Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron
Parents don’t snap for one reason — they snap because stress builds faster than awareness. The Reflective Parenting Podcast, hosted by neuroscientist and mom of three Dr. Cindy Hovington, helps parents understand what’s happening inside them before they snap and why recognizing it sooner is the key to change. Through personal reflections and conversations with clinicians and experts, the podcast explores why parenting feels so intense, why insight often disappears under stress, and what it means to become a reflective parent. A reflective parent isn’t perfect or calm all the time. They notice sooner, recover faster, and slowly build more trust in how they show up — even on hard days. This podcast is your invitation to pause, reflect, and feel less alone. New episodes weekly. Join the private group on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/reflectiveparentingpodcast/ Watch our FREE training for parents to understand why you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Purchase our course to Become a Reflective Parent! https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Follow us on Instagram @curious_neuron or Facebook @curiousneuron
Episodes
Family dynamics can feel especially intense around the holidays and one of the most challenging patterns many parents face is the triangle between you, your partner, and your mother-in-law. In today’s episode, Dr. Tracy Dalgleish returns to the podcast to help us make sense of this dynamic with compassion, clarity, and evidence-based tools.
In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, psychologist and author...
If you’ve ever ended a night thinking, “Why did I snap again?” — this episode is for you.
Today, we’re diving into what’s really happening in your brain and body when your child pushes your buttons. Because those intense reactions? They aren’t proof that you’re a bad parent. They’re signals from a nervous system in overdrive — and once you can recognize those signals, you can change the way you respond.
We’ll talk about:
Hi Reflective Parents! This week, we are talking about something I keep hearing from parents which is snapping at our kids even when we are working on ourselves by learning about parenting or even going to therapy.
You are not failing your child. You are still learning many skills that lead to you becoming more aware of your own state before you snap.
In this episode, I walk you through 3 steps that might help you catch y...
If you keep snapping, shutting down, or feeling guilty, even though you “know” what to do... this episode will finally make it make sense.
After speaking with more than 200 parents, I’ve noticed the same pattern:
We are drowning in parenting advice, but no one is teaching parents the one skill that actually changes everything, how your nervous system works.
In this episode, I talk about:
- Why you still lose patience ...
Today on the Reflective Parenting Podcast, I’m sitting down with Dr. Brendan Kwiatkowski-Hartman to talk about something many parents quietly wonder about:
Why do boys sometimes pull away emotionally and how can we support them without pushing too hard?
Brendan is a researcher who has spent years studying boys, masculinity, and emotional expression. What he learned in his PhD work is both reassuring and eye-opening: boys d...
This episode will change how you see conflict.
We’re talking about the proven communication patterns that destroy connection and how to replace them with healthier ones.
You’ll learn:
- the Four Horsemen (with real examples)
- how the demand–withdraw cycle keeps couples stuck
- the shocking research: negative conflict literally slows wound healing
- how your nervous system shapes your reactions (before your thoughts do)
- 3 simple qu...
If you’ve ever wondered why you become a different version of yourself during conflict… this episode is going to change the way you see those moments forever.
I’m sitting down with psychologists and authors Rachel Samson and Dr. Jessie Stern to unpack the science beneath conflict: your attachment history, your temperament, your nervous system sensitivity, and how all of this shapes the way you argue, withdraw, pursue, or ...
Ever wonder why some moments with your child feel effortless and deeply connected — while others leave you drained, reactive, or misunderstood? In this episode, we break down the science behind why.
Dr. Jessie Stern and psychologist Rachel Samson join Cindy to explore relational savoring — a simple yet powerful way to strengthen your bond by intentionally remembering moments of warmth, safety, and love. You’ll learn how t...
In today’s episode, Devon Kuntzman and I dive deep into what’s really happening inside your toddler’s brain when they lose it — and how you can respond without spiralling yourself.
We unpack why your child’s meltdowns aren’t your fault, what they’re trying to tell you through their behavior, and the simple mindset shift that will change how you see tantrums forever.
If you’ve ever thought, “Why is my child doing this to me...
Last week, we uncovered how your child’s behaviour is really their nervous system communicating.
Today, we’re going deeper, inside the body, to explore the science of interoception, the hidden sense that helps us feel and understand our emotions.
My guest, Laura Petix, is back to break down how learning to tune into your body’s internal signals can transform the way you regulate emotions, set boundaries, and parent with ca...
You’ve heard the advice: “Teach your child to name their emotions.”
But what if the real secret to helping your child (and yourself) regulate emotions starts deeper inside the body?
In this episode, I sit down with pediatric occupational therapist Laura Petix (The OT Butterfly) to uncover what’s really going on when kids have meltdowns, get overstimulated, or shut down. Spoiler alert: it’s not about being “bad” or “defiant...
Do you ever hear your child say things like, “I’m such a bad kid” or “I’ll never be good at this” and your heart sinks because you don’t know what to say?
You’re not alone. And this episode is about to change the way you respond.
Today, I’m sitting down with award-winning science journalist and author Melinda Wenner Moyer to talk about her latest book Hello, Cruel World, a toolkit for raising confident, resilient kids in t...
Parents, this one is big.
Today we’re breaking down punishment vs discipline, what science says, how it impacts your child’s brain, and why so many of us feel stuck in the cycle of punishing even when we don’t want to.
If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t want to yell, spank, or threaten…but it just slips out when I’m overwhelmed,” you are not alone.
Here’s what you’ll learn today:
What studies reveal about how spanking and hars...
This episode will change how you see your child’s moods and how you respond to them.
If you’ve ever tiptoed around your child in the morning, worried the “wrong” cereal bowl or shirt will set off a meltdown, this conversation is for you.
Joining me is Dr. Alex Reed, pediatric clinical psychologist and mom of two, who has spent years helping families understand temperament, moodiness, and emotional regulation. Together, we ...
This episode will inspire you to see music as a powerful tool for connection, healing, and everyday parenting.
It’s an invitation to play, sing, and create moments of joy with your children while learning how music can also soothe anxiety, ease transitions, and strengthen emotional bonds.
And it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the real science of music therapy – far beyond entertainment and how it can transform liv...
I am going to be taking a short break.
Meanwhile, enjoy this replay of one of my favourite episodes with Dr. Mona Delahooke. If you have a young child that has tantrums or that acts out in ways you don't know how to support, this episode will help you understand how to support your child in these challenging moments.
Learn more from Dr. Delahooke below:
Learn more with C...
Is your child ready for kindergarten from an emotional perspective?
In this episode, Cindy discusses the emotional aspects of kindergarten readiness, emphasizing the importance of emotional intelligence and self-awareness in children. She introduces the tripartite model of parental socialization, which highlights how parents' emotional coping, parenting styles, and conflict resolution impact children's emotional...
In this episode, we explore the idea of “shifting your lens” — a powerful metaphor grounded in science that helps parents understand how their interpretation of a situation shapes their emotional response. Drawing on the work of psychologist James Gross and his research on cognitive reappraisal, we break down how the lens you’re wearing (like blame, control, or shame) can fuel conflict and dysregulation, especially in mo...
Are you following positive parenting but your partner is more authoritarian?
This is a common question I receive from parents and so in today's episode, I share a study that was fascinating to me.
In this solo episode, I talk about how you can address parenting differences with your partner without making them feel bad, I chat about the different parenting style and I answer the question of what the long-term impact...
Have you ever asked yourself this question?
In today's episode, I give you a different perspective on your child's behaviour....understanding how they respond to conflict. This is important because it impacts their behaviour in conflict (which is what we see when they "misbehave"). I hope you enjoy this solo episode!
SOURCES:
I look back at my conversation with Dr. Marc Brackett as well. You can listen...
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