Raised Resilient: Help Your Highly Sensitive Child

Raised Resilient: Help Your Highly Sensitive Child

Parenting is the hardest job ever – and parenting a highly sensitive child who’s struggling can feel downright impossible. If you’re suffering through endless meltdowns, walking on eggshells to avoid your child’s huge emotions, and losing sleep worrying that you’re failing your child, you’ve landed in the right place. I’m Dr. Hilary Mandzik – clinical psychologist, parenting specialist, and mom of 3. And I’m here to help you feel GOOD about parenting your highly sensitive child. Join me each week on the Raised Resilient podcast as we explore the topics parents worry about most when it comes to raising highly sensitive kids: managing meltdowns, building emotion regulation, understanding highly sensitive kids, making sense of challenging behaviors, building self-esteem, finding parenting strategies that actually work *with* your child’s sensitivity ... and everything in between. I’ll help you understand your child’s behavior (and your reactions to it!) so that even the really hard moments make more sense. I’ll empower you with tools, strategies, and scripts to navigate those really hard moments with connection and confidence. (And I’ll remind you that no tool, strategy, or script is as powerful as your parenting ace – your relationship with your child!) I’m passionate about parenting differently – parenting in a way that sees all kids as good, even when they’re struggling. I’m passionate about breaking unhelpful generational cycles and putting a hard stop to spanking, time outs, shaming, and yelling. I’m passionate about helping highly sensitive kids build the skills they need in order to manage their big emotions successfully ... and parents learning to regulate their own emotions alongside their children. I want to help you stop worrying about whether you’re “raising them right” and feel confident that your kids will grow up trusting themselves and feeling comfortable in their skin … because they were raised resilient. And that’s big. Because raising our kids resilient can literally make this world a better place. Listen, parenting is hard no matter how you do it. You won’t “enjoy every moment”, no matter what that lady at the store says. But I’m here to help you go from just barely surviving to parenting in a way that genuinely feels good, for you and your highly sensitive child. So warm up your coffee and grab your ear buds. It’s time to turn your child’s sensitivity into their SUPERPOWER! Connect with me: https://www.raisedresilient.com/ IG: @raisedresilient Schedule your FREE Breakthrough Session: https://www.raisedresilient.com/breakthrough Do YOU have a highly sensitive child? Take my FREE QUIZ to find out: https://www.raisedresilient.com/quiz Major themes: parenting highly sensitive / deeply feeling kids; cycle breaking; building emotion regulation; generational healing; respectful parenting; gentle parenting; peaceful parenting; attachment theory / building a secure attachment

Episodes

June 9, 2026 10 mins

Watch my video → How to End Your Child's Meltdowns in 8 Weeks or Less


When your child acts out, the instinct is to shut the behavior down. That instinct needs to be ignored.


I'm a clinical psychologist, parenting ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Watch my video → How to End Your Child's Meltdowns in 8 Weeks or Less


When your kid's meltdowns start straining your marriage, the fight with your partner usually isn't really about the kid.


This episode is for the parent who's stuck in the meltdown cycle with ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Watch my video → How to End Your Child's Meltdowns in 8 Weeks or Less


How do you stay calm with your child when you can feel your own anger rising? 


My guest, Nathalie, is a working mom...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Watch my video → How to End Your Child's Meltdowns in 8 Weeks or Less


Have you ever wondered: “Will my kid outgrow these meltdowns?”


It is the question almost every parent of a sensitive, emotionally intense child asks, and the honest answer might be hard to he...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Watch my video → How to End Your Child's Meltdowns in 8 Weeks or Less


I didn’t expect my own child to be the one who challenged me the most.


I could stay calm with teenagers screaming at me in residential treatment, but I found myself co...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Holiday gatherings can be joyful — and for highly sensitive kids, they can also be a lot. The noise, the people, the excitement, the expectations. This re-released episode revisits a topic so many families struggle with: holiday meltdowns that seem to pop up right before (or during) events.

In this episode, we talk through how to support your sensitive child around holiday outings — from gentle preparation beforehand to what actual...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

The holiday season is here again — and while it’s full of magic and meaning, it can also feel like a lot, especially when you're the one quietly coordinating all the joy. Gifts, gatherings, school events, traditions… the mental load piles up fast.

So this week, we’re re-releasing one of our most-loved holiday episodes — all about three simple, doable ways to lighten that invisible load. These strategies will help you protect your e...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

The holidays feel magical for kids, with nonstop activities, treats, and excitement. But all that joy can also stir up tantrums, meltdowns, impulse-control struggles, and plenty of big feelings for sensitive little ones. So this week, we’re re-releasing an episode that so many parents found grounding and helpful the first time around.

You’ll get practical, doable strategies to support your child through the holiday whirlwind by tun...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Have you ever spent a whole day pouring into your sensitive child, only for them to fall apart the moment you walk through the door? It stings — and it’s easy to think, “Why does this feel so ungrateful?” In this episode, I’m unpacking what’s really behind those big emotions, and why they’re not actually about gratitude at all.

We’ll look at why sensitive kids often melt down after something positive, why it can come across as enti...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Big changes are tough for sensitive kids — even the exciting ones. And without meaning to, we sometimes make those transitions harder by over-preparing, over-explaining, or hyping things up in hopes it will make them easier.

Whether it’s a move, a new sibling, or a big end-of-year transition, sensitive kids feel every ripple. And sometimes, the more we prep or talk about what's coming, the bigger those emotions grow.

In this episod...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

If mornings with your sensitive child feel like an emotional rollercoaster — one wrong move and everything spirals — you’re definitely not alone. Maybe they wake up already grumpy, refuse to get dressed, or melt down over something tiny. You start the day exhausted before it even begins.

In this episode, we’ll talk about why mornings go off the rails so often with sensitive kids — and why your best efforts to stay calm, be logical,...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

If your child has ever completely melted down over something tiny — like the wrong cup, the favorite shirt that’s in the wash, or in my case this week… hair clips — this episode is going to feel very familiar. Because it’s never really about the thing, even though it really feels like it in the moment.

I’m sharing a real morning from my own house — one that reminded me how quickly I can slip into trying to fix or prevent instead of...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

We all dream of the day our kids can handle their big feelings with ease—when their emotions don’t rule the day, and they can take life’s bumps in stride. But how do kids actually get there?

In this episode, we’re diving into what helps children truly build emotional regulation skills—and spoiler alert—it’s probably not what you think. There’s a missing piece in the way most of us imagine emotional growth, and once you understand i...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

This week’s episode features Lesley, a mom whose parenting journey took some unexpected (and beautiful) turns. When she first joined the program, she was a single mom navigating intense meltdowns with her 5-year-old daughter—big emotions, hurtful words, and all the overwhelm that came with them.

Just days after deciding to join, life surprised her with an engagement—and suddenly, she was preparing not only to find more peace at hom...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Have you ever tried to explain something perfectly clearly to your child—only to be met with tears, frustration, or a complete meltdown? It feels like the more sense we try to make, the less sense it actually makes to them.

That’s because when kids are emotionally activated, logic goes right out the window. Their brains simply can’t take in reasoning in those heated moments, no matter how convincing or calm we think we’re being.

In...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

This week, I’m sharing one of those small-but-big parenting moments: my 4-year-old daughter learning to ride her two-wheel bike. It was both ordinary and magical, watching her step into something brand new with so much determination.

I’d spent time preparing her for what it feels like to learn something new—the ups, the wobbles, and even the possibility of frustration. When the moment finally came, all of that groundwork quietly g...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

We’ve all heard the advice: “Just stay calm when your child is melting down.” But if you’ve ever tried it, you know it’s not that simple—and there’s a reason for that.

In this episode, we’re unpacking why staying calm can feel so hard in the moment, what’s really going on inside us when our kids are overwhelmed, and what makes a difference in finding our way back.

It’s not about perfection—it’s about something much more powerful th...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

What do you do when your child’s meltdowns get so big they disrupt everyday life—even cutting a family vacation short? That’s where Emily found herself as a mom of a highly sensitive child. Between the constant meltdowns and the stress of preparing for kindergarten, she was stretched thin and exhausted.

In this honest conversation, Emily shares what life was like in that season—balancing two kids, noticing the differences in parent...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Ever find yourself wondering if your highly sensitive child will ever “grow out” of the meltdowns? You’re not alone. A fellow mom asked this exact question after feeling stuck in the cycle of escalating emotions, hitting, and endless late-night worries about the future. It’s the question that so many parents quietly carry: Will things ever get easier?

In this episode, we’ll unpack what’s really going on underneath those big emotion...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Starting middle school is a big milestone, and for a highly sensitive child, it can feel overwhelming. In this episode, I share how my oldest son’s recent transition went surprisingly smoothly—and the preparation that made all the difference.

I’ll walk through what we did ahead of time to help him feel ready and confident, and why that kind of preparation is so powerful for sensitive kids facing big changes.

But here’s the thing: h...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Joy is essential. And it's also elusive. You can't order it, borrow it, or simply hope it into life. But now, there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence: The Joy 101 Podcast with Hoda! Best known for her Emmy-winning work and co-anchoring Today, Hoda Kotb infuses her authenticity, curiosity, and warmth into conversations with the world’s most fascinating people. Entertainment legends, sport icons, wellness experts, and everyday folks will share how they find, allow, and experience joy. Hoda will offer her own tips and takes on seeking a more balanced, harmonious life. If you're craving inspiration, support, and useful tools to maximize your joy, tune in to these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Joy after a breakup, joy as an empty-nester, joy after loss, joy as a caretaker — Hoda's new podcast will speak to you. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb, an iHeartPodcast.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Hey Jonas!

    Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.

    Betrayal Weekly

    Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices