Helping Parents Become What They Needed as a Child: An interview with Bryana Kappadakunnel, LMFT

Curt and Katie chat with Bryana Kappakunnel, LMFT about conscious parenting, discussing how self-awareness, emotional regulation, and healing personal triggers can help parents foster healthier and more connected relationships with their children. With a background in infant and early childhood mental health and her upcoming book Parent Yourself First, Bryana offers valuable insights for therapists and parents alike.

Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!

In this podcast episode, we talk with Bryana Kappadakunnel about Conscious Parenting

We invited friend of the show, Bryana Kappadakunnel, LMFT to talk about her work, including her new book, Parent Yourself First.  

What is Conscious Parenting?

• Conscious parenting goes beyond positive parenting by prioritizing self-awareness, personal healing, and understanding the root causes of emotional triggers.
• Bryana explains how addressing parents’ unresolved issues can create a healthier environment for children, often alleviating behavioral challenges.
• She highlights the importance of building authentic connections with children and fostering emotional safety through open communication and modeling accountability.

Common Pushback and Misconceptions for Conscious Parenting

• Bryana addresses resistance from parents who view traditional parenting as the norm or feel threatened by relational approaches.
• She clarifies that conscious parenting is not permissive but a balanced, authoritative style that combines high warmth, nurturance, structure, and boundaries.
• Bryana emphasizes the need to manage stress and prevent burnout by helping parents regulate their own emotions before addressing their children’s behavior.

How to Help Parents Navigate Challenging Parenting Scenarios

• When parents feel disrespected by their children, Bryana advises focusing on their own emotional reactions and understanding the child’s behavior as a form of communication.
• She stresses the importance of setting consistent boundaries while staying attuned to the child’s perspective.
• Bryana shares her own practice of apologizing to her children when she makes mistakes, modeling accountability and respect in the parent-child relationship.

How Conscious Parenting Helps Kids

• During the pandemic, Bryana shifted her focus to working with parents directly, leading to significant improvements in family dynamics in shorter timeframes.
• Her work underscores the importance of addressing systemic and relational patterns within families rather than focusing solely on child behavior.
• Bryana highlights the benefits of her approach, including better communication, a deeper sense of connection, and raising compassionate, empathetic, and confident children.

Bryana’s Online Presence and Upcoming Book

• Bryana creates content tailored to the needs of parents and her clients, sharing bite-sized videos that inspire reflection and change.
• Bryana talks about her decisions on what to post as a licensed therapist with a big following on social media platforms
• She discusses her book, Parent Yourself First, which helps parents heal their own wounds to raise resilient and empathetic children.
• The book focuses on empowering parents to become the caregivers they wished they had, fostering healthier and more connected family systems.

Stay in Touch with Curt, Katie, and the whole Therapy Reimagined #TherapyMovement:

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Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano https://groomsymusic.com/