Let's Reconnect with Breanna Jayne Sada

What happens when your child outgrows nursery rhymes but isn't quite ready for mainstream pop music?In this episode of Let's Reconnect, psychologist Breanna Jayne Sada sits down with award-winning Indigenous Australian musician, author and father of four, Mitch Tambo, to explore the powerful role music plays in childhood, identity and family connection. Mitch also shares the inspiration behind his new children's album I Am Me, created to bridge the gap between preschool songs and adult music while promoting confidence, culture and positive messages.From explicit lyrics and age-appropriate music to raising daughters, navigating blended families and encouraging children to embrace who they are, this conversation is packed with parenting insights and heartfelt stories.In this episode, we discuss:• Why the lyrics children hear matter more than many parents realise• How music influences identity, confidence and values• Finding age-appropriate music beyond nursery rhymes• Raising four daughters and navigating the changing stages of childhood• Parenting in a blended family and building strong relationships• Helping children embrace their culture and individuality• Why difficult conversations create stronger family connections• The importance of modelling emotional openness as parents• Mitch's journey through online criticism and staying connected to purpose• Simple ways families can reconnect through music and shared experiencesWhether you're raising toddlers, tweens or teenagers, this episode offers practical advice and a refreshing reminder that connection often starts with the everyday moments we share.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with a friend who would enjoy it too.• Listen to Mitch Tambo's children's album I Am Me• Follow Mitch for upcoming music and tours keywords: parenting podcast, children's music, age appropriate music, parenting daughters, blended families, Indigenous culture, Mitch Tambo, raising confident kids, family connection, modern parenting, explicit music for children, parenting tips.Let's Reconnect next episode. In the meantime, subscribe and follow our podcast and socials @breanna.jayne_psych @letsreconnect_pod. If you or your child would like to write in with a question or story, or you’d like to be a guest advocating for the needs of children and young people, please reach out.Disclaimer:The information in this podcast is general and not a substitute for individual clinical advice or treatment. While I am a registered psychologist, I am not providing personalised guidance here. Every child and family is different, and what’s discussed may not suit your situation.If you have concerns, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. For immediate help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or call 000 in an emergency.Views expressed are my own and not those of any organisations I am associated with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should you medicate your child for ADHD, anxiety, depression or another mental health condition?It is one of the most common and emotionally loaded questions parents ask. In this episode, registered psychologist Breanna Jayne Sada explores the fears, guilt and uncertainty many families experience when medication is suggested as part of their child's treatment plan. Drawing on listener questions and years of experience working with children, teenagers and families, Breanna discusses how parents can make informed decisions while keeping their child's wellbeing at the centre of the conversation.This episode explores the stigma surrounding mental health medication, the impact of untreated ADHD and anxiety, and why treatment decisions should focus on a child's functioning and quality of life rather than fear alone. Breanna also discusses the importance of therapy, parenting strategies, school supports, sleep, exercise and other interventions that form part of a comprehensive treatment approach.Whether you're currently weighing up medication for your child or simply want to better understand the conversation, this episode offers a balanced, compassionate and evidence-informed perspective for parents.In This Episode We DiscussThe guilt, fear and stigma surrounding children's mental health treatmentADHD medication: common concerns and misconceptionsAnxiety medication in children and teenagersThe difference between treating symptoms and changing personalityWhy untreated mental health conditions also have consequencesHow ADHD can impact school performance, friendships and self-esteemThe hidden costs of untreated anxiety and school refusalWhat parents should consider before starting medicationThe importance of therapy, behavioural strategies and family supportWhy medication should be part of a broader toolbox, not the only solutionQuestions every parent should ask their doctor or paediatricianA real parent story about navigating ADHD medicationHow to keep your child's voice at the centre of treatment decisionsKey Takeaways✔ Medication is not about changing who your child is. It is about reducing barriers that may be preventing them from learning, connecting and thriving.✔ Mental health conditions should be viewed through the same lens as physical health conditions. Seeking treatment is not a parenting failure.✔ The decision to medicate should consider both the potential side effects of medication and the impact of leaving symptoms untreated.✔ Effective treatment often includes a combination of therapy, school supports, parenting strategies, emotional regulation skills, sleep, exercise and sometimes medication.✔ Parents deserve to ask questions and feel informed before making treatment decisions.Questions to Ask Your Child's DoctorWhy are you recommending this particular medication?What evidence supports its use for my child's age and diagnosis?What benefits should we expect to see?What side effects should we monitor?How long before we know if it's working?How often should medication be reviewed?What signs would suggest this is not the right medication?If you are concerned about your child's mental health, consider speaking with:Your GPA paediatricianA psychiatristA registered psychologistYour child's school wellbeing teamSEO KeywordsADHD medication children, should I medicate my child, child anxiety treatment, ADHD parenting advice, anxiety medication teenagers, mental health medication children, parenting child with ADHD, school refusal anxiety, child psychologist parenting podcast, ADHD symptoms children, anxiety disorder in teens, child mental health support, parenting podcast Australia, teenage anxiety help, ADHD treatment options, psychologist advice for parents.Let's Reconnect next episode. In the meantime, subscribe and follow our podcast and socials @breanna.jayne_psych @letsreconnect_pod. If you or your child would like to write in with a question or story, or you’d like to be a guest advocating for the needs of children and young people, please reach out.Disclaimer:The information in this podcast is general and not a substitute for individual clinical advice or treatment. While I am a registered psychologist, I am not providing personalised guidance here. Every child and family is different, and what’s discussed may not suit your situation.If you have concerns, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. For immediate help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or call 000 in an emergency.Views expressed are my own and not those of any organisations I am associated with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode of Let's Reconnect registered Psychologist Breanna Jayne Sada discusses what to consider when asking yourself is my child school ready? She encourages parents to consider beyond ABCs and 123s and start considering their child's; emotional regulation skills, social skills, communication skills, fine and gross motor skills and self care skills as true markers of whether their child is school ready. Breanna gives examples about how you can develop these skills as you prepare your child for Kindergarten.It's never to early to start preparing your child for big school. So whether your preparing for next year or your child has already started and you are concerned they might need some more support. Let's Reconnect next episode. In the meantime, subscribe and follow our podcast and socials @breanna.jayne_psych @letsreconnect_pod. If you or your child would like to write in with a question or story, or you’d like to be a guest advocating for the needs of children and young people, please reach out.Disclaimer:The information in this podcast is general and not a substitute for individual clinical advice or treatment. While I am a registered psychologist, I am not providing personalised guidance here. Every child and family is different, and what’s discussed may not suit your situation.If you have concerns, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. For immediate help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or call 000 in an emergency.Views expressed are my own and not those of any organisations I am associated with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode of Let's Reconnect Breanna is joined by Dr Louise La Sala a Research Fellow at Orygen, the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. Louise’s work focuses on youth self-harm and suicide prevention, with a particular emphasis on how young people engage online on social media.Louise and Breanna discuss how parents and professionals working with kids can support children and young people who may be mentally unwell themselves or who may be supporting a friend with suicidal thoughts or engaging in self harm. They discuss the Chatsafe guidelines which have been developed by Louise and her team at Orygen, which you can download yourself here. They also discuss Lousie's PHD research into how young peoples social media use impacts mental health and how young people are using AI for mental health support.Orygen has resources for parents and carers who want to support their children and young people to have safe online conversations and they are available in 31 different languages which you can find here. You can also read up about their research into their resources here. Breanna discusses how Punch the Monkey reminds her of a classic Psychological experiment from the 1950's and how Punch the monkey can remind us as parents what children really need from us.Let's Reconnect next episode. In the meantime, subscribe and follow our podcast and socials @breanna.jayne_psych @letsreconnect_pod. If you or your child would like to write in with a question or story, or you’d like to be a guest advocating for the needs of children and young people, please reach out.Disclaimer:The information in this podcast is general and not a substitute for individual clinical advice or treatment. While I am a registered psychologist, I am not providing personalised guidance here. Every child and family is different, and what’s discussed may not suit your situation.If you have concerns, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. For immediate help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or call 000 in an emergency.Views expressed are my own and not those of any organisations I am associated with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks Episode of Let's Reconnect Breana is joined by Dr Brad Marshall (AKA The Unplugged Psychologist) Dr Brad is recognised as one of Australia’s leading experts in excessive internet and screen use otherwise known as Internet Addiction or Gaming Disorder. As the Director of The Screen & Gaming Disorder Clinic; Australia’s first established specialty clinic, he is a well-respected presenter and speaker on the topic, frequenting schools, health, and corporate organisations around Australia.  He is the author of three best-selling international books. Brad also conducts research with world leading academics at Macquarie University and published Australia’s first ever clinical treatment trials for smartphone addiction and gaming disorder. Brad is an Adjunct Fellow at the School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University. In this episode we discuss the dangers of screens and gaming what to look out for that may indicate problematic gaming or screen use. We discuss the social media age delays and how societal perceptions of screen use has change in recent years. We talk about Roblox and other gaming platforms predators are using to gain access to our children. We talk about how to make gaming safer for our children including the problem of relaying on parental controls and what has come out of recent research. Send this to another parent who has a gaming console in their house or who is thinking about introducing one or if you know their child is on Roblox or Discord. You can see Brad's website hereLet's Reconnect next episode. In the meantime, subscribe and follow our podcast and socials @breanna.jayne_psych @letsreconnect_pod. If you or your child would like to write in with a question or story, or you’d like to be a guest advocating for the needs of children and young people, please reach out.Disclaimer:The information in this podcast is general and not a substitute for individual clinical advice or treatment. While I am a registered psychologist, I am not providing personalised guidance here. Every child and family is different, and what’s discussed may not suit your situation.If you have concerns, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. For immediate help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or call 000 in an emergency.Views expressed are my own and not those of any organisations I am associated with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this weeks episode we are discussing why its so important to have uncomfortable conversations with our children. Our children have natural curiosities about lots of things including drugs and alcohol, relationships and all the things that make parents squirm. With exposure to these topics happening at younger and younger ages it has never been more important for parents to present themseleves as a safe calm adult to have these conversations with. Boys as young as 9 are being exposed to porn, children aged 11 and 12 have self reported that they have tried alcohol and drugs. Puberty especially for girls is happening at an increasingly younger age. If our children's natural curiosities are not being addresses and questions not being answered by their parents they will go elsewhere for these answers to their normal questions. In this episode im joined by a parent who recently had an uncomfortable conversation with their child and we discuss what it was how it went what preparation they did and why they felt it was important that the information came from them.During the episode this parent speaks about a great book that I have linked here for you to look at (not sponsored) Michelle Mitchell's A Girl's Guide to Puberty that helped them have a helpful conversation with their child about pubertyWe also discuss the new Chat GPT Health update that has been released Let's Reconnect next episode. In the meantime, subscribe and follow our podcast and socials @breanna.jayne_psych @letsreconnect_pod. If you or your child would like to write in with a question or story, or you’d like to be a guest advocating for the needs of children and young people, please reach out.Disclaimer:The information in this podcast is general and not a substitute for individual clinical advice or treatment. While I am a registered psychologist, I am not providing personalised guidance here. Every child and family is different, and what’s discussed may not suit your situation.If you have concerns, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. For immediate help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or call 000 in an emergency.Views expressed are my own and not those of any organisations I am associated with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Social Media Age limits came into effect on December 10 2025. The Government released stats on January 15 2026 advising 4.7million accounts have been deactivated or restricted since the ban came into effect. Here is an article from the ABC that discusses the Government report on the first month since the ban came into effect. In today's episode we speak with two Australian teenagers impacted by the social media ban to get their take on what the first month has been like and if the ban has changed how they are socialising or spending time online. Lets just say there seems to have been mixed results! We also discuss some news stories including; Barbies new collaboration with the Autism Self Advocacy Network - with the release of Autistic Barbie The Importance of Family Rituals like Games nights and Family Dinners - Let's Reconnect next episode. In the meantime, subscribe and follow our podcast and socials @breanna.jayne_psych @letsreconnect_pod. If you or your child would like to write in with a question or story, or you’d like to be a guest advocating for the needs of children and young people, please reach out.Disclaimer:The information in this podcast is general and not a substitute for individual clinical advice or treatment. While I am a registered psychologist, I am not providing personalised guidance here. Every child and family is different, and what’s discussed may not suit your situation.If you have concerns, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. For immediate help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or call 000 in an emergency.Views expressed are my own and not those of any organisations I am associated with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's Episode of Let's Reconnect we are joined by former Miss Universe Australia Monika Radulovic. We discuss her unique journey from graduating with an honours degree in psychology to becoming Miss Universe Australia and her time at the Miss Universe International Pageant in Las Vegas. Her challenges on Survivor and her learnings after becoming a mother. Monika helps me answer some listener questions and we reflect on 16 years of friendship! Let's Reconnect next episode. In the meantime, subscribe and follow our podcast and socials @breanna.jayne_psych @letsreconnect_pod. If you or your child would like to write in with a question or story, or you’d like to be a guest advocating for the needs of children and young people, please reach out.Disclaimer:The information in this podcast is general and not a substitute for individual clinical advice or treatment. While I am a registered psychologist, I am not providing personalised guidance here. Every child and family is different, and what’s discussed may not suit your situation.If you have concerns, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional. For immediate help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or call 000 in an emergency.Views expressed are my own and not those of any organisations I am associated with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.