The Gentle Parenting Show

Welcome to the season 3 finale of The Gentle Parenting Show! In this episode we’re joined by Gaby Sundra, who will share practical relationship advice that can help transform your marriage if you feel like lately you and your partner have become more like roommates.   Gaby has 25 years of coaching experience and, along with her husband, she founded For Better Love, where they strive to inspire others to cultivate a couple culture of "aiming for awesome".   One of the most challenging stages in a marriage can be when you’re raising your kids, because finding the time (and energy) for intimacy and connection can be difficult. While this is completely normal, thinking “oh, we’re fine” can become a slippery slope over time.   Learn how to: Step 1: Admit It and Take action Step 2: Identify The Problem  Step 3: Get Clear on How You Want It To Be  Step 4: Understand Your Unsatisfactory “Solutions”  Step 5: Select Solutions That REALLY Satisfy  Step 6: Set Yourself Up for Success    Quotes we love! “It’s not you, it’s not your beloved, it's not your relationship. It’s the very nature of how difficult life and families can be”.   More about Gaby Sundra Connect with Gaby on Facebook or Instagram. You can also learn more about her work in For Better Love on her website.  

On today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show Kim is joined by Robin Green to discuss pediatric acupuncture and its benefits.    Robin is an acupuncturist, author, speaker and educator. Through her work, she helps families get to the root causes of eczema, allergies, asthma and other health issues, so they can find relief.   If you’re a little skeptical about the idea of using needles to treat kids, you should know that there are many ways to stimulate the acupuncture points without using needles at all!    Join us as we learn: - Is acupuncture safe for children? - How does it work? - What are the alternatives to needles? - What are some health issues it can help with?   More about Robin Green:  Connect with Robin Green on her website and her Instagram.  

On today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show we welcome Becky Wells. She is a functional nutritional therapy practitioner, a clean living educator, and the founder of The Hippie Moms podcast and social media community.   Although it may seem like an overwhelming task, every little change matters, and living holistically can bring long term benefits for you and your family.    Join Kim and Becky as they discuss easy tips for getting started, how to find healthy alternatives to common household items. They also go through some recommendations to help yourself grace in the process of this lifestyle change.    Quotes we love: “The here and the now is when life happens. We don’t want to miss it, especially with our children”.   More about Becky Wells: Connect with Becky Wells on her website, Facebook and Instagram.

On today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show Kim is joined by Jana Danielson. She is an award-winning wellness entrepreneur and the creator of the Cooch Ball, the world’s first patented pelvic floor fitness tool for women.   She developed the Cooch Ball after being frustrated that so many women didn’t feel they had a safe space to address their pelvic floor issues.   Unfortunately, talking about pelvic floor health is still a subject that can cause feelings of shame. Especially since women have been constantly told that this is just part of motherhood and getting older, and there is nothing to be done about it. But this is not the case at all!   In fact, you can be taught to strengthen your pelvic floor… and not just by doing kegels. Join Kim and Jana as they discuss some tips and debunk common myths about pelvic floor health.   Quotes we love: “One of the key messages that came out of my pain journey was: the reconnection to self is necessary and beautiful”.   More about Jana Danielson Connect with Jana Danielson on her website and her Instagram. You can get your very own Coochball here. 

In today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show Kim talks to Dr. Farah Sultan. She is the founder of Vitalogy Wellness & Medical Spa, and the creator of The Mandala Method, a holistic medical approach designed to help people sleep better, regain energy and manage stress.   If you’re already familiar with Kim and her work, you probably know all about sleep coaching your kids, but what about your own sleep issues? How do you know if your difficulty going to and staying asleep restlessness needs to be addressed by a doctor?   Together, Kim and Dr. Sultan go through:  Common signs that your sleep needs to be addressed holistically The five pillars of good health Environmental factors that affect your sleep The Mandala Approach for improving your health and sleep   Quotes we love:  “Sleep is almost like a vital sign, like when you check your pulse and blood pressure, it’s an overall sign that your health is working well for you”.   “Being expected to perform at a 100 percent with little to no sleep is really not possible”.   More about Dr. Farah Sultan:  Connect with Dr. Farah Sultan on her Instagram. You can also learn more about The Mandala Method or even get a personal consultation through her website.

  On today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show, Kim is joined by Sam Horn. She is an award winning author and speaker known for her viral TEDx talks. She has worked as a communications consultant for companies such as NASA, National Geographic and many more.    Even though it’s wonderful to welcome a new baby into your family, this usually comes with some stressful moments that can cause a strain in your relationship with your partner. So, how can we improve the way we communicate with each other during difficult times?   Sam and Kim go through a list of words to avoid during arguments, and some suggestions that can help defuse family discussions and make your loved ones feel understood. They also talk about the importance of self care, especially when you’re focusing on raising children.   Quotes that we love: “We all want to feel heard, understood and connected, especially in challenging times” and “You can transform your relationship even in the midst of having a newborn at home”.   More about Sam Horn:  If you liked this episode and want to learn more about this topic, connect with Sam Horn on her website and her Instagram. You can also check out her “Intrigue” TEDx Talk to learn more about her work as a speaker.   

Today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show is the last episode that is part of our Newborn Expert Series. Kim is joined by Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson. She’s a pediatrician, health communicator, and Chief Medical Officer for SpoonfulONE. She is known for championing prevention of food allergies in children through early dietary introduction.   Kim and Dr. Swanson talk about the positive effects that feeding common allergens to your baby can have when it comes to shaping their ability to tolerate all kinds of foods.   They also discuss: - The importance of food diversity  - The benefits of early introduction  - How to know if your baby is ready to start? - Hereditary factors and other concerns    Quotes we love: “Everytime we add different food groups to our baby’s diet in early life, and keep them in, we’re designing our baby’s immune system to be tolerant of it for the rest of their lives” and  “you should be able to feed your baby the world, and then the baby can travel the world later on and eat anything they want”.   More about Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson:  If you liked this episode and want to learn more, connect with Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson on SpoonfulONE’s website or her Instagram.   Meta description: Is there a way to protect our children from food allergies? Dr. Swanson explains how diet diversity at an early age can help their immune system. Join us for this episode!

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here. In today’s episode of the Gentle Parenting Show, Kim interviews Dr. Ana-Maria Temple. Dr. Temple is a holistic pediatrician, best-selling author, mother of 3, and award-winning speaker. She has appeared on over 100 TV News and Podcast segments. During her 22 year career, she has treated over 36,000 patients. Her passion is to inspire, educate and empower parents to revamp their family’s health to prevent children from developing chronic disease. Today, Kim and Dr. Temple talk about naturally preventing and healing eczema. They discuss: What eczema is Typical causes of eczema  Misconceptions when healing eczema  Healing the gut to heal eczema  Helping kids without medication  Natural remedies for pain  Our favorite quotes for the episode are “eczema isn’t a skin issue, it’s a gut issue” and “healing is giving the body the right tools and the body fixes the problem” and “be better today than you were yesterday.”    Connect with Dr. Temple  Follow along on Dr. Temple’s Instagram where she shares daily insights and tips to help your family live more holistically. Look out for her new book “Healthy Kids in an Unhealthy World” coming out on January 14th, wherever books are sold.    Apple Podcast Descriptions - 496 characters    Today Kim interviews Dr. Ana-Maria Temple, a holistic pediatrician, best-selling author, and mother of 3. They talk about naturally preventing and healing eczema. They discuss: What eczema is Typical causes of eczema  Healing the gut to heal eczema    Our favorite quote: “eczema isn’t a skin issue, it’s a gut issue” and “healing is giving the body the right tools and the body fixes the problem.”   Connect with Dr. Temple  Follow along on Dr. Temple’s Instagram where she shares daily insights and tips.

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here.   In today’s episode, we interview Emily Fletcher, founder of zivaKIDS, bestselling author and meditation expert. Emily has taught over 40,000 individuals the power of meditation including NBA players and Grammy winning artists. Together, Kim and Emily discuss why meditation matters for kids and parents - and how we can help our kids work through their emotions in a healthy way.    Emily introduces us to “Z Bunny”, her partner in helping kids learn meditation, and gives us practical tips and some very big “why’s” to helping kids practice mindfulness and meditation. Emily discusses: why meditation is beneficial to parents  how we can use meditation to become happier and more intuitive examples to our children how to change any preconceived notions you had about meditation and mindfulness    Kim and Emily use their expert knowledge in both sleep and meditation to explain the connection between the two in both kids and adults. Kim also shares some real-life examples of putting Emily’s tips into practice in her own life and business. Connect with Emily and explore her courses at ZivaMeditation.com or through her Instagram or Facebook page.   Our favorite quote from the episode: “I've had a lot of parents who have come to me and said, I am an anxious adult, and an anxious parent. I see my child being anxious and I don't really know how to help them, because I never got any help. This is a beautiful program and ZIVA kids can help not only the child, but the parent too, so that you can begin to shift together.”   Today’s episode was brought to you by Kim West’s sleep training course, Gentle Sleep Solutions. Use code PODCAST10 for $10 off the course.   

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here.   In today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show, Kim sits down with her longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Shoshana Bennett. Dr. Shosh, a clinical psychologist, is an expert on prenatal and postpartum depression and related mood and anxiety disorders. She is the author of the best-selling book “Postpartum Depression for Dummies.” Kim and Dr. Shosh discuss the difference between baby blues and postpartum depression with things to ask yourself and symptoms to look for. They cover:   Differences Between Postpartum Depression and Baby Blues Questions to Ask Yourself with Postpartum Depression Can Fathers or Adoptive Parents Experience Postpartum Depression? Shame Around Postpartum Depression and Mental Health What to Do if You Have Postpartum Depression Critical Components of Postpartum Care  Sleep and Healing and Preventing Postpartum Depression   Our favorite quotes from this episode are “(postpartum depression) is not a character weakness, this is not a flaw of some kind, and it’s not anybody’s fault. We are so quick to blame ourselves and it’s not fair.” and  “taking care of yourself isn’t just a nice thing to do for your kids, it’s essential to their well-being for you to be ok. The most responsible thing you can possibly do is get help.”   Connect and Work with Dr. Shosh Dr. Shosh is able to see patients virtually. To connect or work with her, visit her website where she has resources and consultation options for dealing with postpartum depression and anxiety.   Apple podcast description - 512 characters   Kim sits down with longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Shoshana Bennett, a clinical psychologist, They cover:   Differences Between Postpartum Depression and Baby Blues Questions to Ask Yourself with Postpartum Depression Sleep with Healing + Preventing Postpartum Depression   Our favorite quote: “postpartum depression is not a character weakness, this is not a flaw of some kind, and it’s not anybody’s fault.”   Connect and Work with Dr. Shosh Dr. Shosh is able to see patients virtually. Visit her website for resources.   

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here.    We are so excited for today’s episode of the Gentle Parenting Show with Dr. Elisa Song, MD. Dr. Song is an integrative pediatrician, pediatric functional medicine expert, and mother. She’s helped 1000s of kids get to the root causes of their health concerns and has helped parents understand how to help their children thrive - body, mind, and spirit - by integrating conventional pediatrics with functional medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and essential oils.    Kim and Dr. Song talk about medication, holistic methods, and the most important things to do to care for the whole family’s health. They discuss:  Holistic gut health for newborns  How to handle antibiotics for newborns  Reflux causes and holistic remedies  What probiotics to use for gut health    Our favorite quotes are “there is a time and place for everything. We want to make the best of all worlds and take that evidence-based approach.” and “despite our best efforts, babies will sometimes still need medicine, and I  never want any mom to feel like that’s a failure on her part. It is what it is, we do our best, and medications are still needed.”   Connect with Dr. Song Read her blog posts and shop her supplements on her website. Connect for daily tips on Instagram and Facebook.  Apple podcast description 491 characters  Today’s Gentle Parenting Show guest is Dr. Elisa Song, MD. Dr. Song is an integrative pediatrician, pediatric functional medicine expert, and mother. Kim and Dr. Song talk about medication, holistic methods, and the most important things to do to care for the whole family’s health.    Our favorite quote: “there is a time and place for everything. We want to make the best of all worlds and take that evidence-based approach.”   Connect with Dr. Song Connect to her website, Instagram and Facebook.  

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here.    In today’s episode of the Gentle Parenting Show, Kim sits down with Radha Agrawal. Radha is an entrepreneur and co-Founder, CEO, and Chief Community Architect of Daybreaker, the global morning dance, music, and wellness movement. As a mother herself, Radha is passionate about practicing joy, finding community, and being present in motherhood. In this episode they’ll discuss: What a Joy Practice Is How to Practice Joy in Parenthood Finding a Community to Practice Joy With Practicing Joy with Daybreaker    Our favorite quotes from this episode are “the more joyful we are as parents, the more our children feel that” and  “you can’t experience joy without belonging and community.”   Connect with Radha To learn more about Radha, head to her website. Participate in Daybreaker programs by learning more on their website (and using code KIMWEST for 2-months free!). Follow along with Radha on Instagram for daily inspiration.    For Apple Podcasts - 506 characters In today’s episode, Kim sits down with Radha Agrawal. Radha is the CEO, of Daybreaker, the global morning dance, music, and wellness movement. In this episode they discuss: What a Joy Practice Is How to Practice Joy in Parenthood Finding a Community to Practice Joy With   Our favorite quotes: “the more joyful we are as parents, the more our children feel that” and  “you can’t experience joy without belonging and community.”   Connect with Radha Connect on her website and participate in Daybreaker programs HERE.  

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here.    In today’s episode of the Gentle Parenting Show, Kim is joined by Amanda Gorman. Amanda is a wife, mother of two, and the host of the “Finding Your Village” podcast. She is also a childbirth educator and is passionate about birth, postpartum, and parent mental health. Kim and Amanda discuss how to find your village as a parent, and how a village is more than just people around you. They discuss: What it means to find a village Finding a village through pregnancy and birth  Using a village in parenting  How a village support the mental health of the family   Plus, you won’t want to miss Amanda sharing her life-changing “cheat-sheet” idea when it comes to self-care and mentally recharging. Our favorite quotes from the episode were “birth and the intro into parenting is all about figuring out what to do when you don’t know what to do.” and “you can create a village not by people who are by you, but you can also add to your village by information and resources that are out there.” Connect with Amanda  Listen to Amanda’s podcast “Finding Your Village” and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook for resources and tips to creating connections in parenting.    FOR APPLE PODCASTS (502 out of 512 characters)    Kim is joined by Amanda Gorman a wife, mother of two, and the host of the “Finding Your Village” podcast. They discuss how to find your village, and how it is more than just people. You won’t want to miss Amanda sharing her life-changing “cheat-sheet” idea.    Our favorite quote: “birth and the intro into parenting is all about figuring out what to do when you don’t know what to do.”    Connect with Amanda  Listen to Amanda’s podcast “Finding Your Village” and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook. 

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here.    In today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show, Kim sits down with her longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Shoshana Bennett. Dr. Shosh, a clinical psychologist, is an expert on prenatal and postpartum depression and related mood and anxiety disorders.   Kim and Dr. Shosh discuss the myths that can paralyze motherhood and deeply affect a mother’s mental health. Having myths and fantasies around what parenthood should be, or what kind of parent someone should be, can create problems that don’t even need to exist. Many women are facing postpartum depression due to myths and fantasies about motherhood. Throughout the episode, Kim and Dr. Shosh discuss different myths that are damaging in motherhood. The myths they discuss: Myths in Pregnancy and Labor Myths with a New Baby Myths About a Parent’s Self Care and Resilience  Myths in Marriage and Partnership   Our favorite quotes from the episode are “Whatever unfolds, you’ll have the resources to handle it. Don’t think of anything as ‘bad’ or you are ‘bad’” and “our worth as a parent does not change one bit based on the behavior of your child”    Connect With Dr. Shosh Connect with Dr. Shosh on her website where she has resources and consultation options for dealing with postpartum depression and anxiety.    FOR APPLE PODCASTS (472 of 512 characters) In today’s episode, Kim sits down with friend and colleague, Dr. Shoshana Bennett, a clinical psychologist. They discuss the myths that can paralyze motherhood and deeply affect a mother’s mental health. Many women are facing postpartum depression due to myths and fantasies about motherhood   Our favorite quote from the episode: “our worth as a parent does not change one bit based on the behavior of your child”    Connect With Dr. Shosh Connect with Dr. Shosh on her website.

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here.  In today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show, Kim spoke with Dr. Maryanne Tranter, an expert pediatric nurse practitioner, researcher, and parent mentor. Dr. Tranter is the founder of The Healthy Child Concierge where she helps parents with their anxieties and worries for their children and works to resolve them. She has 25 years of experience in caring for families and also teaches nursing students, trains staff in pediatric offices and has executed hospital-wide staff education. Today, Kim and Dr. Tranter discuss colic and reflux (Dr. Tranter’s speciality) and what those terms actually mean, and how you can find comfort and peace while your child is suffering with colic.    Dr. Maryanne Tranter covers a lot of information with colic, specifically: What exactly colic is (this might surprise you!) Soothing techniques for calming colic  3 common causes of colic (and what to do about them) When to get help as a parent dealing with colic   Our favorite quote from this episode with Dr. Tranter was “you are not alone, there are people that want to support you, to get to the bottom of this, there are other parents going through this as well.” and  “using these tools to decrease crying, to give babies rest and peace, to give parents rest and peace, while you’re working through getting to the root of the problem, these all can work together to help soothe the baby and you.”   Connect with Dr. Tranter If you liked hearing from Dr. Tranter, there’s many ways to connect. Check out her website for many resources about colic and the newborn stage, or connect with her on Instagram or Facebook. Download her free handout about resources to calm your colic-y baby here.

Over the course of the next 10 podcast episodes we will be revisiting some of our favorite podcast episodes on newborns in honor of those that have contributed to Kim's upcoming book on newborn sleep launching March 21st. Its available for pre-order here. In this episode of the Gentle Parenting Show, Kim sat down with Alison Escalante, MD. Alison is a Pediatrician, speaker, writer, mother and TEDx speaker. She has reached hundreds of thousands of parents with her TEDx talk “The Should Storm” (watch HERE). Alison is an expert in calm parenting and shares her mistakes, lessons and ideas through her parenting journey at ShouldStorm.com   Kim spoke with Alison about her 3-step method to help parents calmly raise their kids and ENJOY doing it. Alison was able to break down her 3-step method and discuss why the concept of “perfect parenting” is damaging to both kids and parents. We will break it down more in the episode but the 3-step method is: Sigh See Start   Our favorite quotes from this episode are “Kids don’t need perfect parents, they need messy human beings who love them like crazy” and “the most important information we have when working with our kids is never the expert advice, but we know and what we can learn about our children.”   More from Alison Escalante If you loved this episode and want more, connect with Alison on her website, Facebook and Instagram. Plus, try out here FREE parenting email course by signing up here.  

  On today’s episode of the Gentle Parenting Show, Kim is joined by Dr. Mary Wilde. Mary is an  integrative pediatrician and owner of Imagine Pediatrics Behavioral Health and Wellness. She uses a strength-based, whole-child approach to address emotional and behavioral issues in kids. Her main focus areas are anxiety, ADHD, and parenting. Today, Kim and Mary discuss:   What Is Resiliency?  Common Signs of Anxiety Strategies for Resiliency The Foundations of Anxiety and Resiliency   Our favorite quotes from the episode are “we think of resiliency as something you or your children have or don’t have when really it’s something that can be learned and it’s something that’s not fixed in certain situations.” and “it’s not about erasing anxiety from your life, it’s about knowing when anxiety comes, you will be ready.”    Mary’s Resiliency School  Mary offers a few resiliency coaching programs for both children and adults. She has intensive programs that are in-depth with personal coaching and more self-paced programs. She points out that as parents, we invest a lot in the best camps, teachers, and programs for our kids. But, if kids don’t even have emotional intelligence, they can’t reach their full potential with these things. Investing in something like resiliency will pay off in leaps and bounds for your children.    Mary also has a FREE quarterly workshop called “Parenting Anxious Kids” that you can sign up for HERE. See all of her course information on her website, Instagram or Facebook. 

On today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show, Kim is joined by Lindsey Biel. Lindsey is an occupational therapist who works at a New York-based pediatrician’s office and has been practicing for 23 years. She specializes in sensory processing issues and optimizing learning for sensory-sensitive kids. Today Kim and Lindsey combine their two specialties, sleep, and sensory processing, to share tips and tricks to get these sensory-sensitive children to sleep. They will discuss:   What is Sensory Processing? Parenting a Sensory Sensitive Child Sensory Differences and How They Affect Sleep  Sleep Strategies for Sensory Sensitive Children When Should a Child Go To An Occupational Therapist?  Connect With Lindsey If you have a sensory-sensitive child, Lindsey has many resources on her website and Facebook to help your family. 

On today’s episode of The Gentle Parenting Show, Kim is joined by Sarah Olin and Anna Conathan. Sarah is the founder and CEO of LUMO, and Anna is the co-founder, senior partner, and Chief Creative Officer of LUMO. LUMO's mission is to support women in their pursuit and creation of great lives. Today the three ladies will talk about managing expectations as parents, how to support working parents, and LUMO’s mission. They discuss: Supporting Working Parents LUMO’s Mission and What They Offer Expectations as Parents Supporting Parents Through Paradoxes    You can get the FREE “Dangerous Expectations Worksheet” RIGHT HERE.   Our favorite quotes from the episode are: “If parents are seen, heard, supported, nurtured, loved and empowered, it’s going to change the world.” and “Expectations are dangerous. 99% of the time, they lead to upset, frustration, and disappointment.”    More From LUMO If you want to learn more about LUMO’s mission,  head to their website for free resources, and tools for working with LUMO. Follow along on social media, Instagram, and Facebook for daily inspiration, tips, and support.

On today’s episode of the Gentle Parenting Show, Kim is joined by Jeanne-Marie Paynel, M.Ed, a parenting mentor and home consultant. She is the host of The Art of Parenting podcast where she guides expectant parents, caregivers, and parents of young children to better prepare their home and themselves to thrive during the first six years of life. Today, Kim and Jeanne-Marie discuss Montessori principles, and how it relates to education and sleep. They’ll debunk Montessori Myths like: Children Can Do Whatever They Want  You Need to Create Special Activities at Home   They also discuss what to look for in Montessori schooling and how to integrate Montessori at home.    Our favorite quotes from the episode are: “Montessori is about giving your children the tools and life skills to be good human beings ad to adapt to their time, place, and culture” and “there’s so much more joy and focus in Montessori because children are working on things they’re actually interested in.”   Connect More with Jeanne-Marie  Connect with Jeanne-Marie on her website or her podcast where she shares countless tips on Montessori-style living.