What if the goal of parenting isn’t perfection - but repair?

In this episode, I’m joined by Eli Harwood, therapist, mother of three, and author of How to Heal Your So Your Kids Don’t Have To: An Encyclopedia for Ditching Your Emotional Baggage. Together, we explore the messy but meaningful work of breaking cycles, building secure attachment, and learning how to parent with greater emotional awareness.

Eli shares why attachment is far more flexible than many parents realize and how repair — not getting everything right the first time — is often what builds the deepest trust and connection. We also discuss practical ways to navigate anger, defensiveness, control habits, jealousy, blame, and body image struggles, while examining the deeper emotional needs often underneath these reactions.

This conversation is a compassionate reminder that intentional parenting isn’t about becoming flawless. It’s about learning to stay present, take accountability, and create relationships rooted in empathy, responsiveness, and repair.

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• Website
• Instagram
• Podcast: How To Deal
• Book: How to Deal with Your ____ So Your Kids Don't Have to: An Encyclopedia for Ditching Your Emotional Baggage

Eli Harwood is a licensed therapist, creator of Attachment Nerd, and author of the books "Securely Attached", "Raising Securely Attached Kids," and “How to Deal with Your (__) So Your Kids Don’t Have to”. She has over 19 years of clinical experience, over 1.5 million followers across her social media platforms, and is on a mission to make the world a more secure place one attachment relationship at a time. Eli has three children, one husband, two cats, a gaggle of chickens, and an extraordinary number of high maintenance plants!

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