The Whole Parent Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Is Your Kid "Falling Behind Socially"? #71 Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

This episode is for the parent quietly watching from the sidelines, wondering if their child is falling behind socially—or if they’re the only one who seems worried about it. We step into those moments where your kid hangs back, plays alone, gravitates toward adults, or misses social cues, and we slow the whole story down. Instead of rushing to labels or fixes, this conversation reframes social “lag” as temperament, context, and skill development unfolding on its own timeline. We explore how easily our own childhood wounds sneak into our fears, how extroversion gets mistaken for health, and why opting out isn’t the same thing as being excluded. Most of all, this episode offers relief: a way to see your child more clearly, respond with curiosity instead of panic, and trust that many of the traits that worry us at six can become strengths later—if we don’t shame them out of existence first.

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If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

You’ll get access to my full course library, live coaching calls with me, practical workshops, and our 21-Day Sibling Challenge designed to help reduce the fighting and build better relationships between your kids.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

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When is it time to let your kids quit.... #70 Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Jon sits with one of the most charged moments in parenting—the car door open, practice about to start, and a child saying, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” Through personal story and real parent questions, he explores why quitting is rarely about laziness or lack of grit, but about how kids experience overwhelm, unfairness, and frustration in their bodies.

Parents will walk away with a steadier way to tell the difference between healthy discomfort and too much, language for guiding kids through hard beginnings, and permission to think in smaller units—finishing the chapter, not the whole book—as they help their children learn perseverance without sacrificing trust or connection.

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Support the show

If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
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What to do about Pretend “Guns” #69 Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Jon addresses one of the most loaded questions parents ask quietly: what does it mean when my child wants to play guns, war, or “bad guys”? Grounded in the idea that most parents aren’t reacting to the play itself, but to the meaning they’re afraid it carries, he looks beneath the behavior to what high-arousal play is actually doing in a child’s brain. All of this plus "What to actually do...."

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Support the show

If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
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The Neuroplasticity of Parenthood #68 Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

This episode is a quiet, reflective departure from Jon’s usual teaching format—part science, part story, part meditation on what parenting does to the human brain. Beginning with the migration of the Arctic tern, Jon explores how love quite literally rewires us, asking what happens when the self itself begins to migrate in service of another.

Parents will walk away with a deeper understanding of neuroplasticity, caregiving, and identity—and a tender reassurance that feeling disoriented, changed, or unlike your former self isn’t a failure of parenting, but evidence that love is doing its work.

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Support the show

If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
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My favorite guest ever #67 Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

Friday yap with the Mrs.

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If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
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Secrets, Promises, And Safe Homes #66 Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Jon tackles one of the most anxiety-provoking parenting topics: kids and secrets—and why secrecy can feel so loaded for both children and parents. Centered on the idea that the most powerful word in a child’s world isn’t rule or consequence, but promise, he explains how secrecy hooks into loyalty, safety, and attachment long before kids have the brain development to navigate those tensions.

Parents will walk away with clarity on the difference between privacy, surprises, and secrets, insight into why “just tell me” often backfires, and a calmer, more protective framework for becoming the kind of adult their child wants to tell when something really matters.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
Follow Whole Parent on
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The Labels That Teach Us Who We Are #64 Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

This episode is a departure from Jon’s usual Q&A format—a reflective, narrative-style episode that zooms out to explore how words quietly shape who our kids believe they are. Beginning with the now-famous classroom experiment by Jane Elliott, Jon traces how labels don’t just describe behavior—they produce it, often long after the moment has passed.

Parents will walk away with a deeper awareness of how subtle cues, implied expectations, and everyday language shape a child’s nervous system, identity, and sense of possibility—and a gentler, more curious lens for noticing which versions of their kids (and themselves) are being invited to exist.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
Follow Whole Parent on
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How to Ditch Power Struggles #63 Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Jon unpacks the moment every parent dreads—when a child looks at you and says, “You can’t make me.” Rather than framing it as defiance or disrespect, he explores what’s actually happening in a child’s nervous system when power struggles show up. Parents will walk away with a calmer lens, a clearer understanding of why control battles escalate, and practical ways to lead with confidence, reduce friction, and protect connection—without giving up boundaries.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
Follow Whole Parent on
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Seeker, Parenting Type Series #62 Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Find out YOUR Parenting Type CLICK HERE

In this episode, Jon introduces the Seeker parent: the caregiver driven by curiosity, depth, and a longing for what feels real and alive. Centered on the tension between freedom and responsibility, he explores how authenticity can become both a gift and a hiding place, especially when big feelings or obligations feel suffocating. Parents will walk away feeling deeply seen, with language for their restlessness, insight into how emotional intensity shows up in parenting, and reassurance that their unfinishedness is not a flaw, but a source of connection, creativity, and trust.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
Follow Whole Parent on
- Instagram,
- Tiktok,
- Facebook,...

Driver, Parenting Type Series #61 Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

Find out YOUR Parenting Type CLICK HERE'

In this episode, Jon introduces the Driver parent: the caregiver who leads with momentum, decisiveness, and an instinct to move things forward. Grounded in the belief that safety comes from action, he explores how strength can quietly turn into control when vulnerability feels risky. Parents will walk away with language for their leadership instincts, insight into how power and connection can coexist, and reassurance that slowing down doesn’t diminish their strength—it makes it usable.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If parenting has felt hard lately… you don’t have to figure it out alone.

InsideThe Parent Lab, I’ll help you understand what’s actually going on underneath your child’s behavior — and give you simple, in-the-moment tools that actually work in real life.

If you want support, tools, and a clear plan instead of just guessing your way through parenting… come join us inside The Parent Lab.

CLICK HERE to Try the Parent Lab Today

Other Links to help you and me:

Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
Follow Whole Parent on
- Instagram,
- Tiktok,
- Facebook,...

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