This episode is part of our December Calm & Connection Toolkit - four of our most downloaded episodes designed to help you find peace through the holiday chaos. Whether you’re brand new to this podcast or revisiting these essential tools, this series will help you understand your nervous system, your triggers, and your child’s developing brain during one of the most stressful times of the year.

Ever lost it with your kid and wondered, what just happened? You’re not alone—and you’re not broken. In this episode, Lisa Smith dives deep into the three psychological triggers that hijack every parent: identity, social standing, and fear of loss. She breaks down why our reactions are often more about our own wounds than our child’s behavior—and how awareness can help us respond with calm, connection, and confidence. Whether you have a toddler, a strong-willed 8-year-old, or a moody teenager, this episode will give you actionable tools to pause, recognize your triggers, and parent from your higher brain instead of your fight-or-flight instincts.

What You'll Learn:

• Why “bad behavior” isn’t the real problem—it’s what it triggers in your nervous system.
• How the identity trigger makes us feel like failures when our child’s actions contradict the parent we want to be.
• How the social standing trigger hijacks us with shame, comparison, and fear of judgment from others.
• How the loss trigger creates grief and fear about your child, your relationship, and your family vision.
• How to pause and recognize which trigger is activated in the moment, instead of reacting automatically.
• Practical next steps to start responding from your higher brain, not your reactive one, so your child hears your guidance instead of your frustration.