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PODCAST

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron

Cindy Hovington, Ph.D.

Parents don’t snap for one reason — they snap because stress builds faster than awareness.The Reflective Parenting Podcast, hosted by neuroscientist and mom of three Dr. Cindy Hovington, helps parents understand what’s happening inside them before they snap and why recognizing it sooner is the key to change.Through personal reflections and conversations with clinicians and experts, the podcast explores why parenting feels so intense, why insight often disappears under stress, and what it means to

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

50:33

You, Your Husband, and His Mother: Untangling a...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/12/16

Send us a text Family dynamics can feel especially intense around the holidays and one of the most challenging patterns many parents face is the triangle between you, your partner, and your mother-in-law. In today’s episode, Dr. Tracy Dalgleish returns to the podcast to help us make sense of this dynamic with compassion, clarity, and evidence-based tools. In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, psychologist and author of You, Your Husband & His Mother, to unpack why the...

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27:16

Your Triggers Aren’t a Parenting Failure — They’re a...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/12/08

Send us a text If you’ve ever ended a night thinking, “Why did I snap again?” — this episode is for you. Today, we’re diving into what’s really happening in your brain and body when your child pushes your buttons. Because those intense reactions? They aren’t proof that you’re a bad parent. They’re signals from a nervous system in overdrive — and once you can recognize those signals, you can change the way you respond. We’ll talk about: Why your child’s emotions can feel like a threat to your ...

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22:34

The reason you snap at your kids (and what you can...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/12/01

Send us a text Hi Reflective Parents! This week, we are talking about something I keep hearing from parents which is snapping at our kids even when we are working on ourselves by learning about parenting or even going to therapy. You are not failing your child. You are still learning many skills that lead to you becoming more aware of your own state before you snap. In this episode, I walk you through 3 steps that might help you catch yourself the next time you snap (notice I didn't say...

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24:30

Why parenting advice won't help you stop snapping at...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/11/25

Send us a text If you keep snapping, shutting down, or feeling guilty, even though you “know” what to do... this episode will finally make it make sense. After speaking with more than 200 parents, I’ve noticed the same pattern: We are drowning in parenting advice, but no one is teaching parents the one skill that actually changes everything, how your nervous system works. In this episode, I talk about: Why you still lose patience even after therapy, courses, and all the scriptsWhat’s really h...

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49:29

What all dads need to hear about emotions and their...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/11/17

Send us a text Today on the Reflective Parenting Podcast, I’m sitting down with Dr. Brendan Kwiatkowski-Hartman to talk about something many parents quietly wonder about: Why do boys sometimes pull away emotionally and how can we support them without pushing too hard? Brendan is a researcher who has spent years studying boys, masculinity, and emotional expression. What he learned in his PhD work is both reassuring and eye-opening: boys do feel deeply, even when it looks like they’ve shut down...

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25:16

Are you having unhealthy conflict? Here's what...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/11/10

Send us a text This episode will change how you see conflict. We’re talking about the proven communication patterns that destroy connection and how to replace them with healthier ones. You’ll learn: the Four Horsemen (with real examples)how the demand–withdraw cycle keeps couples stuckthe shocking research: negative conflict literally slows wound healinghow your nervous system shapes your reactions (before your thoughts do)3 simple questions from Jefferson Fisher that can change the next conv...

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36:15

Understanding your nervous system in conflict with...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/11/03

Send us a text If you’ve ever wondered why you become a different version of yourself during conflict… this episode is going to change the way you see those moments forever. I’m sitting down with psychologists and authors Rachel Samson and Dr. Jessie Stern to unpack the science beneath conflict: your attachment history, your temperament, your nervous system sensitivity, and how all of this shapes the way you argue, withdraw, pursue, or shut down. This episode is not about “how to argue better...

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28:37

Relational Savoring: The Neuroscience of Calm and...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/10/27

Send us a text Ever wonder why some moments with your child feel effortless and deeply connected — while others leave you drained, reactive, or misunderstood? In this episode, we break down the science behind why. Dr. Jessie Stern and psychologist Rachel Samson join Cindy to explore relational savoring — a simple yet powerful way to strengthen your bond by intentionally remembering moments of warmth, safety, and love. You’ll learn how this practice calms your nervous system, reduces stress, a...

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51:17

What Many Parents Get Wrong About Toddler Behavior

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/10/20

Send us a text In today’s episode, Devon Kuntzman and I dive deep into what’s really happening inside your toddler’s brain when they lose it — and how you can respond without spiralling yourself. We unpack why your child’s meltdowns aren’t your fault, what they’re trying to tell you through their behavior, and the simple mindset shift that will change how you see tantrums forever. If you’ve ever thought, “Why is my child doing this to me?” or “I said no… why can’t they just listen?” the...

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39:12

The missing skill that helps parents and kids stay...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/10/13

Send us a text Last week, we uncovered how your child’s behaviour is really their nervous system communicating. Today, we’re going deeper, inside the body, to explore the science of interoception, the hidden sense that helps us feel and understand our emotions. My guest, Laura Petix, is back to break down how learning to tune into your body’s internal signals can transform the way you regulate emotions, set boundaries, and parent with calm. We’ll explore what the research says including new s...

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31:33

Why understanding your nervous system helps you with...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/10/06

Send us a text You’ve heard the advice: “Teach your child to name their emotions.” But what if the real secret to helping your child (and yourself) regulate emotions starts deeper inside the body? In this episode, I sit down with pediatric occupational therapist Laura Petix (The OT Butterfly) to uncover what’s really going on when kids have meltdowns, get overstimulated, or shut down. Spoiler alert: it’s not about being “bad” or “defiant.” Laura explains how your child’s behavior is actually ...

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50:41

How do we build resilience in our kids without being...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/09/29

Send us a text Do you ever hear your child say things like, “I’m such a bad kid” or “I’ll never be good at this” and your heart sinks because you don’t know what to say? You’re not alone. And this episode is about to change the way you respond. Today, I’m sitting down with award-winning science journalist and author Melinda Wenner Moyer to talk about her latest book Hello, Cruel World, a toolkit for raising confident, resilient kids in today’s messy, complicated world. Here’s the truth: ➡️ Yo...

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29:21

The Science of How Discipline and Punishment Impact a...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/09/22

Send us a text Parents, this one is big. Today we’re breaking down punishment vs discipline, what science says, how it impacts your child’s brain, and why so many of us feel stuck in the cycle of punishing even when we don’t want to. If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t want to yell, spank, or threaten…but it just slips out when I’m overwhelmed,” you are not alone. Here’s what you’ll learn today: What studies reveal about how spanking and harsh discipline change the way your child’s brain process...

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68:35

How to connect with a child that shuts you down...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/09/15

Send us a text This episode will change how you see your child’s moods and how you respond to them. If you’ve ever tiptoed around your child in the morning, worried the “wrong” cereal bowl or shirt will set off a meltdown, this conversation is for you. Joining me is Dr. Alex Reed, pediatric clinical psychologist and mom of two, who has spent years helping families understand temperament, moodiness, and emotional regulation. Together, we pull back the curtain on what’s really happening when yo...

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51:27

How music can lower stress and anxiety (for you and...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/09/08

Send us a text This episode will inspire you to see music as a powerful tool for connection, healing, and everyday parenting. It’s an invitation to play, sing, and create moments of joy with your children while learning how music can also soothe anxiety, ease transitions, and strengthen emotional bonds. And it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the real science of music therapy – far beyond entertainment and how it can transform lives across every age and stage. Joining me is Tanya Lavoie, a cer...

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54:26

Replay: Looking beyond your child's behaviour with...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/08/18

Send us a text I am going to be taking a short break. Meanwhile, enjoy this replay of one of my favourite episodes with Dr. Mona Delahooke. If you have a young child that has tantrums or that acts out in ways you don't know how to support, this episode will help you understand how to support your child in these challenging moments. Learn more from Dr. Delahooke below: https://monadelahooke.com/ More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron! Record your messag...

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34:45

Is my child ready for kindergarten readiness?...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/08/11

Send us a text Is your child ready for kindergarten from an emotional perspective? In this episode, Cindy discusses the emotional aspects of kindergarten readiness, emphasizing the importance of emotional intelligence and self-awareness in children. She introduces the tripartite model of parental socialization, which highlights how parents' emotional coping, parenting styles, and conflict resolution impact children's emotional development. The conversation also covers practical strategies for...

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27:07

A science-based tool that helps you shift your...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/08/04

Send us a text In this episode, we explore the idea of “shifting your lens” — a powerful metaphor grounded in science that helps parents understand how their interpretation of a situation shapes their emotional response. Drawing on the work of psychologist James Gross and his research on cognitive reappraisal, we break down how the lens you’re wearing (like blame, control, or shame) can fuel conflict and dysregulation, especially in moments of parenting stress. You’ll learn how to identify th...

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32:02

Can Parenting Style Differences Hurt Your Child?...

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/07/28

Send us a text Are you following positive parenting but your partner is more authoritarian? This is a common question I receive from parents and so in today's episode, I share a study that was fascinating to me. In this solo episode, I talk about how you can address parenting differences with your partner without making them feel bad, I chat about the different parenting style and I answer the question of what the long-term impacts are to having different parenting styles. S...

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19:55

How does your child respond to stress in conflict?

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron ·

2025/07/21

Send us a text Have you ever asked yourself this question? In today's episode, I give you a different perspective on your child's behaviour....understanding how they respond to conflict. This is important because it impacts their behaviour in conflict (which is what we see when they "misbehave"). I hope you enjoy this solo episode! SOURCES: I look back at my conversation with Dr. Marc Brackett as well. You can listen to this episode below in case you missed it: https://podcasts.ap...

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252 results

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