Christmas can bring up deep emotions, powerful memories, and the challenge of balancing tradition with change.

Kate Mason opens up a thoughtful and moving conversation about what the festive season really means to different people. Through a series of deeply personal stories from guests around the world, this episode explores how families celebrate, mourn, adapt, and create meaningful holiday moments.

From honoring loved ones who are no longer here, to letting go of pressure and finding peace in presence, each guest reflects on their own traditions, some old, some new and what truly matters most during this time of year.

Whether it’s finding comfort in shared meals, or welcoming a new baby into the family, this episode is a gentle reminder that love, connection, and intention are at the heart of every celebration.

Listen For

2:08 How do childhood traditions shape the way we celebrate Christmas today?

4:50 What quirky Christmas traditions do families carry through generations?

7:07 How can we hold space for grief and joy at the same time during the holidays?

13:58 What happens when the Christmas turkey catches fire—and becomes a favorite memory?

16:14 How can the smallest traditions, like eating grapefruit, become powerful ways to remember loved ones?

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What if your Christmas chaos was actually a personality clash in disguise?

Kate Mason unwraps the four classic temperaments, choleric, sanguine, melancholic, and phlegmatic, and how they dramatically show up around the Christmas table.

With warmth, humour, and heartfelt wisdom, she explores how each personality type contributes to both the magic and mayhem of the holidays.

From the bossy boots with a stopwatch to the sparkle-loving storyteller, and the detail-obsessed decorator to the quietly supportive peacekeeper, this episode is a guide to understanding not only your family, but yourself.

Listen For

:10 What Makes Christmas Morning So Emotionally Charged?
3:15 Can You Really Change Christmas by Changing Yourself?
6:57 What Does a Choleric Personality Look Like on Christmas Day?
12:07 How Do You Handle a Sparkly, Scattered Sanguine at Christmas?
20:27 What Happens When Temperament Meets Vulnerability?

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Is your child's "sex education" secretly coming from free, violent online pornography?

Kate Mason and podcast producer Liz Keen, creator of The Reality Of podcast, joins us to uncover the shocking truth that children as young as eight, nine, and ten are accidentally, or intentionally, stumbling upon highly explicit content, citing the average age of first exposure in Australia as 13.

Liz reveals the most dangerous piece of content young people are consuming: the widespread depiction of acts like strangulation that is bleeding directly into real-life teenage sex, often without consent or knowledge of the severe, silent health risks, and argues that parents must overcome their discomfort to provide proactive, non-shaming education before the internet does.

Listen For

5:24 How common is it for young children to be viewing pornography

6:34 What shocking pornographic content are young people actually seeing

11:15 What is the average age that Australian kids are seeing explicit content

28:13 How can parents overcome the awkwardness of talking to their kids about sex and porn

35:48 Is my child seeing porn if I haven't mentioned it to them yet

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Connect with guest:Liz Keen, Podcast Strategy | Podcast Production | Media Consultant | SXSW Speaker

LinkedIn | Website | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

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Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide, self-harm, and mental health. Please listen with care.

What if your teen’s big emotions weren’t the problem, but your response was?

Kate Mason sits down with licensed therapist and author Katie K. May, a leading expert in teen self-harm, DBT, and emotional regulation. Together, they explore the often-quiet struggles parents face when their teenager is overwhelmed by big, burning feelings, what Katie calls being “on fire.”

Drawing from her personal journey and professional experience, Katie explains why some kids feel more intensely, how parents unintentionally fuel the flames, and the radical shift needed to connect with and support teens through emotional storms.

Listen For

3:36 Why do teens self-harm and what does it achieve?
7:26 How did Katie K. May overcome self-harm and trauma?
12:57 What is radical acceptance in parenting?
20:32 Why does fixing your teen often backfire?
30:15 Can stable teens still engage in self-destructive behavior?

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Connect with guest: Katie K. May

LinkedIn | TikTok | Instagram | Instagram | Facebook

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Is your baby really hungry—or just hooked on ultra-processed foods?

Kate Mason sits down with children’s nutritionist and author Mandy Sacher to unravel the tangled world of feeding babies and toddlers.

From decoding misleading food labels to tackling fussy eating head-on, Mandy shares her powerful journey, from developing childhood obesity programs with UK hospitals to launching Australia's first real food rating system.

She opens up about how her own child’s love of broccoli sparked a national movement for better children's nutrition.

Together, Kate and Mandy tackle the myths, the fears, and the everyday realities of starting solids, avoiding food-related anxiety, and raising resilient eaters in an ultra-processed world.

Listen For

3:02 Why did Mandy shift to kids' nutrition?

6:00 What’s wrong with food labels?

12:47 When should babies start solids?

19:10 How can parents stay calm at mealtimes?

34:34 When does picky eating start?

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Connect with guest: Mandy Sacher | Pediatric Nutritionist and Chief Nutrition Officer

Website | Instagram | Real Food Rating Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

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This is an episode originally published in November 2024. It is one of my most popular.

Are you tired of living with your adult kids? The phenomenon of adult children living at home with their parents has become increasingly common, leaving many to wonder: is this the new normal?

Kate looks at the realities of adults living with their parents, whether due to economic challenges or shifting cultural norms.

Joined by life coach Jeanine Mouchawar, they discuss how to navigate this complex dynamic with grace and mutual respect.

From reshaping communication styles to setting boundaries and fostering independence, this episode is packed with practical advice for parents and adult children.

Listen For:

7:06 Parental expectations vs. economic realities

13:56 Resetting boundaries

17:51 Avoiding conflicts: Top communication strategies

22:32 Sitting in the hole: How to truly support your child

Guest: Jeanine Mouchawar

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Website | Website |

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Is Christmas your calm or your chaos?

Kate Mason welcomes returning couple therapists Helen and Shahn to unpack why the festive season so often becomes a pressure cooker and how couples can reclaim it with clarity and compassion.

They share their own blended-family reset, choosing Christmas morning at home to create sleep, sanity, and new traditions.

From end-of-year exhaustion to old family roles that snap back under one roof, they explain how reactivity takes over and how to stay “untangled” by planning ahead, agreeing on boundaries, and responding by values.

You will hear practical scripts like saying “ouch, that is sharp,” advice for united communication with parents and in laws, and survival tips that include pre warning, lightening the alcohol, and offering grace when family of origin ghosts appear.

The result is a toolkit for couples who want a kinder, more intentional holiday season.

Listen For

3:00 How do you create new Christmas traditions when old ones no longer work?

7:28 Why does Christmas bring back old family roles and tension?

11:00 What should you do if you're stuck with a toxic relative during dinner?

23:42 How can couples set boundaries with their families around Christmas?

30:13 What are the best survival strategies for a smoother festive season?

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Connect with guests:

Shahn Baker Sorekli, Director | Author | App Founder | Clinical Psychologist | Couples Therapist | Board Approved Supervisor

Shahn's LinkedIn

Helen Robertson, Director | Clinical Psychologist | Author | Advanced Certified Schema Therapist | Schema Certified Supervisor | Board Approved Supervisor

Helen's LinkedIn

The 8 Love Links Book | Website | Instagram |TikTok |Tiktok

Contact Kate:

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Is your partner your teammate… or just your roommate?

Kate Mason dives deep into why so many loving couples start to feel emotionally disconnected—not because of conflict, but because of neglect.

With warmth and insight, Kate introduces the "Five-Minute Personality Check-In," a powerful weekly ritual that helps couples realign, reconnect, and stay curious about each other, even when life gets chaotic.

She explores how our unique personality types shape how we connect (or clash), revealing practical tools to bridge the gap between introverts and extroverts, thinkers and feelers, planners and free spirits.

If your relationship feels more functional than emotional lately, this episode offers a refreshingly simple yet powerful way to find your way back.

Listen For

6:57 How do introverts and extroverts experience connection differently?

9:26 How do thinkers and feelers misread each other’s intentions?

11:52 Why does planning the week create conflict for some couples?

14:15 What are the three questions in the Five-Minute Check-In?

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Contact Kate:

Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X