Your Calm Parenting Path

It was 8:21am, nine minutes to leave for school, and a six-year-old refusing to get dressed. Nina shares what really happened that morning, including the bit that didn't go smoothly, and the one question that helped her figure out what actually needed her attention first.
 
You'll Learn

•  Why noticing what's happening in your body matters before you react
•  How to spot the competing needs pulling at you in the ...

If you've ever wondered why the parenting advice that worked for your friend doesn't seem to work for you, this episode is for you. Nina walks through four different parents who could all say the same thing, "my kid won't listen," and shows why what's actually going on underneath looks completely different for each of them.

You'll Learn:

• Why the same parenting complaint can come from four completely different places
• The pa...

Jen Dugard, founder of MumSafe Movement, joins Nina to talk about what really happens to our bodies after having kids, and why exercise isn't about getting your old body back. They talk pelvic floor health and moving for strength, not appearance.
 
You'll Learn:

• Why postpartum isn't a 12 month window, it's the rest of her life
•  What a good trainer should ask before you start training with them
•  Why "just do wh...

What if the fix for bedtime battles wasn't a new routine, but simply opening the curtains? Nina sits down with astrophysicist-turned-mindfulness-teacher Dr. Mark Westmoquette, author of Look Up At Bedtime, to explore how a few minutes under the night sky can turn a nightly fight into a moment of genuine connection.

You'll Learn

•  Why sharing wonder calms bedtime faster than rushing it
•  A simple gravity practice ...

Nina went out for a half marathon training run in gale-force wind, rain and actual hail last Saturday, and came home with more than sore legs. This episode unpacks five surprising parallels between that wild run and the reality of raising kids, from accepting what we can't control to remembering why we started.

You'll Learn:

• You can't control the conditions, but you can work with them
• Hard doesn't automatically mean someth...

The moment your patience snaps isn't random, and it isn't a character flaw. Therapist Jessica Tomich Sorci joins Nina to unpack "mum parts" - the different pieces of you that step in to protect you when parenting gets hard - and why getting to know them changes how you respond to your kids.

 
You'll Learn

•  What "mum parts" are and why every mother has them
•  Why resentment, guilt and anger often show up to...

Overwhelm doesn't stay inside us, it spills into our kids, our family dynamic and our home. Part two of this two part series looks at practical ways to ease it in each of those places.
 
You'll learn 

•  Why four hugs a day matters more than we realise (Virginia Satir)
•  How to run "special time," a 10-15 minute connection tool
•  Why filling each child's cup beats comparing siblings
•  A simple dinner ...

Some days the overwhelm hits before you've even had your coffee. Part one of a two-part series, this episode looks at where that feeling starts, within ourselves, with two shifts to help lighten it.

You'll Learn

•  Why chore resentment is rarely about the task itself
•  A simple way to bring presence into washing up or folding laundry
•  Why unpaid, unrecognised housework can feel invisible
•  A different way to ...

Today we're widening the lens beyond mums. Alison D'Vine of Sagency WA shares what years of working with men has taught her about why partners struggle to regulate, and what that does to the family when they don't. 

This isn't about excusing anything, it's about understanding what's underneath so we're not carrying it alone. Alison brings both her professional insight and her own lived experience to this one, and it's a genuine...

If you've ever wondered whether your child's behaviour is deliberate, this one's for you. ADHD parent coach Susan Hughes returns to explain the neuroscience behind ADHD behaviour, and why understanding it changes how you respond.

 You'll Learn

•  Why ADHD behaviour isn't a choice, it's a 30% executive function gap
•  A phrase to interrupt a reactive moment: "it's the ADHD"
•  A simple four-task morning routine...

You know the moment. Your child is on the floor of the shops, refusing to get dressed, or melting down as you try to leave the playground, and everything you've read about mindful parenting suddenly feels very far away. This episode is about what to actually do while you're in it, not before and not after.
 
You'll Learn

•  Why almost every stall, refusal or meltdown has something else going on underneath
•  A si...

So many of us know that quiet drift that creeps in once kids arrive - less conversation, more logistics, less time for each other. Relationship and emotional wellness coach Caterina Smillie joins me to unpack why that disconnection happens, and the small ways couples find their way back to each other.

You'll Learn

• Why even strong relationships start to drift after having kids
• The difference between carrying the mental load and the...

If turning off the TV feels like bracing for impact, you're not alone. In this episode, Nina unpacks what's actually happening in kids' brains when screens go off, and shares four practical strategies to make those transitions smoother - including what works in her own house, and why handing your child the remote changes everything.

You'll Learn

• Why kids' brains genuinely struggle with the screen switch-off
• What's happening in the...

That feeling when you sit down for five minutes and immediately think "I should be doing something" - therapist Onnie Michalsky from Moms Without Capes calls it supermum syndrome (or Supermom syndrome). In this conversation, she and Nina explore why so many mums carry it, and what it costs them.

You'll Learn

•  - What supermum syndrome is and how to spot it
•  - How the do-it-all mindset affects your relationship a...

There's a small thing many of us do without thinking - and once you notice it, you'll see it everywhere. 

This episode looks at the gap between what we ask of our kids and what we offer back, and why that gap matters more than we might realise. 

Nina shares two practical shifts to try - small changes that can make a real difference to the emotional atmosphere in your home.

You’ll Learn

• Why children's play is jus...

If you want your kids to grow up knowing how to calm themselves, this one is for you. Alia Sallam shares why teaching mindfulness for kids works best as a natural part of family life.

Alia is the creator of Little Seeds of Mindfulness, a book series for children ages 2-9 that makes mindfulness a shared family experience rather than just a lesson. She also walks us through a simple 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise that you can try with y...

Have you ever lost your patience and then spent the rest of the night lying awake, replaying the moment on a loop?

In this episode, Nina explores the inner voice that shows up after hard parenting moments - the guilt, shame, and private fear that one bad reaction might define your child's entire experience of you. 

Through personal reflection and the Buddhist parable of the two arrows, this episode offers an honest, compassionat...

Parenting can feel incredibly heavy sometimes - especially when we’re carrying guilt, self-doubt, and the pressure to “get it right.” In this episode, Nina is joined by Dr. Jen Ferris to talk about what self-compassion really looks like in everyday parenting and why learning to be a little kinder to ourselves can have such a powerful impact on family life.

Dr. Jen shares her own parenting experiences, the challenge...

Why do we react in ways we don’t want to as parents, even when we’re trying so hard to stay calm?

In this episode of Your Calm Parenting Path, Nina is joined by writer, speaker and family life advocate Nellie Harden for a thoughtful conversation about parenting stress, emotional regulation, self-worth and the deeper layers underneath parenting reactions.

Nellie shares openly about her upbringing, becoming a mother to four...