Big Messes, Big Feelings, Big Love | CP233

When your child’s emotions, reactions, and struggles all feel bigger than you can handle, it can be exhausting. But there’s one thing that truly changes everything: connection.

In this episode, we’ll explore how deep, genuine connection helps regulate a child’s nervous system, reduces explosive moments, and strengthens emotional safety. Because when kids feel seen, understood, and safe, even their most intense storms begin to settle.

Jennifer's Takeaways:

• Understanding ADHD and Its Impact on Parenting (00:00)
• The Role of Skills vs. Medication in ADHD Management (02:44)
• Applying the Calm Technique for ADHD Kids (04:39)
• Handling Doom Piles and Overwhelm (07:49)
• Reframing ADHD Strengths and Balancing Empathy with Limits (14:27)
• The Importance of Connection and Regulation in Parenting (16:48)
• Medication and Its Role in ADHD Management (19:12)
• Conclusion and Resources for Parents (22:32)

Meet Jennifer Kolari

Jennifer Kolari is the host of the “Connected Parenting” weekly podcast and the co-host of “The Mental Health Comedy” podcast. Kolari is a frequent guest on Nationwide morning shows and podcasts in the US and Canada. Her advice can also be found in many Canadian and US magazines such as; Today’s Parent, Parents Magazine and Canadian Family.

Kolari’s powerful parenting model is based on the neurobiology of love, teaching parents how to use compassion and empathy as powerful medicine to transform challenging behavior and build children’s emotional resilience and emotional shock absorbers.

Jennifer’s wisdom, quick wit and down to earth style help parents navigate modern-day parenting problems, offering real-life examples as well as practical and effective tools and strategies.

Her highly entertaining, inspiring workshops are shared with warmth and humour, making her a crowd-pleasing speaker with schools, medical professionals, corporations and agencies throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

One of the nation’s leading parenting experts, Jennifer Kolari, is a highly sought- after international speaker and the founder of Connected Parenting. A child and family therapist with a busy practice based in San Diego and Toronto, Kolari is also the author of Connected Parenting: How to Raise A Great Kid (Penguin Group USA and Penguin Canada, 2009) and You’re Ruining My Life! (But Not Really): Surviving the Teenage Years with Connected Parenting (Penguin Canada, 2011).