Ever felt that twinge of guilt when you consider taking time away from your family to pursue a hobby? You're not alone. As a mother of two and lifelong dancer, I recently found myself questioning whether my dance performances were worth the disrupted bedtimes and occasional complaints from my nine-year-old daughter. But what if those personal pursuits aren't selfish at all? What if they're actually essential to your BEST parenting, even?

In this episode, I flip the script and share three surprising reasons your passions aren’t selfish at all—they’re a gift to your kids. From modeling healthy fun, to showing them you’re a whole person, to teaching empathy, you’ll walk away ready to embrace your hobbies without guilt.

In a world that often equates good parenting with self-sacrifice, that might be the most valuable lesson of all.

Ready to reclaim a hobby you've been putting off?

Your children—and your future self—will thank you for it.

✨Want more?

✨ Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

Ever notice how you're stuck in a cycle of constant reminders with your kids? You’re telling them to pack their lunch, grab their cleats, finish their homework—yet you’re torn between enjoying feeling needed and resenting this never-ending role.

In this episode of Sustainable Parenting with Flora McCormick, we explore the powerful shift from being a micromanaging parent to a coaching parent. You’ll learn how to move from constant control into Positive Parenting Strategies that help kids build independence and “struggle muscles,” while also giving you more peace and freedom.

After listening, you’ll discover:

• How shifting from “fixing everything” to a coaching mindset helps kids build resilience and confidence.
• Why small struggles, like forgotten items, are valuable learning opportunities.
• Calm Parenting Tips to regulate your own nervous system so you can guide instead of rescue.
• How asking problem-solving questions empowers children more than giving ready-made answers.
• The surprising freedom that comes from working yourself out of the parenting “job.”

If you’re ready for Kind and Firm Parenting that reduces stress and builds long-term responsibility, this episode will give you the tools to do just that.

Join me next week as we discuss the woman underneath the role of mom, and how attending to yourself can help you be the calm, confident parent you want to be.

✨Want more?

✨ Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

Tired of forcing your kids to say “I’m sorry,” only to have the apology come out flat, fake, or sarcastic?

Do you find yourself insisting on the “right tone” until you are blue in the face, or even yelling at your child - and all the while the kid doesn't really seem to care?

Here's the deal, friend. Most of the time, I've found apologizing doesn’t actually teach kids responsibility. It just teaches them how to act like they feel bad.

In this episode of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast, we’ll dive into why traditional apologies are often worthless—and what to do instead.

You’ll discover two powerful steps that actually help kids take ownership of their actions: making it right (repairing the harm in a meaningful way) and making a plan (practicing what to do differently next time).

From checking in with a sibling they’ve hurt, to helping rebuild a crashed tower, to practicing a respectful “do over” when grabbing a toy—these simple strategies build empathy, accountability, and real-life problem-solving skills.

If you’re ready to stop nagging, yelling or repeating your lectures about being more nice - today is the day to end empty apologies and begin using tools that raise confident and kind kids who truly know how to take responsibility for their actions and even mistakes.

This episode is here to give you the simplified and sustainable parenting tools to unlock true maturity and growth in your child, while being the calm confident parent you've always wanted to be. 🫶🏼

✨Want more?

✨ Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

Tired of having to nag and tell your kids everything they need to do (and sometimes yelling at your kids in the process)?

Ready to set some new habits of responsibility this school year, and see your kids really step up to the plate?

This week, I’m sharing five simple habits from Raising Mentally Strong Kids that help children take ownership—while you stay calm.

You’ll learn:

• The 1 Page Miracle,

• A 4-step process for building responsibility,

• Tools to shift from “drill sergeant” to trusted positive parent guide,

• A structure to create clear agreements that end daily battles.

Get ready to raise confident, capable kids—without losing your sanity.

✨Want more?

✨ Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

Parenting disagreements can feel overwhelming — especially when emotions run high.

In this short episode of our weekly podcast, couples therapist Rachael Maher shares how understanding attachment science can bring more calm, connection, and teamwork to your marriage.

You’ll discover how parenting conflicts often go deeper than surface-level disagreements — and how to approach them with gentle parenting principles.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why parenting conflicts often hit at the “fight level” — and how to shift toward shared hopes for your children using positive parenting strategies.
• How calm parenting tips can make tough conversations about parenting more productive.
• The surprising role of attachment wounds in sparking arguments — and how they affect your parent-child connection.
• How understanding what’s behind your parenting approach can help you stop power struggles with kids and bring more alignment with your partner.

If you’ve been searching for parenting tips & tools to bring more harmony to your marriage — from parenting without yelling to strategies for raising confident kids — this episode offers insights to help you stay grounded, connected, and on the same team.

Visit littlebearcounseling.com for more information on couples therapy focused on parenting conflicts.

✨Want more?

✨ Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

That crushing moment when your child says, “I’m stupid” or “Nobody likes me” can leave you feeling helpless. You’ve tried everything — reassurance, distraction, even giving in — but the negative thought loops just won’t quit.

In this episode of the Sustainable Parenting podcast, we dive into one of the most common parenting challenges: those Automatic Negative Thoughts (what brain psychologist Daniel Amen calls ANTs) that sneak into our children’s minds. These thoughts not only affect their mood but can chip away at their confidence and cooperation.

The best part? These tools don’t just help with negative thoughts in childhood— they are a key tools for raising confident adults, giving the tools for lifelong resilience and self-confidence. Bonus - these are great tools for US to use, too (as parents). When we model these ways to decrease our own shame and blame, we help our kids to see that they can do it, also.

So if you’re ready to trade helplessness for hope, tune in.

By the time you finish listening you will know:

✨Positive parenting strategies you can start using today.

✨Four simple, science-backed tools to help your child recognize and reframe negative thinking.

You’ll discover how adding a tiny word like “yet” can shift their whole outlook, why swapping out extreme words like “always” and “never” can calm their big feelings, and how a simple butternut squash story completely changed the way I approach these moments with my own kids.

Together, we’ll explore sustainable parenting solutions that balance kindness and firmness — so your child can grow in confidence, and you can finally feel more calm, connected, and confident in your parenting.

✨Want more?

✨ Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

Ever feel like nothing works when your child lashes out—no matter how calm you try to be or how many consequences you give?

Friend, you’re not alone. And you’re not doing it wrong. This weekly podcast episode is for every parent who’s felt worn down by rude words, angry outbursts, or aggressive behavior—and is craving a better way. A way that actually works and feels good in your heart.

In this short episode, we’re digging into three common mistakes that loving parents often make (through no fault of their own) when trying to manage tough behavior in kids aged 5–12. We’ll shift the lens from “my child is being mean” to “my child is missing a skill or struggling with a need”—and that shift changes everything for parent-child connection.

You’ll hear how one simple principle—all feelings are allowed, but not all actions are—became a total game-changer for one mom I worked with. We’ll explore gentle discipline strategies that hold firm boundaries without shame or yelling, and instead respond with tools that build your child’s emotional regulation and confidence.

You’ll also learn about a favorite tool called “Bugs and Wishes,” which helps kids say what’s bothering them without name-calling, aggression, or defiance. And we’ll talk about how to stop power struggles with kids and break free from the exhausting “cuckoo cycle” of commands and consequences, stepping into calm, confident parenting that lasts.

These are Positive Parenting Strategies and calm parenting tips that help you raise confident kids, improve parent-child connection, and bring more cooperation into your home.

This is Sustainable Parenting—where you can practice kind and firm parenting, embrace parenting without yelling, and finally feel more joy and ease in everyday life.

If you’re ready for practical parenting tips & tools that actually work—and want to know how to get kids to listen while keeping your cool—press play and let’s walk this path together.

✨Want more?

✨ Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

Do you ever lie awake at night feeling like you're failing your children?

You’re not alone. Research shows a staggering 78% of mothers believe they aren’t doing enough for their kids.

But what if everything we’ve been told about perfect parenting is wrong?

This short episode of our weekly podcast delivers a truth that might just set you free: According to Circle of Security research spanning decades and thousands of families, you only need to “get it right” about 30% of the time for your child to develop secure attachment.

That’s right—30% is an A+ in the world of positive parenting strategies, calm parenting tips, and kind and firm parenting. When I first learned this as a mother years ago, I literally wept with relief. After all the books, courses, and well-meaning advice about everything parents should do perfectly, discovering this 30% threshold felt like someone had finally released the pressure valve on impossible expectations.

Even more fascinating, research from psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott on “the good enough mother” shows that our imperfections actually benefit our kids. Just as trees grown without wind eventually topple because they never develop strong roots, children need the “wind” of manageable disappointments to build what I call their “struggle muscles.” These challenges—whether it’s a meltdown, resistance, or a burst of anxiety & emotions—are how they develop resilience and confidence.

Your child’s frustration tolerance grows precisely because you aren’t perfect. As Dr. Jane Nelsen, co-founder of Positive Discipline, once told me: “The one thing parents need to do differently is stop trying to be perfect.”

If you’ve been craving real talk, parenting tips & tools, and science-backed insight on gentle parenting, this episode of the Sustainable Parenting podcast is for YOU. Subscribe for more on how to get kids to listen, how to stop tantrums, and stop power struggles with kids—all while building stronger parent-child connection, raising confident kids, and practicing parenting without yelling.

Ready for calm, confident parenting that feels lighter? Click the link in the episode notes to schedule a one-on-one session with me or one of my trained parenting coaches. Let’s make parenting easier—together.

✨Want more?

✨ Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.