What does infant mental health actually mean and how does it shape a child’s emotional world from the very beginning?

I’m Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host. In this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, we sit down with Emily Fried, LCSW, specialist in infant, early childhood, and perinatal mental health, to explore how emotional wellbeing begins long before a child can use words.

We discuss how parents can create the conditions that support healthy brain development, what secure attachment really looks like in everyday life, and how toddlers experience big feelings in very small bodies. Emily also explains the important differences between prenatal depression and perinatal anxiety, and how a parent’s emotional health directly impacts early relational development.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s beneath your toddler’s behavior — or how to build a strong emotional foundation from birth — this conversation offers both reassurance and practical tools.

Mental health in the early years isn’t about independence; it’s about connection. Babies and toddlers develop emotional stability through consistent, responsive relationships.

Secure attachment doesn’t require perfection. It’s formed through repeated cycles of attunement, rupture, and repair.

Early experiences,  especially relational ones,  shape neural pathways that influence regulation, stress response, and future resilience.

Big feelings overwhelm a young child’s still-developing brain. What looks like defiance is often dysregulation.

Prenatal depression and perinatal anxiety can look different, but both impact the parent-child relationship. Supporting parents is a critical part of supporting children.

Young children borrow calm from caregivers. A regulated adult nervous system is one of the most powerful tools in early development.

Creating supportive conditions early,  emotionally available caregivers, predictable routines, and responsive care, reduces the likelihood of entrenched patterns later.

Website

Boulder Psychological Services

Book: You Go Away by Dorothy Corey

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Melissa Holland.

Melissa Holland is a parenting coach, founder of Inner Wisdom Parenting, and a PEN Ambassador at SHMS who is passionate about helping parents raise emotionally healthy, resilient children, starting with themselves.

Melissa works with parents of young children, particularly ages 5–10, helping them better understand what’s really going on beneath behavior and how to respond with clarity, confidence, and connection. Through her coaching and workshops, she supports parents in tuning into both their child’s inner world and their own, so discipline becomes less about control and more about growth, trust, and relationship.

Grounded, compassionate, and deeply practical, Melissa’s work empowers parents to slow down, listen differently, and parent from a place of intention rather than reactivity. Her approach reminds parents that they already have much of what they need. Sometimes they just need support accessing their inner wisdom.

Melissa will be speaking at PEN's Stress & Anxiety Conference on Feb 28, 2026.

Register Here

In this podcast, we talk about:

Resources

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Lisa Kaplan. Lisa is a Registered Nurse and Life & Mental Wellness Coach dedicated to supporting families through life’s pivotal transitions. With a background grounded in both healthcare and emotional wellness, Lisa brings a unique blend of clinical insight and compassionate coaching to her work.

She specializes in helping parents navigate the often complex shift from raising children to relating to young adults, a season filled with pride, uncertainty, grief, growth, and opportunity. Through her work, Lisa empowers parents to move from control to collaboration, from directing to guiding, and from parenting to partnership.

At our conference, she will present “From Parenting to Partnership: Navigating the Transition to Adulthood,” offering practical tools and mindset shifts to help families foster independence while preserving connection.

Register Here

In this podcast, we talk about:

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Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Marie Nowacki Ford.

Marie is a postpartum doula, new parent educator, and certified Child Passenger Safety Technician based in Boulder, Colorado. She supports families through the emotional and practical transition into parenthood, with a focus on reducing stress, building confidence, and creating sustainable support systems during the postpartum period.

Marie’s work centers on helping parents navigate anxiety, overwhelm, identity shifts, and the often-unspoken challenges of early parenting. Through overnight support, newborn education, and holistic care, she empowers families to feel more grounded, capable, and connected during one of life’s biggest transitions.

Marie is also a featured speaker at the Stress and Anxiety Conference on Feb. 28th, where she brings insight into the unique mental load carried by new parents and the importance of community-based postpartum care.

Register Here

In this podcast, we talk about:

Resources

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Jenny Hecht.

Jenny Hecht is a licensed therapist and parenting expert who specializes in helping families navigate anxiety, emotional regulation, and the everyday challenges of raising kids in a high-pressure world. With a warm, practical approach, Jenny supports parents in understanding what’s driving their child’s behavior and how to respond in ways that build resilience, connection, and confidence. Her work bridges clinical insight with real-life parenting tools that actually work when things feel messy. Jenny will also be speaking at PEN’s Stress and Anxiety Conference on Feb 28th at Dawson School in Lafayette, Colorado.

In this podcast, we talk about:

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Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Dan Fox. Dan has spent over 25 years working with adolescents and their families as they navigate the ups and downs of growing up. He’s been a high school teacher, summer camp director, school counselor, and the director of September High School—so he really understands teens from the inside out.

As a Licensed Professional Counselor, Dan brings that experience into his work with families, grounded in the belief that there is hope for teens and real relief for parents. He works with adolescents, young adults, couples, and families, and supports schools and organizations through workshops and parent coaching as well.

Dan also has a podcast called Therapy Dudes with Andre Karkamaz. They put the fun back in dysfunctional as they talk about how to navigate your inner and outer world to move forward in life.

In this podcast, we talk about:

Resources:

Website: Boulder Psychological Services

Podcast: Therapy Dudes with Dan Fox and Andre Karkamaz

10 Annual Reducing Stress & Anxiety Conference: Fostering Resilience & Wellbeing at Every Stage of Parenting

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Bobby Hodgkinson.

Bobby is a Teaching Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he has been on the faculty since 2012. A graduate of CU Boulder, he holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, with deep experience in hands-on research and applied engineering.

Today, Bobby focuses on experiential learning, helping his students learn not just what to think, but how to think, through project-based courses and capstone labs. He is deeply engaged in integrating generative AI tools into education, including the development of AI-based tutoring systems. His work explores how AI can support learning without replacing critical thinking. 

Recently, he co-led a workshop for the Parent Engagement Network on navigating AI and Building a Parenting Workbook. In this podcast, Bobby brings a rare blend of technical expertise, teaching experience, and practical insight to help parents understand how AI works, where it helps, where it falls short, and how they can guide their children to use AI thoughtfully, responsibly, and creatively in a rapidly changing world.

In this podcast, we talked about:

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Michael Whitaker, who goes by Whit, is a sustainability and innovation leader with a strong academic background in civil and environmental engineering, capped by a PhD in sustainable urban infrastructure. He founded a company dedicated to measuring urban sustainability, which was acquired by ICF International in 2012. Currently, Whit leads organizational innovation and AI strategy at ICF, a $2 billion professional services and technology firm. Beyond his corporate role, he authors a Substack newsletter, Navigating AI Transitions with Whit, where he explores how AI affects work, parenting, and education. Based in Boulder, Colorado, he’s also an engaged parent and advocate for integrating AI responsibly in schools. Whit will be doing a workshop on Navigating AI: Build Your Parent Playbook. Turn uncertainty into clarity, confidence, and empowerment On Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Register Here: https://parentengagementnetwork.org/navigating-ai/

In this podcast, we talk about:

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Direct links to some of Whit’s most relevant Substack posts:

Back to School with AI: The Clarity Crisis: school AI policies are buried - if you can't explain it in 30 seconds, you've already lost parents and students.

The AI Values Gap, Reflected: AI policies should be grounded in the broader values of the district / school and their educational philosophy - not isolated to a technology issue.

The AI Policy I Shared with My School Board: here's the language I shared with BVSD's board for an overall policy that would balance preparing our students to engage with AI with teacher autonomy in the classroom.

Beyond AI Literacy: A Future-Ready and Protective Framework for Schools - starter ideas including model language for how to integrate AI into cross-disciplinary academic standards to prepare students for the AI-infused world they are entering while protecting their developing minds by building AI-oriented lessons into social emotional learning domains.

How to Start Changing the AI Dynamics in School this Fall - a couple ideas for in classroom ways to start integrating AI.

Wake Up with Whit: Preparing Kids for AI While Protecting Their Developing Minds: a ten minute coffee-talk style video post discussing the imperative for schools to both Prepare kids for the AI future and Protect their developing brains with examples of how some teachers are doing this well now.

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Susan Caso.

Susan Caso, MA, LPC, serves as a consultant and community leader in the area of suicide prevention. Susan has provided psychotherapy to adolescents, college students, adults and families for nearly two decades.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education from the University of Colorado and has been a clinician in private practice in Colorado for 20 years She counsels clients with acute and chronic mental illnesses, earning a reputation for success in helping individuals overcome anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and unresolved issues affecting day-to-day lives. Susan imagines new tools, models, and resources to create open-hearted conversations. She works with individuals, families, and teams to eliminate the stigma of mental health issues and address the often taboo topic of suicide. A lifelong learner, Susan continues to study mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, adolescent issues, crisis management (ASSIST certified), suicidology, personality disorders, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.

In this podcast, we talk about:

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Website: https://susancaso.com/about/

Book: The Parent-Teen Connection: How to Build Lifelong Family Relationships

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Thank you for joining The Parenting Well Podcast for a live conversation with Isabelle Tierney. My name is Dr. Shelly Mahon and I’ll be your host today. Isabelle will be doing a 90 minute virtual workshop on December 18th, 12-1:30. It is titled: From Surviving to Thriving: Empowering Parents to Navigate Stress and Foster Connection. You can join via zoom here:

Isabelle Tierney is a licensed therapist, stress management expert, and international speaker dedicated to helping individuals and teams thrive personally and professionally. Drawing on over two decades of experience in running a successful therapy practice, Isabelle developed the Choice Point Methodology—a simple, science-backed system that provides immediate stress relief and builds lasting resilience. Grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness, this proven three-step approach empowers people to shift from stress and reactivity to calm, clarity, and presence within minutes, no matter the circumstances.

After experiencing burnout and the toll it took on her health and relationships, Isabelle turned her challenges into a mission to transform how people approach stress. Her methodology has helped thousands—including leaders and teams in corporate and entrepreneurial roles—prevent burnout, foster meaningful connections, and embrace a life of purpose and balance.

In this podcast, we talk about:

Resources: 

Isabelle's Website

Book a call or apply for her program here