TPP 427: Dr. Tovah Klein on Raising Resilient Kids During Times of Uncertainty

Today’s episode couldn’t be more timely. We’re exploring the important topic of resilience and how to support our kids in navigating challenging times. Joining me is Dr. Tovah Klein, author of the insightful new book Raising Resilience: How to Help Our Children Thrive in Times of Uncertainty.

Dr. Klein is a renowned developmental psychologist and the director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development. With over 30 years of experience, she’s dedicated her career to understanding what children need to thrive, regardless of their circumstances. She’s a sought-after advisor to children’s media and organizations, including National Geographic Kids and Apple TV+. 

In her latest book, Tovah explains why resilience isn’t a fixed trait but a skill that can be nurtured through supportive relationships and intentional parenting practices. And so in today’s conversation, we unpack what it means to be an anchor and container for our children, explore the five pillars of resilience—security and trust, emotional regulation, agency, social connection, and self-acceptance—and discuss why understanding our own emotional baggage is key to helping our kids build resilience.  

I love the way Tovah frames resiliency as a skill that is built together between parents and children because so often we think of it as an individual characteristic. And as you’ll hear in this conversation, it all starts with the connection between us. There’s so much food for thought and hope. 

About Dr. Tovah Klein

Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D. is the author of Raising Resilience: How to Help Our Children Thrive in Times of Uncertainty and How Toddlers Thrive: What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success. She is also the Director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and a psychology professor at Barnard College, Columbia University. In her role as a researcher and professor and in direct care with parents and children for over thirty years, Klein has helped to define what every child needs to thrive, regardless of their life situations. Working worldwide with programs addressing the needs of children, she is highly sought after as a developmental expert on a range of timely topics and an advisor to children’s media and organizations, including National Geographic Kids, Apple TV+, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, the Hunts Point Alliance for Children, Room to Grow, and Ubuntu Pathways South Africa.

Things you'll learn

• Why resilience isn’t a fixed trait but rather the ability to adapt and adjust with life’s uncertainties
• What it means for a parent to serve as an anchor and container for their children
• Why awareness of our own emotional baggage is crucial in order to help our kids be more resilient
• What the 5 pillars of resilience are and how to cultivate them
• Why agency and social connection are vital for children's development and building resilience

Resources mentioned

• Dr. Tovah Klein’s website
• Dr. Tovah Klein’s How Toddler’s Thrive website
• Raising Resilience: How to Help Our Children Thrive in Times of Uncertainty by Dr. Tovah Klein
• How Toddlers Thrive: What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success by Dr. Tovah Klein
• Barnard Center for Family Development
• Dr. Stephen Porges
• Dr. Michele Borba
• Dr. Michele Borba on How to Help Kids Thrive in an Anxious World (Tilt Parenting)
• You Factor Journal code: Tovah24

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