Anxiety is everywhere right now. It's in our culture, in our homes, and often in our own nervous systems. So how do we raise brave, resilient children without unintentionally reinforcing the fears we’re trying to protect them from?

I’m Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and in this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Samantha Grigsby, clinical psychologist and founder of Foothills CBT, to break down what every parent needs to understand about how anxiety works and how to interrupt the cycle that keeps it growing.

We explore how to distinguish normal developmental anxiety from anxiety that needs support, and why avoidance, though well-intended, often strengthens fear over time. Dr. Grigsby explains the anxiety cycle in practical terms and shares why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) are gold-standard treatments for anxiety and OCD.

We also discuss how rescuing, over-accommodating, minimizing stress, or offering constant reassurance can unintentionally perpetuate anxiety, as well as what supportive parenting actually looks like when a child is struggling. Finally, we examine the cultural pressures amplifying stress today and how to keep our own anxiety from shaping the emotional climate of our homes.

Because bravery isn’t the absence of anxiety.

Register to hear her talk at the Stress & Anxiety Conference 

In this podcast, we talk about:

How to tell when anxiety is normal and when it’s limiting your child

The hidden ways loving parents accidentally reinforce anxiety

Why avoidance and reassurance make anxiety stronger

What actually works (CBT & ERP explained simply)

How to stop passing your stress onto your child

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I’m Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and in this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, I sit down with Stacey J. Acquavella, founder of Neurodivergent Uprising and speaker at our Stress & Anxiety Conference, to explore her powerful message: Regulation Is the Self-Care.

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Many parents, especially those raising neurodivergent children, are told to add more strategies, more routines, more coping tools. But when you’re already functioning at a deficit, “doing more” only deepens the exhaustion.

Stacey reframes overwhelm as a structural issue, not a personal one. You can’t self-care your way out of structural overload. Instead, regulation must be embedded into how the day is designed. Things like how transitions happen, how expectations are set, how decisions are reduced, and how environments are shaped help immensely.

We talk about survival mode and chronic bracing. The shame undiagnosed parents often carry. The stress of navigating school systems built for neurotypical learners. The difference between behavior management and regulation-based parenting. And why you don’t need a diagnosis to begin reducing overload.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly on edge or you're bracing for emails, appointments, or judgment, this conversation will help you understand why.

And more importantly, it will show you where relief actually begins.

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Communication is often treated as a skill to master, but in this conversation with Susan Caso, we explore why it is far more complex than scripts and strategies.

When stress and anxiety are high, conversations can quickly become reactive, escalating, or disconnected. But when parents create emotional safety and presence, communication shifts from mechanics to connection.

We talk about what it really means to listen deeply, how to stay present when you feel triggered, and how giving space can de escalate conflict instead of intensifying it. Susan introduces the Cycle of Response and reminds us that connection is the foundation of every healthy relationship. Communication tools simply support that foundation.

Our children do not just need instruction. They need us. The steady presence who can pause, reflect, repair, and experience joy with them.

If you have ever walked away from a conversation wishing you had handled it differently, this episode will offer both hope and practical tools.

Register to participate in her workshop at the Stress & Anxiety Conference

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I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and in this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, we’re talking about what truly shapes your child’s emotional health in the earliest years of life.

I’m joined by Emily Fried, LCSW, a specialist in infant, early childhood, and perinatal mental health, to explore what’s really happening beneath toddler behavior — and how attachment, brain development, and parental wellbeing are deeply connected from the very beginning.

We discuss how to create the right conditions for healthy development, how toddlers experience big emotions, the difference between prenatal depression and perinatal anxiety, and practical ways to support regulation in everyday moments.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “doing it right” in these early years, this conversation will both ground you and guide you.

Register to participate in her workshop at the Stress & Anxiety Conference on Feb 28, 2026

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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 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.

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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 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

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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 also specializes in supporting grandparents as they navigate new roles, boundary setting, and effective communication, which she’ll speak about at the Reducing Stress & Anxiety Conference on February 28th.

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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 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.

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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.

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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.

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