If ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected and wondered what's actually going on in your body—this episode is for you.

Physiotherapist Jessica Maguire on what the nervous system actually is, what the vagus nerve does, and why things like heart rate variability matter more than we might realize.

Get her book: The Nervous System Reset: Heal Trauma, Resolve Chronic Pain, and Regulate Your Emotions with the Power of the Vagus Nerve

If you are new to this podcast and don't know where to start, download my free trauma kit, a curated playlist to help you understand trauma how trauma impacts your body, brain, nervous system, and relationships — and what supports real healing

It includes 10 handpicked conversations with experts like Dr. Gabor Maté, Deb Dana, Dr. Paul Conti, and Dick Schwartz. Download it and start listening today at authenticparenting.com/traumakit

OTHER EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE

1. How to Recover from Burnout by Regulating Your Emotions and Nervous System
2. Befriending Your Nervous System with Deb Dana
3. How to Regulate Your Nervous System
4. How Trauma Gets " Stuck" in Your Nervous System with Irene Lyon
5. Mind-Body Tools to Develop Stress Resilience

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur

Rachael Renae, an author, artist, play and creativity enthusiast on the power of on how to prioritize play to overcome blocks, better connect with yourseves and your people, and confidently live big, fulfilling lives.

• Mindset shifts to start seeing play in the everyday
• Guidance to help you find your version of play
• Strategies to turn play into a regular practice
• Exercises to release expectations on your creativity

Get her book: Prioritize Play: Express Your Creativity, Boost Your Confidence, and Foster Deeper Connection

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur

I've spent over a decade in the self-development space, and somewhere along the way, I began to see a pattern: the more people focus on healing, the more their lives start to revolve around what's wrong. More analyzing, more processing, more regulating and less living, less connecting, less being.

So in this episode, I want to talk about something that might feel uncomfortable, even controversial: there comes a point when trying to heal all your trauma can actually keep you stuck and why you may need to stop, or at least do it very differently.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur

Kevin Maguire, author of The New Fatherhood, about what is shifting inside modern fatherhood and why so many men are trying to parent differently than they were parented themselves. Did you know that dads can experience postpartum depression too? We talk about the move from "protect, provide, preside" to something more emotionally present and engaged, and what it actually takes to stay connected when things feel overwhelming. We explore anger and emotional regulation, the challenge many fathers experience around vulnerability and play, and the identity shift that happens when a man becomes a parent.

OTHER EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE

• Reactivity, Fatherhood, and the Balancing Act of Ambition and Presence
• How To Be a Feminist Dad
• 3 Secrets To Thriving as a Single Dad with Justan Mitchell
• Inner Work for Fathers with Charles C. Daniels Jr., PhD

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur

Jon Gustin from Tired Dad on what it really means to show up as a father not perfectly, but intentionally, how to keep the bigger picture front and center when you're exhausted, triggered, and pulled in a hundred directions… and why the real work of parenting starts within.

Also, why anger it's not a superpower, even though so many men have been taught that it is. And much more.

Get his book: The Tired Dad.: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur

Returning guest, renowned psychiatrist and author Dr. Paul Conti on tapping into our often ignored and long over-looked generative drive, the primary factor that's already going right in each of us. The generative drive helps you get things done, solve problems creatively, help others and feel connected to something larger than yourself. When activated, it brings you peace, contentment, and delight.

• The 5 Part Function of Self: When you alter your function you alter your life trajectory
• Cultivating a daily self-inquiry practice
• Learning compassionate curiosity
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Rewiring Life Narratives

1. Get his new book: What's Going Right: A Powerful New Method for Optimizing Your Mental Health
2. Listen to Dr. Conti's first epsiode on the podcast: The Invisible Epidemic of Trauma with Paul Conti, MD

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur

Screens—and managing them—have become one of the biggest daily struggles for parents today.

In today's episode, I'm joined by Michaeleen Doucleff, author of Dopamine Kids, and this conversation felt both grounding and eye-opening. Like so many of us, she found herself struggling with screens and ultra-processed foods in her own homeand instead of blaming or restricting harder, she got curious about what's really going on underneath.

We talk about what dopamine actually isand the myths we've gotten wrong. Why the pull toward scrolling and "easy" rewards is so powerful, and what it really means to help kids (and ourselves) do hard things. She introduces her model for understanding what she calls "dopamine magnets," how to curate the cues in our environment, and why resistance alone doesn't work.

Dr. Debbie Raphael on the significance of social connection—friendships, community, and creating your village.

Connection isn't a luxury—it's a lifeline. It's one of the most powerful antidotes we have to stress, burnout, and loneliness. And yet, it's often the very thing that gets pushed to the bottom of our list when life feels overwhelming.

So as you listen, I want to leave you with this question:

What is one small step you can take today to strengthen an existing connection—or create a new one?

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur

Lisa Katayama, author and mom on what we can learn from the Japanese approach to parenting.

Get her book: The Japanese Way of Parenting: And What It Taught Me About Raising (Mostly) Calm, Caring, Capable Kids

OTHER EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE

1. What Cultures Around the World Can Teach You About Parenting with Marina Lopes
2. Motherhood Is Political: Parenting, Policy, and Cultural Expectations with Abigail Leonard
3. Are We Over-Parenting in America?
4. The Danish Way of Parenting
5. The my initial conversation The Japanese Way of Parenting

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur

1. Parents Have Feelings, Too: A Guide to Navigating Your Emotions So You And Your Family Can Thrive
2. It's Not Always Depression by Hilary Jacobs

OTHER EPISODES YOU MAY ENJOY

• Fear with Kristen Ulmer
• Anger with Russell Kolts, PhD
• Boredom with Hans Wilhelm
• The Upside of Your Dark Side with Todd Kashdan, PhD
• The Benefits of Negative Emotions
• Unwinding Anxiety with Dr. Jud Brewer
• Why Anxiety Is Good For You Even Though It Feels Bad
• How to Be Happier with Tal Ben-Shahar

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• [email protected]
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur