Confessions of a Parent Coach

Why do the same difficult relationship patterns keep showing up?

Maybe it is with a parent, partner, child, friend, or coworker. The person may change, but the emotional experience feels strangely familiar. You feel triggered, misunderstood, defensive, or pulled into a version of yourself you do not want to be.

Here's what's really going on: some of our hardest relationships reveal the deeper ...

You know that thing you genuinely want to do — the thing you know would make your life better?

The parenting support.
The break.
The healing work.
The boundaries.
The retreat.
Putting the phone down.
Actually slowing down.

So why are you still not doing it?

In this episode of Confessions of a Parent Coach, Ann Kaplan unpacks the surprisingly emotional...

What if the thing you keep talking yourself out of is actually the thing your soul needs most?

In this deeply personal episode of Confessions of a Parent Coach, I'm unpacking a question I genuinely don't have a perfectly polished answer for yet: Why do we so often say yes to things that drain us… and no to the things that could truly nourish and transform us?

As I prepare for my annual ...

What if the problem isn't your child's behavior… but the way that behavior impacts you?

In this deeply honest episode of Confessions of a Parent Coach, Ann Kaplan returns to the powerful thread she began in Episodes 157, 159, and 160 — conversations about polarities, impossible situations, and personal power — and brings them together in a final, integrative discussion about parenting, s...

What if your child's struggles aren't evidence that you failed them… but part of what makes them them?

In this deeply personal and emotionally layered episode, Ann Kaplan explores one of the most confronting parts of the Enneagram: the childhood experience associated with each type — and why it can feel so painful for parents to hear.

Ann shares honestly about her own current seas...

This is one of those episodes that might sting a little… and also might be the biggest exhale you've had in a while.

Because if you're a thoughtful parent—if you care this much—you've probably already had the thought:

"What if I'm messing them up?"

So instead of dancing around it, we're just going to tell the truth:

You are.

We all are.

What if who you think you are… isn't actually you?

In this episode, we're diving into one of the most important (and often misunderstood) distinctions in the Enneagram: Essence vs Personality.

Because most of us aren't living from our true self—we're operating from patterns that were formed to protect us.

And until you can see that clearly, you'll keep repeating the s...

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything for everyone else… and still somehow questioning your worth…

This conversation is going to hit.

In this episode, I'm joined by my longtime friend, client, and retreat chef, Andrew, as part of the Ennea Chats series — real conversations with real people about how the Enneagram actually shows up in everyday life.

A...

Most people use the Enneagram to figure out who they are.

But what if that's not actually the point?

What if it's showing you what's getting in your way?

This week's episode is a little different—and honestly, one of my favorites.

I sat down with my oldest son, Elijah, and we talked about the Enneagram… but not in the way you usually hear it talked about.

If the Enneagram feels like a box… you're not wrong. But you might be stopping at the part that was never the point.

In this episode, I'm unpacking the biggest misunderstanding people have about the Enneagram—and why it can feel limiting, reductive, or even a little insulting at first.

Because here's the truth:
The Enneagram isn't here to define you.
It's here to show...

Most of the arguments you keep having?

They're not actually about what you think they're about.

It's two people—each running a completely different internal system—
trying to prove their version of reality is the right one.

And once you see it, you can't unsee it.

In this episode, I sit down with my sister Ren (a Seven) and we break down what the Ennea...

Sometimes the hardest situations in life feel impossible for a reason.

You can't change the other person.
You can't force the situation to be different.
And every option available to you feels like a bad one.

So what do you do then?

In this episode, Ann explores what happens when we're stuck in situations that genuinely cannot be fixed or controlled. Whether that's a diffi...

What do you do when there's no solution to a problem that deeply affects you or your kids?

In this episode, Ann explores a concept that can feel both frustrating and freeing: impossible situations. These are the moments in life where something needs to change—but the reality is that it won't.

Maybe it's:
💔 A parent who can't give you the relationship you hoped for
⚡ A co-parent ...