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!

In this week’s episode of The Balanced Parent Podcast, we’ll dive into a topic we rarely cover—sleep! If you’re parenting an intense, sensitive, or spirited child, you know how challenging bedtime can be. To guide us through, I am joined by two experts: Macall Gordon, a gentle sleep coach, and Kim West, "The Sleep Lady" and creator of the renowned Sleep Lady Shuffle. They are also the co-authors of the book Why Won’t You Sleep?! Together, we’ll share practical, compassionate strategies to help both parents and kids get the rest they need.

Here’s an overview of what we discussed:

Why parenting methods fail with intense kids' unique sleep struggles
Recognizing readiness for respectful, skill-based approaches to improving sleep
Developing parental curiosity and awareness with realistic expectations for spirited kids
Maintaining quiet time for children after naps that benefits both parents and kids

To learn more about Macall Gordon, visit her website mgordon@littlelivewires.com, Instagram @littlelivewires, and Facebook @littlelivewires. Also, you can learn more about Kim West on her website sleeplady.com, Instagram @thesleeplady and Facebook @thesleeplady.

Resources:

Why Won't You Sleep?!: A Game-Changing Approach for Exhausted Parents of Nonstop, Super Alert, Big Feeling Kids

Sleep challenges can feel overwhelming, but with the right tools and compassionate support, you can make meaningful progress. Remember, every family is unique, and small, consistent changes can lead to big improvements.

I would love to hear from you! If you have any questions you’d like to have answered on the podcast or any takeaways or wins you’d like to share you can leave me a message here: https://www.speakpipe.com/laurafroyenphd

Laura Froyen, PhD

Laura Froyen, PhD

Balanced Parent Podcast

Laura Froyen, PhD

Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Episode 204: Supporting Spirited Kids in Getting the Sleep They Need with Macall Gordon and Kim West