In this final episode of the year, we slow down and reflect on what this year held—the meaningful moments, the hard ones, and the lessons we want to remember. I'm joined by my dear friend Kristy Lauricella as we answer reflective questions (available to download), share our unexpected words of the year, and talk about the books, podcasts, and shows that stayed with us. This conversation isn't about doing the year "right," but about noticing, closing the year with intention, and offering ourselves a little more self-compassion.

Download this free PDF with pwoerful questions.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• info@authenticparenting.com
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~019855d91718719d11

Jeff Hittner on the invisible pressures dads carry every day—balancing ambition with presence, holding emotions they were never taught to express, feeling the weight of being a provider while wanting to be deeply connected, and silently wondering whether they're doing enough.

• 03:18 — Why dads default to fixing

• 06:10 — How conflict exposes emotional patterns you didn't realize you were repeating

• 09:27 — What happens inside your body in the first seconds of reactivity

• 12:55 — How shame hides in anger or withdrawal and shifts your parenting

• 16:40 — Why ambition and presence feel at odds—and how to hold both

• 19:12 — How the definition of "providing" can create hidden distance

• 22:03 — What kids actually need from you when they're dysregulated

• 26:44 — How small repairs rebuild connection after hard moments

• 29:58 — Why dads often hide their struggles and how vulnerability helps

• 33:21 — How real-time emotional attunement works—and what derails it

• 37:49 — What regulated fatherhood looks like in everyday interactions

• 41:30 — Why self-compassion matters more than perfect parenting

• 44:56 — How tiny daily habits build long-term emotional resilience

• 48:20 — What keeps parents stuck in reactive cycles and how to break them

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• info@authenticparenting.com
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Are you ready to start the new year with calmer, more connected parenting? In this episode, I share 7 practical ways to parent with intention in 2026 while avoiding common pitfalls that can derail your goals. We cover screen time, home environments, children's play, shared meals, technology, and the small but powerful shifts that can transform your family life. You'll also hear exercises and tips to check in with yourself, stay intentional, and create a year filled with connection and purpose.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• info@authenticparenting.com
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~019855d91718719d11

An OG podcaster, the founder and CEO of the Women's Meditation Network Katie Krimitsos on listening to your inner knowing, trusting your intuition and taking action even if you don't know all the answers.

• 04:00 – How fear and tears marked her first podcast recording.
  06:30 – Why starting with no plan led to building a six-figure business.
  09:00 – The intuitive pull that sparked an entirely new meditation show.
  11:00 – How to follow intuition even when fear shows up.
  13:00 – Confronting impostor syndrome as a meditation guide.
  15:00 – Why early download success confirmed she was on the right path.
  17:00 – The difference between intuition's whisper and fear's noise.
  19:00 – How meditation became her tool to hear inner guidance.
  21:30 – A "whisper moment" that led to comforting a grieving friend.
  24:30 – Teaching her daughter to trust her gut over peer pressure.
  27:00 – How she recognized school struggles and ignored conventional advice.
  29:30 – Why listening to intuition transformed her daughter's learning journey.
  32:00 – How journaling, walks, and reflection guide big life pivots.
  34:30 – Why failure is just a stepping stone in following your inner voice.
  37:00 – How meditation can unlock your intuition and live an aligned life.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• info@authenticparenting.com
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~019855d91718719d11

How to help a parent who feels their teen is "out of control" becomes a doorway into understanding what lies beneath aggression and lying, the difference between dysregulation and being out of control, why we often have parenting upside down by giving young kids too much autonomy and tightening control in the teen years, and how to hold authority with kind, firm limits while staying curious and non-punitive in the complex landscape of family life.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• info@authenticparenting.com
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~019855d91718719d11

Have you ever stopped to wonder how the stories you grew up with—the ones you absorbed in childhood—still shape the way you parent today?

Author and creative coach GG Renee Hill on uncovering, rewriting, and reclaiming the stories that define us.

Timestamps:

0:03 – How our childhood stories shape parenting
0:06 – Parenting from old patterns
0:09 – When others silence your intuition
0:12 – Finding yourself amid parenting chaos
0:15 – GG's inner child awakening
0:18 – Turning sensitivity into strength
0:21 – Growing up with a schizophrenic mother
0:25 – Redefining strength as a Black mom
0:29 – Coaching kids without tearing them down
0:33 – GG's breaking point and repair
0:38 – Anger is human, violence is not
0:43 – Hope for a more conscious generation
0:48 – Healing through storytelling and reflection
0:53 – The power of rewriting your narrative
0:58 – GG's message to parents and creators

1. Her book: Story Work: Field Notes on Self-Discovery and Reclaiming Your Narrative
2. Her viral essay, "Choosing My Mental Health over My Mother"

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• info@authenticparenting.com
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~019855d91718719d11

• 
  00:00 – Introduction to Andrea Leigh Rogers
  02:15 – From dancer to wellness entrepreneur
  04:40 – Creating Xtend: blending Pilates and dance
  06:55 – The birth of Small Moves, Big Life
  09:10 – Why small moves matter
  11:25 – Escaping the cycle of overwhelm
  13:45 – Motivation follows action
  16:05 – Redefining success for modern women
  18:30 – The FEEL framework explained
  21:10 – Letting go of mom guilt
  23:25 – Doing less, living more
  25:50 – Finding joy in movement
  28:15 – Simplifying routines and priorities
  31:00 – Self-compassion in daily life
  33:20 – Raising confident, balanced kids
  36:10 – Andrea's final message of encouragement

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• info@authenticparenting.com
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~019855d91718719d11

Seth Gillihan, PhD says the path to peace isn't fixing yourself — it's expanding yourself. We explore how to stop chasing "better" and start living fully, now. We'll explore mindfulness practices, stoic wisdom, and practical tools for quieting anxiety, facing fear, and reclaiming presence in a culture that conditions us to believe we are broken.

• 00:00 — Why we're wrong about self-improvement
• 02:45 — The hidden cost of chasing perfection
• 07:30 — The real location of happiness
  A surprising shift in perspective that could change your life.
• 12:15 — Self-worth sabotage
  How society quietly convinces us we're not enough — and what to do about it.
• 17:40 — Self-expansion vs. self-improvement
  A game-changing distinction most people miss entirely.
• 22:10 — The overlooked truth about worry and how to break free from it.
• 28:55 — Doing it scared
• 34:20 — Stoic practices that actually work
  Simple, practical tools that could transform your daily life.
• 40:10 — Secrets to avoiding burnout
  A mindset shift and daily ritual that keeps energy high.
• 45:00 — The closing truth

OTHER EPSIODES YOU MAY LIKE

1. The Power of Acceptance with Seth Gillihan, PhD
2. (LIVE PODCAST) Finding Healing, Peace and Joy with Seth Gillihan, PhD-Part 1

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15)
• 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail.
• info@authenticparenting.com
• Send audio messages using Speakpipe.
• Join the Authentic Parenting Community on Facebook.
• Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.

Podcast Production by Aminur: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~019855d91718719d11