May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in honor of my advocacy for more open conversation surrounding Mental health, I will be featuring episodes on ways to take care of our mental health so we can better care for ourselves and our children. Therapy is highly beneficial, and various modalities are used. EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to help in processing traumatic events and changing negative patterns and helping people with mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and OCD. I personally started EMDR earlier this year, and in honor of Maternal Mental Health Month, I invited Dr. Cassidy Freitas, who is a licensed marriage and family therapist who also does EMDR. 

We discuss: 

• What EMDR is and the steps of EMDR
• Who would be a good candidate 
• Examples of how EMDR helped me and Dr. Cassidy 

For more resources on EMDR: EMDR Institute, Psychologytoday.com, and EMDRIA.

You can connect with Dr. Cassidy on Instagram @drcassidy, and for more resources, check out Dr. Cassidy's website.

If you are dealing with postpartum mental health concerns and need help, visit Postpartum Support International

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Do you know the cultural differences that can exist being immigrant parents and the mental health issues that are unique? Whether you come from an immigrant household or not, this episode is a must to really dive into the cultural stereotypes that exist surrounding mental health and, subsequently, how we show up for our children. I welcome Sahaj Kaur Kohli who is the founder of Brown Girl Therapy (@browngirltherapy), the first and largest mental health and wellness community organization for adult children of immigrants, a licensed therapist, and author of the Book, But What Will People Say: Navigating mental health, identity, love, and family between cultures. 

She joins me to discuss:

• The difference between collectivist and individualistic cultures and why the distinction is important
• Why diversity in mental health and parenting resources is important
• What struggles immigrant parents have that may be unique

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and just as much as we need to focus on maternal mental health, we also need to recognize that dads and non-birthing partners also can struggle postpartum as well. 7% and 9% of new fathers develop postpartum depression. I invited my husband back on the show to chat about postpartum mental health and mental health concerns in general in men. 

We discuss  

• Why men and women can struggle with their mental health postpartum 
• Why men don’t talk about their mental health struggles or seek help as much as women may
• The cultural barriers that exist that normalize seeking mental health help
• How we’re raising our kids to undo this cycle of mental health stigma 
• How consistent therapy has helped my husband and myself 

For more on postpartum mental health for all caregivers, visit this resource. If you are dealing with postpartum mental health concerns and need help, visit Postpartum Support International.

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India is home to over 1.4 BILLION people and over 470 million children. There are more children in India than our entire population in the U.S. so I needed to have a pediatrician to chat with from India! I reached out to Dr. Imran Patel, a Pediatrician in India, and one the most followed and loved Pediatricians in the world with over 4.6 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million followers on YouTube.

We discuss: 

• If vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine sentiment exist in India
• The cultural differences in approach to sleep and kids
• How he wishes more families would approach feeding solid foods 
• What motivates us as colleagues a world apart doing similar work

Connect with Dr. Imran Patel on Instagram @drimranpatelofficial

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Have you felt yourself drift from your friends pre-motherhood? Or have you found making new and meaningful friendships hard after becoming a mom? I welcome Danielle Bayard Jackson, a relational health educator who has made a career out of studying what the research has to say about creating quality platonic relationships. She also has a new book coming out called, Fighting for Our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships.

She joins me to discuss: 

• The three reasons why friendships after motherhood are so hard to make and maintain
• Why having meaningful and strong female connections is important for our mental health 
• How to handle “passive” friendships
• Practical ways to find meaningful connections with peers amidst the mental load and business of our lives

Connect with Danielle on Instagram @daniellebayardjackson. Check out her book!

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The “Default parent” seems like modern parenting terminology, but it’s a real role. It can sometimes be associated with feelings of resentment and overwhelm if it’s not communicated. I welcome Erica Djossa, the CEO and founder of Momwell and the author of Releasing the Mother Load: How to Carry Less and Enjoy Motherhood More.

We discuss: 

• What the default parent is, and how someone knows they’re the default parent 
• Why, in heterosexual relationships, have mothers taken on this role?
• How couples can communicate better to share the mental load and roles

Connect with Erica on Instagram @momwell. Check out her new book!

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Do you ever feel you’re overdoing or overthinking parenting? Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist, co-founder of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center, host of the podcast Raising Good Humans, and author of the newly released New York Times bestseller The 5 Principles of Parenting, joins me to reflect on parenting and discuss her new book.

We discuss: 

• How parents overdo it and how to keep it simple
• The five principles of parenting that can be applied to many different situations
• Why parents shouldn’t always focus on “getting it right”

Connect with Dr. Aliza Pressman on Instagram @raisingoodhumanspodcast and check out The 5 Principles of Parenting Book.

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Struggling with boundary setting? 

Wanting to foster secure attachment with your child? 

Want a relationship with your child as they get older?

Issues in school, with peers, etc., and trying to find out why?

You’re going to want to listen to this episode.

I dive deep into three things children need in relationships with their grown up. Whether it's a parent, teacher, or other caregiver; our children want to feel safe, respected, and connected.

I dive deep into how this shows up in parenting and offer insight and stories as well.

I discuss: 

• How kids can feel unsafe in their home and how it’s not just physical safety
• Why one-way respect parenting is outdated and why we have to respect our kids for them to respect us
• How to build secure attachment and why it’s needed

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This is a completely impromptu episode I had to release because it shares my love for all children (and, of course, my kiddos) with all of you! My son, Ryaan, is four years old and loves playing with my podcast mic. So, the other day after preschool, I had him join me for a conversation.

We talk about normal four-year-old things!  

• Car washes
• Favorite foods and vegetables 
• What makes us feel better when we’re sad 
• And, of course, we sing a song from Frozen 

This episode is kid-friendly, and I encourage you to listen to it with your toddlers or preschoolers!

Disclaimer: the word penis is said because we teach our son anatomic body parts, and it came up in this impromptu conversation!

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The goal of parenting should be to foster the growth and development of the child in front of us, and part of this is guiding them through experiences and things that may make them more anxious. I welcome Dr. Melissa Giglio, a child clinical psychologist, author, and director of a private practice in Hong Kong.

We discuss:

• How we can nurture bravery and confidence in our children
• Strategies to “push’ our child in healthy ways 
• Ways to validate their experience as they grow through new situations

For more about Dr. Melissa Giglio, check out her website Bravemightyminds.com.

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We live in a digital age, and at some point, our children will have access to phones, but it is our responsibility as parents to balance the benefits and risks of phone use. I welcome Bill Brady, who is the CEO and Co-founder of Troomi Wireless, a mobile phone platform designed to improve kids’ mental health through a safe and balanced relationship with technology.

We discuss:

• The benefits and risks of allowing our child to have a phone for use
• Is there a magical age at which they should be allowed a phone?
• How to create healthy boundaries with access to a phone and safety and other activities

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