Parenting Well Podcast

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Lisa Kaplan. Lisa is a Registered Nurse and Life & Mental Wellness Coach dedicated to supporting families through life’s pivotal transitions. With a background grounded in both healthcare and emotional wellness, Lisa brings a unique blend of clinical insight and compassionate coaching to her work.

She specializes in helping parents navigate the often complex shift from raising children to relating to young adults, a season filled with pride, uncertainty, grief, growth, and opportunity. Through her work, Lisa empowers parents to move from control to collaboration, from directing to guiding, and from parenting to partnership.

At our conference, she will present “From Parenting to Partnership: Navigating the Transition to Adulthood,” offering practical tools and mindset shifts to help families foster independence while preserving connection.

Register Here

In this podcast, we talk about:

• How anxiety shows up differently for people
• Ways to tap into your innate health
• Physical manifestations of anxiety
• How thinking creates our reality
• The shift in sitting with your feelings long enough to have trust and confidence in your child 
• Recognizing places to let go of control
• Ways the parent-child relationship changes as children move into adulthood
• The impact of making deposits and withdrawals in your relationship with your child
• Developing agency in your child’s decision-making

Resources:

• Book a free discovery call
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

 

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Marie Nowacki Ford.

Marie is a postpartum doula, new parent educator, and certified Child Passenger Safety Technician based in Boulder, Colorado. She supports families through the emotional and practical transition into parenthood, with a focus on reducing stress, building confidence, and creating sustainable support systems during the postpartum period.

Marie’s work centers on helping parents navigate anxiety, overwhelm, identity shifts, and the often-unspoken challenges of early parenting. Through overnight support, newborn education, and holistic care, she empowers families to feel more grounded, capable, and connected during one of life’s biggest transitions.

Marie also specializes in supporting grandparents as they navigate new roles, boundary setting, and effective communication, which she’ll speak about at the Reducing Stress & Anxiety Conference on February 28th.

Register Here

In this podcast, we talk about:

• What it means to be a postpartum doula
• Stressors that show up for new parents with their own parents and grandparents
• How to set and hold healthy boundaries with parents, grandparents, or even strangers
• How postpartum doulas support the family holistically
• Myths about being a new parent
• The network that is available through a postpartum doula 
• How to recognize postpartum depression

Resources

• Website
• Meet your Doula
• Instagram
• Bornbir

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Jenny Hecht.

Jenny Hecht is a licensed therapist and parenting expert who specializes in helping families navigate anxiety, emotional regulation, and the everyday challenges of raising kids in a high-pressure world. With a warm, practical approach, Jenny supports parents in understanding what’s driving their child’s behavior and how to respond in ways that build resilience, connection, and confidence. Her work bridges clinical insight with real-life parenting tools that actually work when things feel messy. Jenny will also be speaking at PEN’s Stress and Anxiety Conference on Feb 28th at Dawson School in Lafayette, Colorado.

In this podcast, we talk about:

• Of course you feel that way. The power and purpose of compassion.
• The brain science behind our stress response
• The four choices: Fight, flee, freeze, or fawn
• Ways to be human first
• How self compassion benefits individuals and relationships
• The dissonant aspects of our nervous system and how to come back to connection
• How to model emotional regulation
• Developing your emotional vocabulary
• Ways to lay the groundwork for children to become young adults
• Creating time and space for your relationship with your child.

Resources:

• Stress and Anxiety Registration
• Jenny's Website
• Jenny's LinkedIn
• How We Feel App
• Book: Permission to Feel: The Power of Emotional Intelligence to Achieve Well-Being and Success by Marc Brackett

 

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Dan Fox. Dan has spent over 25 years working with adolescents and their families as they navigate the ups and downs of growing up. He’s been a high school teacher, summer camp director, school counselor, and the director of September High School—so he really understands teens from the inside out.

As a Licensed Professional Counselor, Dan brings that experience into his work with families, grounded in the belief that there is hope for teens and real relief for parents. He works with adolescents, young adults, couples, and families, and supports schools and organizations through workshops and parent coaching as well.

Dan also has a podcast called Therapy Dudes with Andre Karkamaz. They put the fun back in dysfunctional as they talk about how to navigate your inner and outer world to move forward in life.

In this podcast, we talk about:

• The cumulative effect of anxiety on our nervous systems.
• Being attuned to our kids.
• Being intentional about our relationship with our children, including the tone we set with them.
• Interacting with your children differently as they move from childhood to adolescence.
• Fueling more than steering our teens.
• Strategies to regulate yourself - stay centered or recenter.
• Training ourselves to react to negative energy differently - not taking it personally.
• Handling situations that you feel have crossed the line.
• Repairing the relationship when things haven’t gone as well as you would have liked.
• Owning your own stuff without making it transactional - i.e., expecting something from the other person.

Resources:

Website: Boulder Psychological Services

Podcast: Therapy Dudes with Dan Fox and Andre Karkamaz

10 Annual Reducing Stress & Anxiety Conference: Fostering Resilience & Wellbeing at Every Stage of Parenting

 

Welcome to the Parenting Well podcast with Parent Engagement Network!  I am Dr. Shelly Mahon, your host and today’s well source is Bobby Hodgkinson.

Bobby is a Teaching Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he has been on the faculty since 2012. A graduate of CU Boulder, he holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, with deep experience in hands-on research and applied engineering.

Today, Bobby focuses on experiential learning, helping his students learn not just what to think, but how to think, through project-based courses and capstone labs. He is deeply engaged in integrating generative AI tools into education, including the development of AI-based tutoring systems. His work explores how AI can support learning without replacing critical thinking. 

Recently, he co-led a workshop for the Parent Engagement Network on navigating AI and Building a Parenting Workbook. In this podcast, Bobby brings a rare blend of technical expertise, teaching experience, and practical insight to help parents understand how AI works, where it helps, where it falls short, and how they can guide their children to use AI thoughtfully, responsibly, and creatively in a rapidly changing world.

In this podcast, we talked about:

• The evolution of AI in schools
• AI as an enhancement mechanism
• The risks associated with AI
• How to talk to your children about AI
• Teaching your children to think in the world of AI
• The importance of practicing with AI and using it with your children
• Why building a community of parents helps you navigate this journey
• Maintaining the human element when using AI

Resources:

• CU Boulder Profile
• LinkedIn Profile
• Bobby's Research Profile

Michael Whitaker, who goes by Whit, is a sustainability and innovation leader with a strong academic background in civil and environmental engineering, capped by a PhD in sustainable urban infrastructure. He founded a company dedicated to measuring urban sustainability, which was acquired by ICF International in 2012. Currently, Whit leads organizational innovation and AI strategy at ICF, a $2 billion professional services and technology firm. Beyond his corporate role, he authors a Substack newsletter, Navigating AI Transitions with Whit, where he explores how AI affects work, parenting, and education. Based in Boulder, Colorado, he’s also an engaged parent and advocate for integrating AI responsibly in schools. Whit will be doing a workshop on Navigating AI: Build Your Parent Playbook. Turn uncertainty into clarity, confidence, and empowerment On Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Register Here: https://parentengagementnetwork.org/navigating-ai/

In this podcast, we talk about:

• How society is adapting to AI.
• Leaning into a rapidly changing and unknown area.
• Conversations to have with your children.
• Timeless lessons you are already teaching your children that can be applied to AI.
• Three important conversations you need to have with your children.
• Maintaining creativity, mastery and grit in learning.
• Staying grounded in family values.
• The real risks to children and how to navigate them.
• Understanding what you are gaining and giving up when you use AI.
• Waypoints that can serve as boundaries for engaging with AI.
• Applying what you already know works to talk to your children about hard things.

Resources:

1. Substack Newsletter: Navigating AI Transitions with Whit
2. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwhitakericf/
3. Email: mbwhit10@gmail.com

Direct links to some of Whit’s most relevant Substack posts:

Back to School with AI: The Clarity Crisis: school AI policies are buried - if you can't explain it in 30 seconds, you've already lost parents and students.

The AI Values Gap, Reflected: AI policies should be grounded in the broader values of the district / school and their educational philosophy - not isolated to a technology issue.

The AI Policy I Shared with My School Board: here's the language I shared with BVSD's board for an overall policy that would balance preparing our students to engage with AI with teacher autonomy in the classroom.

Beyond AI Literacy: A Future-Ready and Protective Framework for Schools - starter ideas including model language for how to integrate AI into cross-disciplinary academic standards to prepare students for the AI-infused world they are entering while protecting their developing minds by building AI-oriented lessons into social emotional learning domains.

How to Start Changing the AI Dynamics in School this Fall - a couple ideas for in classroom ways to start integrating AI.

Wake Up with Whit: Preparing Kids for AI While Protecting Their Developing Minds: a ten minute coffee-talk style video post discussing the imperative for schools to both Prepare kids for the AI future and Protect their developing brains with examples of how some teachers are doing this well now.

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:

1. What it means to truly feel connected.
2. How parenting has changed over time. 
3. The impact of pressure on today’s youth.
4. Have you….? When are you going to….? You need to…. interactions.
5. Finding the balance between monitoring/instructing and being in relationship.
6. The difference between emotional transparency and vulnerability.
7. Fostering your connection with your children.
8. The importance of being present.
9. Healthy attachment

Resources:

Website: https://susancaso.com/about/

Book: The Parent-Teen Connection: How to Build Lifelong Family Relationships

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

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:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88074983845...

Meeting ID: 880 7498 3845

Passcode: 950029

 

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: 

Isabelle's Website

Book a call or apply for her program here

 

 

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

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