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.

In this episode of Real World Peaceful Parenting, Lisa Smith dives into the real-life stories of parents navigating the tricky psychological triggers that hijack our best intentions. Identity, social standing, and loss—these three triggers can turn any ordinary parenting moment into a heated, reactive spiral. Lisa and her Hive community guests share candid experiences of snapping, struggling with morning chaos, sibling fights, and managing judgment from others. More importantly, they reveal how awareness and simple tools can help you pause, name your trigger, and respond from your higher brain—creating connection instead of conflict.

This episode is packed with honesty, practical strategies, and relatable moments that remind you: you’re not broken, your child isn’t “difficult,” and it’s possible to parent from calm, confidence, and connection.

What You'll Learn:

• How identity triggers make you question yourself as a parent, and how to respond instead of reacting.
• Why social standing triggers hijack us with shame, judgment, and comparison, and how to keep your focus on your child instead of the audience.
• How loss triggers activate grief and fear over your child, your relationship, or your family vision—and what to do about it.
• Real-life examples from parents of toddlers, tweens, and teens showing how triggers show up in daily life.
• How naming your triggers (identity, social standing, loss) can calm your nervous system and bring your thinking brain back online.
• Practical strategies to respond from your values, repair relationships after a snap, and foster connection even in difficult moments.