The Balanced Parent Podcast

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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