Guest: Rachel Schopp, Founder of Allied Education — a K-12 veteran teacher, administrator, and curriculum lead who partners with families nationwide to translate school confusion into clear, confident advocacy.

Kicking off a four-part back-to-school mini-series, Dr. Courtney sits down with educational consultant Rachel Schopp to talk about the transitions every family faces this time of year — kindergarten, middle school, and high school. They dig into what "readiness" actually means, how parents' own emotions shape a child's experience of change, and what to do when transition anxiety sticks around longer than it should.

What You'll Learn:

• Why every school transition — new grade, new team, new job, new city — taps into the same core need for belonging
• What "kindergarten readiness" really means (hint: it's not mostly academic)
• How a parent's own emotions about a transition can shape how their child experiences it
• The difference between normal transition nerves and anxiety that needs more support
• A simple two-week marker for when it's time to loop in a teacher, counselor, or outside support
• How to talk to kids differently depending on their age — from kindergarten through high school
• Why "context over content" matters when your child is struggling to adjust
• How building a relationship with your child's teacher early can make hard weeks easier
• Practical ways to help middle schoolers manage new executive function demands

Resources & Links:

• Rachel Schopp / Allied Education
• Integrated Behavioral Health website: https://www.integratedbhs.com/
• Book a consult with Integrated Behavioral Health
• Sign up for the Integrated Behavioral Health newsletter

This is Part 1 of a 4-part back-to-school mini-series. Catch Part 2 on getting your routines in order, coming soon.

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Guest: Dr. Mallaree Blake, PsyD, CST — Licensed Clinical Psychologist and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist specializing in sex and sexuality, relationships, and perinatal and postpartum concerns.

You'll talk to your friends about sleep schedules and daycare waitlists. You probably won't talk about what happened to your sex life. In this episode, Dr. Courtney sits down with sex therapist Dr. Mallaree Blake to name what so many parents are quietly carrying — the shift in desire, the touched-out feeling, the sense that something has broken. Dr. Mallaree Blake makes the case that nothing is broken at all. It's just time to write a new script.

• Why the six-week postpartum "all clear" sets couples up with the wrong expectation
• What a sexual script is — and why yours has to be rewritten after a baby
• The hormonal reality of postpartum desire, for both the birthing and non-birthing partner
• Why both partners experience a sense of loss, not just one
• Brakes and accelerators: how to figure out what actually turns desire on and off for each of you
• What "touched out" really means, and how non-demand touch interrupts the rejection cycle
• The gentle no and the possible yes — two scripts that soften desire discrepancy
• The difference between spontaneous and responsive desire (and why most of us are responsive)
• How the mental load and the default parent dynamic quietly kill desire
• What good enough sex looks like when there are small kids in the house
• The conversations Dr. Mallaree Blake wishes couples had before trying to conceive

Connect with Dr. Mallaree Blake

• Artemis Psychology
• Authentic Connections Therapy and Wellness
• Instagram: @authenticconnectionsdenver

Mentioned in this episode

• Come As You Are and Come Together — Emily Nagoski
• Fair Play — Eve Rodsky (book, documentary, and card deck)
• Barry McCarthy on the "good enough sex" model
• Esther Perel on dividing the parenting role and the relationship role

Integrated Behavioral Health

• Website: https://www.integratedbhs.com/
• Book a consult call
• Newsletter sign-up
• Instagram: @integratedbh

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Guest: Danielle McDowell, LCSW — OCD specialist, ERP-trained therapist, and founder of her own private practice serving children, adolescents, and adults with OCD and related anxiety disorders.

OCD affects far more kids than most parents realize — and it rarely looks like what you see on TV. In this episode, Dr. Courtney sits down with OCD specialist Danielle McDowell to bust the biggest myths about OCD in children, explore what the disorder actually looks like in real life, and give parents a clear-eyed look at what works — and what doesn't — when it comes to treatment. This one is honest, warm, and genuinely eye-opening.

What You'll Learn

• Why saying 'I'm so OCD' is harmful — and what OCD actually is

• The difference between intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and compulsions — including the ones you can't see

• Subtle signs of OCD in kids that parents commonly miss or mistake for other issues

• Why the average time to accurate OCD diagnosis is 10–17 years — and how to shorten that for your child

• What 'accommodations' are and how loving parents can unintentionally feed the OCD cycle

• What ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) actually looks like — and why it's not as scary as it sounds

• Why talk therapy and coping skills are often not the right fit for OCD

• The hereditary side of OCD and what it means for families

Resources & Links

• Danielle McDowell, LCSW: link to her practice website

• International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)

• Find an ERP-trained therapist

• Book a consult with Integrated Behavioral Health

• IBH Newsletter Sign-Up

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Guest: Dr. Norrine Russell, PhD — founder of Russell Coaching, the largest student coaching practice in the U.S., and author of Asking the Right Questions About ADHD.

This week, Dr. Courtney is joined by Dr. Norrine Russell to unpack what really goes into understanding and supporting a child with ADHD — beyond the Instagram soundbites. Drawing on both her clinical expertise and her own experience parenting two children with ADHD, autism, and anxiety, Dr. Russell offers a clearer, more compassionate roadmap for parents navigating diagnosis, treatment, and everyday overwhelm.

What You'll Learn:

• Why only about a third of kids with ADHD don't have a co-occurring diagnosis (anxiety, depression, learning differences, or autism)
• Why ADHD diagnosis is uniquely confusing — and which providers look for what
• Why a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation is often the clearest path forward
• How to use a "strengths cover sheet" to reframe an evaluation before diving into recommendations
• Why the "ADHD is a superpower" narrative can do more harm than good
• How to talk to kids honestly about ADHD without defining them by it
• Why parenting a complex kid is "intense and dysregulating" — and why that's a normal response, not a sign you're failing
• Three tangible tools: visual schedules, a family whiteboard, and the "five pennies" connection practice
• Why connection has to come before correction
• The mantra to hold onto when nothing feels certain: stay the course, trust the process

Resources & Links:

• Dr. Russell's book: Asking the Right Questions About ADHD
• Dr. Russell's podcast: Breaking Out of the Box: ADHD, Autism, and Anxiety
• Russell Coaching
• Integrated Behavioral Health: integratedbhs.com

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Picky eating can feel like a daily battle, but it's rarely just stubbornness. Danielle Zold breaks down the four pillars behind feeding struggles—appetite, skill, comfort, and enjoyment—and shares practical, low-pressure strategies parents can use tonight to make mealtimes feel less like a fight and more like a chance to connect.

What You'll Learn:

• The four pillars behind picky eating: appetite, skill, comfort, and enjoyment
• Why grazing between meals can quietly sabotage your child's appetite
• The surprising link between constipation, reflux, and food refusal
• Common nutrient deficiencies (like iron and zinc) that can affect taste and appetite
• When to bring in an OT or speech-language pathologist for feeding skills
• How many food exposures it actually takes before a child accepts something new
• Three categories of "pocket phrases" parents can use at mealtime: narration, observation, and curiosity
• Why "just one more bite" rules can backfire long-term
• How to handle dessert and "I'm hungry" requests after dinner without power struggles
• Why picky eating is never just one cause—and never the parent's fault

Resources & Links:

• Nourished Pediatrics: www.nourishedpediatrics.com
• Danielle on Instagram: @pickyeatingdietitian
• Integrated Behavioral Health: integratedbhs.com

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Guest: Dr. Jacqueline Jacobs Tynan, licensed clinical psychologist specializing in attachment-based therapy for children, families, and parents, trained in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).

In this episode, Dr. Courtney sits down with Dr. Jacqueline to unpack why kids' big behaviors are rarely the real problem — they're a signal. They dig into selective attention, the difference between a tantrum and a trauma response, and why repairing after we get it wrong matters more than never missing the mark.

What You'll Learn:

• Why behavior is the "fire alarm," not the fire — and how to find the source
• The real difference between selective attention and ignoring your child
• Why giving in to stop the crying can unintentionally teach kids their feelings are unsafe
• The "vending machine" metaphor for how kids learn which behaviors get their needs met
• How to use selective attention earlier in the behavioral chain instead of at the peak of a meltdown
• How to start telling the difference between boundary-testing and trauma-driven behavior
• Why getting it "wrong" about 70% of the time and repairing builds more trust, not less
• How labeled praise and connection can shift a child's whole sense of self over time

Resources & Links:

• Learn more about Dr. Jacqueline Jacobs Tynan's work
• What is Circle of Security?
• Postpartum Support International
• Integrated Behavioral Health: integratedbhs.com

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Summer is supposed to feel like freedom — but for most parents, it's also when couple connection quietly falls apart. In this episode, Dr. Courtney sits down with couples and sex therapist Bozhena Evans, LCSW to talk about why the summer transition is hard on relationships, how to stop the communication spirals before they start, and the surprisingly simple practices that can keep you and your partner feeling like a team.

What You'll Learn:

• Why the loss of school-year structure puts stress on couples — and what to do about it
• How to have scheduling conversations without them turning into conflict
• The difference between "I" language and blame language — and why it changes everything
• What soul gazing is and how two minutes of eye contact can reconnect you
• The science behind the 20–40 second hug (oxytocin + cortisol reduction, no gym required)
• How to ask for what you need without making your partner feel pressured
• Why planning for intimacy is not a mood killer — it's a lifeline
• The guilt parents feel about taking alone time, and how to reframe it
• How to transition out of "work mode" or "parent mode" and back into "partner mode"
• Why happy parents really do make happy kids

Resources & Links:

• Bozhena Evans, LCSW: link to her practice website | Instagram: @bozhenaevanstherapy
• Integrated Behavioral Health: integratedbhs.com | Instagram: @integratedbh

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Guest: Dr. Stephanie Bono, licensed psychologist and founder of Evergrow Therapy & Assessment in the Denver Highlands. Steph specializes in ADHD, anxiety, insomnia, and parenting, and leads workshops for moms raising toddler boys — including her new boy mom playgroup at Sloane's Lake in Denver.

Episode Summary: Dr. Courtney sits down with Denver psychologist and boy mom Dr. Stephanie Bono for a warm, research-packed conversation about what it really takes to raise emotionally healthy boys. From the sharks on their onesies to the way we respond when they cry, Steph breaks down the subtle — and not so subtle — ways we start putting boys in a box long before they can walk. This one is for every parent who wants to raise a son who grows into a man capable of close relationships, emotional awareness, and a full, rich life.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How gender bias shows up in parenting before your baby is even born
• The clothing and toy research that will change how you look at your kid's closet
• Why boys are actually deeply relational by nature — and what starts to weed that out of them
• The difference between explicit and implicit gender messaging, and which one is harder to catch
• How to talk to your son about his emotions without shutting them down
• What to do when your kid comes home saying something that makes you want to flip a table
• The long-term consequences of hyper-masculinity — and why the research is more alarming than most parents realize
• The manosphere, the incel movement, and how a secure home attachment is your best protection
• The one question Steph asks herself every time Miles cries

Resources & Links:

• Dr. Stephanie Bono: evergrowledenver.com
• Boy Mom Toddler Playgroup at Sloane's Lake — details on Dr. Steph's website
• How to Raise a Boy by Michael Reichert, PhD
• Integrated Behavioral Health: integratedbhs.com
• Follow Dr. Steph: @evergrowpsychology
• Follow IBH: @integratedbh

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

In this Father's Day episode, Dr. Courtney sits down with Denver-based therapist and dad coach Bryce Giron Mathern to talk about what it really means to show up as a present, connected father. Bryce shares his personal journey through IVF, miscarriage, and becoming a dad in his 40s to twin boys — and how fatherhood has been his single greatest growth experience. Together they unpack why modern dads are navigating something genuinely unprecedented, what nervous system regulation has to do with parenting, and two simple tools any dad can use starting tonight.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The "high limits, high connection" framework and why you need both
• Why your nervous system — not your parenting strategy — is your most important tool
• How to recognize when you're dysregulated before it affects your kids
• Why feeling understood makes kids more compliant (not less)
• The difference between guilt and shame in parenting — and how to work with both
• The 30-second rule for non-compliance
• The "fill the bucket" approach for exhausted parents at the end of a long day

Resources & Links:

• Bryce Giron Mathern's practice: wholehearteddads.com
• Integrated Behavioral Health: https://www.integratedbhs.com/
• Follow Bryce: @wholehearted_dads
• Follow IBH: @integratedbh

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

June is Pride Month, making it the perfect time to evaluate the environment we are building within our own four walls. While many parents hold deeply open-minded values and want their homes to be an "identity-safe zone," a wave of intense anxiety often hits the surface the moment topics like gender exploration, sexual identity, or pronouns enter the chat. Parents freeze out of a catastrophic fear of saying the wrong thing or causing permanent damage.

In this episode, Dr. Courtney Lynn sits down with Dr. Marissa Nunes-Moreno, a clinical psychologist and the Director of Mood Specialty Services at the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Together, they strip the shame away from the identity conversation. Dr. Marissa delivers an empathetic, clinical permission slip to drop perfectionism, outline the mechanics of "correct and move on," and explain how leaning into mistakes actually deepens trust with your children.

• The Fallacy of the Perfect Script: Trust is not built by never making a mistake; it is built through rupture and repair. When a parent models how to take accountability and do better, it teaches children how to navigate their own real-world mistakes.
• The Mechanics of "Correct and Move On": When slipping up on a friend's or child's pronouns, avoid over-apologizing or spinning into a shame spiral. Forcing a young person to comfort you for your mistake centers your guilt. Instead, swiftly correct yourself ("Excuse me, they...") and keep moving forward.
• De-Gendering Daily Environments: For younger children, gender exploration is often just concrete world-sorting. Parents can proactively challenge assumptions by decoupling toys, colors, and clothing from rigid gender binaries.
• Do Good Before It Feels Good: You do not have to fully understand the intricate nuances of modern gender terminology to fiercely support your child. Align your parenting behaviors with your core family values (love, kindness, safety) first, and let your understanding catch up later.
• Dismantling the "Phase" Myth: Labeling an identity exploration as "just a phase" is a dismissive linguistic tool that fractures relationships. Even if a child's expression shifts over time, treating their present reality as temporary means missing out on who your child is right now.

• [00:17] Intro: Dr. Courtney introduces Pride Month, parental anxiety, and the fear of saying the wrong thing.
• [03:50] Normalizing Mistakes: Dr. Marissa on why perfection is an illusion and how rupture and repair builds genuine trust.
• [07:42] Pronoun Slip-Ups in Real-Time: A concrete guide to handling pronoun mistakes gracefully without putting the spotlight on the youth.
• [11:04] Habitual and Subtle Blindspots: Rethinking gendered nicknames, automatic parenting catchphrases ("the boys/the girls"), and evolving style expressions.
• [19:48] Early Childhood & De-Gendering: How young children construct rules about the world and how to instill open family values before school systems intervene.
• [27:34] Handling Extended Family & Grandparents: Strategies for navigating conflicting generational values and using curious follow-ups with your child.
• [31:11] Keeping the Door Overtly Open: Why children carry a pervasive fear of family rejection (even with highly supportive parents) and how to explicitly state your allyship.
• [38:28] When You Don't Know the Answer: Ditching defensive responses, avoiding interrogating "Why" questions, and exploring the child's perspective.
• [43:37] Busting the Biggest Myths: Debunking the fear that talking about identity "creates" it, and moving past the need for total comprehension.
• [49:14] Clinical Wrap-Up: Dr. Courtney breaks down the 4 definitive rules for your parenting playbook.

• Clinical Care: Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado
• Recommended Reading:
• "The Family Book" by Todd Parr
• "Mommy, Mama, and Me" by Lesléa Newman
• "Julián is a Mermaid" by Jessica Love

If you are trying to untangle your own internalized childhood messaging, lower the stakes of perfectionist parenting, or need an evidence-based clinical team to support your family's communication and nervous system health, our doors are open.

• Visit our practice: Integrated Behavioral Health

Legal Disclaimer: While this podcast may provide information that is educational in nature, it is not intended to be a health care service, psychotherapy, or the practice of psychology. This podcast’s main purpose is to provide educational insights for all stages of child and family development. We will not provide diagnoses or specific recommendations for your family. At no point is a therapeutic relationship established by way of your unilateral participation by listening to these episodes, and we cannot provide advice or privileges associated with a therapeutic relationship. We recommend that anyone who is seeking a therapeutic relationship reach out to Integrated Behavioral Health at [email protected] to begin the interview process of becoming a client or receiving a referral. If at any point in your listening or engaging with the content of this podcast, you experience an emergency, please immediately call 911 or go to your local emergency room.