Erica Komisar is a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst, and parent guidance expert with over 30 years of private practice experience. She is the author of books such as, ‘Chicken Little the Sky Isn't Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety’.

In this conversation, Erica and Steven discuss topics such as, how the mental health crisis is impacting children, how attachment disorders are created in childhood, the dangers of the falling birth rate, and how daycare may cause future issues for your kid.

00:00 Intro

02:21 Erica's Mission

08:12 Who Are Erica's Patients?

09:35 How Have Social Changes Influenced Parenting?

13:00 Is the Role of a Mother More Important Than That of a Father?

16:30 Why Are Fathers Important From a Biological Level?

23:20 Erica's Unpopular Ideas About Parenting

25:17 Family Diaspora: Raising Children Without Extended Family

27:31 Can Raising Children Away From Extended Family Be Justified?

28:30 Voluntary Childlessness

29:25 Attachment Disorders

33:40 How Do Attachment Disorders Manifest in Adulthood?

34:54 Choosing a Partner Based on Attachment Styles

36:20 Predicting Relationship Success Based on Attachment Styles

37:53 Does Having More Children Correlate With Neglect?

39:19 Decline in Birth Rates

41:23 What Is Unique About Relationships With Your Own Children?

43:12 What Contributes to Growing Infertility Among People?

46:45 How Did Erica Manage to Balance Work and Motherhood?

48:48 Should Fathers Be the Stay-at-Home Parent?

51:18 Harlow's Study on Rhesus Monkeys

53:38 The Challenge of Motherhood in Poor Socioeconomic Conditions

57:36 Does More Paid Leave Equal Better Childcare?

59:10 Connection Between Upbringing and Success in Adult Life

01:01:40 ADHD: Why Has It Risen So Much in the Past Decade?

01:07:40 We're Medicating ADHD Wrong

01:09:26 The Top Stressors We're Exposing Our Children To

01:11:29 Is ADHD Hereditary?

01:16:50 What's Wrong With Medicating Children?

01:21:15 The Link Between Stress and ADHD

01:22:23 What to Do if a Kid Screams in a Supermarket

01:25:54 The Different Types of Trauma

01:32:43 Same-Sex Couples Taking Roles

01:38:50 What Should Career-Driven Mothers Do?

01:42:08 Not Everyone Can Do This Stuff

01:45:25 Children Don't Need Other Kids Until the Age of 3

01:47:00 Ads

01:48:59 What's So Important at 3 Years Old?

01:55:32 Can I Repair My Trauma and Brain Past My 30s?

01:58:44 Our Pain and Trauma Are Rooted in Childhood

02:02:33 Is "Daddy Issues" a Thing?

02:06:33 Are We Taking Men's Purpose Away?

02:10:42 Men's Testosterone Drops When They Become Fathers

02:13:03 What Happens When Men Become the Primary Caregiver?

02:16:22 Should We Split Schools Into Genders?

02:19:11 Testosterone Decrease

02:21:12 Raising Healthy Kids in a World of Technology

02:24:45 The Importance of Being Present With Your Child

02:25:48 What Should Employers Do?

02:27:22 Do You Realise How Controversial the Things You Say Are?

02:28:02 The Reason All of This Is So Personal to You

02:30:58 What Does Your Obituary Say?

Follow Erica:

Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/pwv9PCz0lRb

Twitter - https://g2ul0.app.link/2EKsgfB0lRb

Website - https://g2ul0.app.link/OPtiA4a8lRb

You can purchase Erica’s books:

‘Chicken Little the Sky Isn't Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety’, here: https://amzn.to/41CKbWd

'Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters' - https://www.amazon.com/Being-There-Prioritizing-Motherhood-Matters/dp/0143109294

The The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb

Follow me:

https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb

Independent research: https://stevenbartlett.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DOAC-Erica-Komisar-Independent-research-further-reading.pdf

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Trailer to Episode 24 | Nicholas Pelecanos