Joyful Courage - A Conscious Parenting Podcast

My guest today is Rowan O’Roarty. Rowan is my oldest child, she will be 18 in January, and one of my biggest teachers of personal growth. As we all do, we learn who we are as parents, through our relationships with our children. Rowan made me a mom, and continues to influence who I am in the world as I navigate what it means to mother her. Rowan has been through her own journey of personal discovery over the past few years, maneuvering mental health challenges, dropping out of school, completing her GED, and stepping in to big responsibility while her dad and I were gone for 2 months going through my husband's cancer treatment. I am honored that she is willing to come share herself and her journey so candidly with you all today. Takeaways from the show: Where the anxiety started When Rowan became aware of her anxiety Things we did that helped Rowan cope with depression and anxiety Panic attacks  Navigating anxiety attacks and how parents can be supportive What depression feels like Things parents can d

This week is a SOLO show!  Takeaways from the show: Gratitude Grow through what you go through Shifting to be grateful for the experiences you’re put through Working on self regulation Model for your kids what effective problem solving looks like Embodying the life you’re living Allowing fear or resentfulness to change into gratitude and strength Doing the work to be in a different headspace when the same problems show up Personal growth isn’t linear Practicing being mindful For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Jennifer Variste’s desire for pediatrics began at a very young age because her visits to her pediatrician were usually positive experiences. Later she fulfilled her dream and obtained her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She went on to complete a pediatric residency at UT Houston Health Science Center.  After residency, she returned to practice in her hometown of College Station, Texas. Dr. Variste is grateful for the five years she spent treating families there and for the relationships and connections she made. She now practices in Spring, Texas at Family First Pediatrics.  As a board-certified pediatrician her passion is to empower moms and dads to raise their kids to lead happy, healthy lives full of precious memories and discovery. She desires to create the same positive experiences for her patients that she had with her pediatrician as a young child. For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit po

This week’s episode was a solo show!! Takeaways from the show: The emotional experience of this past week Hope trust and gratitude Willingness to try something different Choosing to be your best self What it means to have hope Believing you can have what you want Embodying your beliefs Being intentional with your thoughts Manifesting what you want in life Right now is the time to feel connected Changing your inner dialogue so it aligns with what you want Our kids always long for belonging and significance Trusting the process Keeping the faith Being grateful for the challenges in 2020 Focusing on the good coming out of your struggles There is more than one path and narrative your teens will go on For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I am so excited to welcome my guest, Maureen Muldoon. Maureen is a a spiritual Pied Piper, shameless storyteller and speaker who is transforming the way people think of church, sex, spirituality, and creativity. Actress, author, activist, she celebrates the miracles that live beneath the mundane and is devoted to helping others to CREATE their most engaged and unapologetic life. Today we are going to talk about her experience of mothering a transgender son. Takeaways from the show: Raising a transgender child Coping with society’s opinions  A parent’s role in understanding  How acceptance changes your child Kids wanting to be acknowledged for how they seem themselves Self expression Sitting with the suicide rate as a mom of a transgender son Finding a greater peace of mind Letting go of deciding what identifiers you bring forth in your children Becoming aware of the ways you tell your narrative  Things parents without transgender kids don’t understand Being gentle to parents who don’t understand s

Today’s podcast is a solo show!! Takeaways from the show: What is a trigger How our histories determine different triggers  Dealing with situations that trigger you Making it right after you get upset Breaking down what it feels like to get triggered Willingness to reflect on your own emotions  Being a good role model for handling emotions to your kids Teen’s moods affecting our own How our teens trigger us like no other Recognizing your experience  The importance of connecting with your kids Having compassion and curiosity while in conversation How crucial it is to stay nonjudgemental  See you next week! :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bellamy Shoffner is a single parent, writer, and equity advocate specializing in fostering thoughtful connection and conversation among communities. Shoffner’s Revolutionary Humans produces a magazine, retreats, and free community events. All for parents and educators committed to social justice. This past summer the Joyful Courage community raised $800 in support of Bellamy and her work – I am so honored for the chance to connect with her here on the podcast. Takeaways from the show Social justice Passive reading vs. retaining the information Hold the Line magazine Teaching our kids to be accepting of each other's differences Creating a world where kids can are out of harm’s way based on any part of their identity Acceptance vs tolerance Challenges of being a single parent  How outside help isn’t always appreciated Teasing apart tokenization Putting in the work to understand social justice Key things parents can do to fold racial awareness into parenting their kids Taking people as they are and

Today is a solo show!! Takeaways from the show Self care matters Surrendering to the things you can’t control How letting go can change your experience The healing of meditation Being in the present moment Anchoring yourself while also being on the edge of your vulnerability Facing the unknown and creating a sense of security Human tendencies getting in the way of being okay with fear Possibilities of the unknown How narratives can be confining Control is an illusion Being with the fact that the future is uncertain The present moment is the only place where change happens Creating a practice of returning to presence Unconsciousness vs. consciousness See you next week! :) For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Connie Fuetz is a clinician with over 35 years of clinical experience who specializes in working with couples and is one of the six original Master Clinicians invited into the Gottman Institute in 2000, John Gottman has called Connie "an extraordinarily-gifted couples counselor" to whom he would send his own family.   After leading the two-day Art and Science of Love workshops in Chicago for years, Connie created her own one-day workshop for couples called the Mindful Couples Workshop, which she led for years in Bellingham WA and Victoria BC. She has expanded that course into a 5-week online course for couples, called A Mindful Love Course. A couple's workshop you can do from the comfort of your own home. Connie feels blessed and honoured in her work alongside couples. A resident of the Northwest for 35 years, she lives in gorgeous Bellingham WA with her family.   Takeaways from the show: The depth of couples therapy can be challenging and profound Both parties are responsible for change in therapy Focusin

Today is a solo show! Takeaways from the show Thoughts about the Social Dilemma movie How big social media platforms are using the users Our attention is the product online Conversation starters around screen use Creating an environment where checking in is a normal thing What to expect from the screens and teens summit The mixed feelings around social media Juggling the things life throws at us How do we make room to fall apart Crying releases stress The trauma of the pandemic Having compassion for your teens All problems are relative, no matter how “small” Giving yourself space to grieve and release energy Taking time to care for yourself In order to change your experience, you have to recognize what’s happening The normality of struggle right now Recognize your wallowing  Being in the practice of moving forward See you next week! For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ned Johnson is president & founder PrepMatters, an educational company providing academic tutoring, educational planning, and standardized test preparation. A battle-tested veteran in the fields of test preparation, anxiety management, and student performance, Ned has been a professional “tutor-geek” since 1993, with more than 40,000 one-on-one hours helping students conquer an alphabet of standardized tests and reach their full potential. In 2018, Ned co-authored, With Dr. William Stixrude, The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives. Their book explores how fostering children’s autonomy can help solve two challenges endemic to kids today: facing anxiety and developing intrinsic motivation. Ned is a sought-after speaker and teen coach on study skills, sleep deprivation, parent-teen dynamics, and test anxiety, and his work is featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, BBC, and many others. Takeaways from the show Suppo

Today is a solo show straight from my journal! Thank you to the patrons who were watching the livestream with me - I love speaking to a live audience! Takeaways from the show: Our experiences with the state of the world Thoughts from Casey’s journal Personal transformations through the world’s disarray  Choosing self time when you’re moody What you’re feeling now is valid and you have a choice to how you show up with it Being worried about the future because kids don’t have as much motivation for school Shifting your mindset when worry shows up How traditional schooling can change False illusions that you can plan your child’s future Conversations around nurturing motivation How we respond to events and experiences in our life is the only thing we have control over The divine nature of the parent-child relationship  Spirituality fitting into the parenting conversation Life is happening for you Considering the human you are continuing to become Internal experiences can influence the outside exp

Michelle Bowen is a parent empowerment coach, entrepreneur and mother to a child who she gave birth to at the early stages of her awakening. The only way for Michelle to continue to further expand in her awakening was to utilize her relationship with her child. Your Child is Your Guide was birthed from her own process with her child that brought about an enormous transformation in her own life. In her practice, she specializes in guiding you to the realization of the divinity of your child and your relationship with them which initiates a level of accountability that aids in the acceleration of both your healing and actualization. Michelle learned that her child was her guide and provides you with guidance and applicable practices that allow you to see the same. The courses created by Michelle along with her other offerings show you how to achieve the actualization of the unconditionally loving relationship you want with your children. Michelle's story of coming into motherhood Spiritual teachers that influ

TODAY IS A SOLO SHOW! I am so excited to be back here with you all… What a summer. I am so excited to reconnect and reset for the coming months, and to let you know what to expect for me, the community and the podcast Before I get into it… Patreon patreon/com/joyfulcourage Livestreaming Monthly group calls Join us!! The Risky Behavior and Teens summit was AMAZING – thank you to my guests and everyone who registered – If you missed it, go to www.joyfulcourage.com/summit-shop and check it out – you can also see and purchase past summits that you may have missed. For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today is a solo show from me… And I am sharing some personal thoughts and plans for Joyful Courage and what to expect through the summer and into the fall. What a wild first half of 2020 Covid 19 Quarantine School from home Personal struggles Racial uprising…. Stay tuned for a way that you can support a powerful black woman owned biz in the coming weeks

Today’s guest is Vivek Patel. Vivek is a conscious parenting educator who works with families to help create more harmony and connection in their homes. He has dedicated his life to spreading awareness and supporting change in schools. He's worked with youth organizations teaching conflict resolution anti bullying and leadership through movement martial arts and dance. As a conscious parenting educator, he has written hundreds of articles and has 60 parenting videos, you can find his writing on Facebook, the meaningful ideas website and YouTube. We are discussing how to take current events and bring the learning into the home. Join us!   " Being anti-racist...It's a mindset that we look at the world through that we analyze the systems that we engage in with, that we listen to language with, and, and everything from media and advertising to government systems to educational systems, the correction system, the legal system, the financial system, the housing system, everything.” “ From the micro to the macro, be

Solo show – last minute decision to wait on the conversation that I was going to air today…. Today I am going to talk about chores and allowance There was a post from a mom in on of the Joyful Courage FB groups a few weeks ago reflecting on how it was time for her 11 and 5 year old to begin chores and allowance. The comments were a range of advice, with many parents speaking into separating chores from allowance. I promised the group that I would speak into this on the podcast. Before I do though, I want to say that you get to take this information and make it your own, right? You get to decide what is best for YOUR family when it comes to chores and allowance. I also acknowledge that being able to give our children and allowance isn’t something that everyone can do. Please listen for the underlying spirit instead of listening thinking there is a “right” way to do this. Also, I want you to notice if you are listening though the filter of “my kids won/t…” or “what happens if they don’t…” or you will miss the

Today I am solo. I have a heavy heart this week, and a short show. I know I promised something on chores and allowance but you will have to wait a few weeks for that. This week I want to highlight a few shows that I have done in the past and offer up some resources to keep learning and growing as humans – because that is what my work si about – Joyful Courage is about embracing opportunities to grow, even when it’s messy and wobbly. As someone with an audience that is largely white women, I am going to step into THIS opportunity to share some thoughts and steps to be better. I am heartsick over here as I reach out to my friends who are also people of color, letting thme know that I see them and I stand with them. I am heartsick all the time when I think about the conversations that they need to have with their children that I will never need to have with mine, because of the color of their skin. I am heartsick when I consider the fear they hold every time their partner or child leaves the house. Enough. And w

Today’s guest is Leah Carrie, a sex and intimacy coach who helps women shed shame about their sexuality and communicate about what they really want in the bedroom rather than just tolerating what they're given. Her clients learn to embrace their sexuality no matter what it looks like. She is the host of the podcast Good Girls Talk About Sex.    Sexual freedom is a subject that is deeply personal to Leah because she spent most of her life being a very good girl. Most of the sex she had was either boring or painful, but she endured it because she didn't know she was allowed to ask for anything different. Having taken her own journey to sexual freedom, she is now passionate about breaking the silence, fear and shame around women's sexuality and pleasure and redefining what it means to be a good girl. Join us! " I discovered, not only is it okay to be as interested in sex as I've always been, but it's okay for sex to be pleasurable. And it's really, really okay for me to ask for what I want.” “I had spent my whol

Ahhh, hello. Today I want to talk about beat up. There tends to be two extreme ends of the spectrum…. Thre are those of us who have a crazy ideal that we are trying to live up to – typically one where we don’t make any mistakes and show up perfect in all the roles we play. None of us can ever really get there, but we are striving for it. The self talk may sound like: “I have to be more present with the kids.” “I need to make more homecooked meals.” “I’ve got to catch up on housecleaning/laundry/yardwork….” “I’ve GOT to loose some weight…” We are AWARE that there are steps we can take to move in the direction of the life we want to create, AND, when we aren’t taking the steps, or aren’t creating this perfect life, we collapse into defeat. Awareness is high, beat up is high. It’s a tough place to find ourselves. Or there is the opposite extreme. There are those of us that are shooting from the hip all the time and if everyone else can’t get with the program, that is there problem. We don’t see why anyone needs