About this episode

Dr. Amy Moore discusses with Dr. Josh McConkey the importance of allowing children to face challenges to build confidence and grit.

If you’ve ever stepped in to “help” your child and realized you might be making things worse, this conversation will hit home. On this episode of The Brainy Moms Podcast, Dr. Amy sits down with Dr. Josh McConkey, an emergency physician, former U.S. Air Force commander, and author of Be the Weight Behind the Spear, to talk about a problem many families feel but can’t always name: kids can’t build confidence and grit if adults remove every hard moment. We dig into the shift from helicopter par...

More episodes of The Brainy Moms

• Avoid Homeschool Mom Burnout (and Find Joy Again) | Jenna Lynn Myers · July 14, 2026 · 54 min
• Dopamine Magnets: How to Replace Screens, Social Media, and Junk Food with High Value Habits | Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff · July 7, 2026 · 59 min
• Sensory Smart Homeschooling: Encore Conversations with the Homeschool OT Sarah Collins · June 30, 2026 · 1h 16m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Brainy Moms podcast page.