Raising Good Humans

Raising Good Humans

As a parent, do you ever wish someone could just whisper some realistic and trustworthy support in your ear? And not make you feel awful for not having all the answers? Well, that's what I'm here for. I'm Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist, NYT bestselling author of The Five Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans, Associate Clinical Professor, and Co-Founder of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center. And I'm a mom... trying to raise good humans myself, so I'm in this with you! In each episode, we'll go deep (but brief) with both experts and parents to share the most effective approaches and tools and talk about the important bigger picture of raising good humans. My goal is to make your parenting journey less overwhelming and a lot more joyful! Please join me every Friday for new episodes of Raising Good Humans.

Episodes

Why "How Was Your Day?" Doesn't Work, And What Actually Gets Kids Talking

October 16, 2026 • 29 mins
Getting nothing but "fine"?  Dr. Aliza Pressman on why your questions shut kids down and what actually gets them to open up and talk to you.  If "How was your day?" only ever gets you a "fine" (or an eye roll), you're not alone, and it doesn't mean something is wrong in your relationship. In this episode of Raising Good Humans, developmental psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman explains why so many kids stop sharing around t...
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Is Gentle Parenting Making Kids Run the Show?

October 9, 2026 • 40 mins
Gentle parenting turned permissive?  Somewhere between "because I said so" and "is it okay if we go to bed now?", many well-meaning parents lost their footing. In this episode of Raising Good Humans, Dr. Siggie and Dr. Aliza are answering listener questions to unpack how gentle parenting can quietly slide into permissive parenting, and why children actually feel safer when a parent leads with structure, warmth, and clear boun...
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The Homework Episode for Overwhelmed Parents

October 2, 2026 • 47 mins
Does homework time in your house end in tears, arguments, or a kid still awake at midnight?  In this episode, Dr. Aliza Pressman sits down with Dr. Ellen Braaten, founding director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP) at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. Together they unpack why homework has become such a point of tension in families, why more ho...
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How to Help Your Child Make Friends (and Be a Good One)

September 25, 2026 • 47 mins
Does your kid actually know how to be a good friend — or are they just hoping the right friends find them?  In this episode, Dr. Aliza Pressman sits down with Sissy Goff and David Thomas, therapists at Daystar Counseling in Nashville, hosts of the Raising Boys and Girls podcast, and New York Times bestselling authors of Capable. Together they unpack why the back-to-school season triggers so much social anxiety in kids, ...
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Sibling Fights: When to Step In (and When to Stay Out)

September 18, 2026 • 38 mins
Sibling fights making you crazy?  If you've ever wondered when to intervene in sibling fights versus when to let your kids work it out themselves, this episode gives you a practical framework you can use today. Sibling fights are one of the most common pain points of parenting, and we’ve all been there. In this episode, developmental psychologist and Raising Good Humans host Dr. Aliza Pressman explains how to tell the ...
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Dr. Shefali: The Hormones Behind First Love, Heartbreak, and Hookup Culture

September 11, 2026 • 37 mins
Why does a teenage breakup feel like the end of the world for girls, but barely register for boys?  Dr. Aliza Pressman sits down with Dr. Shefali — clinical psychologist, founder of the conscious parenting movement, and New York Times bestselling author of Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons — for a conversation that finally explains the biology behind teen dating, heartbreak, and hookup culture...
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Angela Duckworth on the Hidden Forces Shaping Your Kid's Behavior

September 4, 2026 • 48 mins
Is your child's behavior really about who they are — or is it about where you've put them?  In this episode, Dr. Aliza Pressman sits down with Dr. Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of Grit, MacArthur "Genius" Grant winner, and University of Pennsylvania psychologist, to unpack her powerful new book, Situated. Together they explore why the "fundamental attribution error" causes so many parents to blame a child's chara...
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Were 'Covid Kids' Really Damaged? What 17 New Studies Show

August 28, 2026 • 43 mins
Blaming your kid's attention span on Covid? In this episode, Dr. Aliza Pressman sits down with Georgetown Professor and developmental psychologist, Dr. Anna Johnson, to unpack a landmark special section of 17 longitudinal studies published in Child Development, the field's top journal. Together they walk through what parents have been told about "Covid kids" versus what the actual research shows about learning loss, executive func...
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Here's the Talk to Have Before Your Teen's First Party

August 21, 2026 • 29 mins
Sending your teen to their first party?  In this solo episode, developmental psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman walks parents through exactly how to talk to teenagers about parties before the car ride there. From the alcohol and drug conversation to setting a code word and exit plan, this episode is a practical guide for parenting teenagers through one of the most anxiety-provoking adolescent milestones. What you’ll learn...
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Picky Eating & Food Guilt with Jennifer Anderson

August 14, 2026 • 46 mins
Is your child's relationship with food already shaped by guilt, fear, or "good food/bad food" rules — even before they can talk? Registered dietitian Jennifer Anderson, founder of Kids Eat in Color, joins Dr. Aliza Pressman to unpack "embodied independence" — the idea that raising confident eaters means combining a healthy relationship with food and the practical skills to take care of one's body. This is a must-listen...
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How to Disagree With Your Kids Without Fighting

August 7, 2026 • 55 mins
Do you know how to disagree with your kid without a fight breaking out? Most of us have been told that the fix for a bad disagreement is more empathy — really try to see it from their side. But Julia Minson, negotiation researcher at Harvard's Kennedy School, joins Dr. Aliza Pressman to share what her experimental research actually shows: telling someone to "try harder to empathize" barely changes the outcome of a conflict. ...
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How to Raise an Imaginative Child — and Why Imagination Matters More Than You Think

July 31, 2026 • 40 mins
Do you use your imagination enough? Most parents think of imagination as something for playtime — a "nice to have" that fades once kids get older and life gets "serious." But Dr. Cassandra Vieten, director of science programs at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UC San Diego, joins Dr. Aliza Pressman to make the case that imagination is a trainable skill with real developmental and psychological weight. Th...
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Hard Parenting Questions Answered: 'I Hate You,' Porn Talks, Vapes, and School Pickup Meltdowns

July 24, 2026 • 30 mins
Dr. Aliza Pressman answers your hardest parenting questions: toddler tantrums, screen time guilt, porn talks, vaping teens & social media limits. Real parenting questions don't come with a manual — so Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist and New York Times bestselling author, is answering yours. In this listener Q&A episode, Dr. Pressman offers practical, shame-free parenting strategies rooted in child deve...
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Your Brain Isn't Declining — It's Waiting for You to Do These Five Things

July 17, 2026 • 63 mins
Can you actually grow your brain? Johns Hopkins neurologist Dr. Majid Fotuhi reveals 5 science-backed ways to build brain volume — even in the chaos of parenthood. In this episode of Raising Good Humans Podcast, Dr. Fotuhi breaks down the research on neuroplasticity and brain health, and helps us all understand how measurable brain growth is possible in as little as 12 weeks. What You’ll Learn: The 5 pillars of br...
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What a Neuropsychological Evaluation Actually Reveals About Your Child

July 10, 2026 • 38 mins
Should your child get a neuropsychological evaluation? Neuropsychologist Dr. Joanna Jacobs explains what it reveals, who needs one, and why it's not scary. If you've ever been told your child might need a neuropsychological evaluation and felt your stomach drop, this episode is for you. Dr. Aliza Pressman sits down with neuropsychologist Dr. Joanna Jacobs to demystify what a neuro psych evaluation actually is, what it can tell you...
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Why Your Kid Needs More Chores, More Boredom, and More Frustration (Yes, Really)

July 3, 2026 • 42 mins
Why do constraints help kids thrive? Dr. Aliza Pressman & David Epstein reveal the counterintuitive science of raising resilient, confident children. If you've ever wondered whether making things easier for your kids is actually holding them back, this episode will stop you in your tracks. Dr. Aliza Pressman sits down with bestselling science writer David Epstein, author of Inside the Box, to unpack the research-backed case fo...
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Dating After Divorce: What to Tell Your Kids and When

June 26, 2026 • 25 mins
What if the hardest part of dating after divorce isn't whether you're ready, but whether your kids are? This solo episode tackles one of the most-asked, least-discussed questions in the inbox: how to start dating again after divorce in a way that honors your own life and your children's emotional reality. It's a topic carrying guilt, grief, longing, worry, and the very real truth that you are still a living, breathing person who w...
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The Science of Dad Brain: How Fatherhood Changes Men Forever

June 19, 2026 • 51 mins
Postpartum depression isn't just for moms. Dr. Darby Saxbe explores why new dads struggle, identifies the often unrecognized signs, and demystifies the science of paternal mental health. Did you know that "dad brain" is a scientifically proven biological shift? Recent brain science shows that fatherhood literally changes and rewires men's brains--but unlike maternal shifts, a father's brain adapts primarily through the lived exp...
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Adam Grant + Dr. Aliza: The Real Science of Effective Parenting

June 12, 2026 • 40 mins
What does it actually mean to be a good parent and why does knowing the research make it harder, not easier? This week I'm sharing an interview I did with Adam Grant on his show, ReThinking,  where we got into the framework I come back to constantly: all feelings are welcome, but all behaviors are not. We talked about gentle parenting, why asking your child to do something nine times is no better than asking twice, orchid vs....
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Why Are All the Young People So Insecure?

June 5, 2026 • 44 mins
What if raising secure kids has less to do with what you do wrong as a parent — and more to do with teaching them to build the right relationships from the start? My guest this week is Dr. Amir Levine, molecular neuroscientist, child psychiatrist, and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University. His new book, Secure: The Revolutionary Guide to Creating a Secure Life, offers a unified theory of relations...
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