Join Melisa and her children Sam and Sariah, as they walk you through a guided mediation. This episode is the perfect way to learn about and experience meditation as a family.

Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/

As parents, it's often hard for us to see our children struggle but what if we could reframe how we view struggles? Join Melisa as she talks about the importance of learning to embrace struggle and how we (and our children) learn from our mistakes. Spoiler: you cannot learn from a mistake you do not make.

In this episode you'll learn:
-How struggle helps us learn and grow
-How to support your child through their struggles, without doing it for them.
-To ask yourself “what did I learn from that?”
-Tips for helping your child during their struggles.

Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/

In a time of instant gratification becoming the new norm, we have lost a lot of our ability to create a strong will. Join Melisa as she shares how to incorporate will building in your family. She dives into how Waldorf education provides various opportunities to strengthen the will by learning and practicing handwork, but more than that she provides advice on providing opportunities to build your will together as a family.

In this episode you'll learn:
- The importance of building a strong will
- How to help your child build their will
- How to help reluctant children.
- Tips on will building as a family


Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/

Setting and holding boundaries with children is a daily exercise in patience but one that has the opportunity to be very rewarding. In this parenting focused video, Melisa gets to the heart of setting and holding boundaries with children in age-appropriate ways. She talks about the importance of how we show up as parents and the unfair advantage we have when we engage in arguments with our children.

In this episode you'll learn:
- How to not fall into the “friend” trap.
- Why it is unfair to your child to engage in arguments with them.
- How access to a community and program such as Parents In Sync, can be immeasurably valuable.
- What questions to ask yourself when you are having struggles with your children.
- Most importantly, how to create and hold boundaries in a way that allows everyone to be treated with love and dignity.

Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/

In this parenting focused episode, Melisa discusses the intricacies of raising teenagers. She provides insight into the 3-year changes (12, 15, 18, and 21) and what those changes looked like for her children. She also walks through various common concerns, such as: smart phones, social media, video games, dating, and more.

In this episode you'll learn:
- The importance of communication between you and your partner (if you have one)
- What the 3-year changes look like in preteen, teen, and young adult years.
- The potential dangers of social media access.
- Tips for handling difficult conversations

Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/

Does the idea of art in Waldorf feel daunting? Listen as Melisa shares her own experience tackling insecurity in creating and teaching art in Waldorf. Join her as she opens up and shares advice on how she was able to not only overcome her insecurity in art but find a joy in learning a new skill.

Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/

Join Melisa as she gets really honest about rhythm. In this episode, Melisa explains how rhythm is not simply something that exists outside of yourself but is an internal and integral part of you. She walks you through what your rhythm can look like and how it can affect your family's rhythm. She also provides resources to help you track your current rhythm, which can be found here: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources. Melisa further explains the importance of leading by example and harnessing your rhythm. She ends the episode by reminding you to get the rest you need and own your rhythm so you can lead your family into their rhythm.

Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/

Our flagship Thinking Feeling Willing program is being replaced by a different offering this spring. Find out what you will be missing out on by not locking down a lifetime membership before our changes take effect.

Listen as Melisa discusses the importance of movement and how to incorporate more of it into your days.

In this episode you'll learn:
- Why Waldorf schools strive for movement to account for 1/3 of their day
- Tips for incorporating more movement
- What structured movement can look like for older children

Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/

Anxiety and self-care can be big topics but, in this must hear episode of The Agent or Object, Melisa dives into them from a temperament perspective. She provides an insight into how different temperaments generally respond to anxiety, ways to alleviate some of your anxiety, and the huge connection between how we feel mentally and our bodies. She also dives into where our anxiety stems from and how we can help prevent passing it on to our own children.

In this episode you'll learn:
-How different temperaments respond to stress and anxiety
-The ways mental stress reveals itself in the body
-The way your childhood shapes your anxiety
-The importance of meditation
-Advice for managing anxiety

Resources:
- Additional FREE Resources: https://www.waldorfessentials.com/resources
- Melisa Nielsen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alittlegardenflower/featured
- Waldorf Essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldorf_essentials/
- Waldorf Essentials Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaldorfEssentials/