In today's episode I open up the conversation about an alternative way to approaching food that is widely accepted within the respectful parenting community. I whole heartedly agree that we shouldn't resort back to counting bites and control around food but I do wonder if we've gone too far. This is a particularly important episode for those with a high value on physical health or those who are on a healing journey and need their children to have variety. I address the following widely...

Sometimes we get caught up in the detail and lose sight of the depth and the destination that is needed. And this is what is happening around food. We are getting caught up on the "right" and "wrong" things to say or do in the moment but we're losing the depth that is required to arrive at the destination we all care about most. In this episode I highlight the 3 most important factors that I see as being essential in our child's long term relationship with food. This is the first...

A common recommendation is to "find the yes" with young children when you're saying no to something. This can be really powerful but can also get in the way of getting to the heart of the matter with your child's challenging behaviours, particularly their unrelenting requests. In this episode I share: - when NOT to 'find the yes' and why - what to do instead of finding the yes - when it works well to 'find the yes' Follow along at instagram : @raisinghumanskind

Society has a strong message around not allowing children to avoid hard things. And it's a good point but there is more nuance to the conversation that is needed. In today's episode I outline the difference between hardening hard versus healthy hard. Why sometimes you're prioritising not avoiding and why that's so important. And what key ingredient you need for your child to access their bravery.  For more, follow along at instagram @raisinghumanskind

This episode is all about family centred living. This is the place where we can get our needs met at the same time as our children can have their own needs met, it's not about parents or children, it's both. I share in today's episode 5 examples of family centred living and how it works in my own life. Find Rachel Rainbolt who I refer to inside this episode on instagram @sagefamily and her website sagefamily.com Follow me along over at instagram @raisinghumanskind or visit my website:...

The question I get always is: "But playfulness makes things worse with my kid! They get so hyperactive, they never want to stop!" In this episode I offer the most important mindset shift for you to consider when entering into playfulness with your child. Changing the way you think and what to expect will shift the way in which you can enjoy this incredible form of connection with your kid. Grab my FREE "Day in the Life of Gaining Cooperation":  holisticfamilypsychologist.com/cooperation

We've all had that thought - my kid can't play!! But is that true, or do they just need you to be able to hold them through the boredom and the challenge that arises in that space until they can move into their play? Today I share a real life example of moving my kids from a very hyperactive and challenging state into their self directed play. It took a long time! But I hope this shows you what is possible and how powerful play really is when it comes to moving our kids through their...

In this episode, Ashleigh has a very special guest - Her husband, Mike. Ashleigh asks him about one parenting choice that they didn't automatically agree on - PLAY. Mike wanted to play with his kids a lot, thinking that it made him the involved dad that he wanted to be. However, Ashleigh knows that self directed play is a major need in children's development and that it must be protected. This episode is all about how they navigated that difference. If you want to join me inside The...

In this episode I help you understand the children who have a tendency to avoid feeling their more vulnerable feelings. These kids have a tendency to get stuck in mad and rarely move into their more sad and disappointed feelings. I share 3 reasons WHY kids tend to avoid their feelings and I share 3 things that we can do in the moment to support them to move INTO their feelings. If you want to join me inside The K.I.N.D Collective, the membership is open this week only :...

In this episode I talk about the important NEED of immaturity and why we need to slow down and let our children be children. I share a personal example from my own family and the importance of allowing children the time to learn the skills they need to navigate social interactions with other children. I also outline what developmentally appropriate social interactions would look like for kids if we were following the developmental science and why we shouldn't judge our children for not...

In this episode I share the 7 fundamental N.E.E.Ds of early childhood. These provide the very conditions that allow a child to flourish into true maturity and into a self regulated adult. For each need I outline one practical idea that you can focus on today with your own child. These are the fundamentals that we should always be focused on however, are particularly important if our child is stuck. When a child is stuck, it will be because one aspect of one of these 7 needs is not being met...

In this episode I will share with you: - Why it's so important to understand our more sensitive children - Why sensitive children are more easily stuck than other children - What is means to be stuck and what we can do to support our stuck kids - What part parents can play in getting their stuck kid back on track - Plus, I run through a detailed example of what to do in a situation common in many households in a way that supports more sensitive children to mature into adults who can...

Today I am chatting with Bridget Wood, a thought leader on human behaviour and a mother to three young children. When it comes to raising cooperative and mature children, one of the key pieces of the puzzle is us, the parents, doing our own inner work. In this episode we chat about how children express the very things we find difficult to accept in ourselves, why creating a healthy relationship with difficult emotions is essential and what impact unconditional love has on behaviour. This is...

Today Lael Stone joins me to talk about playful parenting. She is an author, speaker, parenting educator and consultant that specialises in helping adults process their childhood trauma. She says, If you were to ask me what it is that I do, I could sum it up in a sentence; “I speak for the heart of the child.” Today we talk all about playful parenting. We discuss why it's so important, how it helps gain cooperation and we give practical examples of what playful parenting looks like for...

Kristin Mariella, a worldwide parenting educator, author and mum of three, joins me this week to discuss boundaries. She shares her most transformative mindset shift in boundary setting. We talk about the biggest mistake parents make, which almost always leads to frustration and how you can prevent this and we dive into what boundaries sound like and how to follow through on them. This is an essential piece of the puzzle in conscious discipline and you won’t want to miss this! Find the full...

This week I chat with Rachel Rainbolt, the Sage Parenting Coach, about collaboration. This is the form of communication that helps our children know how to make decisions and problem solve when we're not around, which is, after all, the ultimate goal. Head to https://holisticfamilypsychologist.com/episode/4 for the full show notes. Follow me on instagram @raisinghumanskind

This week I chat with Psychologist and mum of twins, Dr Tamara Soles. She shares with us why emotional regulation is key in understanding and addressing challenging behaviour and what this might look like around examples like bedtime and transitions. This is another piece of the puzzle in letting go of rewards and consequences and addressing discipline in a more holistic manner. Head to holisticfamilypsychologist.com/episode/3 for the full show notes. Follow me on instagram @raisinghumanskind

In this episode, I share a conversation with Tracy who is the founder of Raised Good, a natural parenting blog with millions of readers world wide. We talk about how attachment is key in gaining cooperation. We dive into what attachment actually is, how exactly it helps with cooperation and how it helps our children mature. This is one piece of the conscious discipline puzzle that I will share with you in this series, so tune in and let's get clear on what we can do INSTEAD of using rewards...

Bryana Kappadakunnel, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, joins me today to share her thoughts on the issues of rewards and consequences in parenting. We dive into the damage they do to connection, how they fail to deal with the cause of the challenging behaviour and why they discourage children to come to us with their mistakes, which in the long run is the very thing we need most! This is the first episode in the series, so tune into to get clear on why we want to get rid of these...

Welcome! Finally I am sharing what really matters in parenting in podcast format and I'm so excited! This episode is a little about who I am and what you can expect from the podcast. For more information about the services Ashleigh offers, please visit her website holisticfamilypsychologist.com.