TPP 423: Cathy Adams on Navigating the Complexities of Raising Daughters

Today, we’re diving into a complex and nuanced topic—raising daughters in today’s world. Joining me for this conversation is Cathy Adams, a longtime friend of the pod, powerhouse in the parenting space, and champion of mindful, connected parenting.

Her latest book, which takes center stage in today’s discussion, is Restoring Our Girls: How Real Conversations Shape Our Daughters' Lives, Help Them with Teen Challenges, and Remind Them That They Matter. With her background as a clinical social worker, certified parent coach, and former child and family therapist—as well as her experience as a mom of three daughters and university professor—Cathy brings a rich, multifaceted perspective to this important topic.

In this episode, Cathy and I explore the unique challenges girls face today, from societal pressures and cultural conditioning to navigating a fast-paced, often judgmental world. We discuss the importance of parents addressing their own emotional baggage, being mindful of their reactions, and recognizing how fear can hold us back from having the messy but meaningful conversations our daughters need. Cathy also shares strategies for creating judgment-free spaces where girls feel heard, validated, and supported in becoming their authentic selves.

About Cathy Adams

Cathy Cassani Adams, LCSW, co-hosts the long-running Zen Parenting Radio podcast and founded the Zen Parenting Conference in Chicago. She is the author of Zen Parenting and Living What You Want Your Kids to Learn (both Nautilus Award and International Book Award winners) and her upcoming 2025 release, Restoring Our Girls. Cathy is a clinical social worker, certified parent coach, former elementary school educator, and yoga teacher. She was a blogger for The Huffington Post and a former columnist for Chicago Parent Magazine. She previously worked as a Child and Family Therapist and Clinical Educator at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and now teaches in the Sociology and Criminology Department at Dominican University. She lives outside Chicago with her husband, Todd, and their three daughters.

Things you'll learn

• How cultural conditioning and societal expectations on girls can impact them (and what we need to know about it)
• Why parents must address their own emotional baggage to avoid projecting it onto their children
• How being mindful of our own reactions in the moment will help us communicate more effectively with our children
• The role fear plays in preventing meaningful conversations which leads to missed connection opportunities
• The benefits of engaging in messy and imperfect conversations for promoting authenticity
• How to create a judgment-free space where girls feel heard and validated to support their emotional growth

Resources

• Zen Parenting website and resources
• Restoring Our Girls: How Real Conversations Shape Our Daughters' Lives, Help Them with Teen Challenges, and Remind Them That They Matter by Cathy Adams
• Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World by Cathy Adams
• Zen Parenting 2025 Summit
• Zen Parenting on Instagram
• Cathy Adams on Zen Parenting & Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World (Tilt Parenting podcast)
• Zen Parenting on Facebook
• Zen Parenting Radio podcast
• Getting Aligned Through Parenting and Marriage Challenges, with Zen Parenting’s Cathy and Todd Adams (Tilt Parenting podcast)
• Pop Culturing Podcast
• Rescuing Our Sons: 8 Solutions to Our Crisis of Disaffected Teen Boys by Dr. John Duffy

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