Brave Being the Podcast

When you encounter a challenge as a parent, it’s all too easy to jump on google or grab that parenting book in search of a solution.

The sheer number of resources can be overwhelming. And if you’ve played this game for any length of time, you know the results are often disappointing.

What if we learned to look inward for solutions first?

We all have unique backgrounds and values as parents. What works for others may not work for us, and what works for some kids may not work for our kids.

In this episode, Bridget explores how we can tune into our inner wisdom as a parent, bringing our unique background and values to the table when dealing with parenting challenges.

Topics Include:

• How trusting your inner wisdom models independence for your kids
• Instilling our deepest values in our kiddos
• Taking the time to discover your child’s unique needs
• Being willing to fail and try new things
• Building confidence as a parent
• And other topics...

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

Parenting is tough.

We enter parenthood with dreams of being the best parent ever. But it doesn’t take long for us to discover how hard it is to balance our busy lives with the challenges of modern parenting.

Things become even more complicated when we have a child with difficult behaviors and big emotions.

This next season of Brave Being is designed to help you navigate the challenges of modern parenting. We’ll be sharing insights and strategies to help you become a proud, confident parent.

We all want our kids to be happy and successful. Together, we can raise happy, resilient kiddos capable of taking on life’s challenges.

In this episode we explore:

• The fear that our child may not grow out of problem behaviors
• Why connection is the solution to your parenting challenges
• How to create connection through authenticity and vulnerability
• Feeling our feelings and working with uncomfortably
• Trusting our intuition to guide our parenting decisions
• And other topics…

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

We made it to episode 100!! A deep offering of gratitude to each and every one of you who have been on this journey with us, and a warm welcome to new listeners who are just now finding the show. In this episode, Bridget offers a reflection on our first 100 episodes. She shares what she sees as the highlights of the podcast thus far, and her intentions for the show moving forward.

Topics Include:
How this podcast was born out of motherhood. Transformation as the dance of life. The uncomfortable nature of change. Identifying, managing, and processing emotions. Getting stuck in our stories. The lost episode. The collective disruption caused by the pandemic. Finding the courage to have brave conversations. Discussing challenging topics with our kiddos. And much more.

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

Are you struggling to set clear boundaries around screen time with your kiddos? In this episode of Brave Being, Bridget discusses strategies for managing screen time for our kiddos and for ourselves as we move into the summer months.

Topics Include:
Establishing that screen time is a privilege, not a right. Setting clear boundaries and time limits around screen use. Why we as caregivers need to model healthy screen time habits for our kiddos. The dangers of using screens as a soothing tactic. Avoiding screens before bed, and much more.

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

Bridget discusses the common trap many of us fall into when dealing with defiant children–the impulse to withhold connection. Bridget explores why withholding connection, or threatening to withhold connection, can unconsciously communicate to our kiddos that they are not worthy of love, and how we can handle difficult moments differently.

Topics Include:
Creating an environment of safety and security, choosing love over rejection, why threats don't work long-term, committing to connection even when it's hard, working through challenges in our adult relationship, and other topics...

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

Bridget connects with listeners on the lessons of parenthood, and the ways in which our children are our greatest teachers.

Topics Include:

• What kiddos teach us about time and patience
• Self-compassion. Knowing what you are doing is enough
• Integrating your desires with the responsibilities of childhood
• Spontaneity and fun as a parent
• Maintaining our childs sense of wonder
• And other topics...

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

Bridget continues her series on anger, heartbreak, and grief, guided by Glennon Doyle's book Untamed, and discusses how grief can provide us with a doorway into deep transformation.

Topics Include:

• Grief as a doorway to transformation
• Avoidance
• Processing grief
• Connecting with our inner child
• Surrender
• And other topics...

Resources Mentioned:
Book – Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Website – https://togetherrising.org/

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

Bridget follows up with listeners on last week's episode about anger, heartbreak, and grief. In this episode, Bridget discusses heartbreak, motherhood, and how heartbreak can guide us to find purpose and meaning in our lives.

Topics Include:

• The relationship between heartbreak and purpose
• Purpose and belonging in motherhood
• Answering the door when heartbreak knocks
• How heartbreak can reveal our deepest callings in life
• And other topics...

Resources Mentioned:
Book – Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

Bridget discusses with listeners what we stand to lose when we neglect difficult emotions, and how facing our challenges head-on can help us tune into our authentic selves.

Topics Include:

• The cheetah at the zoo
• Answering the door when difficult emotions arise
• Finding ourselves through difficult emotions
• Anger, and what it may be signaling to us
• Boundaries
• And other topics...

Resources Mentioned:
Book – Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi

Bridget continues her previous discussion on the Boulder, Colorado shooting, how we might make sense of such events, and what we can do to reduce incidents of violence as a community.

Topics Include:

• Responding to tragedy and grief
• Making sense of mass shootings
• Remembering we were all once innocent children
• Teaching empathy and mindfulness in schools
• Creating space for men to express their feelings
• And other topics...

Resources Mentioned:
YouTube Video: How we can Reduce Bullying, School Shootings, and Violence

Want to connect with Bridget? Find her online at:
www.thebridgecenterforplaytherapy.com
www.bridgettedeschi.com
www.facebook/thebridgecenterforplaytherapy
www.facebook/bridgettedeschi 
@bridgettedeschi