Brainy Moms podcast Archives - Page 8 of 15

Self-care: It’s not selfish, and it’s probably not what you think! with guest Dr. Tamara Beckford

If you’ve ever felt stressed (like, you know, every other mom who’s lived through the past two years), and if you’ve ever tried to do something about it, it’s likely that someone, somewhere along the way, has asked you this question: “What do you do for self-care?” We know, we know, that can cause quite a visceral reaction! In fact, it does just that for our very own Dr. Amy. But—here’s the good news! According to our latest podcast guest, Dr. Tamara Beckford, self-care is probably not what you think! Join Dr. Amy Moore and Sandy Zamalis as they chat with Dr. Beckford about her own self-care journey, where to start if you’re ready to embark on your own journey, and how very important our own self-care is to our children’s understanding of what it means to be a parent. Because, statistically speaking, many of them will eventually parent their own kids! We really enjoyed this conversation, and left with some personal, real-world ideas for how to reframe self-care as a reasonable practice—that may or may not involve journaling OR the nail salon.

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How to help your kids successfully navigate the school system (Hint: it starts with a strong parent-teacher relationship) with guest Punam Saxena

Amy Moore, PhD

Every family has their own set of goals for their children after they graduate high school and fly the nest. No matter whether your family’s goals are secondary education at an Ivy League institution, learning a trade at a vocational school, or heading straight into the workforce, parents can play an active role in their child’s education and help them safely experience both successes and failures as part of their journey.
Join Dr. Amy Moore and Sandy Zamalis for a chat with Punam Saxena, author of Parent Power: Navigate School and Beyond. Punam shares her tips and tricks for navigating the school system and creating positive relationships between parents and teachers so that they can work together to help their children safely experience both the highs of great success, and the lows of difficult, sometimes unexpected, failures. Punam explains why it’s important to provide a safe place for children to fail while they are still living at home, so that they can independently navigate the world of secondary education, the workforce, and beyond.

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Want to Heal Your Trauma? Don’t Start with Therapy, Start with the Body! with guest Dr. Aimie Apigian

Amy Moore, PhD

Whether we know it or not, each of us is carrying trauma inside of our bodies. Even with a charmed childhood, there are moments in your life when you experienced a feeling of overwhelm. Each time we don’t work through those feelings, they add to our unresolved trauma. We carry all of that trauma into our adulthood—and into motherhood. Dr. Amy Moore and Teri Miller sat down with Dr. Aimie Apigian, who is the creator of the Biology of Trauma Methodology. Dr. Aimie explains to Dr. Amy and Teri how therapy is actually not the first step in healing our trauma, despite what we have been taught—and what many of us have tried.

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Is Not Getting Enough Sleep Really That Bad For Us? with guest Dr. Jennifer Reid

Amy Moore, PhD

What’s the big deal if we don’t get enough sleep? On this episode of Brainy Moms, Dr. Amy and Sandy asked psychiatrist and insomnia expert, Dr. Jennifer Reid that question and she shared several ways that sleep deprivation impacts both our physical and mental health. We talk about the basics of sleep, the difference between sleep deprivation and insomnia, and the impact of sleep on weight, metabolism, immune system function, focus and attention, and overall health. It’s kind of a big deal that we get enough sleep! Join us to learn some serious sleep science from a serious sleep doctor.

Podcast

What Parents Need to Know about Speech and Language Development with guest Sarah Billingham

Amy Moore, PhD

Did you know that as parents, we are the best partner to support early language skills in our children? On this episode of Brainy Moms, Dr. Amy and Teri interview speech and language specialist teacher, Sarah Billingham of Confident Kids. Sarah shares how parents are the most “tuned in” to the speech and language skills of young children and how we are uniquely suited to help them develop those skills. She shares specific tips for communicating in ways that optimize their speech and language development, which milestones to be aware of, what red flags to look for, and some fantastic resources to help.

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Help Your Child Survive the Stressors of Middle School with guest Jessica Speer

Amy Moore, PhD

Middle School is a time filled with big changes and big stressors for many adolescents. On this episode of Brainy Moms, Dr. Amy and Sandy interview Jessica Speer, social scientist and author of the new book, Middle School: Safety Goggles Advised. Jessica shares what she discovered from interviewing middle schoolers about what they defined as their top stressors. The big ones? Social media, judgement by peers, friendships, crushes, gossips, and popularity. Jessica talks about many of the struggles identified by kids in middle school and gives parents some tips and advice on how to help our kids navigate these challenges.

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Get Your Toddler Talking with guest Jill Urbane

Amy Moore, PhD

Communication and language in early childhood is intricately connected to behavior and social-emotional development. Every temper tantrum is an attempt to communicate an unmet need. How do we help young children develop effective communication skills? On this episode of Brainy Moms, Dr. Amy and Sandy interview the Mentor Mom, Jill Urbane.

Jill is an early childhood interventionist and social worker who specializes in the connection between speech development, emotions, social skills, and behavior. She shares the importance of recognizing our own temperament and communication style and its impact on our child’s behavior. She talks about big emotions in little children and how emotions impact communication. Jill walks us through the development of foundational language skills, what to look for, and what to do if we see red flags. We even spend time talking about the benefits of infant/toddler sign language in the development of language skills.

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How to Quiet Your Inner Mean Girl with guest Onnie Michalsky, M.A.

Amy Moore, PhD

Hey Moms! Are you ready to silence that inner “mean girl” who says you’re not enough? Are you exhausted from doing all the things and ready to shed your Supermom cape? On this episode of Brainy Moms, Dr. Amy and Sandy interview licensed therapist and host of Moms without Capes, Onnie Michalsky, about how to quiet our inner mean girls and take off our supermom capes. Onnie shares tips on identifying our own needs and emotions, setting boundaries, banishing guilt over self-care, and more.

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Managing Anxiety about School Shootings & Other Traumatic Experiences with guest Stacie Boyar, LMHC, MS Ed

Amy Moore, PhD

With so many scary things happening in the world today, it’s easy to understand why kids are struggling with anxiety. On this episode of Brainy Moms, Teri and I interview licensed mental health counselor, Stacie Boyar, LMHC, MS Ed, who shares tips and specific strategies for managing anxiety. She’s uniquely qualified to give advice on this topic as a therapist in Parkland, FL who worked with teens from the Stoneman Douglas high school shooting.

We talk about effective therapies for anxiety like CBT and EMDR and also learn at-home breathing and grounding techniques that we AND our kids can use whenever we’re feeling stressed or anxious about anything at all. Join us for this fantastic conversation with the author of You’re Not the Boss of Me, a book for teens on conquering anxiety.

Podcast

A Radical Parenting Partnership with Your Teen – with author Lainie Liberti

Amy Moore, PhD

On this episode of Brainy Moms, Dr. Amy and Teri interview Lainie Liberti, teen mentor and author of the book, Seen, Heard, and Understood: Parenting and Partnering with Teens for Greater Mental Health. Lainie shares a radical approach to relating to teens through a partnership parenting paradigm. Although unconventional, it’s an approach that promotes connection and cooperation with your teen. Based on ideas from her book, Lainie explains the benefits of knowing your teen’s love language, creating shared family values, and partnering in problem solving as a family. Join us for this conversation about a truly unique approach to raising teens.