I'll never forget when my son looked at me and said, "I just don't know how to win here. I can't do anything right." And I thought, I'm a bad mom.

Then I sat down with Mat Boggs, relationship expert and author of Cracking the Man Code, and everything clicked.

Here's what Mat knows that most of us don't: a man's greatest desire is to have his thoughts respected, and his greatest fear is inadequacy. They're two sides of the same coin, and when we understand this, we stop accidentally pushing our sons and partners away.

Mat broke down why young men are falling into these dark online rabbit holes (spoiler: they're looking for love and connection in all the wrong places), and he gave me the most powerful reframe for how to show up differently. You'll walk away understanding the masculine mind in a way that will transform how you connect with every man in your life.

FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, GO TO: badmompodcast.com/crackingthecode

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• There's one thing men fear more than almost anything else, and most moms trigger it without realizing it.
• The reason your son shuts down when you're "just trying to help" has everything to do with how the masculine brain is wired.
• What's really driving young men into misogynistic online spaces isn't hate. It's something far more heartbreaking.
• There's a specific moment when your man (or son) screws up that becomes a make-or-break point for your entire relationship.
• The difference between a dictator parent, a helicopter parent, and the one approach that actually builds decision-making skills.
• Why your job as a parent completely changes when your kid becomes an adult, and what to do about it.
• Two words that can transform how your partner shows up for you

📌 Connect with Mat Boggs

• Cracking The Man Code: https://amzn.to/4aPkOVC
• Brave Thinking Institute: bravethinkinginstitute.com
• Mat Boggs on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@matboggs/videos

RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS:

👉 If you’ve ever thought, “Am I doing this right?” or felt the pain of wanting to do everything but not having the tools, this episode is for you. Listen, share it with another parent who needs healing and guidance, and subscribe to The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation. And remember: you are not a bad mom; you’re a bada$$ in a broken system. Keep fighting.

 📌  Connect with Vivian Glyck & The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation

• The Bad Mom Podcast on Instagram
• Vivian on Instagram 
• The Bad Mom Podcast on Facebook
• The Bad Mom Podcast on YouTube
• The Bad Mom Podcast on TikTok
  
  

The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation is a Project Grit initiative: fortifying mental wellness for the next generation.

Just Like My Child Foundation is a proud nonprofit partner of Project, committed to equipping today's youth with the tools they need to thrive and build a better future.