Most of the moms I work with know how they want to parent differently.

They've read books, gone to therapy, or tried coaching. They can tell you exactly how they wish they'd handled the shoe standoff or the bedtime battle.

And they still yell.

Knowing what to do lives in the thinking brain, but reacting starts in the body, often before the thinking brain has a chance to weigh in.

I'm away at a somatic retreat this week, so I'm replaying the episode where I first talked about this on the podcast. With the holidays coming, it felt like the right time to revisit it.

If you've been wondering why you keep reacting when you know better, this episode will help it make sense.

• What's happening in your body in the seconds before you yell
• What somatic work is, and how it complements mindset work
• A simple framework for noticing your body's reaction, regulating your nervous system, and responding on purpose

• This episode originally aired as Episode 355 – You Changed Your Mindset, So Why Are You Losing Your Mind?
• Join the Damn Good Mama wait list HERE.
• Download my free Nervous System Reset Guide for Moms HERE.
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• Buy and leave a review for the Less Drama More Mama book HERE.
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For the past few years, I've taught nervous system tools to moms from my quiet home office.

This fall, I put them to the test when I spent three months back at the school where I used to work as a counselor.

I didn't handle every moment perfectly, but I could feel how much more capacity I had to stay calm and respond thoughtfully than I did the last time I worked there, five years ago.

In this week's podcast episode, I share what I noticed, what helped, and why the experience made me even more certain about working with moms.

• What happened when I used nervous system tools in a loud, demanding environment
• What my students learned from watching me close my eyes in the middle of a lesson
• Why logic and reassurance usually don't get through to an upset child, and what to do first

• Episode 427 - Are You Making Self-Control Harder for Your Child? (Self-Control Series, Part 1)
  Episode 428 - How to Help Kids Think Before They Speak (Self-Control Series, Part 2)
  Episode 429 - How to Help Kids Keep Their Hands to Themselves (Self-Control Series, Part 3)
• Join the Damn Good Mama wait list HERE.
• Download my free Nervous System Reset Guide for Moms HERE.
• Leave a review of the show in Apple Podcasts
• Buy and leave a review for the Less Drama More Mama book HERE.
• Subscribe to get email updates on Less Drama More Mama webinars, workshops, and special offers HERE.
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"Keep your hands to yourself."

You've probably said it more times than you can count, and your child can likely repeat the rule right back to you.

So why do they still push, grab, and hit?

Knowing the expectation and following it in the moment are two very different skills.

This is the final episode in my three-part series on self-control. I'm talking about physical self-control, which includes helping kids keep their hands off other people and their things, respect personal space, stay in control of their bodies when feelings get big, and understand consent.

You'll hear how to practice these skills at home, what to do when your child is hitting or pushing, what this looks like with tweens and teens, and how your own history shapes the way you react when your kids get physical.

This episode is packed with real stories and strategies you can start using this week.

• Why knowing the expectation isn't enough, and what helps your child choose a better option in the moment
• What the research says about hitting a pillow to "get the anger out"
• How everyday moments of consent at home prepare your child for dating and relationships later
• Why your child's physical behavior can bring up fear in you, and how to respond to what's happening

• Episode 427 - Are You Making Self-Control Harder for Your Child? (Self-Control Series, Part 1)
• Episode 428 - How to Help Kids Think Before They Speak (Self-Control Series, Part 2)
• Read about the 2024 Ohio State review of 154 studies on anger HERE.
• Join the Damn Good Mama wait list HERE.
• Download my free Nervous System Reset Guide for Moms HERE.
• Buy and leave a review for the Less Drama More Mama book HERE.
• Subscribe to get email updates on Less Drama More Mama webinars, workshops, and special offers HERE.
• Follow Less Drama More Mama on Facebook and Instagram.
• Leave a review of the show in Apple Podcasts

You've told your child not to interrupt.

You've explained why their comment was rude.

You've reminded them to mind their own business.

Then they interrupt again or make another comment that would have been better left unsaid, and you wonder how many reminders it'll take before something changes.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm talking about what makes verbal self-control so difficult and how you can help your child develop it.

• Why reminders and corrections don't always lead to lasting change
• What can make interrupting, blurting, and unnecessary comments so hard for kids to stop
• How to help your child practice verbal self-control in everyday moments

• Episode 427 - Are You Making Self-Control Harder for Your Child? (Self-Control Series, Part 1)
• I Can't Believe You Said That by Julia Cook
• Join the Damn Good Mama wait list HERE.
• Download my free Nervous System Reset Guide for Moms HERE.
• Buy and leave a review for the Less Drama More Mama book HERE.
• Subscribe to get email updates on Less Drama More Mama webinars, workshops, and special offers HERE.
• Follow Less Drama More Mama on Facebook and Instagram.
• Leave a review of the show in Apple Podcasts

Self-control is one of the hardest skills for kids to learn, and one of the most important.

It's what helps them wait their turn, keep working when something feels hard, and handle frustration without falling apart or giving up.

Today kicks off a three-part series on the podcast about helping kids develop self-control.

In today's episode, I share how you can help your child build emotional self-control.

In the coming weeks, I'll focus on verbal and physical self-control.

• How everyday parenting decisions can unintentionally make self-control harder to develop
• Why emotional self-control grows through practice and how to help your child build it
• A simple tool that helps kids practice self-control and recognize their progress

• Join the Damn Good Mama wait list HERE.
• Download my free Nervous System Reset Guide for Moms HERE.
• Buy and leave a review for the Less Drama More Mama book HERE.
• Subscribe to get email updates on Less Drama More Mama webinars, workshops, and special offers HERE.
• Follow Less Drama More Mama on Facebook and Instagram.
• Leave a review of the show in Apple Podcasts

Do you wish you had more friends, but find yourself hesitating to reach out?

You might think you don't have the time or that making friends takes too much effort.

You might assume other moms already have plenty of friends, are too busy, or wouldn't be interested.

Those thoughts can make it harder to take the first step and get to know someone.

This week, I'm replaying an older episode about making new friends where I talk about common thoughts that can get in the way and how to create more opportunities for connection.

• How your thinking can affect the way you approach new people
• The assumptions about yourself and others that may be keeping you from making friends
• Questions to help you think about the friendships you want and how to move toward them

• Episode 043 - Overcoming Loneliness
• Episode 045 - Keeping Friendship Strong
• Episode 006 - Your Solution to Any Problem
• Download my free Nervous System Reset Guide for Moms HERE.
• Buy and leave a review for the Less Drama More Mama book HERE.
• Subscribe to get email updates on Less Drama More Mama webinars, workshops, and special offers HERE.
• Follow Less Drama More Mama on Facebook and Instagram.
• Leave a review of the show in Apple Podcasts

Your child talks back, lies about something small, or ignores your directions.

You wonder: If this is happening now, what will they be like five years from now?

In this week's episode, I'm talking about why worry about your child's future can make their current behavior feel so urgent, how that worry shapes your reactions, and how to respond to what's actually happening.

• Why your mind can move so quickly from today's behavior to a frightening future
• How to recognize when urgency is shaping your response
• How to address behavior while leaving room for your child to grow

• Download my free Nervous System Reset Guide for Moms HERE.
• Buy and leave a review for the Less Drama More Mama book HERE.
• Subscribe to get email updates on Less Drama More Mama webinars, workshops, and special offers HERE.
• Follow Less Drama More Mama on Facebook and Instagram.
• Leave a review of the show in Apple Podcasts

Your child is yelling because you said no, talking to you disrespectfully, or following you around trying to change an answer you've already given.

You're trying to stay calm, but part of you is thinking, How much of this am I supposed to put up with?

"Expanding your window of tolerance" can sound like learning to become more patient with behavior you don't want to allow.

So what are you actually learning to tolerate?

Tune in to today's episode to find out.

• What expanding your window of tolerance actually asks you to tolerate
• How to hold a limit when your child is upset with it
• What to do with your anger instead of suppressing it or taking it out on your child
• Why timing matters when you address your child's behavior

• Download my free Nervous System Reset Guide for Moms HERE.
• Buy and leave a review for the Less Drama More Mama book HERE.
• Subscribe to get email updates on Less Drama More Mama webinars, workshops, and special offers HERE.
• Follow Less Drama More Mama on Facebook and Instagram.
• Leave a review of the show in Apple Podcasts