The Whole Parent Podcast

The Whole Parent Podcast

Welcome to 'The Whole Parent Podcast,' where we dive deep into evidence-based parenting strategies, blending cutting-edge psychology with real-world experience. Each episode offers insightful discussions, expert interviews, and practical tips to empower you and your family through the joys and challenges of raising children. Join us as we explore not just the highs of parenting, but navigate the complexities and embrace the journey together.

Episodes

October 16, 2025 10 mins

This is one of my shorter mini-episodes where I read this weeks Substack article. 

We answer here the simple and yet extremely common question "What are we supposed to do when our kid hits us or someone else?" 

If you would like to support my work consider subscribing on Substack for $5 per month.

It is the best way to support my work and keep the podcast episodes coming!

Send us a text

Support the show

Mark as Played

Stories aren’t just how we pass time—they’re how we pass on what it means to be human. We sit down with librarian and children’s literature expert Betsy Bird to unpack why reading aloud is more than a bedtime ritual. It’s brain food during the fastest phase of neural growth; a daily practice that builds language, attention, and the social skill that holds every relationship together: empathy.

We dive into research showing ...

Mark as Played

My oldest son couldn’t read at seven. And me? I was writing a parenting book for a major publisher. Being asked to speak to thousands of parents. Teaching emotional development, brain-based learning, and motivation. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

In this episode, I tells the vulnerable and surprising story of how we stopped trying to teach how to read, and started teaching why to read instead. What happened next wasn’t magic. It was s...

Mark as Played

Key Links:

📖 Get My Book: Punishment-Free Parenting: The Brain-Based Way to Raise Kids Without Raising Your VoiceAvailable Now

📖 Get Alfie Kohn's Books: Unconditional Parenting and Punished By Rewards  
📝 Join My Email List for exclusive insights, parenting tips, and updates – Sign Up Here


Episode Description:

What if the very thing we’ve been striving for as parents—obedience—wasn’t actually a virtue? What if, inst...

Mark as Played

IT'S HERE! 

Get Punishment-Free Parenting on Audiobook 

Why does it feel like one partner carries the weight of managing the home and kids while the other thinks everything is equal? If you've ever felt exhausted by the invisible labor of parenting—or if you've ever felt like nothing you do measures up to your partner’s expectations—this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Whole Parent Podcast, I sit down with Ev...

Mark as Played

Get your own copy of the audiobook HERE

What do we do when we mess up as parents?

In this Episode of the Whole Parent Podcast, I read a long section from the Chapter on Repair from my brand new book Punishment-Free Parenting: The Brain-Based Way to Raise Kids Without Raising Your Voice.

Every parent has moments they wish they could take back. Maybe it’s the sharp tone, the overreaction, or the moment f...

Mark as Played
January 16, 2025 33 mins

Help me out!
My book Punishment-Free Parenting: The Brain-Based Way to Raise Kids Without Raising Your Voice comes out in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! Preorder now so you can get it first!

Have you ever felt like talking to your kids is like speaking an entirely different language? You tell them to put on their shoes, and suddenly it’s like you’ve asked them to climb a mountain. Believe me, I’ve been there. In this episode, ...

Mark as Played
December 31, 2024 26 mins

Help me out...
 
My book is behind on pre-sales and I'm trying to make up a lot of ground before release on January 28th, 2025. If you love the podcast, please consider preordering—it’s the best way to support me right now. If you don't typically read parenting books, I also have the audiobook version! Thank you so much!

Preorder the Book 

Preorder the Audiobook


Description

This week on The Whole Parent...

Mark as Played

Want to get ME a Christmas Present?
 
My book is behind on pre-sales and I'm trying to make up a lot of ground before release on January 28th, 2025. If you love the podcast, please consider preordering—it’s the best way to support me right now. If you don't typically read parenting books, I also have the audiobook version! Thank you so much!

Preorder the Book 

Preorder the Audiobook

Merry Christmas... sort...

Mark as Played
December 19, 2024 39 mins

I need your help!
 
My book is behind on pre-sales and I'm trying to make up a lot of ground before release on January 28th, 2025. If you love the podcast, please consider preordering—it’s the best way to support me right now. If you don't typically read parenting books, I also have the audiobook version! Thank you so much!

Preorder the Book 

Preorder the Audiobook

It’s the ultimate parenting conundrum: Do ...

Mark as Played

I need your help!
 
My book is behind on pre-sales and I'm trying to make up a lot of ground before release on January 28th, 2025. If you love the podcast, please consider preordering—it’s the best way to support me right now. If you don't typically read parenting books, I also have the audiobook version! Thank you so much!

Preorder the Book 

Preorder the Audiobook

Episode Description:

In this epi...

Mark as Played
September 3, 2024 41 mins

Now Available for Preorder....
Punishment-Free Parenting: The Brain-Based Way to Raise Kids Without Raising Your Voice

To reserve your copy click the link below:
Preorder Hardcover
Preorder Audiobook
Preorder Kindle  

Show Notes:

Have you ever lashed out at your child and wondered "Where did that come from? Why am I so triggered?"

Spoiler for this episode, it's your childhoo...

Mark as Played
July 12, 2024 38 mins

Preorder my new book: Punishment-Free Parenting: The Brain-Based Way to Raise Kids Without Raising Your Voice

Get the Autonomy Guide HERE

Episode Title: How To Get Your Toddler to LISTEN!

Episode Number: #29

Host: Jon @wholeparent

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 - Introduction and Setting the Scene
  • 0:38 - The Frustration of Kids who WON'T LISTEN!
  • 2:40 - Why Toddlers Have Selective Hearing
  • 7:17 - Understanding Toddler Develop...
Mark as Played

Struggling with bedtime battles? Discover an incredible bedtime hack that transforms chaos into connection, making bedtime one of the best parts of your day.

Episode Number: #28

Description: In this episode of the Whole Parent Podcast, Jon delves into the challenges of bedtime routines and reveals a transformative hack to turn bedtime battles into moments of deep connection with your child. He discusses the reasons behind k...

Mark as Played

Episode Number: #27

Description: In this guest episode of the Whole Parent Podcast, Jon welcomes KJ from Big Life Journal. They discuss the transformative power of reparenting, the difference between gentle and conscious parenting, and the resources available to support parents on their journey. KJ shares her personal experiences transitioning from authoritarian parenting to gentle parenting, offers her top reparenting tip, and expl...

Mark as Played

Episode Number: #26

Take the quiz to find our if your kid is Highly Sensitive

Description: In this episode of the Whole Parent Podcast, Jon delves into the concept of collaborative consequences, explaining why this method is a powerful tool for effective parenting, especially for highly sensitive children. As a strong advocate for the abolition of punishment in parenting, discusses how to differentiate between punishment an...

Mark as Played

Want to know if your child is Highly Sensitive? TAKE THE QUIZ!
 
Parenting a Highly Sensitive Child

Episode Number: #25

Description: In this episode of the Whole Parent Podcast, Jon delves into the world of highly sensitive children. He explains what high sensitivity is, how it manifests in kids, and shares practical strategies for parents to help their highly sensitive children thrive. Jon also highlights the groundbreaking ...

Mark as Played

Do you want to know how you can successfully navigate sibling conflict? This is the episode for you.

Episode Number: #24

Description: In this episode of the Whole Parent Podcast, Jon delves into the challenging topic of sibling conflict. He shares practical strategies for parents to navigate and resolve conflicts between siblings effectively. Jon also talks about the importance of fostering a team-centric environment and b...

Mark as Played

Raising Emotionally Intelligent Kids

Episode Number: #23

Description: In this episode of the Whole Parent Podcast, Jon discusses the importance of raising emotionally intelligent kids. Jon shares personal insights and practical steps on how parents can foster emotional intelligence in their children. Jon also opens up about his recent break from podcasting, the challenges he faced, and how taking time for self-care has impacted his p...

Mark as Played

To get podcast updates:
CLICK HERE

Do we need to punish our kids to be effective parents?

That's exactly what Dr. Tina Payne Bryson and I navigate through in this enriching discussion on punishment-free parenting. By distinguishing between discipline as a means to teach, rehearse, and impart skills and punishment as an alternatively counterproductive reaction, we illuminate a path where parents can regul...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    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

    CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

    It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

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

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.