What does it really mean to support parents who are stretched thin—and how can schools, communities, and families work together to ease the load? In this conversation, hosts Nicole Coman and Biff Maier get real about the universal experience of parental overwhelm and the many pressures today’s caregivers carry.
Nicole and Biff explore:
- Why naming your stress and reaching out for connection is often the first step
- How schools can serve as a trusted extension of the family
- The role of community, vulnerability, and “finding your people”
- Why children often “hold it together” all day—only to fall apart at home
- How modeling emotional awareness teaches kids to do the same
- The impact of burnout, and why parent self-care isn’t optional
- Ways to create balance, reset expectations, and prioritize what truly matters
With honesty, humor, and deep empathy, Nicole and Biff remind us that no one is meant to parent alone—and that overwhelm isn’t a failure, but a human signal to seek support.
If YOU feel overloaded, stuck, or simply need someone to listen, we invite you to reach out. This episode is both a comfort and a call to community for every parent trying to do their best.
Contact Us: humanpotential@amshq.org
Educating the Human Potential is a podcast about optimizing education for a better society, through a Montessori lens. Hosts Nicole Coman, a licensed educational psychologist specializing in school psychology and child development -- and a "Montessori mom" -- and Biff Maier, an American Montessori Society Living Legacy with decades of experience as a Montessori educator and school leader, engage with experts, educators, parents, and students. Each episode explores strategies to unlock human potential, offering thought-provoking conversations on learning, child development, and the evolving landscape of education. This podcast is presented by AMS, the American Montessori Society.
For more information about Montessori education, visit https://amshq.org/about-montessori/
And consider this AMS course for families interested in incorporating the Montessori philosophy into their day-to-day lives and parenting approach:
https://learn.amshq.org/parent-course-early-childhood
Host
William "Biff" Maier
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