On the 53rd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Yvonne Smyth. Yvonne calls herself a Conscious Parenting Adventure Guide, and she's on a mission to change the world by bringing intention to how we love our children. She's launching a course and community in February, This Is How We Change The World, that you can access through this instagram link.

In this conversation, Yvonne takes us on her journey from her own frustrations with her experiences as a parent to exploring the unconscious and developing her own model for what’s important in her life: tending to herself, embodying love, and impacting the world through conscious parenting.

We touch on many important themes, from exploring the unconscious and the beliefs and stories we tell ourselves based on the behaviour of a child, to interpreting all behaviour as communication, enabling children to fulfil their own blueprint, along with the significance of giving them our time, attention, and presence.

While acknowledging our humanity and flaws, we explore the process of rupture and repair within our relationships, the significance of heartfelt apologies, and the importance of empathising with children while taking accountability for our actions.

Culminating in a beautiful realisation that conscious parenting is more about growing ourselves up than our children. 

If you are presently struggling with parenting or other close relationships, this episode will touch on a substantial number of themes that may be ripe for you to explore. Yvonne’s insights and very relatable experiences will help guide you towards the potential of better parenting and relating generally with others in your life.

Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.

Contact me at [email protected] to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs or to hear about corporate workshops I am offering around this question.

Running Order:

03:30 How do I tend to myself, embody love, and change the world?
07:45 The impact of your relationship style with your children
13:15 Nurturing our children’s sense of self
17:15 Presence and allowing their unfolding
22:15 Empathising with your child
27:05 Being invested but not overpowering
32:00 Knowing our own values and surrendering
43:05 Focussing on our own behaviour first
47:15 The importance of tending to ourselves
53:00 Handling ruptures and repairs in relationships
01:01:28 What is a good life for Yvonne?

For further content and information check out the following:

- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos

- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/

- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

- Yvonne's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisparentingadventure/

- Yvonne's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-smyth-009645a/