Mastermind Parenting Podcast

Every time I learn more about Attachment Theory, it feels so eye-opening. It explains so much about me and my Mastermind moms. I hear it when we talk about how we were raised, how we relate to our parents, and how we’ve tried to fill the spaces we feel in our hearts. Building a secure attachment style is so important for who our kids will become in the future. But many of us are out here trying to figure out our own - let’s say “less than ideal”- attachment issues. How can we do even better for them?My fave sage of attachment and healing, Kirby, is back to help us break it down and build it up. He says the key to security is an environment where kids feel safe to feel and express themselves, and he’s going to help us figure out how to create that space for our kids. You don’t want to miss this one!Something clicked while listening?We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/ Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-328About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Kirby FlingKirby is the creator of the Two Mind Method, a practical, heart-centered approach to healing attachment wounds and reshaping nervous system patterns. Drawing on years of deep personal research, lived experience, and work with clients, Kirby specializes in helping people build healthier relationships with themselves and others. His work is grounded, accessible, and refreshingly real, offering tools that truly work in the messiness of real life. Kirby brings a unique blend of neurophysiology, trauma awareness, and emotional attunement to the table, empowering people to transform their inner world and their closest connections.Kirby’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://TwoMindMethod.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TwoMindMethodInstagram: https://instagram.com/TwoMindMethodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twomindmethodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoMindMethodResources Discussed/LinksOur 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/

You think you’re parenting with one mind.You’re not.There’s the mind that reads the books and makes the plans. And there’s the other mind—the one running the show when your kid does that thing that makes your jaw clench and chest tighten.Kirby Fling sees this clearly. His Two-Mind Method helps you understand the two versions of yourself that show up every day. The one that wants to be patient. And the one that actually is patient.The difference? That’s where attachment gets stronger. Where families find their rhythm. Where the hard moments become growth moments.Something clicked while listening?We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-326About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Kirby FlingKirby is the creator of the Two Mind Method, a practical, heart-centered approach to healing attachment wounds and reshaping nervous system patterns. Drawing on years of deep personal research, lived experience, and work with clients, Kirby specializes in helping people build healthier relationships with themselves and others. His work is grounded, accessible, and refreshingly real, offering tools that truly work in the messiness of real life. Kirby brings a unique blend of neurophysiology, trauma awareness, and emotional attunement to the table, empowering people to transform their inner world and their closest connections.Kirby’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://TwoMindMethod.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TwoMindMethodInstagram: https://instagram.com/TwoMindMethodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twomindmethodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoMindMethodResources Discussed/LinksThe Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748 Attachment Disturbances in Adults: Treatment for Comprehensive Repairby Daniel P. Brown PhD and David S. Elliott PhD https://www.amazon.com/Attachment-Disturbances-Adults-Treatment-Comprehensive/dp/0393711528/ 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/

Gentle Parenting has become a sort of parenting movement over the last decade or so. I’ve been here for more than a hot minute and it’s interesting what I’ve noticed. You see, before Gentle there was Conscious Parenting and before that there was Love and Logic and and and. I think the original founders of these methods were probably drinking the same koolaid I like…we secretly want to raise our kids even better than our parents did. We want our kids to feel loved and enjoyed. We don’t want them to act like selfish creepos. We want them to become besties with their siblings and to have their backs. Of course, much fancier more formal lingo is typically used in the “parenting space”. And I think that’s a big part of the problem. Somewhere with all of these lofty movements, parents have become performative.  Gentle Parenting has been twisted. The parents that come to work with me lately are more permissive than I’ve ever seen and more unpack-leader-y too.  They have lost their voice, their power and their family life seems tense and frankly, miserable. I believe it’s often a case of gentle parenting gone wrong. My guest this week is Avital Schreiber Levy. She’s a mom, author, parenting coach, and designer who knows how to navigate the traps that well-meaning moms and dads end up falling into. Avital pulls no punches as we dig into the good, the bad, and the ugly of current Gentle Parenting trends, and why feelings are important, but they can’t be the only thing guiding your child’s behavior. But it’s not all trash talk. She’s got real, practical alternatives and strategies you can use to give your family the Pack Leadership it deserves, with confidence, and without yelling or excessive guilt.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-324About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now 26, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Avital Schreiber LevyAvital Schreiber Levy is the founder of Hi Fam and the author of Reclaim Play. She helps intentional mothers break free from modern parenting traps and build strong, values-driven families that feel peaceful, connected, and confident. Avital has helped over 100,000 parents in 100+ countries through her courses, YouTube channel, and live events. She’s a mother of five, and known for blending timeless wisdom with real-world tools that actually work.Avital’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: www.hifam.com YouTube: @HiFamLifeInstagram: @HiFamLifeResources Discussed/LinksOur 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/The Coddling Of the American Mind, by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt https://www.thecoddling.com/ The Karpman Drama Triangle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karpman_drama_triangle Waking The Tiger by Dr. Peter Levine: https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Tiger-Healing-Peter-Levine/dp/155643233X

A common anxiety I often uncover with my moms is: Now that I know what I know about the dangers of tech… it just feels too late to change things with my kids.  Maybe you read the NYT best seller, Anxious Generation,  and… let’s just say, you’re feeling VERY. FLIPPIN’. ANXIOUS. You’re beginning to understand why your kids act like raccoons on meth when it comes to screens - (ipad, phone, tv, video games). You might feel like it’s a lost cause and ask: Is it even possible to undo this obsession with all things screens?  It can really feel like a no-win situation when the kids have been hooked on the iPad since preschool. “But the games were supposed to be educational!” Sigh. We didn’t know what we didn’t know…yet. None of us did. Or at least most of us didn’t. Plus, let’s be honest - we were tired and stressed and those digital babysitters came in handy. Personally, I often relied on them for my sanity. So what’s the solution? This is my main criticism of books like The Anxious Generation. Doctors, scientists and books are good at diagnosing the problem - but it leaves us parents with the problem of: Now what?!The great news is you don’t have to do it all by yourself. This week I’m talking to Titania Jordan, CMO of Bark Technologies and author of Parental Control: A Guide to Raising Balanced Kids in the Digital Age. We break down the “now what” strategies and resources to roll this toxic pattern back.  Time’s up Silicon Valley: We, the parents, are taking back the power of our kids’ developing brains. 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-322About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now 27, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mastermindparenting About Titania Jordan:Titania Jordan is the CMO and Chief Parent Officer of Bark Technologies, an internet safety solution that helps parents and schools keep 7.4 million children safer across social media, smartphones, text messaging, and email. She’s also the author of Parental Control: A Guide to Raising Balanced Kids in the Digital Age.Titania’s Social LinksFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/titaniajordan/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/titaniajordan/ X: https://x.com/titaniajordan YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TitaniaJordan TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@titaniajordan Resources Discussed/LinksGet Titania’s Book: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Parental+Control%3A+A+Guide+to+Raising+Balanced+Kids+in+the+Digital+Era-p-9781394256563Bark Technologies: https://www.bark.us/ Mastermind Parenting Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Raising a strong-willed kid is harder. Even draining sometimes.  Sitting on the floor and playing with toys felt like the worst to me. I now realize that I found other playful ways to be with my kids… but I still sometimes feel a little guilty about not being a Barbie or Legos kind of mom.So when Dr. Shawn Hondorp invited me on her podcast, The Innovative Therapist, to talk about play and pack leadership, I have to admit, I may have baby barfed a little. But I love Shawn, and I had so much fun working out a definition of Pack Leadership with her recently, that I knew I could trust we’d have a great conversation. And I was SO right.It turns out that a playful attitude counts as playing with your kids. Woohoo. It is also a part of my personal recipe for Pack Leadership. It’s a great way of thinking about leadership in any context, and I think you’ll love this conversation as much as I did. I just love Shawn.  Enjoy!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-320About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now 26, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Dr. Shawn HondorpDr. Shawn Hondorp is a clinical psychologist whose goal is to create safe learning environments for those who want to explore innovative approaches to healing, one authentic conversation at a time. Learn more about her work, and subscribe to The Innovative Therapist Podcast, at https://drshawnhondorp.com/ Resources Discussed/LinksPart 1 of our discussion, What Even Is Pack Leadership? https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-318 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/

You’ve probably heard me talk about pack leadership, and how I believe it’s the holy grail in creating a more peaceful family. Humans learn through stories, and I have SO MANY stories about empowered parents, stronger family connections, and sensitive kiddos who finally feel understood.But sometimes you have to go back to basics, like I did this week with therapist, podcaster, and long-time Masterminder, Dr. Shawn Hondorp. On a recent episode of her show, The Innovative Therapist, she asked a simple question. What is pack leadership? The answer was a discussion about feminism, society, parenting styles, and the expectations we place on ourselves to be super great at raising kids. Whether you’re just starting to ask how you can step up for your family, or you’re a confident pack leader yourself, you’ll get something helpful out of our exploration. Enjoy!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-318About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now 26, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Dr. Shawn HondorpDr. Shawn Hondorp is a clinical psychologist whose goal is to create safe learning environments for those who want to explore innovative approaches to healing, one authentic conversation at a time. Learn more about her work, and subscribe to The Innovative Therapist Podcast, at https://drshawnhondorp.com/ Resources Discussed/LinksOur 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 might feel like terrible news that building our pack leadership involves going back into our own childhoods. It can feel scary to go back to the “belly of the beast”… after all, you survived your childhood. Who on this God’s green earth would actually choose to look back when you’re so focused on changing cycles and moving forward? When the patterns we’re trying to break involve the often invisible trauma of emotional neglect, they can be extra tough to identify. Grownups raised by neglectful parents can feel like their experiences weren’t “bad” enough to count, or that they should just feel lucky because other kids had it way worse. My guest this week is Ruth Cohn, an amazing therapist and author who writes about what she calls “the invisible trauma” of neglect. Why it can be hard to realize that neglect IS traumatic, how it affects the way we live, and how much we tend to blame ourselves for things that aren’t in our control. If you’re a parent who’s trying to do better than the way you were raised, you have to hear her wisdom!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-316About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now 26, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Ruth Cohn:Ruth Cohn, MFT, is a psychotherapist living and practicing in the San Francisco Bay area. She has been specializing in work with survivors of trauma and neglect, their intimate partners, and families since 1988. She is a Certified Sex Therapist, certified in Neurofeedback, EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Imago Relationship Therapy. Ruth is also the author of numerous articles on sexuality, trauma, and neglect, and three books: Working With the Developmental Trauma of Childhood Neglect: Using Psychotherapy and Attachment Theory Techniques in Clinical Practice, Coming Home to Passion: Restoring Loving Sexuality in Couples With Histories of Childhood Trauma and Neglect, and Out of My Mind: Late Night Contemplations About Trauma and Neglect.Ruth Cohn’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://ruthcohnmft.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuthCohnMFT/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthcohnmft/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-cohn-1331b9b/ Resources Discussed/LinksThe Apology, by V (formerly Eve Ensler) https://www.eveensler.org/pf/book-the-apology/ 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/

Y’all probably know I’m not the biggest fan of the way learning happens in most classrooms…and oh, there are so many reasons. I have believed for a long time that traditional education is outdated and needs a ginormous revamp. However, I wasn’t willing to homeschool my own kids.I liked the break and having my days as my own. So year after year, I made a “self-ish” decision when it came to my own kids’ education. I always felt a tinge of guilt and don’t really think they received the best. So I was super excited to talk to Rob Barnett. He’s a former teacher and co-founder of the Modern Classrooms Project. They’re a non-profit that envisions a world where technology can help kids learn at their own pace, by making space for teachers to give every kid the time and attention they need. Rob’s new book, Meet Every Learner’s Needs, builds on his experience in the classroom and as an education advocate. It’s a blueprint for changing the way kids learn, and making teaching more rewarding. I just know you’ll hear something that you’ll want for your kids in their classrooms! 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-314About Randi RubensteinRandi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now 26, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.Randi’s Web and Social LinksWebsite: https://mastermindparenting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparentingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/About Robert Barnett:Robert Barnett co-founded the Modern Classrooms Project, which has empowered 80,000+ educators in 180+ countries to meet every learner’s needs. Before that he taught math, computer science, English, social studies, and law, from the middle-school to university levels, at public and private schools in the U.S. and Switzerland. He graduated cum laude from Princeton University and Harvard Law School; speaks English, French, and Spanish; and lives in Washington, DC. He hopes his two young children will learn in Modern Classrooms someday!Robert Barnett’s Web and Social LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-s-barnett/ Book website for Meet Every Learner's Needs.Enter to win a free copy of the book!More about the Modern Classrooms Project.Resources Discussed/LinksOur 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/