Ask Me Anything: How to Stop Reacting, Handle Back-to-School Anxiety, and Actually Pause in the Hard Moment (Part 1)

What do you say when your child says “I’m fat”? What do you do when grandma makes a comment at the dinner table? How do you raise a kid who has a healthy relationship with food and their body without swinging into diet culture or untethered “anything goes” territory? Dr. Whitney Caceres has the answers — and they’re more nuanced and more doable than anything you’ll find in a parenting trend.Albiona sits down with Dr. Whitney, a board-certified pediatrician, founder of Modern Mommy Doc, and author of the new book Raising Body Confident Kids, to talk about breaking the generational cycle of body shame — starting with the stories we’re still carrying ourselves.Inside, they explore:How body shame gets passed from generation to generation — and why our own triggers are triggered hardest when our kids hit puberty at the same time we’re going through our own body changesWhat to actually say when your child notices someone else’s body, asks why a celebrity looks different, or says “I’m fat” — including what not to say and why false reassurance backfiresThe sweet spot between diet culture and body positivity — how to teach kids body literacy and function without labeling foods as good or bad or ignoring real healthHow to handle body comments from grandparents and extended family — what to prep your kids to say, when to step in as the parent, and when ignoring is actually the right moveYay or nay: overeating, birthday party food, the 20-minute pause rule, and when it’s okay to step in as the parent even when you’ve been giving your kid agencyAbout Dr. Whitney Caceres:Dr. Whitney Caceres is a board-certified pediatrician, speaker, author, and founder of Modern Mommy Doc. She holds an MPH in maternal and child health from UC Berkeley, a journalism degree, and completed her pediatric residency at Stanford. Her new book, Raising Body Confident Kids: A Balanced Approach to Breaking the Cycle of Body Shame and Diet Culture, is out September 1st.Resources mentioned in this episode:Get Raising Body Confident KidsVisit Modern Mommy Doc — modernmommydoc.comFollow Dr. Whitney on Instagram — @modernmommydocConnect with Albiona:Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coachingFollow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframeJoin Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://albiona.substack.com/Email Albiona directly — [email protected] this episode?Please rate, review, and share this one with a mom who’s still untangling her own relationship with her body while trying to raise kids who don’t have to. This conversation is for every parent who has ever caught themselves about to say the wrong thing — and wanted to do better.Until next time,Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You asked Albiona where she stands on gentle parenting, attachment theory, highly sensitive kids, and strong-willed vs. defiant. She answered. This is the take you won’t hear from most people in the parenting space — no sides taken, no approach put on a pedestal, and no parent left feeling like they’re doing it wrong. Inside, she explores: Gentle parenting: what Albiona genuinely likes about it, where it tends to go sideways in practice, and why over-explaining often makes defiance worse instead of better Attachment theory: why it can leave parents burned out, how to take what works without adopting the whole framework, and what she looks for before bringing any guest into this space Strong-willed, defiant, highly sensitive, big feeler — what these labels actually mean, why Albiona thinks all kids are deeply feeling, and what to ask instead of reaching for a term Connect with Albiona: Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://albiona.substack.com Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Rate, review, and share with a parent who’s drowning in parenting approaches and doesn’t know which one to trust. Sometimes the answer is simpler than the label. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You asked, Albiona answered. This AMA covers the questions that came in most — reactive parenting, back-to-school transitions, and why pausing is so much harder in practice than it sounds. Practical, somatic, and honest. Inside, she explores: How to actually pause when you’re already activated — the somatic tools and breathing technique Albiona uses herself, including why the exhale matters more than the inhale Why telling yourself “I won’t yell today” keeps failing — the two real reasons parents overreact and what actually interrupts the pattern Back-to-school anxiety and transitions: how to help kids who dread the change, the difference between a transition problem and a frustration tolerance problem, and how to sequence routines so you’re not setting yourself up to fight every afternoon Connect with Albiona: •  Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching •  Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe •  Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://albiona.substack.com/ •  Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Rate, review, and share with a parent heading into back-to-school season running on fumes. Part 2 is coming. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is the conversation that resonated with thousands of mothers and keeps getting shared. Albiona’s interview with Neha Ruch — founder of Mother Untitled and author of The Power Pause — is back. If you missed it the first time, this is your moment. If you’ve already heard it, listen again. There’s something in here for wherever you are right now. Neha Ruch left a Stanford MBA and a dream job in brand marketing to make more room for motherhood — and instead of quietly disappearing from the conversation, she built an entirely new one. The Power Pause is the book she wrote for every mother who wants to pause, shift, or step back from a career and do it without guilt, without losing her identity, and without having to pick a side. Inside, they explore: →  Why “what do you do?” has become a proxy for “who are you?” — and how to reclaim your identity when the answer to that question changes →  The power pause reframe: why stepping back from a career isn’t a loss of ambition — it’s a redesign, and how to own that story confidently →  The mommy wars, where they came from, and why the research shows children thrive equally in both scenarios — what actually matters is a happy and healthy parent →  How to have the money conversations before a career pause, what to budget for, and how to make sure both partners feel equally valued during a season of unpaid caregiving →  Why your career isn’t linear — how to audit the experiences you’re accumulating right now and build them into a career story that’s more expansive, not less About Neha Ruch: Neha Ruch is the founder of Mother Untitled and author of The Power Pause, a guide for ambitious women navigating career breaks, career shifts, and the decision to make more room for family life. Her work sits at the intersection of identity, ambition, and modern motherhood — without judgment, and without telling you which choice is right. Resources mentioned in this episode: →  Get The Power Pause by Neha Ruch →  Visit Mother Untitled — motheruntitled.com Connect with Albiona: →  Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching →  Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe →  Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://albiona.substack.com/ →  Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Please rate, review, and share this one with a mother who’s in the middle of figuring out what comes next — whether she’s considering a pause, already in one, or trying to find her footing on the other side. This conversation was made for her. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is the episode that started it all. The most downloaded conversation in the history of The Parenting Reframe — Albiona’s very first interview with Joe Newman, author of Raising Lions — is back. If you’ve never heard it, clear your schedule. If you have, get your notebook out because you’ll catch things you missed the first time. Joe Newman has shaped Albiona’s work more than almost anyone else in this space. He doesn’t say what everyone else says. He doesn’t make it complicated. And this conversation — about why strong-willed kids need stronger boundaries, why your words have lost their weight, and what actually gets a defiant child to cooperate — is still one of the most useful hours you’ll spend as a parent. Inside, they explore: →  Why strong-willed and defiant kids aren’t broken — and why the accommodations most parents make are the exact opposite of what these kids need →  The real reason children use conflict: it’s not about the blue bowl, the red cup, or the screen time — it’s a question they’re asking, and most parents are answering it wrong →  How breaks work, why they’re not timeouts, and what to do when your child flatly refuses to take one — including what Joe did with a child who held out for 10 days straight →  Why excess information and over-explaining are making defiance worse — and the research-backed reason that saying less produces a 50% drop in off-task behavior →  What “eggshell parenting” is doing to strong-willed kids, why approval-based parenting fails power-seeking children, and how to stop parenting the child inside of you instead of the child in front of you About Joe Newman: Joe Newman is the author of Raising Lions and a behavior specialist with decades of experience working with defiant, strong-willed, and ADHD kids in schools, homes, and clinical settings. His approach combines psychoanalytic theory, cause-and-effect structure, and deep respect for children’s autonomy — and it works where other methods don’t. Resources mentioned in this episode: →  Get Raising Lions by Joe Newman →  Visit Joe’s website — raisinglions.com →  Joe’s YouTube channel — search “Raising Lions” for video demonstrations of his methods in action Connect with Albiona: →  Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching →  Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe →  Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://albiona.substack.com/ →  Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Please rate, review, and share this one with a parent who’s exhausted by a strong-willed child and running out of ideas. This conversation has already reached thousands of families — and it deserves to reach thousands more. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Albiona came into a podcast recording nervous, overprepared, and completely thrown off when the tech collapsed mid-interview. What happened next — what her guest did in that moment — stopped her in her tracks. And it’s the same thing most parents are missing with their kids. In this solo episode, Albiona shares the story of what Dr. Elisha Goldstein did when everything went wrong, why it moved her so deeply, and how the same principle — helping someone feel truly seen through your own story — is one of the most underused tools in parenting. This one is personal, practical, and worth sharing. Inside, she explores: →  What Dr. Goldstein did when the podcast recording fell apart — and why his response was a masterclass in empathy that Albiona couldn’t stop thinking about →  The difference between expressing empathy and actually helping someone feel seen — and why one lands so much deeper than the other →  How storytelling from your own life — not advice, not correction — is the thing that softens a child in a hard moment and makes them actually willing to move toward a solution →  Real examples: the homework battle that stopped repeating the moment Albiona shared her own childhood frustration, and what happened when her son finally felt understood →  Why kids who don’t feel seen act out more — and how making someone feel seen is one of the most powerful connection tools you have, in parenting and in every relationship Connect with Albiona: →  Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching →  Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe →  Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://albiona.substack.com →  Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Please rate, review, and share this one with someone who needs to hear it — a parent in the middle of a homework battle, a power struggle, or just a season where nothing seems to be landing. Sometimes the shift isn’t a new strategy. It’s a story. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You can’t go back and redo your childhood. But you can stop unconsciously parenting the child inside of you instead of the child standing in front of you. In this solo episode, Albiona reframes the popular idea of “reparenting” into something more useful, more honest, and a lot more doable. This one gets personal. Albiona walks through real coaching examples — including a mom who kept over-giving love and attention because that’s what she needed as a child, only to watch her independent, strong-willed daughter resist it every time — to show what it actually looks like to stop healing your own childhood through your kid and start showing up as the steady, regulated parent they need. Inside, she explores: →  Why “reparenting” as a redo can quietly turn into a victim complex — and the difference between honoring what was hard and getting stuck blaming it →  The question to ask yourself in hard parenting moments: am I parenting the child in front of me, or the child inside of me? →  A real coaching example of a mom who over-gave love and attention to heal her own neglect — and why her free-spirited, independent daughter needed boundaries instead →  Why a happy child isn’t the measure of good parenting — and how tying your worth as a parent to your child’s emotions sets you both up to struggle →  How to interrupt default patterns like yelling, shaming, or threatening — and what it actually means to cultivate your own inner parent in the moment it counts Connect with Albiona: →  Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching →  Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe →  Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://albiona.substack.com  →  Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Please rate, review, and share this one with a parent who keeps wondering why all their love and effort isn’t landing the way they expected. Sometimes the most healing thing we can do isn’t give our kids what we needed — it’s learn to give it to ourselves. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most parents know what they’re supposed to do in hard moments. Stay calm. Set the boundary. Don’t react. The problem isn’t knowing — it’s being able to access any of that when you’re already in the thick of it. That’s exactly what this episode is about. Albiona sits down with Dr. Elisha Goldstein — psychologist, mindfulness teacher, and author of Tiny Shifts — to talk about emotional regulation in the ordinary, unglamorous moments of parenting. Not the big overhauls. Not the lengthy routines. The small, doable pivots that actually interrupt reactivity, widen your capacity, and help you show up differently — starting today. Inside, they explore: →  What emotional loops are — the should loop, the shame loop, the comparison loop — and why naming them is the first step to breaking out of them →  Dr. Goldstein’s four R’s method: Recognize, Release, Refocus, Reinforce — and how to use it in real parenting moments, from rude teenagers to morning chaos to your own self-critical spiral →  Why self-care becomes one more stressor — and how to meet yourself in the moment instead of adding more to your list →  The two R’s most people skip (Release and Reinforce) and why skipping them is why the method doesn’t stick →  How a parent’s emotional health directly shapes their child’s ability to regulate — and why working on yourself is the most effective parenting move you can make About Dr. Elisha Goldstein: Dr. Elisha Goldstein is a psychologist, mindfulness teacher, and author of several books including Uncovering Happiness and his newest, Tiny Shifts. He has spent more than two decades helping people navigate stress, anxiety, and emotional well-being — and his work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, mindfulness, and practical everyday life. Resources mentioned in this episode: →  Get Tiny Shifts by Dr. Elisha Goldstein — available wherever books are sold →  Visit Dr. Goldstein’s website — elishagoldstein.com →  Follow Dr. Goldstein on Instagram — @drelishagoldstein Connect with Albiona: →  Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching →  Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe →  Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://theparentingreframe.substack.com →  Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Please rate, review, and share this one with a parent who knows what they’re supposed to do but can’t get there in the hard moment. That gap between knowing and accessing is exactly what this conversation is about — and it’s more common than anyone talks about. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If play feels like one more thing on your list, this episode is going to change that. Albiona sits down with Dr. Kim Van Dusen — registered play therapist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and author of Parenting Through Play — to talk about what play actually is, why parents have it backwards, and how a more playful approach leads to less defiance, fewer meltdowns, and a home that just feels better. Dr. Kim brings 20 years of clinical experience and 12 years of parenting into a conversation that is practical, permission-giving, and full of ideas you can use today — even on your most exhausted days. Inside, they explore: →  Why most parents misunderstand play — and why the parent who says “play isn’t for me” is actually the one who needs this most →  The connection between play and behavior: why kids who feel connected through play are more likely to listen, cooperate, and follow through — and what happens when that connection is missing →  How to handle tantrums, power struggles, and resistant kids using play-based strategies that actually work — including the sand timer trick and how to gamify chores →  Why independent play matters more than most parents realize — and why boredom is a problem for kids to solve, not parents to fix →  Practical play ideas for the transitions that drain you most: mealtime, bedtime, morning routines, and getting out the door — without the fight About Dr. Kim Van Dusen: Dr. Kim Van Dusen is a registered play therapist and licensed marriage and family therapist with nearly 20 years of clinical experience. She is the author of Parenting Through Play, a research-backed, practical guide that combines play therapy, solution-focused therapy, and PBIS to help parents build deeper connection and better behavior — without the power struggles. Resources mentioned in this episode: →  Get Parenting Through Play by Dr. Kim Van Dusen →  Follow Dr. Kim on Instagram — @theparentologist →  Visit Dr. Kim’s website — theparentologist.com →  Listen to The Parentologist Podcast — available wherever you listen to podcasts Connect with Albiona: →  Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching →  Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe →  Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://theparentingreframe.substack.com →  Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Please rate, review, and share this one with a parent who’s exhausted by the fighting, the resistance, and the constant correcting. Play isn’t the opposite of discipline — it’s what makes discipline work. The more parents hear that, the better. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two things keep coming up in coaching sessions right now, in household after household, family after family: rewards and kids’ anxiety around trying new things. So Albiona brought it here. In this solo episode, she breaks down the real problem with how most parents use rewards (it’s not that you’re doing them — it’s how often), and reframes childhood anxiety in a way that actually gives you somewhere to go. Spoiler: the opposite of anxious isn’t calm. It’s self-trust.  And that changes everything about how you respond. Inside, she explores: →  Why rewards work — and exactly where they stop working — including the novelty problem most parents hit two weeks in and what to do instead →  How to choose the right motivation for your child, why sticker charts fail kids who don’t care about stickers, and how to use time, agency, and choice as rewards that actually land →  The art of fading: how to gradually pull back rewards so the behavior sticks without the incentive — and why your kids are more resilient than you think →  Why childhood anxiety isn’t the opposite of calm — it’s the opposite of self-trust — and how that one reframe shifts your entire approach to a kid who freezes, avoids, or shuts down →  What to stop saying when your child makes a mistake in sports, school, or social situations — and what to do instead to help them get back in and try again Connect with Albiona: →  Book a Free Discovery Call (1:1 Coaching) — https://www.theparentingreframe.com/coaching →  Follow Albiona on Instagram — @theparentingreframe →  Join Albiona’s Paid Substack Community — https://theparentingreframe.substack.com →  Email Albiona directly — [email protected] Loved this episode? Please rate, review, and share this one with a parent who’s second-guessing their reward system or watching their kid shut down every time things get hard. These are the conversations that don’t get talked about enough — and the more parents hear them, the less alone they feel. Until next time, Albiona 🤎 The Parenting Reframe Podcast is edited by JAG Podcast Productions: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.