The Parent Tap

By Ryan McDonough

The threats are real. The playbook is yours.

Tactical conversations with ex-FBI agents, clinicians, and operators on raising kids through addiction, predators, screens, AI deepfake

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FAQs about The Parent Tap:

How many episodes does The Parent Tap have?

The podcast currently has 52 episodes available.

The Parent Tap episodes:

May 08, 2026Working Dads: Present but Not Enough
You're home every night and still missing the moments that matter. Physical presence isn't the same as showing up.
The silent crisis for working dads — and the operational fix for being present in a way your kids actually feel.
In this episode:
Why "I'm always home" isn't landing
Presence vs. attention
Small daily reps that compound
🎧 Full episode on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.

#fatherhood #workingdad #parentingpodcast #presentfather #dadburnout
Send us Fan Mail
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JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
30min
May 04, 2026Pediatric Trauma Is Breaking Your Marriage
When your kid is in crisis, the marriage is usually the next casualty. Nobody warns you about that part.
How pediatric trauma quietly fractures a couple — and the operational moves to keep both the kid and the partnership intact.
In this episode:
Why crisis splits parents apart
The communication system under stress
Protecting the marriage while you fight for your kid
🎧 Full playbook on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.
To solve this communication breakdown, Constance and her husband, a pediatric dentist, developed a visual, color-coded framework to help children process complex emotions. This system evolved into her essential children's books, Miles and the Colorful Capes of Feelings and Mariah and the Colorful Tutus of Feelings.
Link to Constance's Books & Resources: https://colorfulcapesoffeelings.com
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
26min
April 30, 2026Tantrums: Why Your Logic Fails (The Fix)
You reason with a tantruming toddler and it makes things worse. There's a reason — and a fix.
Why logic is useless against a dysregulated brain, and the operational sequence that actually de-escalates a meltdown.
In this episode:
What's happening in the brain mid-tantrum
Why words backfire in the moment
The step-by-step operational fix
🎧 Full playbook on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.

Learn more about Dr. Marcus's upcoming book, Parent Rx: A Prescription for Raising Emotionally Healthy Children, at https://parentrx.org.

Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
These Eyes by Barrie Gledden, Tim Reilly, Kes Loy, https://t.lickd.co/l/Yjlb5bDyObg
#podmatch
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
39min
April 27, 2026School Drama: Why "Just Be Friends" Backfires
"Just be friends with everyone" sounds kind. It's also setting your kid up to get steamrolled.
Why the standard advice on school drama fails, and the operational scripts that teach kids to navigate conflict instead of avoiding it.
In this episode:
Why "be nice" backfires socially
Teaching boundaries over people-pleasing
Scripts for real playground politics
🎧 Full episode on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.
Connect with Jessica Speer
Website: https://jessicaspeer.com/

🎧 Get the Blueprints: https://theparenttappod.com

Follow the system on YouTube: @TheParentTap

🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co

These Eyes by Barrie Gledden, Tim Reilly, Kes Loy, https://t.lickd.co/l/Yjlb5bDyObg
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
27min
April 23, 2026Single Parent Alert: Trauma, Grief & Generational Trap
Single parenting stacks trauma, sibling grief, and a generational trap most parents never see coming.
The operational breakdown for solo parents carrying it all — how to break the cycle instead of passing it down.
In this episode:
The generational trap hiding in plain sight
Managing sibling grief solo
Building a system when it's just you
🎧 Full playbook on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.

CONNECT WITH RACHEL KERR SNYDER:
Website: Spirited Prosperity
The Books:
The Widow Chose Red?: My Journey with Jesus, John, and ALS https://amzn.to/48tIdKy
The Boys, the Bible, and the Battles dropping on Father's Day 2026.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
31min
April 22, 2026Reading: +53 Percentiles in 90 Min/Week
One mom moved her kid up 53 reading percentiles in 90 minutes a week — by skipping "sounding it out."
The counterintuitive reading system that beats phonics drills, and how to run it at home without a tutor.
In this episode:
Why "sounding it out" stalls readers
The weekly system that moved the needle
How to replicate it at home
🎧 Full playbook on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.

Connect with Russell Van Brocklen
NYS Senate-funded dyslexia researcher
DyslexiaClasses.com • 518-892-2202 • [email protected]
Download the Free Guide: https://DyslexiaClasses.com

🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co

These Eyes by Barrie Gledden, Tim Reilly, Kes Loy, https://t.lickd.co/l/Yjlb5bDyObg
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
24min
April 21, 2026The Generational Reset: Stop Surviving Chaos
Most parents are surviving the chaos they inherited. The reset is choosing to defend against it instead.
How to break the generational pattern of just-getting-through-the-day and install systems that actually hold.
In this episode:
Surviving vs. defending the house
Spotting inherited patterns
The first system to install
🎧 Full episode on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.

Chaos in. Blueprints out.
Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co

These Eyes by Barrie Gledden, Tim Reilly, Kes Loy, https://t.lickd.co/l/Yjlb5bDyObg

👇 Tap In & Get the Playbook
Subscribe to The Parent Tap for weekly tactical frameworks for high-performing parents.
Jessica’s Website https://jesssaying.net/
Jessica's Book https://a.co/d/0cdNGbm

Be on the show! https://www.podmatch.com/member/theparenttap
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
30min
April 12, 2026Today's Weed Isn't 1999's: A Parent's Guide
The product on the street today is up to four times stronger than anything you knew. Parenting it like it's 1999 is a mistake.
A tactical, no-panic breakdown of what's actually changed, why potency matters, and the boundaries that hold with teens.
In this episode:
What changed since you were a teen
Why potency is the real story
The day-one conversation that works
🎧 Full playbook on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.
Connect with Jason Tremko:
Read the Book: Grab your copy of The Green Glitch by searching for it on Amazon. https://amzn.to/4et1v6w
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
25min
April 08, 2026One Generational Mistake Breaks Everything
One generational mistake can break every system downstream — for decades. The Schulz family is the case study.
How a single inherited pattern cascades through a family, and the operational move that stops it at your generation.
In this episode:
Anatomy of a generational mistake
How one pattern breaks the whole system
Where to cut the cycle
🎧 Full episode on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.

Connect with Dena Hodges at https://denamhodges.com/
Pre-order her memoir (Launching July 2026): In the Shadow of the Family Dog.
Support her Florida Animal Rescue!
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
30min
April 06, 2026Chores Are a Trap: The Ping Pong Ball System
Standard chores teach compliance. This system teaches your kids to think like economic operators.
Why the chore chart backfires, and the "ping pong ball" system that builds initiative and real-world economics instead.
In this episode:
Why chore charts fail long-term
The Ping Pong Ball System, explained
Raising operators, not order-takers
🎧 Full playbook on YouTube → The Parent Tap. More at theparenttappod.com.
The Action Step: Heidi spends thousands out of her own pocket to support Title 1 students. If you are an Arizona resident, you can help fund her classroom and offset your tax debt dollar-for-dollar through the AZ Earned Income Tax Credit. https://www.pxu.org/documents/departments/purchasing/public-gifts-and-donations/639526
Subscribe to The Parent Tap for weekly tactical blueprints to fix your family's broken systems.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Stop surviving the chaos and start managing the system.
Official Website & Blueprints: ParentTap.io Contact us: [email protected]
THE PARENT TAP PRODUCTION GEAR 🎙️ Mic: Shure MV7+ amzn.to/4cdrGf8 Focusrite Scarlett Solo https://amzn.to/3S9xH66
💡 Lighting: Elgato Key Light Neo amzn.to/4sg904m
📷 Webcam: Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra amzn.to/48eNaqI
🎧 Headphones: Dyson OnTrac amzn.to/4tVGNAU
📹 Camera: Sony ZV-E10 amzn.to/4cExz5e
🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co
The Parent Tap Reading List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19F2YVH0CLDH9?ref_=wl_share
📺 Watch the Podcast on YouTube: @TheParentTap
📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheParentTapPod
🧸 Family Fun & Vlogs: Catch our family adventures on YouTube at @R-mak (Tiny Baker & Toy Fun!)
Listen & Subscribe: If you found today’s SOP helpful, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s the #1 way to help us get these tactical blueprints to other working parents who need them.
...more
42min

FAQs about The Parent Tap:

How many episodes does The Parent Tap have?

The podcast currently has 52 episodes available.