Welcome to the Parenting Well Podcast with the Parent Engagement Network! I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host. This podcast provides perspectives on parenting, so that you can fill your well with information, strategies, and resources that help you raise healthy, happy humans. Filling your well leaves you engaged, educated and empowered to support your children in being strong, resourceful, confident and resilient in the face of life’s challenges and adventures. Let’s fill that well!
Episodes
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network! I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Susan Caso.
Susan Caso, MA, LPC, serves as a consultant and community leader in the area of suicide prevention. Susan has provided psychotherapy to adolescents, college students, adults and families for nearly two decades. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education from the University of Colorado and has been a clinician in private practice in Colorado for 20 years She counsels clients with acute and chronic mental illnesses, earning a reputation for success in helping individuals overcome anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and unresolved issues affecting day-to-day lives. Susan imagines new tools, models, and resources to create open-hearted conversations. She works with individuals, families, and teams to eliminate the stigma of mental health issues and address the often taboo topic of suicide. A lifelong learner, Susan continues to study mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, adolescent issues, crisis management (ASSIST certified), suicidology, personality disorders, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.
In this podcast, we talk about:
- What it means to truly feel connected.
- How parenting has changed over time.
- The impact of pressure on today’s youth.
- Have you….? When are you going to….? You need to…. interactions.
- Finding the balance between monitoring/instructing and being in relationship.
- The difference between emotional transparency and vulnerability.
- Fostering your connection with your children.
- The importance of being present.
- Healthy attachment
Resources:
Website: https://susancaso.com/about/
Book: The Parent-Teen Connection: How to Build Lifelong Family Relationships
Monday Dec 16, 2024
Monday Dec 16, 2024
Thank you for joining The Parenting Well Podcast for a live conversation with Isabelle Tierney. My name is Dr. Shelly Mahon and I’ll be your host today. Isabelle will be doing a 90 minute virtual workshop on December 18th, 12-1:30. It is titled: From Surviving to Thriving: Empowering Parents to Navigate Stress and Foster Connection. You can join via zoom here:
Isabelle Tierney is a licensed therapist, stress management expert, and international speaker dedicated to helping individuals and teams thrive personally and professionally. Drawing on over two decades of experience in running a successful therapy practice, Isabelle developed the Choice Point Methodology—a simple, science-backed system that provides immediate stress relief and builds lasting resilience. Grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness, this proven three-step approach empowers people to shift from stress and reactivity to calm, clarity, and presence within minutes, no matter the circumstances.
After experiencing burnout and the toll it took on her health and relationships, Isabelle turned her challenges into a mission to transform how people approach stress. Her methodology has helped thousands—including leaders and teams in corporate and entrepreneurial roles—prevent burnout, foster meaningful connections, and embrace a life of purpose and balance.
In this podcast, we talk about:
- Isabelle's Choice Point Methodology.
- How to move quickly out of stress.
- Managing stressful situations in a way the honors the relationship.
- Strategies for dealing with overwhelm and isolation.
- Teaching your children to recognize emotional cues and get themselves out the stress response.
- Navigating stress during the holiday season.
Resources:
Book a call or apply for her program here
Friday Nov 08, 2024
Friday Nov 08, 2024
Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network! I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well sources are Amanda Giguere and Sarah Goodrum.
Amanda Giguere has been on staff at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival for 20 years. As CSF’s Director of Outreach at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Dr. Giguere oversees all education programming, including summer camps, school programs, and public lectures. She holds a PhD in theatre from the University of Colorado Boulder and teaches regularly for CU Boulder’s Applied Shakespeare certificate program. Dr. Giguere’s research and work in developing CSF’s Shakespeare & Violence Prevention has been nationally recognized. Her forthcoming book, Shakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators, will be published in 2025 by University Press of Colorado.
Sarah Goodrum is a Research Professor in the Prevention Science Program in the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Goodrum’s research focuses on violence prevention, threat assessment, homicide victimization, domestic violence, and the criminal justice system, and for the last 25 years, she has taught sociology, criminology, and criminal justice courses at CU Boulder, University of Northern Colorado, and Centre College.
In this episode, we talk about:
- CO Shakespeare Theater - Much Ado About Nothing
- The humanness of going through difficult emotions and situations and how to share your concerns.
- The importance of being sensitive to and aware of aggressions.
- The concept of rehearsal - How practice makes something less scary and builds confidence.
- What it means to be an “upstanders” and take actions to prevent harm.
- Using presence to connect with your children.
- Creating a space where your child feels comfortable sharing with you.
- Warning signs of concerning violent behavior, like school shootings.
- Resources for handling moments of violence.
Resources:
- Contact Amanda: Amanda.Giguere@colorado.edu
- Contact Sarah: Sarah.goodrum@colorado.edu
- Center for the Study of the Prevention of Violence: www.colorado.edu/CSPV
- Colorado Shakespeare Festival: https://cupresents.org/series/shakespeare-festival/
- Safe2Tell phone number, app, website: https://safe2tell.org/
- 988: Talk to Someone Now — No matter what you're struggling with, other people have felt the way you do, call 988
- Kim Scott - The 5 D’s for Upstander Strategies
Wednesday Oct 16, 2024
Wednesday Oct 16, 2024
Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network! I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well sources are Abbie Lewis and Ray Garcia.
Abbie is a youth violence prevention educator at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN.) Abbie teaches the Peers Building Justice violence prevention curriculum to middle and high school students in Boulder Valley School District. Abbie has 10+ years of teaching experience and approaches youth violence prevention education with compassion and an excitement and joy to work alongside young people, while promoting equity and amplifying youth voice.
Ray is the Creating Protective Environments Project Coordinator with SPAN. A part of the Education team, Ray also teaches topics connected to dating and sexual violence prevention throughout Boulder Valley School District. Ray has been working with youth for over 12 years, and teaching for more than 6. Ray believes that people of all ages need skills and development surrounding relationships, boundaries, and consent in order to lead safe and healthy lives. Ray approaches his work with excitement, curiosity, and an eagerness to highlight the experiences of youth.
Abbie and Ray’s talk for the Human Kindness Initiative is on October 29, 2024 from 6:30-8:30 at the Want Boulder Location
In this podcast we talk about:
- Boulder Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence
- Understanding the spectrum of healthy relationships
- Building communication, trust and empathy, while understanding warning signs
- Not living with gender stareotypes
- Undersatnding and defining boundaries with others - while taking accountability when you cross someone's boundaries
- Warning signs of an abusive relationship
- Understanding and applying consent
Resources:
- Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence
- Boulder and Broomfield counties’ domestic violence organization
- www.safehousealliance.org
- Crisis line: 303-444-2424
- Rocky Mountain Equality
- LGBTQIA+ services for youth and adults in the Colorado Front Range
- Support groups, ally groups, mental health counseling, peer community groups, adult trainings
- https://www.rmequality.org/
- OASOS
- Boulder County Public Health’s LGBTQIA+ youth-serving organization
- Peer youth groups, leadership opportunities, advocacy, support, and referrals, adult trainings
- OASOS@bouldercounty.org
- Boulder Valley Health Center
- Reproductive and Sexual Health clinic and education for youth and adults.
- https://bouldervalleyhealth.org/
- TGTHR
- Youth shelter located in Boulder and Denver
- Office: 303-447-1206
- Shelter: 303-447-1207
- Moving to End Sexual Assault
- Sexual violence resource network
- movingtoendsexualassault.org
- Crisis line: 303-443-7300
- Text: BRAVE to 20121
- Colorado Crisis Line, 988, I Matter
- Provides support with different mental health crises
- Dial 988
- The Trevor Project
- A national mental health and crisis support resource for LGBTQIA+ youth.
- Text: START to 678-678
- Crisis Line: 1-866-488-7386
- LoveisRespect.org
- Resources and activities about healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationships, boundaries, consent and safety planning.
- Text: LOVEIS to 22522
- Safe2Tell.org
- Resource for anonymous reporting
- Title IX
- This includes gender-based violence such as sexual violence (sexual harassment and sexual assault), dating violence and stalking.
- A law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools and federally funded programs.
- Entitles students to accommodations promoting safety and support in schools
- BVSD Title IX information and reporting: https://www.bvsd.org/parents-students/health-and-wellness/health-promotion-and-prevention/sexual-assault-prevention
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
“A lot can change when a parent recognizes when they might be acting from a place of - I want you to confide in me because it confirms my self image as a trusting, caring parent. Versus, when parents operate from a perspective of - I want you to confide in me to the extent that it affirms your own self-image and helps your own growth.” Ray Watson
Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network! I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well sources are Ray Watson
Raye Watson (they/them) is a 23-year-old writer and designer living in the Denver metro area. Between grassroots nonprofits and student organizations, they’ve led hundreds of hours of workshops and fallen in love with storytelling for change. Drawn to social justice by their experiences as a queer student and artist, Raye lives happily in the intersection between art, academia, and advocacy. Their diverse body of work is connected by themes of design thinking, disability equity, and gender freedom. Their whole vibe is less "sex, drugs, rock and roll" and more "naps, meds, mellow jazz."
Raye Watson’s monologue - “Gender Play & Possibility” shares an experience of negotiating limiting and pathologizing narratives to access gender-affirming care. But on the other side of transition, their new freedom to expand into their true version of being nonbinary - an experience, not of neutrality, but multiplicity.
In this podcast, we talk about:
- The variety of narratives a person experiences in the transition to non-binary or transgender.
- The difference between body dysmorphia and dysphoria.
- Issues surrounding the medical necessity of having gender dysphoria to qualify for treatment
- Gender euphoria perspectives and how informed consent models put transgender people at the authority of their own experience.
- Movement from dysphoria to liberty and freedom
- Finding authenticity of gender alongside your humanity
- How parents and young people can work together to stop the cycle of invulnerability.
- Using progressive disclosure in your parenting.
- Creating spaces for young people to engage in support groups, leadership opportunities, etc as an invitation to try different things on and see what fits.
Resources:
- Event: Transformative Stories from Transgender and Nonbinary Leaders
- Website: Modus Theater
- Email: Modus Theater
- PFlag: Our Trans Loved Ones
- All socials can be found at: @MotusTheater
Saturday Sep 28, 2024
Saturday Sep 28, 2024
Welcome everyone and thank you for joining The Parenting Well Podcast for a live conversation with Rosalind Wiseman. My name is Dr. Shelly Mahon and I’ll be your host today.
Rosalind is the best-selling author of nine books, including the New York Times bestsellers Queen Bees and Wannabes—the inspiration for the Movie and Musical, Mean Girls. She also wrote Masterminds & Wingmen, which was named Best Parenting Book by Books for a Better Life. Currently, she serves as a senior leadership consultant at the US State Department’s Office for Overseas Schools which serves over 195 schools throughout the world. She has been interviewed, profiled, in or written for The New York Times, The London Times, Atlantic, the Chicago Tribune,The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR affiliates throughout the country and many others.
In this podcast, we talk about:
- Rosalind's presentation at PEN’s kickoff of their Human Kindness Initiative.
- Creating a Culture of Dignity: giving voice to young people’s experiences and supporting educators so they can better understand how the social and emotional complexities of adolescence impact young people’s academic engagement, social competency, and well-being.
- The current landscape for young people: Unique challenges and how adults can show up for them.
- The difference between dignity and respect, and why understanding this is essential for having a good relationship with the young people.
- Concrete strategies that support young people in developing resilience.
- Fostering good communication.
- How adults can best show up for the young people in their lives.
PEN’s mission is to support parents in raising healthy, happy humans. This year’s Human Kindness Initiative is supported by an ARPA grant from Boulder County. Please check out our calendar and get yourself registered for the programs and workshops PEN has planned throughout the year.
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Hi! I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today's Well Source is Karleen Savage.
Karleen is a sought-after speaker, trainer, hostage negotiator, and conflict resolution expert with a passion for fostering peaceful, harmonious environments. Through her Savage Theory of Resolution, she emphasizes the importance of communication and collaboration in order to achieve success. Through more than 15 years of professional experience, Karleen has learned that the conflicts we experience in business are usually a reflection of the conflicts happening at home. This belief inspired her to write her book The Confident Teen Blueprint. Throughout her career, Karleen has worked with corporations, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, creating a positive environment for growth and development.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Strategies for building a healthy relationship with your child
- Overcoming conflict with the Savage Theory of Resolution
- Helping your teen share their authentic feelings rather than shifting to fit your expectations or reaction
- Listening and learning in conversations to hold the space
- Building confidence in your child by being a leader in your family
- A three pronged approach to being a leader
- Having follow through to build trust, confidence, and leadership
Resources:
Book: The Confident Teen Blueprint
Ted Talk: A Hostage negotiator on how to resolve conflict
Website: https://www.karleensavage.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karleensavage/
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Hi! I'm Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and today's Well Source is Jenn Wert. Jen has been an educator in Colorado for decades. She is a devoted parent, speaker, mentor of young teachers, writer and seeker. She has a Master’s in Education, teacher’s lens, doula’s experience, and extensive post-graduate social and emotional intelligence training. Jenn has run both for-profit and non-profit businesses built around empowering families and self-expression.
Jenn knows how to counsel parents who want to do their best by their children. She believes in not being committed not to perfection, but to a presence of mind. She has done her own deep personal work, which has allowed her to discern what really matters - authenticity, humility, and connection. As a coach, she weaves these attributes of consciousness together for families to help create parenting that’s honest, nurturing and transformative.
In this podcast, we talk about:
- Being attuned to highly emotional children.
- The importance of connection, communication, and advocacy in parenting.
- Healing your own childhood
- Practicing self-awareness
- Being mindful of acceptance, curiosity, separation, and healthy boundaries.
- the connection between shame and vulnerability.
- Bringing social emotional learning to your parenting.
Resources:
Website: www.jennwert.com
For a free consult with Jenn: www.jennwert.com/free-consult
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennwertparentcoach/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/consciousparentingsupportforparentsofyoungchildren
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-wert-a91175b5/
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Welcome! I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and this episode is with Jan Reagan. Jane is a Boulder, CO based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) who believes that food has the power to heal, and that understanding food choices, food quality and one’s relationship with food can lead to greater awareness, improved health and a more abundant life. She regularly helps individuals understand how food impacts them physically, mentally and emotionally with a “food first” philosophy.
Jane's provides incredible insights on how to recognize, address, and treat eating disorders. Please join us to learn more about:
- The importance of a holistic, mind/body approach to nutrition.
- Ways in which nutrition impacts physical and mental health.
- Tips for developing a healthy relationship with food.
- The pitfalls to dieting and what to do instead.
- Myths about eating disorders.
- Understanding eating disorders: contributing factors, signs, and treatment options.
- The importance of early intervention and how to support your child.
Resources:
Tuesday Jan 09, 2024
Tuesday Jan 09, 2024
Welcome! I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host, and I am excited to share my recent conversation with Jesse LeBeau. Jesse has a passion for supporting young people, supporting parents, and basketball. However, at 5’8” Jesse had nearly every odd stacked against him as a young and aspiring player. Despite his size and circumstances, he managed to rise above it all and became a name in the world of street ball. He's been featured on TV, film, international tours, and the Warner Brothers film “Thunderstruck". Currently, he plays himself on ‘The LeBeau Show’, a reality series that allows viewers to follow him around the country to see firsthand the major impact he is having on youth, particularly troubled teens.
While basketball is where his story began, I think what struck me the most is how he leverages his talents to serve young people and parents all over the globe. His story is one of humanity, resilience, and being your best self - even when life gets tough.
In this podcast, we talk about:
- How to really connect with your teen.
- The importance of listening and being authentic.
- How young people learn from example and ongoing communication.
- Why we can't protect our children from failure.
- How attitude and confidence are the source of getting through life's challenges.
- The importance of mentorship and purpose.
- Why you have to take action - even if it feels like you are stumbling forward.
- Strategies to leave your child with a sense of being seen and heard.
- Why we can't forget to have fun along the way.
Resources
- Website: https://www.jesselebeau.com/
- Speaking and information: https://www.jesselebeau.com/welcome
- Jesse in Action - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-IS9-a6bSQ
- The Attitude is Everything Project -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoda3EeYcCQ
- The LeBeau Show
-
Jesse’s Interviews
NBC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xlY8WX85qI
We Are Iowa Local 5 News - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUC1pEPmjJE
-
Jesse’s Other Podcasts
Darren Sugiyama - https://youtu.be/691V5_rS4Zo
David Meltzer - https://youtu.be/s5CSIxL4U2I
Charlie Rocket - https://youtu.be/Ws4Kc9q5QrA
- YouTube