Mastermind Parenting Podcast

The Winter holidays can be a struggle for parents. We want to provide plenty of space for our kids to relax and de-stress. But too little structure can quickly turn into restlessness and boredom and tension. This week we’re listening back to a classic episode that features the timeless wisdom of the sage Lorelai Gilmore. Her example will help you find the courage you need to set better boundaries for your family (and minimize the stress for yourself) this holiday season.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why a relaxing break without structure can turn into family drama.The importance of having a game plan in place before the start of winter break.How to provide the leadership your family needs to de-stress the holidays.The Gilmore Girls blueprint for holding and setting boundaries even when it feels uncomfortable.And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-266 About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/Resources Discussed/LinksVisit https://mastermindparenting.com/call to see if you’re a good fit for my Pack Leader Energy small group coaching program.Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Our Mastermind Monthly calls are always eye-opening, but this one was so on point I had to share it with you. In this season that’s so focused on gratitude, it can be especially frustrating when our kiddos don’t understand how fortunate they are. There are all sorts of popular ways to practice gratitude, but what good are they if your child takes their home and family for granted?But acting entitled doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with your kids. It’s often a sign they need you to take a different approach to building connections in your family.In this episode, you’ll learn:The root, core need that can lead kiddos to act demanding or dismissive.Why popular family gratitude practices fail to address the underlying issue.How letting kids take charge of things (and make their own mistakes) can help them see how fortunate they are. And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-265About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/Resources Discussed/LinksSave your seat for our FREE 60-minute coaching sessions, starting again in the new year: https://mastermindparenting.com/monthlyOur 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

It’s no secret that I love my Mastermind community. The ways we support and challenge each other are just magical. Masterminder Aryn is a perfect example of that. She came to us in total overwhelm, so focused on being available for her family that she couldn’t even let herself close the bathroom door to take a shower. Through honest, vulnerable conversations and lots and lots of empathy, she’s grown as a parent and a person, and helped many other Masterminders to see that they don’t have to do it alone. In this episode, you’ll learn:The central role community plays in helping us learn and grow and do better.How sharing our experiences can help us identify and overcome conditioning from our own upbringing.How trying to do better for our kiddos, if it’s not done with thought and care, can lead us to abdicate our role as pack leader.    And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-264About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/Resources Discussed/LinksSave your seat for our monthly FREE 60-minute coaching session: https://mastermindparenting.com/monthlyOur 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

I didn’t know exactly what I was going to talk about with Masterminder Liz, but I just knew it would turn out to be a real and revealing conversation. Like so many of us modern moms, Liz is a recovering perfectionist. We run ourselves ragged trying to get everything right all the time. That’s not sustainable anywhere in life, and it’s especially impossible when it comes to parenting. Liz and I dig into the personal history and social expectations that fool us into thinking that perfection is desirable, and how being in community with other parents has helped us stop chasing impossible standards and embrace the joyful messiness of raising kids. In this episode, you’ll learn:How perfectionist tendencies interfere with the pack leadership your family needs.Why we need to stop looking for the perfect script when it’s time to have a tough conversation with a child.How giving yourself some parenting can help you have empathy for your kiddo and yourself.Why it can be so hard for parents to find community in our culture, and how beneficial it can be when you find it.And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-263About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/Resources Discussed/LinksSave your seat for our monthly FREE 60-minute coaching session: https://mastermindparenting.com/monthlyOur 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Treating our kids fairly makes a lot of instinctive sense. It’s natural to want everybody to get equal everything. But different kids have different needs. When they all get the same attention and resources, they’ll often wind up with very different outcomes. Effective pack leadership requires an equity approach. We need to see our children as the whole, unique, special humans they are, and to show up for each of them in the ways that serve their individual needs best. Masterminder Lauren joins me to talk about the leadership approach she uses to build family trust and a sense of equity that are so much stronger than simplistic ideas of fairness.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why a one-size-fits-all approach to our kids’ needs is the opposite of fair.The central role humility plays in establishing trust, both professionally and with your family. How our culture looks down on parents seeking support, and how we can start to change that stigma.And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-262About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/Resources Discussed/LinksSave your seat for our monthly FREE 60-minute coaching session: https://mastermindparenting.com/monthlyOur 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model, by Dick Schwartz https://ifs-institute.com/store/419 

Judging other parents is so natural, so human, and so not helpful. I can tell you from experience. When you learn a better way to do things, it’s really challenging to not give side-eye to those who haven’t gotten on your level. Which is why I had to have Masterminder Samantha on to tell this story she shared in a recent call.Sam was caught up in a situation where someone else’s kiddo took a tumble and, even though they weren’t hurt, their father reacted with anger and scolding. It would have been very easy to write that dad off as a jerk or a bully, Sam had sympathy for him. She saw the fear that was motivating his response. She didn’t excuse his behavior, but she was able to give him the benefit of the doubt. Please join us as we talk about how to stay in a compassionate state of mind, instead of giving in to our inner judge.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why frustration and anger can so easily grow out of concern for a kiddo’s safety.Where the impulse to judge comes from, and what it has to do with our own sense of self-worth.Why compassion for other parents starts with getting real about our own parenting missteps.And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-261About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/Resources Discussed/LinksSave your seat for our monthly FREE 60-minute coaching session: https://mastermindparenting.com/monthlyOur 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Sibling rivalry is such a big topic, you just know my conversation with Michaeleen Doucleff had to be a two-parter. In this second episode, we’re talking about what motivates siblings to fight in the first place: strong societal expectations of tension between siblings, and parental praise that kids can’t help but take as a comparison. We’ll show you a whole different way to imagine the sibling relationship, that’s built on empathy and cooperation instead of competition. In this episode, you’ll learn:How to shift our thinking and set expectations for sibling cooperation instead of competition.The way well-intentioned praise can inadvertently encourage toxic comparison between siblings.How to cultivate empathy for both toddlers and teenagers when they’re struggling to handle their emotions.And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-260About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Michaleen Doucleff:Michaleen Doucleff is an award-winning global health correspondent and the author of Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans. https://michaeleendoucleff.com/hunt-gather-parent/ Resources Discussed/LinksPart One of this conversation on resolving sibling rivalry: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-259/ Our episode on establishing boundaries around Halloween candy: https://mastermindparenting.com/210-your-post-halloween-candy-plans/ Save your seat for our monthly FREE 60-minute coaching session: https://mastermindparenting.com/monthlyOur 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

So many folks sign up for coaching or come to my free calls desperate to get their kids to stop fighting with their siblings. When our beloved kiddos are at each others throats, it sends our stress levels through the roof. What if told you that sibling rivalry isn’t inevitable? In fact, the way siblings antagonize each other in our families is almost unheard of in many other cultures.When Michaeleen Doucleff and I get behind the mic, you know you’re in for a meaty conversation. Join us for part one as we get a global perspective on sibling rivalry, and how to start directing that energy into whole family solidarity.In this episode, you’ll learn:How our expectation of sibling rivalry is out of step with how siblings treat each other in so many other cultures.The ways we set up older kids to experience adversarial reactions to a younger sibling.How to build a sense of camaraderie and mutual responsibility among your kiddos and your whole family.And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-259About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Michaleen Doucleff:Michaleen Doucleff is an award-winning global health correspondent and the author of Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans. https://michaeleendoucleff.com/hunt-gather-parent/

Masterminder Shawn recently opened up about a common struggle for parents of highly-sensitive kids. Her son’s birthday weekend with extended family left him overstimulated and dysregulated, and her frustrated by crossed boundaries and judgy relatives. Shawn’s takeaways were important. She’s trying to better understand her triggers, and to be more clear about her boundaries and expectations with other adults.But really, Shawn (and every parent in America) is the subject of a failed experiment in family structure. For most of human history, raising kids was a communal activity. We’ve put all that responsibility on individual parents, and put them in charge of figuring out how to manage the stress. Join us for a candid conversation about the expectations we’re all struggling with, and how we can start to share the load again.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why we all need to stop performative parenting and be real about how hard it can be.How to balance compassion for the mistakes our parents made with the desire to do better for our own kids.How cathartic it can be to have honest conversations with your kids about your parenting missteps.And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-258About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/Resources Discussed/LinksSave your seat for our monthly FREE 60-minute coaching session: https://mastermindparenting.com/monthlyOur 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Our latest Hunt, Gather, Parent conversation was so big and juicy, we couldn’t fit it into just one episode! In part two of this episode, journalist and author Michaeleen Doucleff is back to help us unpack what happens when other adults are judging us for our parenting choices. We respond to a real-life scenario submitted by a Mastermind parent, and Michaeleen shares her own experience of dealing with judgment from her own mom. We also talk about some strategies for dealing with kiddos when they’re lashing out, and ways that common parenting advice sets us up to struggle with hurt feelings, whether they’re caused by kids or other adults.In this episode, you’ll learn:That you can feel plenty of judgment from a disapproving parent, even if they never say a word.The approach you can use to handle both judgy adults and kiddos who are acting out.Why it’s okay to acknowledge when your child hurts your feelings.The transformative power of learning from your kids, and letting them know when they’re teaching you.And much more! As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-257  About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Michaleen Doucleff:Michaleen Doucleff is an award-winning global health correspondent and the author of Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans. https://michaeleendoucleff.com/hunt-gather-parent/ Resources Discussed/LinksSave your seat for our monthly FREE 60-minute coaching session: https://mastermindparenting.com/monthlyOur 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/