Do you struggle with forgiving yourself when you mess up as a parent? Do you hold yourself to unrealistic standards that you can never reach? Do you worry that you are going to unwittingly shame your child and damage them?

If you have these struggles, please know that you are not alone. This podcast will equip you with a resource that can help: self-compassion.

I originally recorded this interview with Chris Germer for my Compassionate Parenting course, but I’m sharing it with all now of you as my last podcast episode of the season. Our interview includes a heart warming and insightful conversation along with a couple of short guided practices. It is my favorite. Please listen to it. It will help you understand that embracing your imperfections can become one of your greatest parenting strengths.

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Chris Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010 and MSC has since been taught to over 250,000 people worldwide. They co-authored three books on MSC, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program and Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout.

Chris spends most of his time lecturing and leading workshops around the world on mindfulness and self-compassion. He is also the author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, and he maintains a small online practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

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For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, including the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids, visit https://jamielynntatera.com

If you’d like to have a companion on your parenting journey and receive weekly tips on how to help kids (and yourself!) grow mindful self-compassion, sign up for Jamie Lynn’s We Are In it Together Substack: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

Does your heart break when you hear about about Spanish-speaking children and families experiencing fear and oppression in the US and abroad? Would you like to help support diverse communities during turbulent times?

In this interview, Veronica shares about the oppression that she and many other Latinos have encountered both in the US as well as in their countries of origin. She also shares self-compassion tools that can help to soothe and empower. We discuss the effects that anti-immigrant rhetoric has on minority groups, as well as her efforts to help Spanish-speaking children discover self-compassion, both in the United States and abroad.

You can help Veronica share self-compassion with Spanish-speaking children: https://mcst.betterworld.org/campaigns/Help-Spanish-Speaking-Children.

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Veronica Diaz is a mother, naturalized American citizen, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers teacher, engineer and project manager, yoga teacher, and a woman with a passion for helping EVERYONE, including Spanish-speaking children, develop the resource of self-compassion.

Learn more about Veronica’s work bringing Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to diverse families: https://www.veronicadiaz.co/

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For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, including the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids, visit https://jamielynntatera.com.

If you’d like to have a companion on your parenting journey and receive weekly tips on how to help kids (and yourself!) grow mindful self-compassion, sign up for Jamie Lynn’s We Are In it Together Substack: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

Do you ever feel like you’ve lost your parenting delight? Or maybe you feel like you never had it!? Certified parenting educator Dajana Yoakley helps us discover tools that can put the delight back into our parenting.

Listen to this episode of the We Are in It Together podcast to learn how:

* Self-doubt robs us of parenting joy

* Self-compassion leads to increased self-regulation

* Understanding our child’s underlying needs can lead to increased connection

* Accepting ourselves and our child as we are increases parenting delight

* Emotional coaching can help children grow and change

The right mix of understanding, connection, and guidance can put the joy back into parenting. Join Jamie Lynn and Dajana to discover how!

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Dajana Yoakley is a Peaceful Parenting coach, mom, and host of the Delight in Parenting Podcast. She has trained with Dr. Laura Markham and is an Aha Parenting Certified Parent Educator. She has a Masters degree in Leadership and has been trained in Playful Parenting for Parent Educators. Discover more about Dajana’s work at https://www.delightinparenting.com/

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For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, including the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids, visit https://jamielynntatera.com.

If you’d like to have a companion on your parenting journey and receive weekly tips on how to help kids (and yourself!) grow mindful self-compassion, sign up for Jamie Lynn’s We Are In it Together Substack: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

This interview with Dr. Kristin Neff is a breath of fresh air for parents aspiring not only to nurture their children, but also empower them to be strong and agentic. And guess what!? Growing your own fierce and tender self-compassion skills is key to helping your child do the same.

In this episode of the We Are in It Together podcast, Dr. Kristin Neff describes fierce self-compassion and how it can inform our interactions with our children. Jamie Lynn and Kristin also discuss how gender roles can prevent boys from embracing tender self-compassion, and girls from owning strong self-compassion, and what we as parents can do to empower our children and ourselves (listen to a discussion of gender roles starting at the 9:50 minute mark).

At the end of this podcast, Dr. Neff guides listeners through a tender and/or fierce self-compassion break that can be applied to many different situations.

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Visit Kristin Neff’s website, self-compassion.org, to learn more about self-compassion and/or join her community. Dr. Kristin Neff is a self-compassion researcher at the University of Texas, Austin. She is author of the best-selling books, Self-Compassion, Fierce Self-Compassion, and co-author of the Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.

Kristin Neff’s community features a host of resources for individuals aspiring to grow self-compassion in community with others. Her community is hosting a Nurturing Self-Compassion in Children Workshop taught by Jamie Lynn Tatera in February 2025. Visit https://self-compassion.org/event/how-caregivers-can-nurture-self-compassion-in-children-with-jamie-lynn-tatera-february-15-2025/ to register or watch the free intro session.

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For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, including the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids, visit https://jamielynntatera.com.

If you’d like to have a companion on your parenting journey and receive weekly tips on how to help kids (and yourself!) grow mindful self-compassion, sign up for Jamie Lynn’s We Are In it Together Substack: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

What do our children and loved ones really need when things go wrong? Often it’s not our words, but rather it’s our simple presence. In this insightful interview with Cori Doerrfeld, Jamie Lynn and Cori discuss why it’s so hard to remember that what people (including our children!) often need most is our patient listening ear.

And it’s not just others who need our presence, but we also need our own loving presence. Cori Doerrfeld is the author of one of Jamie Lynn’s favorite children’s books, The Rabbit Listened. Jamie Lynn and Cori’s interview unpacks how the book can serve as a jumping off point for teaching kids (and grown-ups!) how to best show up for others and how to treat ourselves with kindness when we are struggling.

Cori Doerrfeld is both author and illustrator of many awesome books, including The Rabbit Listened, Ready to Soar, and Beneath. Her website is https://www.coridoerrfeld.com/, and you can find her on social media @coridoerrfeld.

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For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, including the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids, visit https://jamielynntatera.com.

If you’d like to have a companion on your parenting journey and receive weekly tips on how to help kids (and yourself!) grow mindful self-compassion, sign up for Jamie Lynn’s We Are In it Together Substack: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

When adversity strikes, do you ever fear that you are going to experience a mental health setback? What if the opposite were true?

Dr. Chris Willard suggests that something positive can (and often does!) emerge from challenging life circumstances: post-traumatic growth. In Chris and Jamie Lynn’s candid conversation, they talk about resources we can bring to our adverse experiences (including mindfulness, self-compassion and EACH OTHER) that can help us transform something difficult into something life-promoting. Chris even suggests that post-traumatic stress can co-exist with post-traumatic growth (could this really be true!?).

Highlights from our conversation include:

* Chris’s story of moving from opioid addiction to flourishing through mindfulness and connection

* Tips for making mindfulness trauma sensitive (for example, stationary mindfulness can be unsettling for some, but mindfulness in motion can be more accessible)

* Having a caregiver practice mindfulness may actually be more beneficial for a child more than teaching the child mindfulness (your practice matters!)

* The importance of community for healing (that’s why We Are in It Together!)

Dr. Chris Willard is an instructor at the Harvard Medical School, an intergenerational mindfulness teacher, and the author of numerous books, including How We Grow Through What We Go Through, Growing Up Mindful, and numerous children’s books, including the up-and-coming Feelings Are Like Farts. His website is drchristopherwillard.com, or you can find him on social media @drchriswillard.

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For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, including the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids, visit https://jamielynntatera.com.

If you’d like to have a companion on your parenting journey and receive weekly tips on how to help kids (and yourself!) grow mindful self-compassion, sign up for Jamie Lynn’s We Are In it Together Substack: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

Jamie Lynn's daughter, Maya Lynn, is the vibrant little being that brought Jamie Lynn to Mindful Self-Compassion (through repeated tantrums in the early years ;). Maya Lynn is now 16 years-old, and she not only has her own mindful self-compassion practice, but also has helped Jamie Lynn create the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbooks for Kids.

Podcast highlights include:

* Maya shares about post pandemic-related social anxiety (3:30)

* How to open to emotions - “What you resist persists” (5:05)

* Examples of how she uses self-compassion in sports (7:00)

* Maya’s experience creating and teaching the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids (10:05)

* Tips for helping kids learn self-compassion (hint: use play!) (10:45)

* A workbook preview by Maya Lynn (14:30)

* What’s your inner voice like?

* Comics!! (15:45)

* The Quest (17:17)

* Relatability - Real Kids and Real Quotes (19:20)

* Fun Activities & Animals (20:25)

* The Research (20:45)

* Feelings Habit Animals (21:05)

* A Diamond (23:00)

* The We Are in It Together Song - composed by Maya Lynn and performed by Jamie Lynn’s family

For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, including the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids, visit https://jamielynntatera.com.

If you’d like to have a companion on your parenting journey and receive weekly tips on how to help kids (and yourself!) grow mindful self-compassion, sign up for Jamie Lynn’s We Are In it Together Substack: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

Listen to Jamie Lynn’s favorite podcast episode so far! This rich conversation with Dr. Christine Lathren includes:

* Perfectionism in parenting

* Letting go of the lie that we can control outcomes if we do everything “right”

* Not taking things personally

* Being there for ourselves during our kids’ difficult moments.

* How stress plus self-compassion builds resilience

* What the research says about the power of self-compassion and the power of being part of a community who shares our struggles

Dr. Christine Lathren and Jamie Lynn discuss how self-compassion can transform not only our lives, but our whole family, as well as practical tips for what this looks like in parenting and in all of our relationships. Christine Lathren is an MD, researcher, and mom of two boys.

For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, visit https://jamielynntatera.com.

Sign up for Jamie Lynn’s newsletter to receive weekly tips on helping kids and grown-ups grow mindfulness and self-compassion resources: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

How many of us know a child or teen that we wish would learn mindfulness and self-compassion? Listen to this episode to discover what inspired this 17-year-old to embark on a Mindful Self-Compassion journey.

One of Grant’s biggest take-aways from the mindfulness and self-compassion classes he took was learning that he was not alone with his struggles. When Grant discovered that his peers struggled with difficult thoughts, he became less judgmental and more accepting of himself.

Take aways for grown-ups:

* Your own self-compassion matters. According to Grant, before his mom began practicing mindfulness and self-compassion, she tended to get frustrated with his big feelings, and they would have conflict. After his mom started practicing mindfulness and self-compassion, she became more understanding with Grant and helped him learn how to handle his emotions. Even if your child is grown, even if you don’t have children…your increased ability to be mindful and self-compassionate will help you show up more compassionately for others.

* There is tremendous power in helping your child understand and experience that they are not alone (We Are in It Together!!). Share your struggles, and model being mindful and self-compassionate in the midst of them.

As Grant said in the interview: understand yourself, forgive yourself and try new things!

Visit https://jamielynntatera.com/ to learn more about mindfulness and self-compassion for adults and youth.

Would you like to give your kids a resource that can help them cope with challenging situations and thrive? Join Jamie Lynn and Dr. Karen Bluth for an honest conversation about the struggles that youth face and how self-compassion can help.

Dr. Karen Bluth is a researcher, author, educator, and Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens program creator and teacher.

Early intervention can help prevent future problems. Self-compassion offers a protective mechanism that can protect kids from secondary problems when they experience depression, low self-esteem, and set-backs. Learn about the research and practices that can bolster youth resilience.

To learn more about Dr. Karen Bluth’s work, visit https://karenbluth.com/. Her books and workbooks for teens and educators are available at https://karenbluth.com/books-1 or online vendors.

For more resources to help children and caregivers grow resilience and self-compassion, visit https://jamielynntatera.com.*

Sign up for Jamie Lynn’s newsletter to receive weekly tips on helping kids and grown-ups grow mindfulness and self-compassion resources: https://jamielynntatera.com/newsletter/.

*Please note that Jamie Lynn Tatera is a resilience and self-compassion educator. The information in this podcast is not therapy, and is not a substitute for consulting with a medical professional.