Reflective Parenting Podcast

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In this episode, I reflect on In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park and the deep questions it raised for me about freedom, identity, resilience, and what it means to think for ourselves. The book prompted powerful reflections on how we understand our own stories, how we support our children’s sense of self, and how freedom can feel both expansive and exhausting.
I also connect the book’s themes to parenting, especially around giving children room to explore who they are, make mistakes, ask questions, and develop their own identity. For parents, this episode is an invitation to pause and reflect on the mental load we carry, the freedoms we have, and the space we create for our children to become themselves.
Reflections for this week:
What parts of your story have you kept private, and what might change if you shared them with the right person or community?
In what ways are you helping your child build an identity that feels like their own?
Are you giving your child enough freedom to make mistakes, get curious, and think for themselves?
If someone asked you, “Who are you?” beyond your roles and titles, how would you answer?
See you inside our Book Club (it is only $10 for the entire year!)
Support the show
More ways to become a Reflective Parent with Curious Neuron:
Join our NEW book club for only $9.99!
https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-podcast-book-club

Learn about the next books we will be covering:
https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/

Get your FREE emotional awareness training for parents and kids below (comes with a poster, workbook and video):
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iEbFRZ5QQ&t=12s

Grab our course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent 
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join the next 6-8 week cohort for parents, kids or teens:
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Or email me info@curiousneuron.com to book emotional training sessions for your organization.

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This week, I'm sharing six simple mantras from the book How to Love that made me stop, reflect, and think differently about the way I show up as a parent, partner, and person.
Together, we'll explore what it really means to be present, to recognize when someone we love is struggling, to ask for help when we're suffering, to notice the happy moments that are easy to overlook, and to remember that in conflict, two people can both be partly right.
These aren't parenting tips or book summaries. They're invitations to pause, reflect, and become more intentional in the way we connect with the people we love.
The six mantras we'll reflect on:
I am here for you.
I know you are there, and I am happy.
I know you are suffering.
I am suffering.
This is a happy moment.
You are partly right.
I hope this conversation gives you something to carry with you throughout the week.
Join our book club this week to discuss other books or to dig deeper on that last mantra "you are partly right". 
Support the show
More ways to become a Reflective Parent with Curious Neuron:
Join our NEW book club for only $9.99!
https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-podcast-book-club

Learn about the next books we will be covering:
https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/

Get your FREE emotional awareness training for parents and kids below (comes with a poster, workbook and video):
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iEbFRZ5QQ&t=12s

Grab our course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent 
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join the next 6-8 week cohort for parents, kids or teens:
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Or email me info@curiousneuron.com to book emotional training sessions for your organization.

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What does Toy Story 5 have to do with raising emotionally healthy kids? 
Trigger warning: masturbation is mentioned in this episode.
 Much more than I expected. After watching the movie with my children, I found myself reflecting on something far bigger than screen time: the conversations we're not having about friendship, group chats, and cyberbullying. 
In this episode, I share the true story of a Grade 6 classroom that left me speechless, explore what research tells us about the long-term impact of cyberbullying, and offer three simple reflection questions you can use to start meaningful conversations with your own child. If we're going to hand our children devices, we also need to help them build the emotional skills to navigate the digital world.
Join our book club for only $9.99 for an entire year!
https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-podcast-book-club
Read my blog post about cyberbullying:
https://curiousneuron.com/2026/07/12/research-finds-that-cyberbullying-harms-kids-mental-health-over-time/
Read the scientific article I shared with you here:
Traditional bullying and cyberbullying in the digital age and its associated mental health problems in children and adolescents: a meta‐analysis
Support the show
More ways to become a Reflective Parent with Curious Neuron:
Join our NEW book club for only $9.99!
https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-podcast-book-club

Learn about the next books we will be covering:
https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/

Get your FREE emotional awareness training for parents and kids below (comes with a poster, workbook and video):
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iEbFRZ5QQ&t=12s

Grab our course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent 
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join the next 6-8 week cohort for parents, kids or teens:
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Or email me info@curiousneuron.com to book emotional training sessions for your organization.

Send us Fan Mail
Why do so many parents feel like they don't have time to take care of themselves?
The answer isn't as simple as being busy.
This week, we're reflecting on a passage from the book How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh and exploring why our own needs slowly disappear after becoming parents. I'll also share a simple reflection exercise that helped me reconnect with the things that brought me joy before having children—and why gratitude may be more powerful than we think.
In this episode, we reflect on:
What brought me joy before I had children?
How can I bring a small part of that back into my life?
What moments of joy have I been overlooking?
Sometimes the goal isn't finding more time.
It's learning to notice what already helps us feel more like ourselves.
Don't forget to join our NEW BOOK CLUB!
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

This week's resources:
This month's book: How to Love 
Article: The impact of gratitude on depression and anxiety: the mediating role of criticizing, attacking, and reassuring the self
Article: The efficacy of seven gratitude interventions for promoting subjective well-being
Related podcast episodes you might have missed:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reflective-parenting-podcast/id1440533170?i=1000771848174
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reflective-parenting-podcast/id1440533170?i=1000720552759

Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/npYxwq3MT0Q
Support the show
More ways to become a Reflective Parent with Curious Neuron:
Join our NEW book club for only $9.99!
https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-podcast-book-club

Learn about the next books we will be covering:
https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/

Get your FREE emotional awareness training for parents and kids below (comes with a poster, workbook and video):
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iEbFRZ5QQ&t=12s

Grab our course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent 
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join the next 6-8 week cohort for parents, kids or teens:
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Or email me info@curiousneuron.com to book emotional training sessions for your organization.

Send us Fan Mail
When we hear the word radicalization, we often think, "That could never happen to my family." But what if radicalization begins with something much more human—a need to belong, to feel understood, or to make sense of emotional pain?
In this episode, I sit down with men's coach and former counterterrorism professional James Stamatelos to explore why some young people become vulnerable to extremist ideas, how social media can amplify that vulnerability, and what parents can do to build stronger protective relationships with their children.
In this episode, we discuss:
What radicalization really is.
Why belonging and emotional pain matter.
How social media can influence young people.
Why curiosity is often more powerful than confrontation.
How connection can help protect our children.
Reflection Question:
If my child encountered harmful ideas online, would they feel safe enough to talk to me about them?

Book James mentioned:  How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion (Amazon Canada)

Resources:
Violence Prevention Network
Diverting Hate
Life After Hate

Connect with James or learn more from him:
James J. Stamatelos is a professional coach and Certified Level 3 Internal Family Systems (IFS) practitioner who specializes in helping men overcome what he calls “anxious insecurity”—the persistent feeling of being chronically “not enough” despite external success.

Before transitioning into coaching, James worked in high-pressure environments as an intelligence analyst for the Region 13 Counter-Terrorism Task Force Fusion Center and as a specialist for the City of Pittsburgh Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security. His background gives him a unique perspective on stress, identity, and psychological resilience.

The Radicalization of Men (The Psychology of Feeling ‘Not Enough’) on the EZ Conversations Podcast

Book a coaching with James
Support the show
More ways to become a Reflective Parent with Curious Neuron:
Join our NEW book club for only $9.99!
https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-podcast-book-club

Learn about the next books we will be covering:
https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/

Get your FREE emotional awareness training for parents and kids below (comes with a poster, workbook and video):
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iEbFRZ5QQ&t=12s

Grab our course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent 
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join the next 6-8 week cohort for parents, kids or teens:
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Or email me info@curiousneuron.com to book emotional training sessions for your organization.