Soul Path Parenting

When I first heard this myth -- parenting is about the child -- I thought, "Wait.  Whaaat?!"  If it's not about the child, what IS it about?!  Well, my friends, that's what we talk about in this episode!  

This myth is so powerful that once you understand it, you will be transformed.  Promise. 

This show is the second in our 8-part series on Conscious Parenting the parenting myths Dr. Shefali Tsabary so beautifully shared in her book, The Awakened Family.   

To bring this myth to life, we are joined by three amazing Conscious Parenting Coaches who generously share their wisdom and vulnerably share their stories: Jen Klein, Claudia Pape, and Janet Philbin.  In the episode, we talk about:

• One of the most powerful questions every parent can (must!) ask themselves.  It will totally transform your perspective on parenting.
• How understanding this myth ultimately led one of our guests — a self-professed perfectionist who thought "singing was the scariest thing in the world" — to take singing lessons (...AND she now regularly dances with her daughter on TikTok)
• And, finally, an amazing story of how another coach helped her daughter resolve a situation of anxiety and struggle....without saying a word to her; only changing how she showed up.

If you're interested in learning more about these amazing coaches, please check out the series webpage at soulpathparenting.com.

Over the 10 months of this podcast, we have focused on exploring one important & inspiring question:  “How do we set our kids up to live their best lives?... to be the most authentic expression of who they’re meant to be?”  I’ve asked this question of therapists, educators, coaches, religious leaders, and spiritual teachers.  And if I could only choose one answer to share with the world, it would be this: parent consciously.  But how do we get started?  That's what we're going to talk about!

Because I believe conscious parenting is so fundamentally important to our lives, our children’s lives, and, frankly, the future of humanity, we are dedicating an entire series to it!  Our focus is understanding the parenting myths that Dr. Shefali Tsabary outlines in her book, The Awakened Family.  If you’re anything like me — or most other humans on the planet — you’ve been so steeped in these myths that you accept them as truths!  These myths have been handed down to us from our parents, from our culture, from other institutions like school and religion — and they tell us how things should be.  The problem is, they’re just made up.  And the even bigger problem is, these beliefs set us up to suffer because they disconnect us from who we and our children are authentically meant to be.

This episode kicks off an 8-part series on conscious parenting and the 7 myths. Joining me in this episode are three coaches, certified in Dr. Shefali Tsabary's Conscious Parenting Method: Nina Cruz, Tilley Fine, and Janet Philbin.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What conscious parenting is and how it differs from the mainstream model
• How conscious parenting has completely transformed their parenting and their own lives
• Why we have to let go of "control" in parenting -- and what to replace it with
• A glimpse of the future.  I have had the unique opportunity of actually knowing someone who was parented consciously.  It's like finding a unicorn!  Knowing him has been like a masterclass.  I share how he shows up in the world, what we can learn from him, and what the future looks like for our children — and for humanity —  if we parent consciously. 

If you are interested in learning more about conscious parenting coaching with these amazing coaches, you can find links on our website at soulpathparenting.com.

As we kick off this unprecedented school year, it feels like our educational system has been completely upended, whether we like it or not.  AND, there’s so much possibility in that!  Today’s guest is all about what’s possible if we rethink education.

Greta Harman is a board certified educational therapist and serial entrepreneur, currently working alongside Oprah’s favorite parenting expert, Dr. Shefali, to help spread the Conscious Parenting movement worldwide.  In this episode, she shares:

• How we can redefine educational success so our kids can thrive
• What conscious parenting means for how we approach education 
• What Greta learned from her own journey as a parent navigating the education system (“Everything we did was wrong!”)
• The most important things we can do to help our children learn this school year
• And how she - and we! - can stay present, calm, and curious in the face of it all

You can find Greta at http://www.gretaharman.com/, @greta.harman on Instagram, or somewhere on a beach in Orange County, California.  

In this 5-minute inspiration break we share a powerful exercise that transforms moments of stress, fear, anxiety, or upset into calm and resourcefulness.  We learned this from Becca Armstrong, psychotherapist & hypnotherapist, back in late March.  I've been using it ever since, any time I feel off kilter or when my kids are having big emotions.  I can tell you, it works!  As we face the uncertainty of the start of the school year and, well, life!...we wanted to bring back this magical 3-minute practice so you, too, can bring yourself into heart-brain coherence. 

To hear the full interview, check out Episode 21. 

One of the powerful parenting lessons I've learned through all the interviews I've done on the show is this: In many cases, it’s not what we tell our kids that can make the difference, it’s what we ask them.  There are powerful questions that can be transformational in the way we parent our kids.  And, beyond that, there are powerful questions that we can ask ourselves.  

This week we explore our favorite parenting questions from the experts who have appeared on the show, including:

• A question that shifts moments when one kid hurts another -- instead of blaming & shaming, we invoke kindness & compassion
• The question that empowers our kids when they face struggles, pointing them to listen to their own inner guidance
• And, the most important question we parents can ask ourselves every day.

There were more favorite questions than we could cover in one episode, so I've created a one-pager for you!  If you want all 9 of our magical day-to-day parenting questions, you can download them here: soulpathparenting.com/questions.

Hello friends!  This is the last week of repeats.  We are back from our time off with family and busy cooking up exciting new content for you!  In the meanwhile, we hope you enjoy one more of our favorite episodes from the early days of the podcast....

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In this episode we talk with Steve Sachs, the co-director of Alaya Preschool, which draws on the wisdom of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition to inspire its approach to early childhood education.  Steve has been an educator for 40 years and has wonderful insights and inspiration to share from his time at Alaya, 24 years in Montessori, and experience teaching in the Early Childhood Education program at Naropa University.  He’s also a co-director of Family Camp at the Shambhala Mountain Center.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Meeting each child in the present moment
• How to handle big emotions
• Cultivating connection, kindness, self-acceptance, and non-competition
• And a wonderful practice for handle the situation when child has hurt another child in some way that has been transformative in our household.

I found this conversation so inspiring…and I hope you do too!

As our hiatus continues, we wanted to bring you one of our favorite episodes from one of my FAVORITE people, Willow Bradner. ❤️❤️❤️We hope you enjoy it!

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Today’s show is about intuition.  Intuition is one of the keys to living a fulfilling life; it’s our window into our soul’s desires.  We were born with it... but with so many voices - our parents, society, our teachers - many of us stop listening to our inner voice.  The good news is, we all have it.  It's just a matter of tuning in!

Today we’ll be talking with someone who has intuition as her superpower.  Willow Bradner is a psychic and business medium…and a mom.  She’ll be sharing with us:

• How we find our intuition and how we cultivate it in our kids
• The no-BS answer to how to find your purpose
• A definition of self-care that will inspire you
• What parents can do to set their kids up to live their full, authentic lives
• Helpful tips for parents with highly sensitive kids
• A fantastic tip for people who struggle to sit and meditate
• A surprising solution for how to get that thing we all want more of…time

Links:
Willow Bradner's Website
The Clarity Cure Program

Our play-filled hiatus continues!  In the meanwhile, we're bringing back some of our favorite episodes from the early days of Soul Path Parenting.  This one first aired back in November.  We hope you enjoy it!

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This week we talk with Erin Breeze, the strategist and guide behind Happy Home: Life After Divorce and...my sister!  Erin will share her experience helping moms tune in to themselves to powerfully navigate life's "divine disruptions" so that they can shine bright for themselves and their kids.  We'll also talk about:

• Divorce is not a failure - and the two tired, old archetypes of divorced women we can throw out
• The myth that a happy life is free of struggle
• What it means for our kids and us to live our best lives
• Powerful "Divorce Advantages" (that married people can also tap into if they're aware!)
• Finding purpose & pursuing passions

Links:
Erin Breeze's Website
Facebook Group - Happy Home: Life After Divorce 

Also, referenced in the episode:
"Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle Learning," NPR, Nov. 12, 2012

We're taking some time to play and recharge in July, so we're bringing back some of our favorite episodes from the Soul Path Parenting vault.  This one first aired back in February when normal was still, well, normal....  We hope you enjoy it!

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This episode is about joy and happiness.  As we've explored how we set our kids up to live their best lives on this podcast, one theme has become clear: We parents have to be pursuing ours.  So, today, I’m sharing stories from my own life.  It may sound weird because I literally never hear anyone say this, but my life is overflowing with joy.  I  have a life, marriage, and family that exceeds anything I ever imagined.  Of course, it wasn't always this way.  In fact, there were some huge limitations standing in the way of my happiness.  But finally a decade ago I had the breakthrough that changed everything.  If you are still look to create more joy and happiness in your life, I hope that my story may have some seed of inspiration or insight so you can have a life beyond your wildest dreams too.  That's my wish for all of us.  

It's summer and it's time to play!  But is play just all fun and games?  It turns out even though it may feel purposeless, there are enormous benefits to play.  From an evolutionary standpoint, it is, in fact, very purposeful. 

I became incredibly interested in play while my kids were adjusting to online learning.  While they dutifully completed their schoolwork, what they really wanted to be doing was playing.  I wondered, could it be that they get just as much out of play as they do from formal instruction?  I think so!  In this episode, we talk with Chris Vaughan, co-author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.  We talk about:

• Why play is so important for our development and wellbeing -- the skill-building, brain, and happiness benefits
• What we can learn from the animal world about play
• What the 8 play personalities are so that you can see what lights you and your kids up...and do more of it!

Show Links:
Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul (Amazon Link)