What if your need to be right is actually what’s breaking your connection? In this episode, Matt & Alona unpack how “correcting” can quietly shut down your child—or partner—and how to shift from facts to feelings instead. You’ll learn a 4-step pause that replaces fixing with empathy and helps you connect before you correct.

Moments that hit home:

• ✨ When your kid says “nobody likes me” — and why “that’s not true” misses the moment.
• 💔 The “helpful” correction that made a child shut down.
• 💡 Why couples jump in to be “right,” and how waiting protects closeness.

Have a Kinectin Account?
Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

👉 Nudge: “When my child says ‘nobody likes me,’ I rush to fix it. Coach me to pause, reflect their feelings, and ask one curious question before responding.”

👉 Nudge: “I correct my partner’s details to be accurate. Help me practice waiting or asking consent before correcting—so I choose connection over control.”

What is Amari?
webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Interact with ideas from our podcasts and let Amari help you apply them directly to your life. Don’t have a Kinectin Account? Create one here
.

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

You’ll learn how to receive tough feedback from your kids (and partners) without spiraling into shame or defensiveness, and how to turn “you embarrassed me” into a deeper bond—not a bigger rift. We unpack “The Gift,” a simple framework to let their feelings land, repair fast, and create third-way solutions where everyone’s needs matter. You’ll also hear why empathy isn’t coddling—it’s a multi-generational superpower that shapes who our kids become. 🌱

Moments that may sting (and change you):

• “Don’t hug me at pickup.” How to translate the pain, validate belonging needs, and co-create private signals for affection (thumbs-up, car-hug, home-hug) so love and dignity both win.
• “You interrupt me.” Spot the weaponized-gift trap, then pivot to needs-language that disarms criticism and invites teamwork instead of score-keeping.
• When a child shuts down. Why silence protects dignity and regulation—and how to guess needs, give space, and build trust (even with nonverbal check-ins like 👁️ blink cues).

Have a Kinectin Account? Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

Nudge: When my child says I embarrassed them in front of friends, I feel hurt and rejected. Help me receive that as a Gift, reflect their needs (belonging/choice), share my need for connection, and co-create a plan (private hug, signal, or timing) that honors both of us.

What is Amari? webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts, articles, and parenting tips — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your pesonal Life. Don't have a Kinectin Account? Create one here

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

You’ll hear Matt & Alona flip the script on “feedback” — turning unmet needs into a loving gift that deepens trust instead of detonating connection. They walk through real moments at home, show you how to receive a “gift” with genuine excitement (yes, even when it stings), and model the exact words to repair without defensiveness. You’ll also hear Alona’s raw confession about a parenting moment that cut against her core values — and how her daughter’s “I have a gift” became the bridge back to closeness.

Challenging highlights you’ll want to hear:

• “The Gift” mindset: share unmet needs without blame so the other person actually feels invited to love you better — and you stay out of the shame/defense spiral. 
• Why apologies often backfire (too early = about you), and the step-by-step repair that lands: receive, reflect feelings/needs, express regret, then share your intentions last. 
• Gamifying receptivity so kids feel safe giving feedback (hello, $10 rule or special privileges) — because silence ≠ happiness. 

Moments that will challenge you (and are worth leaning into):

1. Alona’s “I let her out of the car” story — a 5-second decision that violated her deepest value of “I will not abandon you,” and the brave repair that followed. 😳❤️‍🩹 
2. Translating attacks into needs: hearing “You’re always late” as a plea for reliability, predictability, and mattering — then responding without excuses. 🧭 
3. Teaching teens to bring you the hard stuff: if you’re not getting “gifts,” they’re probably suppressing — and distance grows in that silence. 🧠➡️💬 

Have a Kinectin Account? Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

Nudge: “When my kid challenges me or uses a harsh tone, I react with defensiveness or control. I want to try ‘The Gift’ instead. Help me translate what I’m hearing into their feelings/needs and coach me to respond with empathy before I explain myself.”

What is Amari? webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts, articles, and parenting tips — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your pesonal Life. Don't have a Kinectin Account? Create one here
. 

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Challenging highlights you’ll want to hear:

• Former Miss California and mom Veena shares how a 30-day, low-oil/low-salt reset and “taste the rainbow” bowls transformed her energy—and her kids’ plates. 🍓🍋🍅 
• Matt & Alona unpack collaborative parenting (think NVC “natural giraffe”), where kids get real choices—eat your greens or drink them?—and parents lead by modeling, not mandates. 🦒✨ 
• The marriage micro-habits that shift a whole home: weekly Sunday check-ins and a daily 6–7 second kiss to reconnect nervous systems (and let the kids witness repair). 💬❤️‍🩹 

Lean-in moments that might sting (in a good way):

1. “Perfect is the enemy of good”—ordering Sweetgreen can be the healthiest choice today, and that’s okay. 🥗 
2. If we fight in front of the kids, we repair in front of the kids—because they need to see the whole arc. 🔁 
3. Your kids’ self-worth grows when love is felt, not guessed—“All you have to do to be loved is show up.” 💗 

Have a Kinectin Account? Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

 • Nudge: “I keep bouncing between ‘pal’ and ‘parent.’ I want a plan to give my kids real choices (eat vs. drink the veggies), stay collaborative, and still follow through on limits without threats.”

What is Amari? webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts, articles, and parenting tips — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your pesonal Life. Don’t have a Kinectin Account? Create one here
. 

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Challenging highlights you’ll want to hear:

From baton-twirling 🎀 Miss California to a mom juggling work, sleep 😴, and school drop-offs 🚗—Veena gets real about the moment a 13-year-old’s crush 💔 triggered years of body dysmorphia, how “doing it all” quietly kills self-care, and why a plant-forward 30-day reset (think low-oil, low-salt, whole-foods…yes, even potatoes 🥔) skyrocketed her sleep quality, slashed inflammation 🔥, and brought her energy ⚡—and presence—back to her family. 

You’ll hear the messy middle: pre-eating before events 🍽️, airport food fails ✈️🍔, embracing grace over guilt ❤️, and teaching kids to notice how food actually feels in their bodies 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦.

Three listen-in challenges that might sting (in a good way):

• The lie that thinner = lovelier 💃: how early “you’d be dateable if…” scripts still run many adult bodies—and marriages 💍.
• Ditching calorie-counting and willpower for plate proportioning 🍲 and self-check-ins—liberating, but only if you’re brave enough 🦁 to trust your body.
• Modeling food sanity for kids: sharing real ice cream some nights 🍦 and “nice cream” others 🍌—without labeling yourself (or them) as “good” or “bad.”

Have a webe+ Account? Explore these Nudges with Amari to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

• Nudge: “I still tie my worth to my weight, photos  or how ‘toned’ I look. Help me rewrite this story so my value isn’t measured by a mirror or a number—and give me two daily practices to reinforce it.”

What is Amari? webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach 🤖💙. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts 🎧, articles 📚, and parenting tips 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your personal life. Don't have a webe+ Account? Create one here

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Wake-Up Call Time!

Matt & Alona unpack with Marcos Spaziani's how relentless hustle, 16-hour days, and “I’ll get healthy later” thinking crash into reality… and how to pivot toward inner boundaries, sleep, connection, and delicious plant-powered eating that actually sticks. 🍽️💥🌱 

Lean-in moments that might sting (in the best way):

• “Early detection is late detection.” Why waiting for labs to flag trouble is a dangerous myth—and what to do now.
• The grind lies: building an empire while your body breaks. Marcos’ hospital wake-ups vs. the fantasy of “I’ll rest after launch.”
• Inner boundaries > burnout: trading urgency-scarcity for grounded limits that make you more effective (and kinder at home). 

Have a Kinectin Account? Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

Nudge 1: “Work has me running 12–16 hours and I keep telling myself I’ll get healthy later. Help me set inner boundaries for sleep, food, and connection so I stop trading my body for my goals.”

What is Amari? webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts, articles, and parenting tips — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your pesonal Life. Don't have a Kinectin Account? Create one here

#parent #parents #webeParents #parenting #family #connection #selfcare #burnout #worklifebalance #resilience #wellbeing #mentalhealth #stress #anxiety #sleep #boundaries #relationships #marriage #nutrition #plantbased #wholefoods #recipes #chef #BelowDeck #immigrantstory #mindfulness #healthylifestyle #AIcoach #Kinectin #Amari 

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Quit Telling Your Kids “You’re Safe.” Teach Them How to Face Violence—Without Losing Their Humanity.

When your child sees a real shooting video or hears about school violence, the instinct is to soothe, distract, or promise safety. Matt & Alona push back. They show you how to sit in the fear together, regulate first, name what happened honestly, offer real empathy, and only then reassure—without false promises. They also tackle the deeper trap: how “us vs. them” language and dehumanization at home quietly trains kids to accept violence as normal. You’ll learn the simple cadence that calms bodies and brains (regulation → empathy → reassurance), and how to transform scary images and nightmares with co-created stories so your child regains a felt sense of safety. 

What might challenge you (and why you’ll want to listen):

• Your comfort narratives aren’t helping: “You’re safe” can backfire when kids just watched something terrifying—honest naming + co-regulation works better. 
• The enemy-making habit: labeling people “evil/jerks” teaches kids to dehumanize—and violence grows in that soil. Model feelings-and-needs language instead. 
• Rewriting the nightmare: Don’t suppress scary memories; add safety into the story so the body learns calm again. 

Have a Kinectin Account? Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

• Nudge: My child saw a violent clip online and keeps asking if it could happen to them. Help me co-regulate in the moment, name what happened without sugarcoating, and then guide me through empathy → reassurance so they feel safer in their body.

• Nudge: I catch myself venting with ‘us vs. them’ language in front of my kids. Coach me to translate that into feelings and needs, so I model dignity and reduce the pull toward hate.

What is Amari? webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts, articles, and parenting tips — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your pesonal Life. Don't have a Kinectin Account? Create one here
.

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Challenging highlights you’ll want to hear:

🌍 From dishwasher with no English to executive chef in 3 months, Marcos cooked for presidents, celebrities, and sports legends. He starred on TV, lost his restaurant to betrayal, then clawed it back stronger.

💪 A 30-day plant-based reset gave him energy, weight loss, and freedom from pain… until the grind pulled him back into 16-hour days, junk food, and dangerous health scares.

⚡ This episode is a wake-up call for anyone telling themselves, “I’ll take care of me later.”

Stories that might sting (in a good way):

• 🚨 Marcos shares how ignoring warning signs nearly killed him—and why no career win is worth the hospital bed.

• 🌀 The trap of “later” — the lie that peace and health come only after the chaos is done.

• 🌱 How to ride the wave of transformation without crashing back into old habits when life gets messy.

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

When is a joke a bridge—and when is it a shield? 

In this episode, Matt & Alona get real about humor as a parenting and partnership superpower… and a sneaky escape hatch from vulnerability. You’ll hear how laughter can regulate a tense nervous system, turn bickering into bonding (hello, surprise British accent), and even help kids feel safer after a misstep. You’ll also hear when jokes land like criticism, mask discomfort, or block repair—and how to course-correct without killing the vibe. 

From the episode:
• 🍲 The “casserole” confession: how using light, caring humor invites honesty without shame—and why intention matters more than perfect NVC phrasing.
• 🛡️ The double edge: humor that soothes vs. humor that hides—how laughing can protect us from pain, yet also delay the vulnerability real connection needs.
• 🧠 Science meets sofa: genuine laughter cues safety (parasympathetic “rest & digest”), making repair possible—even after a miss.

Have a Kinectin Account? Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

Nudge: I notice I joke or deflect when things get tense at home. Help me unpack what I’m protecting and practice one caring, humorous line that invites connection instead of avoiding it.

Nudge: When my kid laughs after I correct them, I assume they’re being disrespectful. Coach me to respond as if they’re releasing tension—and give me a repair script that keeps us close.

What is Amari? webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts, articles, and parenting tips — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your pesonal Life. Don't have a Kinectin Account? Create one here

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Comedian/producer Chris Spencer joins Matt & Alona to unpack how humor can be a bridge to connection—or a wall that hides our real feelings. From a “hickeys & frozen spoons” teen moment 😳🥄 to laughing through grief, to intimacy cramps that turn into days of belly laughs 😂—this episode gets real about emotional safety at home. We also explore culture, presence, and why simple, steady communication keeps families close (and kids honest). 

A few spicy moments that might challenge you (in a good way):

1. Are you using jokes to dodge vulnerability? When humor masks discomfort, kids learn to hide too. 
2. Can you name hard truths with warmth? From a daughter’s outfit to a parent’s “famous” casserole, honesty + care > people-pleasing.
3. Are you present enough for joy to happen? Consistent, in-person time (meals, hangouts, movie nights) quietly builds trust—and makes the jokes land for the right reasons.

Have a Kinectin Account? Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can.

• Nudge 1: I often crack jokes when things get tense with my family. Help me unpack when my humor connects—and when it shuts people down—and coach me to try one vulnerable sentence in the next tough moment.
• Nudge 2: I want to be more honest without shaming. Coach me on how to speak a hard truth (about behavior, clothing, or habits) with respect, and role-play what I’ll say and how I’ll repair if it lands badly.

What is Amari? webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts, articles, and parenting tips — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your pesonal Life. Don't have a Kinectin Account? Create one here

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.