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Parenting Like a M*ther is a refreshing and evidence-based podcast that explores the real challenges and joys of raising children in today's complex world. Each episode combines cutting-edge research with...
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Parenting Like a M*ther is a refreshing and evidence-based podcast that explores the real challenges and joys of raising children in today's complex world. Each episode combines cutting-edge research with authentic stories from diverse caregivers, offering practical strategies while validating the many ways families can thrive. Join us as we build a supportive community where all caregivers can find their confidence, embrace their unique parenting journey, and access the tools they need to nurture both their children and themselves.
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Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
Transcribed
8 JUN 2026 · Do you ever find yourself replaying conversations, worrying about your child's future, or lying awake wondering if you've missed something important?
If so, you're not alone.
In this episode of Parenting Like a Mother, I dive into the topic of parental overthinking—not from a "just stop worrying" perspective, but through the lens of psychology, neuroscience, and real-life parenting. We explore why some of the most loving parents are often the ones who overthink the most, and how our brains can mistake worry for preparation.
Drawing from both research and my own experiences parenting a child with Type 1 diabetes and a teenager navigating adolescence, I discuss the difference between healthy vigilance and anxiety-driven rumination. We unpack why overthinking feels productive, why it often isn't, and how it can quietly steal us away from the very moments we're trying so hard to protect.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why overthinking is often rooted in love, not weakness
- How the brain's negativity bias keeps us scanning for threats
- The difference between problem-solving and rumination
- Why uncertainty is one of the hardest parts of parenting
- Practical strategies to interrupt overthinking cycles
- How naming your thoughts can calm your nervous system
- The power of "worry windows" and present-moment awareness
- What attachment research tells us children actually need from us
Most importantly, we'll talk about the truth many parents need to hear: your child does not need a parent who can predict every possible problem. They need a parent who is present, connected, and willing to repair when things don't go perfectly.
If you've been carrying the weight of overthinking lately, this episode is a gentle reminder that you can care deeply about your children without carrying every possible future on your shoulders.
Because parenting isn't about certainty—it's about showing up, again and again, in the moments that matter most.
🎙️ Listen in and learn how to step off the hamster wheel of worry and reconnect with the life that's happening right in front of you.
3 APR 2026 · In this episode, I'm joined by someone I genuinely love collaborating with — Calista Powell, a pelvic floor physiotherapist at Pine Integrated Health Center here in Edmonton. And I'll be honest, before I became a psychologist and before I had kids, I would have assumed that a child having bladder or bowel accidents past a certain age was either a behavioural problem or a parenting problem. I was completely wrong — and this conversation challenged that assumption in the best way.
Because what looks like defiance or laziness is almost always something happening in the body. And there is real, effective help available.
Calista walks us through what's actually going on physiologically when kids struggle with accidents, why constipation is so much more complicated than most of us realize, and how anxiety and stress can create a cycle in the body that's really hard to break on your own. She also explains exactly what appointments with a pelvic floor physiotherapist actually look like for kids — because I know a lot of parents are nervous about that — and spoiler: it's nothing to be afraid of.
I also share some of the ways I approach this in my own psychology practice, including why I always start with a parent session alone, and why shifting our language around accidents can make a huge difference for kids.
In this episode, we talk about:
- What enuresis and encopresis actually mean — in plain language
- When parents should start seeking support (hint: it's earlier than you might think)
- Why accidents are almost never intentional or behavioural
- The surprisingly powerful connection between constipation and bladder accidents
- Why your child can be constipated even if they're going every day
- How anxiety and stress tighten the pelvic floor and make everything worse
- The dysfunctional evacuation cycle — and why we have to break every part of it
- Why laxatives alone only get you about 25% of the way there
- What pelvic floor physiotherapy with kids actually looks like (no scary exams)
- How to shift your language so kids feel supported instead of blamed
One takeaway I hope parents remember
These kids are not choosing this. There is always something more complicated going on — in their bodies, their nervous systems, or both.
Our job isn't to fix their frustration or rush the process. It's to take the blame out of the equation, get curious about what's actually happening, and get them the right support.
Because when we stop asking "why won't they just go?" and start asking "what's getting in the way?" — that's when things start to change.
Connect with Calista: Pine Integrated Health Center — Edmonton (Calgary Trail) Holistic Fertility Group — St. Albert Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifewithyourpelvicpt Virtual appointments available across Alberta
13 MAR 2026 · In this episode, I talk about something I’m really passionate about — how sports can help our kids build real resilience.
But resilience isn’t what many of us think it is. It’s not about pushing through at all costs or never falling apart. In my experience as both a child psychologist and a sports parent, resilience is actually the ability to struggle, take a break when needed, and then try again.
Right now our family is deep in gymnastics competition season and wrapping up soccer, so I share some personal stories from our own experiences this year. I talk about watching my daughter return to gymnastics after breaking her arm, and my son navigating a difficult soccer season where his team didn’t win a single game — but still grew tremendously.
I also talk about the ways I see parents (often unintentionally) getting in the way of resilience. Things like focusing too much on scores, blaming referees or judges, or trying to fix our kids’ disappointment can actually prevent them from developing the skills they need to handle hard things.
Instead, I share some of the ways we try to approach sports in our house — focusing on effort, helping our kids hold two feelings at once (proud and disappointed), and giving them space to process tough moments.
Because the goal of youth sports isn’t perfection. It’s helping our kids learn that they can handle hard things.
In this episode, I talk about:
• What resilience really is — and what it isn’t
• Why struggle and disappointment are an important part of growth
• How sports can create a safe environment for kids to experience failure
• Why I believe it’s important for kids to feel both proud and disappointed at the same time
• How we talk about winning and losing in our family
• The challenge of different commitment levels on youth sports teams
• The ways I sometimes see parents accidentally undermine resilience
• How we try to focus more on effort and growth instead of outcomes
One takeaway I hope parents remember
Resilience isn’t about raising kids who never struggle.
It’s about raising kids who learn that when things go badly, they can rest, recover, and try again.
Our job isn’t to protect our kids from the hard parts of sport — it’s to be there beside them while they figure out how to move through them.
13 FEB 2026 · In this deeply personal episode, I share what the last 15 months have been like since my youngest was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. From the initial hospitalization to daily life now, this journey has been filled with grief, growth, resilience, and a constant mental load that few people truly understand.
I talk openly about:
- The relentless mental math – carb counting, insulin dosing, and the constant calculations that run in the background of every meal, snack, outing, and school day.
- The invisible vigilance – checking glucose numbers overnight, sleeping in shifts, responding to alarms, and managing exhaustion while continuing to parent, work, and function.
- Mood and behavior changes – how high and low blood sugars directly impact emotional regulation, memory, impulse control, and attitude — and why these shifts are biological, not character flaws.
- The emotional toll on the whole family – from grief and fear to the resilience of siblings and the delicate balance of avoiding parentification.
- Social challenges – navigating stares, questions, teasing, and the growing self-awareness that comes with being a 9-year-old managing a visible medical condition.
- Control, guilt, and advocacy – learning to trust others, setting boundaries around her care, and embracing the role of being “that parent” who checks the numbers — unapologetically.
- Food and balance – avoiding rigid restriction, protecting against disordered eating, and ensuring she still gets to be a kid who enjoys birthday cake and Christmas treats.
I also share the gratitude — for supportive teachers, incredible coaches, educated grandparents, helpful technology like Loop, and a sibling who has stepped up in beautiful ways.
This episode isn’t about strategies. It’s about reality. It’s about the grief of a lifelong diagnosis, the resilience of a child, and the complicated, exhausting, love-filled work of parenting a child with type 1 diabetes.
If you’re parenting a child with T1D, you’re not alone. And if you’re not, I hope this gives you a window into what families are quietly carrying every single day.
6 FEB 2026 · In this episode, I get real about what it feels like when your mental load is maxed out—and why that doesn’t make you a failure. I share a particularly rough week where workouts were skipped, work piled up, and even simple social interactions felt impossible. Through my own experiences—like a muted podcast recording, managing a full caseload, juggling office logistics, and parenting a child with chronic health needs—I explore the sneaky ways “shoulding” exhausts us and depletes our capacity.
I dive into:
- The trap of “shoulding” – how the voice in our head that tells us what we “should” be doing can be exhausting, judgmental, and unhelpful.
- Capacity vs. character – low tolerance doesn’t mean you’re failing; it’s simply a reflection of your current capacity.
- Practical strategies to honor your needs – including identifying non-negotiables vs. negotiables, outsourcing tasks, and building intentional moments of joy and rest.
- Why self-care matters for your family – modeling awareness and honoring your own needs teaches your kids to do the same.
I also share concrete examples from my weekend reset, like a silent massage, family support in the office, and playful experiences like puppy yoga, showing how small, intentional actions can restore energy and patience.
The key takeaway: before judging yourself for low tolerance or feeling overwhelmed, pause and ask: What do I need right now? Giving yourself permission to rest and care for your own needs is not selfish—it’s essential for staying present and resilient in all areas of life.
30 JAN 2026 · In this episode, Lindsay dives into the world of intrusive thoughts in children and teens, drawing on her extensive experience treating OCD and anxiety. She explains that intrusive thoughts are sudden, unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that can be upsetting or shocking, but importantly, do not reflect a child’s desires or character. These thoughts are common in kids with OCD and anxiety and often cause guilt, shame, and fear.
Lindsay differentiates intrusive thoughts from regular anxiety, noting that anxiety typically relates to real-life situations and future concerns, whereas intrusive thoughts are ego-dystonic—they conflict with a child’s values and identity. Using relatable analogies like scary movies, pop-up ads, and junk mail, she illustrates how intrusive thoughts are essentially "brain noise" that lose power when approached calmly.
The episode offers three practical strategies for parents:
- Normalize without over-reassuring – acknowledge the thought is scary but avoid giving repeated reassurance, which reinforces it.
- Separate the child from the thought – help children externalize the thought and recognize it as random brain noise.
- Allow the thought to exist without panic – teach children to notice the thought, label it, and continue with life, reducing its power over time.
Lindsay also highlights when professional support is helpful, emphasizing the importance of therapists trained in OCD and exposure-response prevention (ERP).
The key takeaway: intrusive thoughts are normal, manageable, and do not define a child.
With calm, compassionate guidance, parents can help their children build resilience and respond to thoughts with understanding rather than fear, just like watching a scary movie multiple times until it’s no longer frightening.
23 JAN 2026 · Happy New Year! I’m back after a longer break and excited to dive into one of my favorite topics: anxiety and OCD in kids.
In this episode, we’re talking about reassurance—why kids ask the same questions over and over (“Did I pack my lunch?” “Will everything be okay?”) and why telling them “you’ll be fine” actually doesn’t help. I break down what’s happening in the brain, why reassurance can make anxiety worse, and three practical shifts parents can make:
- Validate the feeling, not the fear
- Offer confidence, not certainty
- Gently reduce repeated reassurance
If your child struggles with worry or OCD, this episode will help you understand the reassurance loop and give you tools to help them cope with uncertainty—without wearing yourself out.
10 OCT 2025 · How can parents support their child’s learning and emotional wellbeing during an unexpected school closure — and could this disruption actually be an opportunity for growth?
In this timely episode of Parenting Like a Mother, recorded on October 6, 2025, as Alberta’s 51,000 teachers began the province’s first strike since 2002, host Lindsay talks with Julie Diamond, founder of Diamond Teachers Group and a certified teacher with over 15 years of experience.
Together, they explore how parents can help children stay grounded, confident, and connected during this period of uncertainty — drawing lessons from Ontario’s previous strikes and the COVID-19 school shutdowns. This conversation focuses on what families can control: emotional support, maintaining structure, and creating meaningful learning moments at home.
You’ll learn why emotional validation must come before academics, how to support learning without pressure, and ways to reframe this disruption as a time to build confidence, independence, and curiosity.
________________________________________
In This Episode, We Discuss:
• The 2025 Alberta teachers’ strike and its impact on 730,000 students province-wide
• The emotional ripple effects for kids — from confusion to anxiety to empathy for their teachers
• Why checking in with your child’s feelings is the best first step
• How to keep routines predictable to provide a sense of safety
• Creative learning alternatives that make learning fun: Minecraft math, baking chemistry, nature walks, and board games
• How to close learning gaps and boost confidence through small wins
• Building executive functioning and a sense of accomplishment outside traditional schoolwork
• Setting realistic goals for the strike period — whether it lasts a week or a month
• Protecting social connection to prevent isolation and loneliness
• Talking with kids about advocacy and fairness in age-appropriate ways
• Balancing screen time with both educational and creative content
• Supporting your own wellbeing as a parent and focusing on what’s within your control
• When and how to reach out for extra support through tutors or community resources
________________________________________
Guest Expert
Julie Diamond is the founder of Diamond Teachers Group (formerly Teachers to Go), an online tutoring company established in 2011. She’s a certified teacher in BC and Ontario and has served on the Toronto District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee, representing students on the autism spectrum.
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Resources:
🟢 https://www.greendooryeg.ca/
🟣 https://www.instagram.com/parenting_like_a_mother
🔵 https://diamondteachersgroup.ca/
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12 SEP 2025 · How do you find yourself when you're constantly switching between parent mode and professional mode — and why "balance" might be the wrong goal entirely? Join us for this episode of Parenting Like a Mother, where we explore the unique cognitive load of being a professional and parent simultaneously. Drawing on research from UCLA's Center for Everyday Lives and Families and Harvard's Dr. Alison Daminger, we examine why parents switch contexts every 19 minutes during peak hours and how this constant role-switching creates an invisible mental load that's often undervalued. Through personal reflections on the "shrinking self" phenomenon and the modern working parent paradox, we discover why today's parents spend more time with their children than ever before yet feel more overwhelmed. This episode challenges the myth of perfect balance and introduces the concept of "good enough parenting" as a more sustainable approach. You'll learn practical micro-strategies for creating calm in your daily transitions and why giving yourself permission to be exactly where you are might be more valuable than any optimization system. Topics discussed in this episode include:
- The constant role-switching between breakfast coordinator, professional strategist, and bedtime story reader
- UCLA research showing parents switch contexts every 19 minutes during peak hours
- The four invisible processes of mental load: anticipating, identifying, deciding, and monitoring
- How becoming a parent literally rewires our brains to be more vigilant and anxious
- The "shrinking self" phenomenon and disappearing personal moments
- Why working parents today spend 4.5 more hours per week with children than parents in 1975
- The "good parent trap" and pressure to optimize every aspect of children's experiences
- Dr. Jody Carrington's insight that "balance is bullshit"
- The difference between emotional availability and processing every emotion
- Creating micro-moments of calm through transition breaths and sacred spaces
- Reframing life as seasons rather than seeking perfect balance
- The physiological sigh technique from Dr. Huberman for nervous system regulation
- Energy audits and sustainable presence over perfectionism
- Why "good enough parenting" (responsive, consistent, resilient modeling) is actually ideal
Green Door Clinic: https://www.greendooryeg.ca
Parenting Like a Mother on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parenting_like_a_mother
22 AUG 2025 · Join us as we dive into the fascinating neuroscience behind why every child—regardless of temperament or previous experience—needs extra time and support to adjust to returning to school. We explore why even excited children experience elevated cortisol levels and behavioral changes during school transitions, understanding how children's developing prefrontal cortex affects their ability to manage change and regulate emotions. Lindsay breaks down the phenomenon of "restraint collapse"—why your child might be perfect at school but fall apart at home—and explains how this is actually neurologically normal rather than manipulation. Through evidence-based strategies, we cover everything from sleep regulation (which takes two weeks to fully adjust) to environmental preparation, morning routines, and age-appropriate adjustment timelines. Whether your child is starting kindergarten, transitioning to middle school, or moving to a new district, this episode provides practical tools for supporting them through this universal yet challenging experience. We also address special considerations for children with anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum needs, and those in after-school care programs.
Topics discussed in this episode include:
- Why children's brains prioritize emotional processing over logical thinking during transitions
- How the underdeveloped prefrontal cortex (until age 25) affects children's ability to manage change
- Why your child's nervous system registers school as a potential threat—and why this is evolutionary protection
- Understanding "restraint collapse" and why children fall apart at home after being good at school
- Age-specific adjustment timelines: 3-4 weeks for preschoolers, 2-3 weeks for elementary, 2-6 weeks for teens
- Why sleep regulation should begin two weeks before school starts for optimal adjustment
- How controlled exposure to school environments can reduce anxiety by familiarizing the brain
- The importance of comfort items, which can reduce anxiety by up to 60%
- Morning routine strategies and why protein-rich breakfasts sustain attention for 3-4 hours
- Better conversation starters than "How was school?" to connect with overstimulated children
- Special considerations for children with anxiety, ADHD, and autism spectrum needs
- Warning signs that indicate professional support may be needed
Green Door Clinic: https://www.greendooryeg.ca
Parenting Like a Mother on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parenting_like_a_mother
Parenting Like a M*ther is a refreshing and evidence-based podcast that explores the real challenges and joys of raising children in today's complex world. Each episode combines cutting-edge research with...
show more
Parenting Like a M*ther is a refreshing and evidence-based podcast that explores the real challenges and joys of raising children in today's complex world. Each episode combines cutting-edge research with authentic stories from diverse caregivers, offering practical strategies while validating the many ways families can thrive. Join us as we build a supportive community where all caregivers can find their confidence, embrace their unique parenting journey, and access the tools they need to nurture both their children and themselves.
show less
Information
| Author | Lindsay Wolf-Owczarek |
| Organization | Lindsay Wolf-Owczarek |
| Categories | Parenting |
| Website | - |
| - |
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