“We can be a lot kinder to the child in front of us when we take time to be kind to the child inside of us.” If you're a parent, you've had to wrestle with your own expectations about what it means to be a "good" mom or dad. You've faced the limits of your own patience, wisdom, and compassion. And if you have a Spicy OneTM, you've been challenged in ways you never saw coming!

What if those moments of exasperation became invitations into a journey toward greater self-compassion? What if you were able to care for yourself with kindness as you also care for the kiddos you're raising? And what if parenting became an opportunity to rewrite the narrative you've told yourself about who you are?

I can't wait for you to listen to this conversation with Mary Van Geffen, the international parenting coach for moms of Spicy OnesTM️! Mary helps people who are highly competent in life but overwhelmed by motherhood to lean into the spiritual discipline of staying calm and cultivating warmth and tenderness all while trying to wrangle fiery future CEOs. Often this requires serious skill-building and the balm of self-compassion.

Join us for this episode where we talk about:

• Defining what it means to "do the work" required to become the parents we want to be

Mary has a ministry on Instagram where she posts an inspiring parenting tip every single day. Just reading her social media will help you delight in your child and remember that you are enough. Mary believes that when a mom realizes how hard she is on herself and cracks the door open for some self-compassion, her entire family is bathed in light!

She offers on-line parenting classes and her signature 8 week group program: Moms of Spicy Ones to help moms gain the confidence to choose gentle, respectful parenting especially if they weren’t raised that way.

Mary is a certified Simplicity Parenting Counselor® and Professional Co-Active Coach, but her greatest achievement is cultivating a calm, kind and firm relationship with her Spicy go-getter daughter (now 18), mild child son (16) and un-Enneagramable hubby.

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Links from this episode:

Check our Mary’s daily parenting inspiration here or take one of these one-hour classes to sharpen your skills:

• CALM: Self regulation 101 for parents and other leaders. Use your body to ground yourself in the midst of chaos, defiance and uncontrollable emotions.

Join the next Moms of Spicy Ones cohort opening Fall 2025! Keep your cool and cultivate a warm connection with your big-feeling human. It's easier to love your loud, persistent, intense child when you have support and community.

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Stay connected:

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