A child psychologist’s guide to working with difficult adults | Dr. Becky Kennedy

Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist, the bestselling author of Good Inside, and the founder of a parenting platform used by millions. Known for her practical, psychology-based approach to parenting, Dr. Becky shares how the same principles that help parents raise resilient children can make you a much more effective leader. In this conversation, she breaks down why all human systems—whether families or companies—operate on the same fundamental principles, and how understanding these dynamics can make you more effective in every relationship.

We discuss:

1. Why repair—not perfection—defines strong leadership

2. Why you need to connect before you correct to build cooperation and trust

3. The “most generous interpretation” framework for handling difficult behaviors

4. How to correctly set boundaries (vs. making requests)

5. The power of “I believe you, and I believe in you”

6. What it looks like to be a “sturdy” leader

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Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/dr-becky-on-the-surprising-overlap

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Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0

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Where to find Dr. Becky Kennedy:

• X: https://x.com/GoodInside

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbecky

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drbeckyatgoodinside

• Website: https://www.goodinside.com

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction to Dr. Becky Kennedy

(05:14) Connecting parenting and leadership

(08:40) The power of repair

(11:05) Connecting before correcting

(17:45) Good Inside framework at work

(22:08) The most generous interpretation (MGI)

(25:46) Curiosity over judgment

(27:07) Understanding behavior change

(31:08) What potty training can teach us about workplace behavior

(34:40) Naming your intention

(35:41) Sturdy leadership

(40:52) How to set boundaries well

(46:33) The role of leadership and consensus

(50:50) The importance of being “locatable”

(52:40) A powerful story of betrayal and realization

(57:12) Building resilience over happiness

(01:00:34) The power of the phrase “I believe you, and I believe in you.”

(01:09:08) The Good Inside community and resources

(01:16:22) AI corner

(01:19:52) Good Inside’s mission

(01:22:26) Lightning round and final thoughts

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Referenced:

• Shreyas Doshi on pre-mortems, the LNO framework, the three levels of product work, why most execution problems are strategy problems, and ROI vs. opportunity cost thinking: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/episode-3-shreyas-doshi

• Radical Candor: From theory to practice with author Kim Scott: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/radical-candor-from-theor