The Masterful Parenting Podcast - Heal Your Childhood and Parent Better Through Relational Parenting

Episode 120: If Not Punishment, Then What? Real Alternatives That Actually Work

Many parents are beginning to question punishment — but they’re left wondering what to replace it with.

If we don’t punish, won’t our children become disrespectful, irresponsible, or out of control?

In this episode, we unpack the fear behind removing punishment and explore practical, research-informed alternatives that build long-term skills instead of ...

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “I need to be firmer,” “I need better consequences,” or “Why isn’t this working?”—this episode is for you.

So many parents come to parenting already exhausted, doing everything they were taught about discipline… and feeling like things are only getting harder. More power struggles. More yelling. More disconnection. In this episode, we gently challenge one of the most deeply ingrained beliefs ...

Relational Parenting is often misunderstood as permissive or boundary-free—but in reality, it’s one of the most structured and effective ways to raise emotionally healthy children.

In this episode of Masterful Parenting, we explore what Relational Parenting truly is, why connection is the foundation for learning and behavior, and how parents can hold clear boundaries without fear, shame, or control. You’ll learn how to respond to y...

Lauren Greeno is a child development specialist, parent coach, and founder of The Parenting Collaborative. With a Master's in Child & Adolescent Development, she translates cutting-edge brain science and attachment research into tools parents can actually use. Her work challenges surface-level parenting advice, helping parents decode what's really driving their child's behavior so they can respond with confidence instead of con...

When children struggle, parents are often told to fix the behavior. But what if the behavior isn’t the problem at all?

In this episode of Masterful Parenting, we explore a powerful reframe: children’s behavior is communication, not defiance. You’ll learn how to look beneath challenging behaviors, understand what your child’s nervous system is expressing, and respond in ways that build connection, safety, and long-term emotional res...

God’s Healing Power: My Testimony of Faith & Transformation

What happens when you’re desperate, alone, and vulnerable—does God still show up? Can He heal the wounds caused by those who were supposed to protect you? Can He turn deep pain into purpose and use it to impact the world?

My life is the answer to those questions.

In this episode, I share my testimony of how God healed, protected, and transformed me into the woman I am ...

Parents usually don’t mean to sabotage their kids’ growth—but certain patterns can still slow it down. This episode dives into some common ways it happens, explained plainly and without blaming:

Once we know what we are doing and where it is coming from such as parent fear, cultural expectations, or our own childhood pattern, then we can change things with our kids and foster their growth.

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Bonnie and Thomas Liotta didn't just study parenting - they lived the transformation. When Bonnie met Thomas in 2011, she was a single mother whose children had behavioral diagnoses. Within six months of implementing his methodology, her home was completely transformed. Now married and co-founders of Creating Champions For Life, they've helped thousands of children and more than 300 families who report a 90% behavioral transformati...

Rachel Grant is a disruptor of traditional modes of healing, creator of the Beyond Surviving program, international speaker, podcast host, and Sexual Abuse Recovery Coach with an M.A. in Counseling Psychology. She is also the author of Beyond Surviving: The Final Stage in Recovery from Sexual Abuse.

Based on her educational training, study of neuroscience, and lessons learned from her own journey, she has successfully used the Be...

Do you need support in helping your child with anxiety or depression?

Meet Brett Aldrich.

Brett Aldrich is an Ayurvedic Counselor, Breathwork Practitioner, and founder of Seed the Spirit in Portland, Maine, whose work blends decades of service with deep holistic training. Her career has taken her from supporting survivors of trauma and children with developmental needs to guiding others in Ayurveda, breathwork, and yoga. A grad...

🌪️ When emotions explode, what do you do? This week on the podcast, I’m joined by the incredible Bethany Bilodeau, and we’re diving deep into one of the toughest challenges so many of us face—meltdowns, anger, and those big, overwhelming feelings.

Whether you’re a parent, partner, educator, or simply a human navigating a stressful world, this episode is packed with real, actionable tools to help you stay grounded when everything a...

A small-town girl from Oklahoma, Vivian Cumins is the author of Break Down Better: 52 Restoring Devotionals for Burned-Out Women, a speaker, and host of the Juggling Life, Finding Balance Podcast. A retired career professional with over 26 years of service in the United States Air Force and Forest Service, Vivian draws from a wealth of experiences and a heart for helping others find peace amid life’s demands.

Vivian knows first-han...

Hakeem Bourne McFarlane is a creator, author, and motivational speaker whose raw truth and relentless tenacity have inspired thousands to stop living on autopilot and start choosing themselves. His message has reached an audience of over 385,000 across platforms but numbers mean nothing if the people don’t transform. He’s the mind behind Choose Yourself To Be Chosen and the founder of the Choose Yourself Movement, a community built...

Parenting isn’t about winning power struggles—it’s about building relationships that last. 💛

In this episode, we dive into how connection becomes the most powerful tool we have as parents. You’ll learn how to reduce conflict, strengthen trust, and guide your kids with confidence without relying on control-based strategies.

If you want more peace, more collaboration, and more joy in your home… this one’s for you. 🎧

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Until every child is safe not one of us is safe _Chidinma Nmaele-Afam.

Please meet Chidinma Nmaele-Afam,

WHO Panelist | Keynote Speaker, Ending Corporal Punishment | Founder, TWEConsultant, African Boarding Schools |

Abuj...

We can replace the unhealthy behaviours we grew up with in our childhood and replace them with healthy behaviours.

That's how we change our parenting and raise emotionally healthy kids.

Let me walk you through how.

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For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Anne Alvares.  I came from childhood pain.  I suffered abuse, controlling parents, and was ...

If you grew up in a dysfunctional home and have childhood pain, you may not know what unhealthy behaviours are.

Let me enlighten you on the top ten unhealthy behaviours in our parenting.

Once we become aware, we can change it.

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For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Anne Alvares.  I came from childhood pain.  I suffered abuse, controlli...

What does punishment really do to our kids and why doesn't it work long term?

What can we do instead in our parenting?

Many parents wrestle with the concept of punishment because many of us were raised by punishment. The fact is that punishment does not work long term and our kids actually get damage with the use of punishment.  Punishment is NOT healthy parenting. 

There are no benefits to punishment.  Let me unpack this for y...

Erica Hornthal, known as *The Therapist Who Moves You*, is a board-certified dance/movement therapist and licensed clinical professional counselor who helps people reconnect with their bodies to improve mental health and emotional well-being. As the founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy, she specializes in working with individuals who tend to overthink and underfeel, guiding them to use movement as a powerful tool for self-expre...