The Art of Raising Humans
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© 2026 The Art of Raising Humans
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Kyle and Sara Wester are Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) with over 20 years experience working with children and teenagers in Tulsa, Oklahoma.Their podcast will help you parent from a place of freedom, love, and courage. Their passion is to help you uncover areas of fear and shame in your parenting and inspire you to empower your children to become healthy adults.They use the latest research in neuroscience coupled with their own experience raising 3 children.
195 Episodes
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Most parents want their children to be responsible, capable, and independent. But when it comes to building habits, morning routines, homework, chores, hygiene, emotional regulation, many well-intentioned parents accidentally sabotage the process without realizing it. In this episode of Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara break down the most common ways parents unintentionally derail habit building in kids, tweens, and teens, and what actually helps habits stick without nagging, shami...
Parenting doesn’t need more pressure, it needs more intention. In this episode of Art of Raising Humans, we share 10 intentional parenting habits to start using with your kids in 2026 - the ones that actually build connection, emotional safety, and cooperation. We talk about how to listen instead of lecture, set realistic expectations, repair after mistakes, and create daily moments of connection that reduce power struggles and build trust over time. If you’re a parent wh...
Parenting doesn’t need another list of things to do. Sometimes the most powerful change comes from knowing what to stop. In this episode of The Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester explore 10 common parenting habits that quietly block connection and cooperation, even when they’re widely accepted or well-intended. From grounding and “don’t talk back” to screen-time double standards and over-advising, these habits often create power struggles instead of teaching skills. Thi...
In this episode of Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester sit down with Vivek Patel, founder of Non-Coercive Collaborative Parenting (NCCP) and creator of Meaningful Ideas. Vivek has spent more than 15 years teaching thousands of families how to create more harmony, communication, and connection in their homes. With over 500 parenting articles, 300 educational videos, and a deeply rooted philosophy centered on collaboration, he brings a powerful perspective to what parents can do...
In this episode, Kyle and Sara Wester explore one of the most common and misunderstood dynamics in modern parenting: the roles of the default parent and the non-default parent. They unpack why these roles form, what each partner often experiences, and how these patterns can create pressure, resentment, or feelings of invisibility. With compassion for both parents, Kyle and Sara explain how routines are built through trial and error, why they deserve respect, and how well-meaning attemp...
Jennifer Kolari on Strong-Willed Kids, Brain Science & Connected Parenting Summary: In this powerful episode of The Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester sit down with parenting expert Jennifer Kolari to talk about one of the most misunderstood and emotionally exhausting parenting challenges: raising a strong-willed child. Why does your child melt down over “small” things? Why does discipline feel like constant power struggles? And why does nothing seem to work the way the bo...
What if everything you’ve been taught about sleep, parenting, and discipline isn’t biologically normal, just culturally common? In this powerful episode of The Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester sit down with Tracy Gillett, founder of Raised Good, to explore what it really means to raise children through connection instead of control — from infancy through the teen years. Together, they unpack the truth about: • sleep as a developmental milestone (not something to train...
We all want to be the calm, grounded parent — the one who never yells, never snaps, and always responds with empathy. But striving for perfect calm can actually distance us from our kids and ourselves. In this episode, Kyle and Sara Wester unpack the myth of the “perfectly calm” parent and explain why real growth comes from repair and honest emotional awareness, not perfection. They explore how your nervous system, triggers, and childhood conditioning shape your reactions — and how to ...
Parenting isn’t just about what we do—it’s about who we are as we show up for our children. In this meaningful and practical conversation, Dr. Dan Siegel joins Kyle and Sara to explore what it truly means to parent from the inside out. Dr. Dan Siegel is the Founder and Director of Education at the Mindsight Institute and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. An award-winning educator and Harvard-trained psychiatrist, he is the author of five New Yor...
Even the most connected couples get caught in reactive cycles — especially when parenting. One partner’s tone or decision sparks the other’s trigger, and suddenly you’re not just reacting to the kids… you’re reacting to each other. In this episode of The Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester unpack what really happens when partners become reactive in parenting. They share personal experiences, explore Dan Siegel’s concept of the “window of tolerance,” and discuss how co-regulatio...
In this insightful episode of Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester talk with psychologist Dr. Tamar Chansky, founder of the Children’s and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety and author of Freeing Your Child from Anxiety. Together they explore what anxiety really is, how it shows up in children, and how parents can respond with empathy and connection instead of fear. Dr. Chansky offers simple, science-based tools to help kids analyze their worries, practice gradual exposure to fear...
What if the lessons we learn in the toddler years are the foundation for every stage of parenting? In this episode, Kyle and Sara Wester talk with Devon Kuntzman — parenting expert, ICF-Certified Coach, and founder of Transforming Toddlerhood — about how to move from chaos to curiosity in family life. Devon shares how viewing behavior as communication can change everything about how we respond as parents, from toddlers to teens. Together they explore how curiosity fosters connec...
Parenting isn’t a competition, it’s a collaboration. In this episode, Kyle and Sara Wester explore what it means to co-create with your kids instead of slipping into a win-lose mindset. They unpack the cultural messages that keep parents stuck in control or compliance mode and show how shifting toward connection, play, and collaboration can transform your family dynamics. Through real examples and practical insights, you’ll learn how play builds trust, how collaboration teaches ...
How do we raise boys to be strong and sensitive, to lead with both courage and compassion? In this episode, Kyle and Sara Wester sit down with Dr. Daniel Ellenberg to explore how parents can nurture emotional intelligence, empathy, and vulnerability in boys growing up in a world that often pressures them to toughen up. Together, they unpack how to help our sons embrace sensitivity as a strength, build self-awareness, and stay grounded in who they truly are, even when culture tells them...
Join Kyle and Sara Wester from Art of Raising Humans as they explore what it truly means to co-create with your children. Instead of doing things to or for them, discover how to do life with them. Learn how collaboration builds trust, decision-making, and emotional intelligence from the preschool years through the teen stage. You will hear practical examples for different ages and discover how to replace power struggles with connection and confidence. This episode will help you create...
It can feel scary when your once-chatty child starts pulling away during adolescence. But withdrawal isn’t always rejection...t’s often a normal part of growing up. In this episode of Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester unpack why adolescents withdraw, what signs of relational disconnection to look for, and how stress responses may show up. They share practical ways parents can respond: staying calm, respecting space, and building connection through small, steady touch points. ...
Taking away your child’s phone might seem like the quickest way to discipline, but does it actually work? In this episode of Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester dive into the common strategy of removing phones as punishment and explore why it often backfires. They discuss how this approach can damage trust, block communication, and fail to teach the self-regulation kids really need. Instead, you’ll hear practical ways to set healthy boundaries around technology, foster intrinsi...
What if your love could rewire their brain? In this powerful episode, Kyle Wester and Sara Wester talk with renowned parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson about the science of interpersonal neurobiology—and how love, connection, and secure relationships literally shape the developing brain. Together, they explore how parents act as meaning makers for their children, how the brain predicts future interactions based on past experiences, and why co-regulation and emotional attunement a...
Few words cut deeper for a parent than hearing your child say, “I hate you.” In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to feel hurt, angry, or even tempted to pull away. But what if those words don’t actually mean what they sound like? In this episode of The Art of Raising Humans, Kyle and Sara Wester explore the deeper meaning behind those painful outbursts. Drawing on developmental science and research on emotional intelligence, they share how kids often use strong words when they’re over...
Most parents would say, “Of course I love my child unconditionally.” But what if — without even realizing it — we sometimes make our kids feel like our love depends on their behavior, their grades, or how easy they are to parent? In this episode of The Art of Raising Humans, we (Kyle & Sara Wester) unpack 13 powerful insights from Alfie Kohn’s book Unconditional Parenting. As we read and reflect on each one, you may find yourself thinking: “Oh wow, I didn’t realize I was doing that...
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