Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Parenting is often lived in the extremes. It's either Great Joy or chaotic overwhelmed. In one moment you’re nailing it and the next you're losing your cool I want to help you find your way to the messy middle, to a place of balance. You see, balance is a verb not a state of being. it is a thing you do not a thing you are. it is an action a process a series of micro-corrections each and every day to keep ourselves feeling centered. We are never truly balanced. We are engaged in the process of balancing.

Hello, I’m Dr. Laura Froyen and this is the Balanced Parent podcast, where overwhelmed stressed out and disconnected parents go to find tools, mindset shifts and practices to help them stop yelling at the people they love and start connecting on a deeper level, all delivered with heaping doses of grace and compassion. Join me in conversations that will help you get clear on your goals and values and start showing up in your parenting, your relationships, YOUR LIFE, with open-hearted authenticity and balance. Let’s go!

If you were able to listen to the bonus episode last week, let me know if it helped you in dealing with a spirited child who is stuck in their big feelings (if you have one), I always love hearing from you! To continue the conversation around this topic, we will talk about how parenting a challenging, strong-willed kiddo can be seen as a spiritual practice and a journey.

I know that raising a spirited, strong-willed child can be well... a lot. And so, to help me in this conversation, I have brought in a wonderful colleague, Mary Van Greffen. She is an international parenting coach for overwhelmed moms of strong-willed & spicy children. She believes that when a mom realizes how hard she is on herself and cracks the door open for some self-compassion, her entire family is bathed in light!

Here's a summary of our conversation:

Embodying Motherhood: Using your body’s presence, posture and proximity to stay calm and to generate more cooperation from your strong willed child
Key Postures (or ways of "showing up") that your spirited kiddo needs you to embody
Embracing the spiritual process of parenting a spicy child

If you are looking for more support, you can visit Mary's website and follow her on Instagram @maryvangeffen.

Laura Froyen, PhD

Laura Froyen, PhD

Balanced Parent Podcast

Laura Froyen, PhD

Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Episode 132: Parenting as a Spiritual Journey with Mary Van Geffen