Podcast Episodes

The recent ABC-TV show The Parent Test has sparked much discussion, so Robin and Lynn (skeptically) decided to dive in. In each episode, parents with different “styles” of parenting are given challenges to complete with their children, and then other parents sit in judgment. What did we think? Was it awful? Exploitative? Or surprisingly enjoyable? BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focuses on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Snea...

We asked our podcast listeners to share embarrassing stories and, boy, did they deliver. Humiliating moments happen to everyone, but as you’ll notice with the stories we share, often feel so much more devastating to tweens and teens. Avoiding embarrassment isn’t possible, but helping your kids get through it with empathy and humor is. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes ...

Does you child freak out when it’s time for a shot? Or a blood draw? A strep test? And what about more extensive treatments? We’ve been getting many questions about how to approach this common and powerful fear. In this episode, Lynn the Fainter describes how to use breathing, disconnection, and the amazing power of the imagination to help kids and parents handle the unpleasantness and sometimes downright terror of medical procedures. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book fo...

Worries that show up at night seem to hold special power. They are discussed, analyzed, and often treated as a “going to sleep issue” instead of anxiety that happens to show up at bedtime. It’s understandable. Problems at bedtime are magnified by parents’ urgency to make sleep happen, our own lack of reserves at the end of the day or the middle of the night, and the material that the dark of night readily serves up to the worried imagination. How do we treat these bedtime anxieties differently t...

This is a juicy episode— and a really important one for all concerned about the mental health trends with our teens. After over thirty years in the mental health field, Lynn addresses very directly her concerns about the messages teens are receiving, and articulating, about their mental health. It's time to be candid about toxic trends, misinformation, and where our teens are heading. Can we shift this paradigm for them? BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults ...

Worry is a part of parenting and can help us plan ahead and problem solve. But when it becomes more constant, you may get stuck in a pattern of rehearsing for catastrophic patterns that aren't happening. In this episode, we break down the difference between worry that helps and worry that haunts. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them now. COMING...

We previously detailed the parenting phrases we hate (and why you should considering dropping them.) In this week’s episode, we head in the other direction: the parenting phrases we love, how they help with emotional management, and why every parent needs to have a few in your back pocket, ready to use when needed. These help for your kids whether they are 3 or 33. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Se...

Habits can be good and bad, hard to start and even more challenging to break. Our brains like them and they often serve a purpose to self-soothe. To begin the new year, we dive into habits: how to break the bad ones and develop the good ones, and what to flexibly model for our kids. BUY LYNN’S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn’s fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them now. “Once in a while a b...

For some families, holidays bring out their toughest dynamics. How do divorced parents manage a blended holiday putting their kids first? What if you have a house of angry teenagers with one of them recently in crisis? Is it possible to enjoy your holiday at home when all they want to do is fight? BUY LYNN’S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn’s fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them now. “Once...

Many listeners have asked for an episode that talks directly to teens. Here it is. With many high schoolers dealing with unhealthy stress, and worn out college students returning home for break, Lynn offers some concrete advice. There are myths to be busted, emotions to be managed, and skills to be built. Parents, you might want to listen in, too. BUY LYNN’S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn’s fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways An...

Your child won’t give away any old clothes, even though they are 3 sizes too small. Your daughter saves gum wrappers and broken crayons and stashes them under her bed. Are they hoarders? Or collectors? Is it OCD? In this episode, we talk about hoarding: what it is, what it means, and what to do. BUY LYNN’S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn’s fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them now. “Once i...

The term High Functioning Anxiety has been showing up, used to describe those that feel anxious but perform at a high level. Criteria are given, symptoms are listed. Is this a new category of anxiety and does this label offer us anything new? BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them now. “Once in a while a book comes along that instantly changes th...

Anxiety, anger— and even aggression— can hang out together. Remember, it’s FIGHT or flight, and when we combine poor emotional management and a desire to avoid, behavior escalates. But even though we understand it, it’s not a pattern to accept. In this episode we talk about how to recognize and help stop anxiety that turns aggressive. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes H...

The term “boundary” is everywhere these days. The importance of creating and setting them is being discussed all over, from therapy sessions to Tik Tok videos. But what is a healthy boundary? We’re heading into the holiday season with family visits, a perfect time for a bit of boundary talk. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them now. “Once in a ...

This episode tackles the question we hear most often from our new listeners: how do I support my anxious child? Lynn lays out the three keys for parents: information about how anxiety works, owning family patterns, and moving away from the belief that your child’s worries are unique and what must be addressed. There’s a lot parents can do to help; here’s a roadmap. Referenced Resources For You: MANAGING ANXIETY IN CHILDREN: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS The Physical Symptoms of Anxiety The Anxiety Disru...

In this episode, we talk about exercise and anxiety and our moods. One of us loves it, and one of totally gets the value but compares it to a “cat being put out in the rain.” Most of know the benefits (although there’s new research you’ll want to hear), so how do you promote the self care of you and your family with the barriers that commonly show up? How do you still make it happen? BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of Th...

We tackle the statements our friends and families use when they're staying stuck in their anxiety patterns. If you hear them or use them, listen up. We have responses ready to go. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them now. “Once in a while a book comes along that instantly changes the way you think and act for the better. The Anxiety Audit joins...

Some parenting phrases are so common, they border on cliche. And a good portion of them push all of Lynn and Robin’s buttons. In this episode we go after six of the offenders, phrases that sound harmless but are not. Listeners, you need to stop using them, and we’ll tell you why. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. Buy your copy of The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them now. “Once in a while a book...

Most have heard of exposure therapy. If you’re scared of snakes, wrap one around your neck! Afraid of elevators? Get in! Research shows that it works, but there’s more to it than just pushing yourself—or your child—into the feared situation. In this episode Lynn talks all things exposure therapy. Can you do it yourself? How hard do you push your child? And why do many therapists avoid it as much as their clients do? BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and t...

In this episode, a listener is surprised that her 8 year old is still having big meltdowns and asks if this is common in anxious. While we associate emotional meltdowns and tantrums with little children, they can happen at any age. Emotional regulation is a skill that we develop and work on throughout our lives. What can we do to interrupt our own reactive patterns, and how do we coach our kids in the skills of recognizing and then managing those big feelings? BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY A...

The decision when and if to begin therapy is often discussed, but the next steps (like when to stop) don’t get much attention. The mom of a 19 year old has found therapy very helpful for her daughter, but, she wonders, when does therapy end? In this episode we talk therapy: the different approaches, why skill-building matters, and how (and when) therapy ends. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. It's available for pre-order and arrives Oct...

Being in control sounds great, but what’s the cost of needing to control every outcome? Children raised in chaos often seek control as adults. Those raised in highly controlling environments struggle to make decisions and handle uncertainty. Can we find balance? Is there a middle ground? Calling all control freaks, this week on Flustercliux. BUY LYNN'S NEW BOOK, THE ANXIETY AUDIT Lynn's fourth book focus on adults and their anxiety. It's available for pre-order and arrives October 18th. Buy you...

Helping an anxious student requires a strong collaboration between families and schools, but so often meetings to create a plan become adversarial. In this episode, Lynn (who routinely attends such meetings) offers her key tips for how parents and schools can work together to support a child and teach the needed skills, minus the conflict and blaming. We also answer a question from a shy mom entering a new school environment. She’s socially anxious but wants to do the best for her kids. What ca...

In this episode, Lynn breaks down one of her favorite instructions to parents: talk 85% less. When parents are worried they tend to talk a lot. When they want something done and their child isn't doing it, they talk even more. Learn how asking the right questions and staying quiet can be one of the most helpful thing you can do for an anxious child or teen. We also answer a listener question about the difference between anxiety, worry and stress. THE LATEST ANXIETY MANAGEMENT COURSE FOR PARENTS...