Raising Emotionally Healthy Girls | CP275

How do we raise girls who are confident, compassionate, and comfortable being themselves in a world that often sends them conflicting messages?

In this episode of Connected Parenting, Jennifer explores the pressures girls face growing up. From being encouraged to speak up but not be too loud, to being strong without being difficult and kind without putting everyone else's needs ahead of their own. These mixed messages can leave girls questioning themselves, seeking approval, and struggling to trust their own feelings and decisions.

Jennifer opens an important conversation about helping girls develop a strong sense of self, healthy boundaries, and the confidence to use their voices without fear of rejection or judgment.

She challenges parents to consider how they respond when their daughters speak up, disagree, or express strong opinions, reminding us that we cannot encourage girls to have a voice while constantly discouraging them from using it.

Listen to this episode of the Connected Parenting Podcast as Jennifer explores how we can help raise emotionally healthy girls who know their worth, trust themselves, and feel confident being exactly who they are.

Jennifer's Takeaways:

• Raising Emotionally Healthy Girls (00:00)
• Distinguishing Kindness From Compliance (01:41)
• Navigating Disagreement and Voice (04:10)
• The Role of Anger and Assertiveness (07:29)
• Supporting Friendships and Belonging (10:28)
• Modeling Body Image and Worth (13:16)
• Teaching Boundaries and Self-Worth (15:44)

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).