How to Truly Feel your Feelings to Access Healing, Resilience, and True Happiness with Dr. Jen Riday Oct 06, 2020

You know, a lot of us FEEL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE when big feelings come up. Feelings such as FEAR, ANXIETY, SADNESS, FRUSTRATION, and any other negative emotions can easily make us freak out and panic. They are uncomfortable and trigger unwanted thoughts such as "I can't handle this" or "this is horrible, I need to push it down" linger on our minds which makes us even more anxious. And the more you try to numb your negative feelings, the more it backfires. It's this vicious cycle.
Dr. Jen Riday who is a mom of 6 with a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies and host of the Vibrant Happy Women Podcast and she gives you ALL THE TOOLS to help you regulate those emotions and move from panic and despair to vibrancy & joy.

So, in this episode, I am thrilled to have discussed with her these tools that you can add to your toolbox and access HEALING, RESILIENCE, AND TRUE HAPPINESS.

Soothe yourself when you are triggered so you can parent consciously and intentionally. Practice SELF COMPASSION MEDITATION BY DOWNLOADING THIS AUDIO.
For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

026: How to Use Mindfulness in Your Parenting with Megan Harris Sep 29, 2020

You know, just like us parents, our kids have big feelings when they are stressed. Just like us they feel overwhelmed, angry, sad; the full range of human emotions. But unlike us, their brains aren't fully developed and they have less experience regulating those emotions, which leads to big displays of feelings, like tantrums and meltdowns that can leave parents feeling confused and overwhelmed.
So, the question is, how can we help our kids learn more about their feelings and how to regulate them, while at the same time regulating ourselves?
In this episode, I am excited to discuss MINDFULNESS IN YOUR PARENTING with Megan Harris. She's a wonderful mom who aims to empower us to parent through thoughtful instruction, natural consequences, and emotional connection.
My freebie Build Self-Regulation through Play can help your kids self-regulate their emotions through fun activities they will love! DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

025: After A Fight - How to Reconnect and Repair Sep 22, 2020

We've all been there. What starts out as a simple disagreement gets away from us. We get angry or triggered, we say things we don't mean. And now we feel misunderstood and disconnected. It's so hard in that moment to know what to do to bridge that gap, to make up, to reconnect. But it is SO IMPORTANT that you do.
So in this episode, join me as I share the strategies to repair and reconnect with your partner after you've had a fight.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE TRUE PARTNERS IN PARENTING?

Do you still find yourself having the same disagreements over and over, without actually resolving anything? Let me help you GAIN CLARITY, UNDERSTANDING, AND START COMMUNICATING with your partner through my course PARTNERS IN PARENTING.

LEARN MORE HERE!

The course starts on October 1st, and since this is the first time I've offered the course you can get in now at a great price.

For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

024: Liberated Living - Decolonizing Parenting and Education Sep 15, 2020

When my guest this week on the podcast, Chemay Morales-James, who is a social liberation education activist, became a parent and looked the educational resources available to her family, she didn't see her child in any of the materials. She wanted them to grow up seeing themselves and knowing that their histories, perspectives, and futures matter. Out of this, My Reflection Matters was born. She writes more about why we should really think hard about going back to schooling as usual, when we can choose freedom instead here, and she raises a lot of great points.
In this episode, join us as we discuss decolonizing parenting and education and what it takes to raise a truly liberated child.
More info here: https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/
For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

023: The Path to Dynamic Joy with Dr. Lynyetta Willis Sep 08, 2020

In this episode, join me as I sit down with Dr. Lynyetta Willis, a psychologist, and a family coach. We will talk about how you can bring harmony and joy to your family, parenting, and relationships. Ultimately, preventing yourself from falling into a pit of stable misery.

To get a copy of the Release Stable Misery Roadmap workbook, download it here:

www.healingstablemisery.com

Follow her on her website and social media accounts:

Website: www.drlwillis.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/drlwillis

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DrLWillis
For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

Bonus: After School Meltdowns Sep 04, 2020

Back to school is ALWAYS hard on kids and parents. The transitions, change, new expectations, all make this time taxing on little one's growing brains and bodies. And you can expect this to be even more intense this year. I'm hearing from parents from all over the world, in all different learning settings, that this time is really challenging.
I'm here to help! In this "Back to School" Edition of the podcast we will explore WHY after school meltdowns happen and HOW to help our kiddos (and ourselves).
Don't forget to share the show on Instagram and tag me @laurafroyenphd!
For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

022: Understanding How Technology Affects the Brain Sep 01, 2020

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Shimi Kang, who is an award-winning, Harvard-trained doctor, and author of the book The Tech Solution. With the changes brought by the pandemic, we revert to the use of technology to fill in our daily normal routine. This mindless use of technology can lead to health consequences. So, Dr. Kang will share with us how technology affects the brain and the ways on how to manage our children’s tech consumption.

You can find all of her website and social media here:

Website:

https://www.drshimikang.com/

Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/drshimikang/

https://www.facebook.com/drshimikang

https://twitter.com/drshimikang
For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

021: Why the Pandemic is so Hard on Kids in the 3-5 Range, and How to Help Them Aug 25, 2020

The pandemic had brought so many changes in society. It affected the way we live and how we socially interact with others. For kids in the 3-5 age range who are still developing social skills, this situation is quite discouraging for them, leading them to act out.

In this episode, I will help you understand why your children in this age range are struggling with social isolation and the tips on how you can help them.

For show notes and more episodes check out www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

020: How to Manage Parenting Differences Aug 18, 2020

Parenting is one of the topics that couples disagree and argue about most frequently. And because we don't always use the best conflict tactics this topic can become highly charged and we can create an environment of criticism, blame, and defensiveness. But as we discussed in Episode 17, differences in parenting style are inevitable. So the key here is that rather than trying to make sure we never disagree, we need to change the WAY we handle those disagreements. And that's what we cover in this episode.
I am also sharing my free Partners in Parenting workbook which you can download here:

GET THE PARTNERS IN PARENTING WORKBOOK HERE!

PLUS for a limited time you can get in on the Pre-Sale of my new course Partners in Parenting

For shownotes and more episodes checkout www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

019: Your Health Matters Aug 11, 2020

In this episode, I welcome you my new guest Alison Coombs, a personal trainer and a Pelvic Health Specialist. We discuss about how to stay balanced when you feel grounded.
You'll also learn the importance of having a community that supports you. And understand that we don’t have to get to that rock bottom in order for us to realize that our health matters.

You can find links to all of Alison’s social media accounts, websites, and upcoming workshops in the shownotes HERE!

Bonus: 10 Lessons from 10 Years of Marriage Aug 05, 2020

Did you know that marital satisfaction plummets after you have your first child and it doesn't start to recover after that child is 3 years old? In this bonus episode, I share 10 lessons from 10 years of marriage. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions!

018: How to move from Reactivity to Responsiveness Aug 04, 2020

In this episode, I sit down with Mariela Ortiz, a wellness coach for moms and their kids. We discuss the process of moving from being reactive to being responsive as a parent, what to do when you’re triggered, and some more tips on how to respond from your deeper goals and intentions for your child and for your relationship with them.

Want to find the resources mentioned in this episode? Check out the shownotes for all the links and resources we discussed! CLICK HERE!

017: Three Tips for Parenting Conflict Jul 28, 2020

Have you ever had an argument with your other half in front of your kids? Are small conflicts disturbing the peace between you and your partner? Come and join me in this episode as I discuss three tips for parenting conflict.
I am also sharing my free Partners in Parenting workbook which you can download here:

GET THE PARTNERS IN PARENTING WORKBOOK HERE!

For shownotes and more episodes checkout www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

016: Five Common Problem Solving Mistakes Jul 21, 2020

In this episode, I talk about the 5 common problem-solving mistakes parents make when confronting their kids about an unsolved problem and I also discuss 5 tips to make your problem-solving conversations more effective with your kids.
If you want more support in learning how to solve problems collaboratively I’m holding a workshop soon! You can get all the details by emailing me here: laura@laurafroyen.com
For shownotes and more episodes checkout www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

015: Setting Effective Limits in Five Simple Steps Jul 14, 2020

In this episode I walk you through the process of setting limits with compassion and respect. Its a simple process but not always easy to implement and so I give you some examples and pointers as well. If you want more support in learning how to bring this type of parenting to life in your family, please join me in my new course: Respectful Parenting 101. Learn more here!
For shownotes and more episodes checkout www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

014: Getting on the Same Page as Parents (feat. my husband Dan Lynch) Jul 07, 2020

In this episode I sat down with my amazing husband Dan to answer YOUR burning questions about getting on the same page as parents. We discussed everything from how he realized that he couldn't just parent from instinct anymore, his favorite ways to learn about parenting (Surprise! It's not from me!), how we navigate parenting mistakes and disagreements, and how he opened up to the idea of seeking out support and therapy.
We cover a lot of ground, come listen in!
Don't forget to sign up for this week's webinar HERE!
The questions that guided this episode were submitted by folks in my Balanced Parenting Community on Facebook.

Links to books/resources mentioned in the episode can be found in the shownotes here!

013: Getting to the Root Cause of Misbehavior & Helping Kids Get on a Different Path Jun 30, 2020

In this episode I sit down with my colleague and kindred spirit Marlene Spence, parent educator and child behavior strategist. We discuss how to figure out what a child's behavior is communicating to you and then how to support them in meeting your expectations. We also discuss what positive reinforcement REALLY means, and how to use it in a way that doesn't undermine your respectful parenting goals.
At the end I invite you to join my upcoming free training, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
You can find links to all of Marlene's social media accounts, websites, and upcoming workshops in the show notes HERE!

012: Five Secrets for Raising Connected and Cooperative Teens Jun 23, 2020

In this episode I sit down with my colleague Michael Arterberry who works with teens helping them make sense of their lived experiences and find their purpose. He shares his wisdom gained from his own healing experience, his experience as a father of two teens, and years of working with teens from all backgrounds. Specifically you will find tips for how to maintain connection with your child through the teen years and how to find balance between letting them have autonomy and keeping them safe.
Ready to take action? I put the main takeaways from this episode in a handy cheat sheet you can grab here:
Check out the shownotes for all of the links to his books (my copy of his journalling prompts is already on it's way!) and where to find his work.

011: Why Your Cup Never Feels Full & How to Make It Overflow! Jun 16, 2020

We hear ALL THE TIME that you can't pour from an empty cup, right??

And it's true, you must put your own oxygen mask on first and meeting your own needs for rest, grace, empathy will allow you to show up in your relationships with your partners and children with more presence, authenticity, and joy. But sometimes it feels like there is just never enough of YOU to go around.
I'm here to help with that!
Go here for the shownotes and to download this week's Balanced Bite so you can start living more abundantly!
http://www.laurafroyen.com/podcast
AND if you're ready to take your parenting to the next level, join me in Respectful Parenting 101 with discount code FATHERSDAY2020 and receive 20% off!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!

010: Finding a Balanced Approach to Homeschool in the Midst of Uncertainty Jun 09, 2020

In this episode of The Balanced Parent Jen Lumanlan of the Your Parenting Mojo podcast joins me to walk us through some of the things to consider as we make decisions about how to educate our children in the midst of the uncertainty caused by this global health crisis.
We explore what school might look like in the fall, how to let your child lead their learning, and how to stay balanced if your child does end of learning at home with you in the fall.
Links to Jen's course The Confident Homeschooler and the other resources mentioned in the episode can be found in the shownotes for this episode, which you can find: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

009: Postpartum: Go from Surviving to Thriving Jun 02, 2020

In this episode I sit down with Tilda Timmers, author of the honest and helpful book: This is Postpartum. After overcoming intense Postpartum Depression herself Tilda was inspired to go back to school, become a therapist specializing in the transition to motherhood and is here to share her wisdom on how thrive in your postpartum period anytime, but especially during a pandemic. She shares specific tools and practices AND has something to say to partners and those who care for and about parents who have recently given birth.
Check out the shownotes for where to find her book and to follow her on social media!

008: Returning to Balance When You're Overwhelmed May 26, 2020

In this episode I welcome my first guest, Anna Seewald of the Authentic Parenting Podcast. Listen in as we discuss how to manage stress and return to balance when you are overwhelmed. While we do discuss a bit about the specific circumstances of the pandemic and being at home with our families, we ALL know that overwhelm is nothing new for parents, right? So this episode has so many golden nuggets and take action tips!
Looking for the next step? Want to find the resources mentioned in this episode? Check out the shownotes for all the links and resources we discussed!

Bonus: Finding a Balanced Approach to Screen Time May 22, 2020

In this episode I share how my family approaches screen time in a way that sets children up to have a healthy, balanced relationship with screen media and technology. Plus I give tips for how to work together as a family to set technology intentions and goals, how to bring an abundance mindset vs scarcity to screen time, and how to help your kids stop asking for more screentime constantly. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions!

007: The Truth About Triggers, Trauma, and Unconditional Love May 19, 2020

In this episode we discuss the origin of our triggers, as both parents and partners: How they come to be, what they mean about us and out inner world and narrative, why they so often emerge in our most significant relationships, and how we can respond consciously to the child in front of us by healing the hurting child within us. I give you FIVE strategies that you can start putting into practice right now, this very minute, so that you can finally feel more grounded and centered in your relationships.
The information in this episode is at the very heart of balanced and conscious parenting, you won't want to miss it!
Remember to grab this week's Balanced Bite in the shownotes here: www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

Get started on the healing with a self-compassion meditation here!

006: The Power of Acceptance May 12, 2020

In this episode we explore the power that acceptance can bring to our lives. You may have heard the famous saying by Carl Jung: "What we resist, persists." but what does that mean for parents in our every day lives, or what about during times that are legitimately hard? In this episode you will learn what acceptance is, what it is NOT, and how to apply it to the pieces of your life where you are stuck in "should" and are suffering as a result.
Make sure you check out the shownotes for this week's Balanced Bite, where I share how to apply Acceptance to four common, stressful situations.
Resources mentioned in the episode appear in the shownotes.

005: How to Stay Calm as a Parent May 05, 2020

In this episode I share with you how to avoid losing your patience with your kids. I give you FIVE of my best strategies that all parents looking to be more respectful, conscious and connected in their parenting are going to want to start putting in to practice today. In fact, these practices aren't just applicable to parenting, they apply to all relationships where you are seeking to respond rather than react!
Shownotes
Join my new course Respectful Parenting 101 here:
www.laurafroyen.com/courses

004: Managing Parenting Triggers During Stressful Times May 03, 2020

In this episode of The Balanced Parent we discuss the science behind why it is so much harder to manage your triggers when you are experiencing stressful circumstances, like a global pandemic (thanks Coronavirus...), and I give you tools and tips for how to stay calm and parent from a place of compassion.
Get your copy of the Yelling Recovery Workbook here:
http://www.laurafroyen.com/yellingworkbook
Download a free Self-Compassion for Imperfect Families Meditation here:
https://www.laurafroyen.com/compassion
Other resources mentioned:
Dr. Kristen Neff's website www.self-compasssion.org

003: Setting Boundaries with Loved Ones May 03, 2020

In this episode, which was recorded live, you'll learn how to set two kinds of boundaries that are crucial to maintaining healthy, authentic relationships with the adults in your lives. Whether you have a narcissistic father, a mother-in-law that blows past every boundary you've ever set, or a friends or family that affect you in a negative way, you can set boundaries, with them and with yourself, that help you navigate these relationships with compassion and respect for everyone involved.
I would love to have you join me in my Balanced Parenting Community on Facebook where you can get support in setting these kinds of loving, authentic boundaries.
Check out the show notes here!

002: Everything You Need To Know About Balanced Parenting May 03, 2020

In this episode you are introduced to your host, Dr. Laura Froyen, and you find out some important information about the nature and structure of the show. You aren't going to want to miss this one!
We also discuss The Balanced Parenting Framework, which you can see and download here

001: What is Balanced Parenting? The Framework May 03, 2020

In this episode, I outline the Balanced Parenting Framework.
For a visual, see the show notes here:
www.laurafroyen.com/podcast

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