Brave Being the Podcast

The challenges of everyday life can create unpleasant feelings for us. Things don’t go our way, people are difficult, or sometimes we just feel off. Paradoxically, the more we resist these unpleasant feelings, the more stressed our nervous system becomes.

In today’s episode, Bridget discusses how acceptance can be used to work with feelings of unpleasantness. She discusses why acceptance is central in mindfulness and medit...

The ability to regulate one’s behavior is arguably the ultimate life skill. When we model this for our children, we set them up for a lifetime of success.

But dysregulation manifests differently for children and adults, making it challenging for us to respond appropriately. When our child is in the middle of a meltdown and nothing is working, we often feel helpless and resort to counterproductive measures.

In toda...

Every parent wants to communicate with their child from a place of love. Yet, despite the deep love we have for our kiddos, we often find ourselves communicating from a place of fear.

In today's episode, Bridget discusses why intentionality is the key to communicating from the heart. She discusses how reactivity pulls us away from the heart, and how a commitment to intentional communication can help us cut through our...

Our obsession with being productive keeps us so busy that we often forget to stop and smell the roses.

Even when we do take a few moments of downtime, our minds are quick to rush along to the next thing we have to get done.

In today’s episode, Bridget discusses how this mindset affects our kids and hinders our capacity for connection. She discusses what we can learn from observing how our kids approach their activ...

When our kids are the target of unwanted attention, often our first impulse is to step in as their protector.

Unfortunately, our efforts typically aren't effective. And as kids grow older these types of interactions only become more complicated.

In today’s episode, Bridget explores how we can equip kids with the tools they need to navigate tough situations. She discusses why the desire to protect our kids of...

We’ve all been there. Heels dug in, both sides are convinced "I’m right," and no one's budging an inch. How do we avoid these power struggles while maintaining our authority?

In this episode, Bridget breaks down why we end up in power struggles and how to avoid them.

Topics Include:
- Why perception is the root of power struggles
- Letting go of being right
- Viewing behavior as communic...

Today we discuss the importance of play and how children use play to process important events.

We discuss the TV show Bluey, why Bridget is a fan, and how we can use play to instill autonomy in our kiddos.

Topics Include:

• The importance of physical and imaginary play
• How play helps children integrate life skills
• Allowing our children to lead during playtime
• Creating dedicated time for play
• And other topics

Uncertainty is one of the most uncomfortable feelings for humans to manage. In our rapidly changing post-COVID world, there's no shortage of uncertainty–especially as a parent.

Getting clear on our core values and defining a vision for our family can help us navigate uncertainty with purpose and confidence. In this episode, Bridget discusses how to bring awareness to our core values and how we can instill these values...

Schools are back in session, but the gap in organized education brought about by COVID has left many parents feeling like their children are falling behind.

In this episode, Bridget discusses how we can empower our kiddos to overcome any social-emotional deficits they may be experiencing in the classroom.

Topics Include:

• Taking responsibility for your child’s social-emotional education
• Identifying age-appropriat...

When you encounter a challenge as a parent, it’s all too easy to jump on google or grab that parenting book in search of a solution.

The sheer number of resources can be overwhelming. And if you’ve played this game for any length of time, you know the results are often disappointing.

What if we learned to look inward for solutions first?

We all have unique backgrounds and values as parents. What works for...

Parenting is tough.

We enter parenthood with dreams of being the best parent ever. But it doesn’t take long for us to discover how hard it is to balance our busy lives with the challenges of modern parenting.

Things become even more complicated when we have a child with difficult behaviors and big emotions.

This next season of Brave Being is designed to help you navigate the challenges of modern parenting...

We made it to episode 100!! A deep offering of gratitude to each and every one of you who have been on this journey with us, and a warm welcome to new listeners who are just now finding the show. In this episode, Bridget offers a reflection on our first 100 episodes. She shares what she sees as the highlights of the podcast thus far, and her intentions for the show moving forward.

Topics Include:
How this podcast was ...

Are you struggling to set clear boundaries around screen time with your kiddos? In this episode of Brave Being, Bridget discusses strategies for managing screen time for our kiddos and for ourselves as we move into the summer months.

Topics Include:
Establishing that screen time is a privilege, not a right. Setting clear boundaries and time limits around screen use. Why we as caregivers need to model healthy screen tim...

Bridget discusses the common trap many of us fall into when dealing with defiant children–the impulse to withhold connection. Bridget explores why withholding connection, or threatening to withhold connection, can unconsciously communicate to our kiddos that they are not worthy of love, and how we can handle difficult moments differently.

Topics Include:
Creating an environment of safety and security, choosing love ov...

Bridget connects with listeners on the lessons of parenthood, and the ways in which our children are our greatest teachers.

Topics Include:

• What kiddos teach us about time and patience
• Self-compassion. Knowing what you are doing is enough
• Integrating your desires with the responsibilities of childhood
• Spontaneity and fun as a parent
• Maintaining our childs sense of wonder
• And other topics...

Want to connect with Bridget? ...

Bridget continues her series on anger, heartbreak, and grief, guided by Glennon Doyle's book Untamed, and discusses how grief can provide us with a doorway into deep transformation.

Topics Include:

• Grief as a doorway to transformation
• Avoidance
• Processing grief
• Connecting with our inner child
• Surrender
• And other topics...

Resources Mentioned:
Book – Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Website – https://togetherrising.o...

Bridget follows up with listeners on last week's episode about anger, heartbreak, and grief. In this episode, Bridget discusses heartbreak, motherhood, and how heartbreak can guide us to find purpose and meaning in our lives.

Topics Include:

• The relationship between heartbreak and purpose
• Purpose and belonging in motherhood
• Answering the door when heartbreak knocks
• How heartbreak can reveal our deepest callings in lif...

Bridget discusses with listeners what we stand to lose when we neglect difficult emotions, and how facing our challenges head-on can help us tune into our authentic selves.

Topics Include:

• The cheetah at the zoo
• Answering the door when difficult emotions arise
• Finding ourselves through difficult emotions
• Anger, and what it may be signaling to us
• Boundaries
• And other topics...

Resources Mentioned:
Book – Untamed by Gl...

Bridget continues her previous discussion on the Boulder, Colorado shooting, how we might make sense of such events, and what we can do to reduce incidents of violence as a community.

Topics Include:

• Responding to tragedy and grief
• Making sense of mass shootings
• Remembering we were all once innocent children
• Teaching empathy and mindfulness in schools
• Creating space for men to express their feelings
• And other topics...

R...