Where Parents Talk: Evidence-based Expert Advice on Raising Kids Today

Are today's parents protecting their children—or unintentionally holding them back?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk Podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks with Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids movement, co-founder of Let Grow, journalist and author, about why childhood independence has become one of the most important parenting conversations of our time.

Nearly two decades after being labeled "America's W...

Is your child's gaming really about the game — or something deeper? On this episode of Where Parents Talk, host Lianne Castelino talks with Nathan Graham, AI strategist, entrepreneur, and author of Why Won't He Just Log Off? A Parent's Guide to Video Game Addiction and the Needs Behind the Screen.

Nathan spent nearly seven years as a self-described gaming addict, losing a job and nearly losing his relationship to marathon sess...

How do sports shape the values our children carry into adulthood?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks to award-winning sports journalists Donovan Bennett (CBC Sports) and Kate McKenna (TSN, CTV's The Social). The couple share how working in sports has impacted the way they are raising their two young sons.

From navigating healthy competition and emotional resilience to balancing screen time...

Why do so many parents feel exhausted, moody, or stuck in survival mode — and what is that stress actually doing to their bodies?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks with Dr. Alicia Newsome, a functional medicine practitioner, entrepreneur and mother of three, about the root causes of parental burnout, hormone imbalance and chronic stress.

Dr. Newsome explains how functional medicine ...

What happens when a parent faces the unimaginable loss of a child to suicide?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks with pediatric nurse practitioner and author Jackie Baker about her personal journey through grief after losing her son, Sebastian.

Drawing from her book Messy Mourning, Baker shares raw insights into maternal grief, the stigma surrounding suicide, and the long road toward heali...

Are we raising resilient kids, or just protecting them from the very challenges that build resilience?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks to developmental psychologist Dr. Isabel Granic — McMaster University professor, CEO of Liminal Learning and mom. She unpacks what tweens, teens, and young adults actually need to thrive in 2026.

Drawing on more than 25 years of research and her ow...

What is food insecurity—and how does it impact children and families in Canada today?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk, host Lianne Castelino speaks with Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization. Drawing from her lived experience as a single mother raising three children while facing poverty and food insecurity, Lori offers rare insight into what struggling families truly go ...

What if the key to raising emotionally intelligent, resilient kids isn't about managing their behavior — but about shifting your own?

Lorena Seidel, Montessori teacher, emotional intelligence coach, and creator of the Cooperation Shift framework, joins Lianne Castelino host of the Where Parents Talk podcast, for a candid, research-backed conversation about why good intentions alone won't rewrite old parenting patterns — ...

Are we raising a generation that knows more but thinks less? In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, educator, developmental theorist, and author Dr. Jonathan Strecker joins host Lianne Castelino to unpack why modern convenience — from AI tools to screen time — may be quietly undermining the intellectual, emotional, and social development of today's teens.

Dr. Strecker, Head of School and author of How Modern ...

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino sits down with entrepreneur, business coach, and mom of four, Alana Kayfetz, to explore why so many mothers put themselves last—and how to change that.

From mom burnout and self-neglect to self-prioritization and identity shifts in motherhood, this conversation dives into the real challenges modern moms face. Learn how to balance parenting, career, and pe...

Why do tantrums, emotional outbursts, and teenage shutdowns happen—and what can parents do differently?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks with award-winning mediator, peacemaker, and bestselling author Doug Noll about the groundbreaking science behind emotional validation and why traditional parenting approaches often miss the mark.

Drawing on decades of experience in conflict resol...

What happens when autism and ADHD go undiagnosed until adulthood?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks with neurodiversity consultant and entrepreneur Noelle Sinclair about her late diagnosis—and how it transformed her life as a parent, professional, and individual.

Sinclair shares eye-opening insights into masking in girls, the hidden signs of neurodivergence in teens, and why many ch...

What does it really mean when your adult child isn't "launching" on your timeline?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett — developmental psychologist, Clark University senior research scholar, and the man who coined the term "emerging adulthood" — to unpack one of the most misunderstood life stages of our time.

Dr. Arnett explains why the years fr...

Can cannabis use during the teen years slow your child's cognitive development — even before you notice the signs?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks to neuroscientist and cannabis researcher Dr. Krista Lisdahl, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who breaks down the findings of the largest long-term study of brain development in U...

Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Anna Levy-Warren has spent more than two decades helping kids and families navigate executive functioning challenges — but it wasn't until she became a mother of three neurodiverse children that her understanding truly deepened.

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast with host Lianne Castelino, Dr. Levy-Warren unpacks why home is such a difficult environment for kids with EF challe...

Are schools missing the most important lessons kids need to succeed? In this episode of Where Parents Talk, host Lianne Castelino speaks with youth mentor and entrepreneur Rob Heller, founder of the BOOST Program and author of The Missing Course for Today’s Youth.

With over 20 years of experience, Rob shares why success is not luck-based—but skill-based—and explains the critical life skills kids and teens aren&rsqu...

Parenting teens today isn’t just challenging—it’s completely different than it used to be.

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Jerry Weichman to unpack what’s really driving the rise in teen anxiety, stress, and emotional overwhelm—and why so many parents feel unprepared to handle it.

Drawing on nearly three decades of experien...

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, Lianne Castelino speaks to Chris DeArmitt, PhD, materials scientist, a global advisor on plastics policy and evidence-based research, speaker, author and father.

The discussion explore one of today’s most debated environmental and health topics: plastics and microplastics in everyday family life.

De Armitt shares a controversial and science-driven perspective on common fears ar...

Substance use and addiction are affecting more families than ever—and many parents feel unprepared, overwhelmed, and alone.

In this episode of Where Parents Talk, host Lianne Castelino speaks with certified family recovery specialist Kim Porter, co-founder of Be Part of the Conversation.

Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience as a mother, Kim shares powerful insights into how addiction develops, why it&rs...