Reflective Parenting Podcast
What if one book could help you see yourself more clearly as a parent? As parents, we're constantly learning. We listen to podcasts, read books, and consume endless advice online, but real growth happens when we pause long enough to reflect on what we're learning and what it means for our own lives. Welcome to The Reflective Parenting Podcast, a parenting book club led by neuroscientist, international speaker, mom of three, and founder of Curious Neuron, Dr. Cindy Hovington. Each month, we'll explore a new book together and reflect on the ideas that can help us better understand ourselves, our emotions, our relationships, and our parenting. Every week, I'll share reflections, insights from neuroscience, and practical takeaways to help you become more self-aware, manage stress more effectively, navigate conflict with greater confidence, and show up as the parent you want to be. This isn't a book summary podcast. It's an invitation to slow down as parents, think more deeply, and grow alongside your children. Because becoming a better parent isn't about consuming more information; it's about reflecting on it with me by your side. Find out which book I will be covering next month: https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/ Join the private group on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/reflectiveparentingpodcast/ Start training your emotional awareness for FREE: https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Purchase my course The Emotionally Aware Parent. https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Follow us on Instagram @drcindyhovington or Facebook @curiousneuronparenting
Episodes
When we hear the word radicalization, we often think, "That could never happen to my family." But what if radicalization begins with something much more human—a need to belong, to feel understood, or to make sense of emotional pain?
In this episode, I sit down with men's coach and former counterterrorism professional James Stamatelos to explore why some young people become vulnerable to extremist ideas, how soc...
How do you allow yourself to feel, experience and move past unpleasant emotions?
In this episode, I share how unpleasant emotions like worry, sadness, or even boredom can lead to some behaviours we might want to be more aware of.
If you notice that you often get stuck in unpleasant emotions or that your anger or frustration leads to harder moments with loved ones, then this episode is for you.
Here ar...
This was a hard episode for me to record but I needed to honour my grandmother who passed away yesterday.
Today's reflections are:
- Does my child feel loved and respected by me?
- Does my child feel like they belong?
- Do I help my child build their confidence by letting them fail or giving them opportunities to prove to themselves that they can do it
I hope you enjoy this episode and that it helps ...
This week, we are reflecting on our self-love.
This week's reflections are:
- How do I nourish my happiness?
- Do I see my body and mind as my home?
- How do you feed your mind and body?
As parents I think we need to remember to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what truly nourishes us. This reminds us that we matter and that we do love ourselves. These reflections are inspired by the book How to Love. I hope this we...
I'm Back!
After five months away from the microphone, I'm finally back.
If you've been wondering where I've been, thank you for checking in. Your emails, messages, and support meant more to me than you know.
I explain what happened in this episode and share how this time away also gave me space to reflect.
In also share what I've been learning about capacity the idea that our ability to cope, connect, par...
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...
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 thos...
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 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 yo...
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-open...
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 ...
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 argu...
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. Y...
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&rsq...
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 boundar...
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’...
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 ...
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 ...
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 emotio...
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...
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