Most of us have a conflicted relationship with social media and online life. For today's episode I'm chatting with author Kara Alaimo. Kara's new book, Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls - And How We Can Take it Back, debuts this month. In our conversation we are sifting through a variety of topics related to how we are influenced as parents and how we can be thoughtful when leading our children into a more mindful online space. Due to some sensitive content, this episode should be first previewed without young children present. Sponsor: Prepdish - Get two weeks free at prepdish.com/families

The chances are good that you are familiar with perfectionism. Either you have experienced it yourself, you have a partner or parent with these tendencies, or perhaps you have a child touched by perfectionism. In today's episode, I'm chatting with Clarissa Ong Ph.D. She's a professor and the co-author of the book The Anxious Perfectionist: How to Manage Perfectionism-Driven Anxiety. SPONSORS: Masterclass: Get 15% off an annual subscription at masterclass.com/families PrepDish: Try 2 weeks free at prepdish.com/families Paired: Paired.com/simple to get a 7-day free trial and 25% off if you sign up for a subscription

There are many misconceptions about what it means to be 'gifted'. Today's guest, Julie Skolnick, explains to us that giftedness usually comes with considerable challenges. She also shares ideas and insight on how to support and educate children who are gifted, but also have challenges (sometimes called twice-exceptional).  LINKS Julie's Book, Gifted and Distractible Julie's Website, With Understanding Comes Calm Episode with Ross Greene, founder of CPS and author of The Explosive Child GHF Empowering Gifted Families SPONSORS PrepDish - use prepdish.com/families to get two weeks free + bonus Protein Boost menus in January Paired - 7 day free trial (25% off if you sign up) at paired.com/simple

Many of the guests on this show are authors—especially of non-fiction books. Although we often rely on non-fiction to teach us, sometimes the greatest lessons actually come through diving deeper into the life experiences of characters in a novel. Today, I’m speaking with authors Christine Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene. Christine and Catherine have co-authored a brand new book that tells the story of an entertaining and thought-provoking interracial friendship between two mothers, De'Andrea and Rebecca. You can find Rebecca, Not Becky anywhere books are sold.  SPONSORS: Prepdish: Get two weeks free, prepdish.com/families Masterclass: Give One Annual Membership and Get One Free at masterclass.com/families

Once upon a time, building a village to raise a family probably felt simpler. The village was likely the (literal) neighbors and family members who lived right around the corner. But in today's world, our communities are more complex and diverse. The people we lean on may live nearby, but they also may live on the other side of the globe. I'm joined by Michelle Kennedy, the founder of the app Peanut, to talk about building community in motherhood. Peanut's Invisible Mother Campaign SPONSERS: PrepDish: Get TWO weeks free at prepdish.com/families Masterclass: Get 15% off an annual membership at masterclass.com/families

In today's episode, author Michael Easter, shares his work and theories on the topic of comfort. He posits that the growing rates of mental and physical health challenges may be rooted in the fact that we are living more comfortable lives than ever before. As parents, we strive to keep our kids as comfortable as possible when they are infants. But, perhaps we should ask ourselves if continuing on that path will negatively impact their future resilience. Connect with Michael + his books: The Comfort Crisis The Scarcity Brain Website Instagram Sponsors Kiwico: Visit kiwico.com and use the promo code SIMPLE to receive 50% off your first box of fun! Masterclass: Get 15% off an annual membership at masterclass.com/families Prep Dish: Get 2 weeks of meal planning for free when you visit prepdish.com/families.

As adults, we often avoid uncomfortable situations and even frequently rescue our children from uncomfortable experiences. We know, however, that experiencing discomfort can result in growth and resilience. Have you gotten uncomfortable recently? Maybe you should. Links from the episode Simple Families Podcast Episode 298: Accommodating your kid's anxiety Simple Families Podcast Episode 318: Child Anxiety Simple Families Podcast Episode 302 & 303: Analog Curious I & II Sponsors Kiwico: Visit kiwico.com and use the promo code SIMPLE to receive 50% off your first box of fun! Prep Dish: Get 2 weeks of meal planning for free when you visit prepdish.com/families.

It's Back-to-School season and today we are talking about about contentment--as it relates to our children's educational experience. I'm joined by Niro Feliciano (Author, Psychotherapist, National Media Commentator and Mom of 4). In this episode Niro and I discuss monitoring our own expectations and reactivity, in addition to that of our children. Links from this Episode Niro’s Website This Book Won’t Make You Happy: Eight Keys to Finding True Contentment All Things Life with Niro Podcast SPONSORS KiwiCo: To build curiosity and fun, go to kiwico.com/simple to get 50% off your first month, plus free shipping. PrepDish: Meal planning made easy, go to prepdish.com/families for your first two weeks free.

Let go of the pressure to be the perfect parent and start to embrace the teachable moments that you are (accidentally) creating. In this episode we are flipping around some common summer #momfails. As parents, we are far from perfect. On the bright side, our mistakes often create opportunities for our kids to grow.

At the heart of being an intentional parent is striving to calm our own reactivity. Reactivity...we all experience it. Hunter Clarke-Fields, author and podcaster, joins me today to discuss this topic. Links from this Episode: Hunter's Podcast - Mindful Mama Mentor Hunter's Books - Raising Good Humans // Raising Good Humans Everyday First episode with Hunter on Simple Families Podcast SPONSOR: Go to EARTHBREEZE.com/simple to get started with 40% off