Soiling the Nest: The Weirdly Comforting Reason Kids Gets Awful Before They Leave Home with Dr. Sheryl Ziegler

Two and a half weeks after dropping her daughter off at college, psychologist Dr. Sheryl Ziegler joins Whitney to talk about the messy, unfiltered reality of watching a kid leave the nest — including the fight at breakfast, the tissues in her purse, and the psychological reason her daughter picked their last morning together to be completely impossible.In this episode, we get into:"Soiling the nest": the psychological term for why sweet kids suddenly turn prickly right before a big transition (and why it's protective, not personal)Why the 18-year-old version of pushing you away looks so different from the 14-year-old version — and what both are really doingWhy parents of neurodivergent kids may have an advantage when the teen years hit "Future tripping": Dr. Sheryl's term for the anticipatory anxiety that steals parents' present moments, and how to catch yourself doing itA simple gut-check for deciding which social accounts, sidelines conversations, and parenting rabbit holes to walk away fromLearn MoreMentioned in this episode:New Book! Raising Body-Confident KidsYou want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

In this candid, unscripted episode, Dr. Whitney reminds parents that there's no such thing as "winning" back-to-school season. Drawing on a genuinely chaotic 24 hours in her own life — a burst water pipe during a kitchen remodel, a big corporate consulting meeting, an anxious child struggling at school, and a stomach-medication mishap — she walks through what it actually looks like to choose "good enough" over perfection, and why that choice makes her a better parent, not a worse one.Learn MoreMentioned in this episode:Introducing The New Book: Raising Body-Confident Kids! Ever said something about your own body in front of your kids and instantly regretted it? Wondered if you can even comment on your kid's appearance without doing damage? Googled whether intuitive eating actually works when your child seems to live on Oreos? Dr. Whitney's new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids: A Balanced Approach to Breaking the Cycle of Body Shame and Diet Culture, is for you. Pulled from the questions she hears most in her pediatric practice and on this podcast, it skips the all-or-nothing advice and walks parents through where their own body image baggage comes from, how to talk to kids about food and movement without the shame spiral, and how to hold the line when social media, coaches, and well-meaning grandparents push back — plus 30 real activities to put it into practice with your family. 📖 Raising Body-Confident Kids is available now wherever books are sold or at www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

Every great sports team has a culture. Every great company has one too. So why don't we ever talk about our families that way? This week, Dr. Whitney sits down with siblings Nancy Shapiro and Steven Shapiro — combined, 68 years in public education as a middle school counselor and a high school teacher/program director — who co-founded Our Family Culture after watching, year after year, which kids thrived under pressure and which ones got swept up by achievement culture, social media, and influencers competing for their attention. Hint: their method relies on the same principle The Ritz Carlton uses every single day.Learn more.Mentioned in this episode:New Book! Raising Body-Confident KidsYou want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

Does becoming a mom have to mean giving up your ambition? Dr. Anne Welsh — psychologist, Fair Play facilitator, and author of Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and at Home — joins Dr. Whitney Casares to make the case that motherhood doesn't kill ambition, it clarifies it.Learn more.Mentioned in this episode:New Book! Raising Body-Confident KidsYou want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

Summer's relaxed, grab-and-go eating is about to collide with the structure of a new school year. For a lot of parents, that transition brings a fresh wave of food-related stress. In this episode, Dr. Whitney Casares sits down with registered dietitian and mom of three Shira Sussi (founder of Shira Sussi Nutrition) to talk about how families can move into the school year without the mealtime anxiety. They cover everything from starting solids with baby to breaking the "picky eater" spiral to building lunchbox and dinner routines that actually hold up past week two.Learn moreMentioned in this episode:New Book! Raising Body-Confident KidsYou want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on my journey from aspiring writer to published author (five books now!) to sought-after media expert...and sharing the real financial and strategic lessons I've learned along the way.I break down how my early blog posts for Modern Mommy Doc evolved into my first two books, The Newborn Baby Blueprint and The Working Mom Blueprint, which I wrote as a package deal with the American Academy of Pediatrics. I get candid about book advances (spoiler: they're a lot smaller than people assume), the value — and limits — of publisher-funded PR, and why saying yes to every media request early on wasn't necessarily the growth strategy I once thought it was.I also talk about the turning point with my book Doing It All, when I started funding my own publicity and became far more selective about which opportunities were actually worth my time. I share the exact litmus test I now use to decide which podcasts, articles, or interviews to say yes to. I'm also sharing how that shift led to bigger opportunities finding me, including NPR, KQED, and The New York Times.In this episode, I cover:What book advances actually look like for most authors (and why the book itself isn't where the money is)The pros and cons of publisher-paid vs. self-funded PRWhy chasing every media mention isn't the same as building thought leadershipThe two-question litmus test I now use to decide which opportunities to pursueHow narrowing my focus led to bigger, more aligned press opportunities finding meMentioned in this episode:New Book! Raising Body-Confident KidsYou want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

Vacation sounds dreamy...until you're the parent of a neurodivergent child navigating airports, new hotels, unfamiliar foods, and a completely blown-up routine. I see this in my practice all the time, and I've lived it myself. In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly how to make family travel not just survivable, but genuinely good for your child and for you.I'm walking you through seven practical, real-world strategies for vacationing with neurodivergent kids, whether your child has ADHD, autism, dyslexia, sensory processing differences, or any combination of the above. From building visual itineraries to packing a sensory toolkit to giving yourself permission to ditch the perfect-trip fantasy. This is the travel prep conversation I wish someone had given me sooner.Here's my reminder to you before we dive in: messy doesn't equal failure. And your family absolutely deserves to make memories.In This Episode, I Cover:Why neurodivergent kids struggle with travel, plus what's really happening in their brains when routines break downHow I recommend building a visual itinerary that actually reduces your child's anxiety before the trip even startsWhat I always put in a sensory toolkit (and why it's non-negotiable carry-on luggage)How to choose accommodations that set your whole family up for successThe honest conversation I think every parent needs to have with their child before you leave and why overpromising a perfect trip backfiresHow to recognize early dysregulation and use exit strategies without guiltWhy self-care isn't selfish on a family vacation and how I actually make it happenMentioned in this episode:Find Out More About NeuroQure NeuroQure's ASD Insight™ test is the first of its kind. It detects autism risk not through behavioral observation, but through a simple, non-invasive skin sample. And it can be done as early as two days after birth. Built on eight years of rigorous academic research, ASD Insight™ gives you and your doctor actionable answers fast. Ask your pediatrician about the ASD Insight™ test, or go directly to neuroqure.com/order to take the first step. Learn More About NovaFerrumNovaFerrum is a clinically proven line of iron supplements specifically designed to solve the compliance problem — meaning, getting kids to actually take it. They offer great-tasting liquid and chewable options, no metallic taste, no artificial dyes, no added sugar, and they're gentle on little stomachs too. They even have formulas made specifically for preemies, infants, children, teens, and adults. So whatever stage you're in, they've got you covered. Because when a supplement actually tastes good? You spend less time negotiating at the kitchen counter and more time feeling confident that your child is getting what they need. Learn more at NovaFerrum.comNew Book! Raising Body-Confident KidsYou want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

I have a confession.My 12-year-old's face broke out and I panicked. Not in a calm, clinical, pediatrician way. In a this-is-somehow-about-me way. And I had to stop and ask myself: what is actually happening right now?In this episode, I'm getting honest about one of the most under-addressed parts of raising kids through puberty: what happens inside us when our kids' bodies start changing in ways that trigger our own stuff. The acne. The stretch marks. The weight shifts. The curves we weren't expecting.In this episode:Why seeing your kid's body change can instantly activate your own oldest wounds — and why that doesn't make you a bad parentThe part nobody talks about: how our kids' appearance has been tied to our worth as mothers, and why that distortion makes it impossible to show up clearly for themThree things you can do right now when you feel that panic risingWhy you don't have to be fully healed to get this right — you just have to be willing to look at what's yoursThis one is personal. I wrote an entire book on body image and I still felt it. If you've ever caught yourself having a reaction to your child's body that surprised you, this episode is for you.Read more.📖 Mentioned in this episode: Raising Body-Confident Kids (available September 2026)Mentioned in this episode:New Book! Raising Body-Confident KidsYou want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/booksFind Out More About NeuroQure NeuroQure's ASD Insight™ test is the first of its kind. It detects autism risk not through behavioral observation, but through a simple, non-invasive skin sample. And it can be done as early as two days after birth. Built on eight years of rigorous academic research, ASD Insight™ gives you and your doctor actionable answers fast. Ask your pediatrician about the ASD Insight™ test, or go directly to neuroqure.com/order to take the first step. Learn More About NovaFerrumNovaFerrum is a clinically proven line of iron supplements specifically designed to solve the compliance problem — meaning, getting kids to actually take it. They offer great-tasting liquid and chewable options, no metallic taste, no artificial dyes, no added sugar, and they're gentle on little stomachs too. They even have formulas made specifically for preemies, infants, children, teens, and adults. So whatever stage you're in, they've got you covered. Because when a supplement actually tastes good? You spend less time negotiating at the kitchen counter and more time feeling confident that your child is getting what they need. Learn more at NovaFerrum.com

I was at the grocery store with my nine-year-old. She'd had a hard day (the class bully had gone after her) and she wanted everything. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Brioche with Nutella. Red velvet cupcakes. Whipped cream straight from the aerosol can. And I said no to most of it.In today's episode, I'm talking about why. I'm also talking about why I think the "let kids eat whatever they want, whenever they want" message that's everywhere in the body-positive parenting space is missing something really important.Read more.Mentioned in this episode:New Book! Raising Body-Confident KidsYou want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

When we become doctors, lawyers, or teachers, there are exams, certifications, and years of preparation. But when we become parents, we’re handed a newborn and sent home.Dr. Debbie Raphael—a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist—became a mother at the same time she began her child psychiatry fellowship. That unusual overlap gave her a rare opportunity: she was learning the science of child development at the exact moment she was living it. Over time, she began journaling about that experience, eventually turning those reflections into her forthcoming book, Carry My Strength, which explores the emotional and psychological layers of parenting.In this episode, Dr. Whitney and Dr. Raphael talk about the emotional realities of parenting—from the identity shifts that happen when we become parents to the ways our own childhood experiences shape how we raise our kids.Read more.