The holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year ... or the most overwhelming. Between the excitement, the sugar, the schedule changes, and the constant stimulation, even the calmest kids can start to unravel. And let’s be honest, parents can too!

In this episode, I sat down with JoAnn Crohn, a former school teacher who’s now on a mission to help overwhelmed moms rediscover joy and raise healthier, happier families. She has a gentle, realistic way of helping moms shift from chaos to calm, especially during high-stress seasons like the holidays. You might recognize JoAnn, as she's been a camp leader in all four seasons of #LifeSkillsNow!

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How JoAnn helps overwhelmed moms find joy and balance again
• Why self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essential to being an effective parent
• What holiday overstimulation does to kids (and how to help them recover)
• Simple ways to validate your child’s emotions without giving in to every whim
• How to prepare kids for the changes and disappointments that come with the holidays
• Why calm-down strategies work best when practiced before the meltdowns
• The easiest ways to bring your kids into holiday traditions so everyone feels connected

You’ll walk away with practical tools and a fresh mindset to make this holiday season feel more joyful and a lot less stressful.

Resources We Mention for Helping Kids Manage Holiday Emotions

• Register for the Happy Holidays, Happier Kids Challenge that starts November 9!
• My interview with Tina Payne Bryson, and her book The Whole-Brain Child (Amazon/Bookshop.org)
• My Reasons I Think the Grinch Was a Highly Sensitive Person
• My favorite Christmas cookie ever: Kifli
• Visit JoAnn Crohn on her website No Guilt Mom, or follow her on social media: Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Our digestion happens every day and REALLY can impact how we feel, think, and treat others!

So let’s talk all about poop. :)

My guest today is brimming over with practical tips about assessing your digestive output (aka poo) and solving issues in gut health based on what you see.

Genevieve is a wealth of knowledge on gut health and poop and so generous with her time and practical tips. If you’re a fan of healthy living without being too complicated or spending too much money, this is the interview for you!

Resources We Mention for Gut Health for Families

• Purchase The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth (Amazon/Bookshop.org)
• If you’re expecting, check out the Mama Natural Birth Course
• Chickpea Pizza Crust that is a favorite in our house.
• Morning sunlight for busy moms
• Quick Change Tastebuds, Gut Health, and Picky Eating with Elissa Arnheim
• Products Genevieve Recommends: Mama Natural probiotics, Northwest Wild Foods berry powders, Garden of Life Turmeric gummies, Eden foods canned beans, Psyllium husk powder, Standard Process Betafood, Betaine HCl tablets, Digestive bitters, Mother Earth Minerals magnesium
• Visit Genevieve on her website MamaNatural.com, or on social media: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

Get four free workshops now at https://kidscookrealfood.com/skills

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Let’s talk toddlers.

If you’ve ever thought, “What on earth is happening in that tiny human’s brain?”—this episode is for you.

Here’s a taste of what we explored:

• Why “all behavior is communication” might be the most important parenting mantra you’ll ever adopt
• What really happens when you distract your toddler—and how to do it well
• The surprising power dynamic at play in your home (hint: it’s not what you think)
• How setting boundaries doesn’t stifle toddlers; it sets them free
• What it looks like to parent through a lens of development, not discipline
• Why your toddler’s big feelings are not your job to fix
• The secret sauce for turning chaos into connection (and it might just be curiosity)

Devon helped me see toddlerhood not as a survival zone, but a golden window to build trust, independence, and yes – life skills. And if we get it right, this season can be magical.

You’ll leave this episode feeling a little more confident, a little less alone, and with a few new tools to navigate your toddler’s big emotions (and your own).

Resources We Mention for Understanding Toddler Behavior

• Find Devon’s book Transforming Toddlerhood on Amazon or Bookshop.org
• Grab the one-page “cheat sheets” for each podcast episode of the Healthy Parenting Handbook
• Diagnosing the Root Cause of Meltdowns & How to Calm Tantrums with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
• Why Teaching Children to Cook Before Age 5 is Vital for Parenting
• The Top 5 Reasons for Toddler Tantrums
• Teaching Social and Emotional Learning Skills During Mealtimes
• Join the No More Picky Eating Challenge for free!
• Connect with Devon

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

Get four free workshops now at https://kidscookrealfood.com/skills

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Did you know we’ve lost 80% of the nutrients in vegetables in the last 100 years?

As farming has become big agriculture focused on scale, transportation, and profit, human health has suffered along with soil health.

Farmer Lee Jones has become one of regenerative farming’s most enthusiastic promoters, and to hear him wax poetic about butternut squash and the way Brussels sprouts grow is like a sports announcer commentating on the game-winning score!

In this highly entertaining episode (I can see why Rachael Ray offered him a show through her production company!), you’ll get to hear about:

• the unique microclimate along Lake Erie
• the changes in farming and grocery stores in the last 75 years
• how the Jones family has turned many failures into better health for all of us at the Chef’s Garden
• what regenerative farming is, and how even small home gardeners can tap into this traditional, lost wisdom!
• why so many farmers are trapped and hurting the soil
• how the whole mess got started (and who’s behind it)
• how to harness the energy from the sun to create nutrient-rich soil, and how the Chef’s Garden research facility makes old-fashioned farming high tech (without losing the good parts)
• what’s ice spinach???
• how the on-farm chef has figured out the art of using all the parts of the plant, the vegetable version of “nose to tail” cooking

It’s rare to have so much fun on an interview AND learn so much. Farmer Lee Jones does not disappoint!

Resources We Mention for Regenerative Farming Methods

• Purchase The Chef’s Garden: A Modern Guide to Common and Unusual Vegetables–with Recipes on Amazon or Bookshop.org
• Watch The Chef’s Garden on Amazon or on A&E!
• A Beginner’s Guide to Regenerative Agriculture
• Growing Food in Containers Using Permaculture
• Visit Farmer Lee on his website or on social media: Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

Get four free workshops now at https://kidscookrealfood.com/skills

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

It shouldn’t be controversial to make your own healthcare decisions!!

Informed consent has become a buzz word for no good reason.

When it comes to informed consent, I personally follow 2 rules:

1. Ask all the questions.
2. Don’t make quick decisions.

I hesitate.

About everything.

If I don’t feel 100% peaceful about something, I don’t do it. You’ll hear my shocking realization about where that response may have been birthed in this interview as I figure it out myself while talking with Alexandra.

Hesitancy.

There’s another word that should be positive or neutral unless you’re a military 

Alexandra is the real deal, so knowledgeable and so generous with her knowledge. You’ll hear her talk about a course she has on her website to help you develop the skill of researching product inserts, and not only is it free, but you DON’T even have to put in your email address!

Huge thanks to Alexandra for all her research and for sharing it with us. Visit her at justtheinserts.com.

Resources We Mention about Informed Consent for Parents

• Is medical trauma affecting your health?
• What is medical gaslighting, and what can you do about it?
• Understanding direct primary care, a patient-centered approach
• Visit Alexandra’s website, Just the Inserts and look into the free course (with audio available in English and Spanish) here.
• Grab her book Well Considered at the Just the Inserts shop or read the first chapter for free
• Follow Alexandra on social media: @justtheinserts or @justthealternatives on Instagram, or @justtheinserts on X.

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

Get four free workshops now at https://kidscookrealfood.com/skills

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Do you know any mom who ISN’T feeling a little overwhelmed by all the tasks she’s juggling, who’s NEVER thought, “My house isn’t clean/organized/gorgeous enough,” or who doesn’t think she has a lot of improvement to make on homemaking?

I thought so.

My guest today, Mystie Winckler, speaks to moms who are overwhelmed or paralyzed by perfectionism, who know their lives will never look like their favorite Instagram influencers, and who are tempted to just give up at home.

(Me! Raises hand…)

In case you’re looking for just the perfect system that will help you out of that, or if you’re hoping Mystie has a cleaning checklist you can try – because surely the next one you try will work even though others haven’t – you’ll be sorely disappointed.

Mystie starts somewhere else, and I believe her method is easier and more difficult at the same time.

For a positive conversation and a lot of encouragement for your home, tune in to this week’s episode!!

Resources We Mention for Beating Perfectionism in Homemaking

• Check out Mystie’s books: Simplified Organization, The Convivial Homeschool, How to Use a Planner without Wasting Time, and Rejoicing in Repetition
• 3 Reasons Giving Kids Responsibility is a Gift
• Teaching Your Kids Chores and Life Skills Is NOT Taking Advantage of Them
• 5 Tips for Teaching Kids to Cook
• Macro vs. Micro-Organizing: What’s the Difference? 
• Try the Bust Out of Burnout Bingo Challenge (with prizes!)
• Visit Mystie’s website Simply Convivial 

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

You get to sit in on what turned into a college class in food history and nutrition label reading!

This interview is high-energy, high impact, and will fill both your academic brain and your mama heart.

Becky Wells of Hippie Moms is passionate about helping other mamas understand their food and build a healthy foundation for their families, and she cuts through all the marketing confusion and teaches us how to Just. Eat. Food.

I thought this interview might be more for the rookies to healthy living among us, but let's just say that I learned multiple new facts that I'm implementing immediately, so this is 100% for everyone, wherever you are on your journey!

You can look forward to:

• Understanding the 6 major milestones in the evolution of food and how we got to this complicated modern food landscape
• What first baby steps should be to reverse the problems we see in our health
• Label reading 101: What’s important in the ingredients
• Label reading 201: What words mean absolutely nothing and why to skip the numeric data on the Nutrition Facts
• Label reading 301: Organic and non-GMO certification
• Label reading 401: Hot tip on an “ingredient” to avoid and how to make the nuanced decisions about how important various commitments are in the grocery store
• How to explain to our kids the importance of listening to our bodies, understanding the connection between food and how we feel, and how to assess food marketing

I love Becky’s approach and her dedication to making this easier for moms, and I’m so honored by her time today. I know you’ll learn a lot and can’t wait to hear more about you and your kids making food with “just ingredients” and what baby steps you choose to take!!

Resources We Mention on the Evolution of Food

• Grab your kids to watch this video on reading nutrition labels
• Check out this episode on how organic food is labeled and might be deceiving you
• Following the dirty dozen and clean fifteen
• What’s the problem with polyunsaturated oils?
• Becky’s website
• The Hippie Moms Podcast
• Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Alzheimer’s and dementia are some of the scariest realities for adults to consider. No one wants to feel like they’re going to lose their mind!

But in this day and age, it feels like cognitive decline is inevitable for many of us, “just a normal part of aging.”

Similarly, our culture has come to accept that many kids are neurodivergent, that their brains are wired differently. We diagnose it as ADHD or ASD, or we see that 1/3 of our teens have clinical anxiety and we think, “It’s just the way the world is. We’ll help them navigate.”

My guest today, Dr. Kristine Bosnar, wants us all to push back against acceptance. In fact, she says that the neuro-inflammation at the root of Alzheimer’s and dementia is the SAME as what we see in kids with ADHD and other mental health struggles! Their brains are on fire.

Buckle up and get ready to learn:

• why brain health is in a steep decline the last 20-30 years
• how it’s affecting kids and the projected statistics
• alarming correlations between the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and ADHD, autism, anxiety
• clear red flags of brain inflammation that we mustn’t ignore in our kids
• what to DO to help kids thrive and reduce neuro-inflammation
• how the 3 S’s - sugar, sedentary lifestyle, and sleep - are pivotal players in the inflammation game
• simple tips for how to start the day right for brain health
• the epidemic of loneliness that we must stop NOW for our kids' generation
• why cooking together with your kids is a powerful (and efficient) step toward brain health for the whole family

Resources We Mention for Brain Inflammation in Kids

• Get Dr. Kristina’s Brain Boosting Foods for Kids resource
• 3 Ways Parents Can Help Prevent Depression in Their Kids
• Hear more on ADHD from Mike McLeod and Dana Kay
• Subscribe to the Monday Missions for quick tips to more natural living! And start with safe sunscreens and green cleaners for your home. 
• Make-ahead egg cups have a ton of protein for breakfast!
• The Science of Friendship (and Why That Matters to Our Health) with Psyc

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

Get four free workshops now at https://kidscookrealfood.com/skills

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Do you eat organic food?

If you do - even a handful of fruits and vegetables - you might be in for a rude surprise when you listen to this interview.

Max Goldberg is the founder of Organic Insider and one of the nation’s leading organic food experts. He sees significant room for improvement, really a NEED for improvement, when it comes to the USDA Certified Organic label.

Max and I dove into policy, reality, and labeling in the organic industry, and I for one learned a LOT.

You can learn too:

• the biggest misconception about organic foods
• a major issue in organics that has the potential to limit our choices at the grocery store and even disintegrate the entire industry
• how we as consumers can avoid this issue at the grocery store
• the best way to find “real” organic food, and why it’s actually better for your family
• what shocking toxin is getting into organic foods (and how to avoid it)
• the first step families can take if you’re not eating organic food already (and a really budget-friendly tip)
• the next step families should take if you’re already making some organic food choices

Resources Mentioned for Problems with Organics

• Cornucopia’s organic score cards
• Healthy, whole grain soaked pancakes (and more breakfast ideas here)
• Memorize the Dirty Dozen produce list & how to clean produce
• Is organic food really better?
• Max has a free newsletter with policy-focused updates called Organic Insider, or find out more on his website Living Maxwell
• Find Max on Instagram @organic_insider

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

Get four free workshops now at https://kidscookrealfood.com/skills

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

You've heard the figure that most MDs get less than 10-20 hours of nutrition and food training in medical school, and Dr. Katja Rowell (MD!) thinks this is a tragedy.

There are some tough moments to hear in this interview, but important ones as we work to raise healthy, independent kids into adulthood.

We talked about:

• What "extreme" picky eating is 
• How bad therapy can hurt a child's relationship with food and family to his/her great detriment, and how you can identify it.
• Why responsive feeding is different, respectful to the child, and ultimately worlds more effective.
• Some of the good doctor's regrets about her early years in practice 
• The perils of diet culture for all ages and how we can begin to protect our youth through using the right language and expectations
• How we need to work with extreme and mild picky eaters differently (Spoiler: we don't!)
• The 5 foundations a good responsive feeding approach boils down to, and how so many families see success 

Dr. Rowell also said that sugar isn't addictive and doesn't need to be villainized as unhealthy...and with the knowledge and experience I have at this very moment in time, I disagree.

But I think it's wonderful that we can learn so much from experts yet also learn to filter everything through our own intellect. I'm totally open to change on this issue, but I also believe it's ok to disagree.

Resources We Mention for Extreme Picky Eating

• Dr. Rowell's books: Helping Your Child With Extremely Picky Eating, Conquer Picky Eating for Teens and Adults
• Take the free No More Picky Eating Challenge now!
• Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibilities
• More on feeding a child with sensory processing difficulties, highly sensitive children, and autism from a functional medicine perspective
• You can connect with Dr. Rowell online at The Feeding Doctor or Extreme Picky Eating
• Follow her on YouTube
• More resources Dr. Rowell sent me after our interview:
  • Dieticians 4 Teachers

Get the one-page summaries of each podcast at www.kidscookrealfood.com/Handbook!

Take control of your stress with the Stress Mastery Challenge today!

Get four free workshops now at https://kidscookrealfood.com/skills

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!