Podcast Episodes

In this optimistic conversation we discuss the family’s psychological immune system and the role of both positive and adverse childhood experiences. While many adverse childhood experiences happen to our kids, parents can have much more control over creating many of the seven positive childhood experiences that support mental health. JOIN US IN ORLANDO FOR OUR FIRST FAMILY RETREAT This is our first retreat where you can bring the kids, too, and we’re hosting an incredible weekend at the Four Se...

Mistakes and Failures can be some of life’s best teachers. When it comes to letting our kids fail, how do we know the difference between letting them fail and letting them drown? What do you do if your teenager hasn’t mastered the skill of asking for help? Or, what do you say when your teen doesn’t even care? JOIN US IN ORLANDO FOR OUR FIRST FAMILY RETREAT This is our first retreat where you can bring the kids, too, and we’re hosting an incredible weekend at the Four Seasons Orlando September 3...

In the last of the 7-episode Anxiety Disruptor series, it’s time to put it all together and focus on the consistent, step-by-step approach to decreasing anxiety’s influence. Consider this a pep talk, as Lynn describes the importance of how to put a plan in place (and even write it down!), combining patience with inevitable missteps, and embracing the ongoing process. Now that all seven episodes are live, it's a great time to go back and review the earlier episodes in the series. JOIN US IN ORLA...

Anxiety makes us forget, and it’s particularly amnesiac to past successes. Helping kids work through fears and worries also includes showing them how to connect to their successes, feel masterful, and make worry less powerful when it arrives. In this episode, Lynn tells you how to build those all important reminder bridges to the past successes that anxiety wants them to forget. JOIN US IN ORLANDO FOR OUR FIRST FAMILY RETREAT Registration closes August 1st! This is our first retreat where you c...

How do we actually inspire children and teens to step in and retrain that anxious brain when worry is saying NO! The fifth of our 7 anxiety disruptors helps parents and kids get “some skin in the game.” The tactics are a bit different for young children versus teens, and rewards (OK, maybe we admit they are bribes!) have a place. Lynn talks about how to use rewards correctly and the conversations that parents must have ahead of time to increase their success. JOIN US IN ORLANDO FOR OUR FIRST FA...

Emetophobia, Astraphobia, Autophobia. Some kids became afraid of a variety of things: throwing up, needles, dogs, thunderstorms, the dark. As parents we want to help, we want to make our kids feels safe and comfortable. We want to address the worry. But how we do that often just makes the worry and fear stronger. In this episode I ask Lynn to explain her effective approach of addressing the process of worry and not the content. Because when we try to address the specifics of what our kids worry ...

Summer can be a wonderful time for playfulness and connection, but parents often feel pressure to make every minute count, every vacation fabulous. It’s a time of high expectations for parents, which means mom guilt finds fertile ground. Guilt has a purpose, but listen to what anxiety expert Lynn Lyons says about ineffective and overused guilt, how to lessen its power, and name the true emotions that come with parenting. JOIN US IN ORLANDO FOR OUR FIRST FAMILY RETREAT Registration closes August...

Is breathing used to eliminate worry? Nope, it is not. In this next episode of our 7-part Anxiety Disruptor series for families, Lynn explains how stepping into uncertainty is necessary but not always easy for kids, especially when big physical symptoms show up like tummy aches, headaches, or a racing heart. Simple breathing exercises help your child's brain and body reset, taking the body out of emergency mode and supporting the “I can handle this” approach to moving forward. We also talk about...

Got rage? When we first recorded this episode, we were in the midst of grieving for our pre-pandemic world, mixing our sadness with our anger. Sadly, reasons to feel rage continue. In this episode, Lynn talks about the anger we feel and how we bring it home to our family and children. How do you help your children through their outbursts? How do you raise kids who don’t have outbursts as an adult? How do you manage your own powerful emotions? JOIN US IN ORLANDO FOR OUR FIRST FAMILY RETREAT This...

Anxiety wants certainty, and when that’s not possible, avoidance becomes the demand. Unfortunately, as anxious families fall into patterns of avoidance, anxiety strengthens. Families need a different strategy, a way to break patterns and retrain the worried brain. In this episode, Lynn explains how to build on the first two puzzle pieces of expecting and talking to worry (our first two episodes in this seven-part series). It’s now time to DO the opposite of what worry demands: step into situatio...

Externalizing worry (and other strong emotions) teaches children and parents to take a step back and notice HOW worry and other big feelings operate. Changing the response to worry (instead of changing the environment to meet anxiety’s demands) is a powerful skill. Consistency and practice are key, and Lynn talks about how to explain and use externalizing in your family to promote emotional intelligence and management. These skills are relevant for kids and adults. JOIN US IN ORLANDO FOR OUR FI...

Today we talk about the separation anxiety parents feel around summer camp, because it really is harder on us that it is on them. How can we best prepare our own kids leaving home for somewhere new? How we can manage our worry when our kids are out of our sight? Why is it so important to learn this skill as a parent? Here is the article we mention where Lynn was interviewed in Outside Magazine talking about summer camp and technology. JOIN US IN ORLANDO FOR OUR FIRST FAMILY RETREAT This is our...

Whether you’re a loyal listener or new to the podcast, you’ll want to join us for this seven-part series on Lynn Lyon’s approach to anxiety. Each week during the summer, Lynn and Robin will talk about one of the puzzle pieces that creates an anxiety disrupting strategy for parents and kids. Together, they are the foundation for a family to shift their anxious patterns. Lynn will explain the steps in order, just as she does in her practice, so that families have the clarity, language and confiden...

Friendships and connection sustain us, but that doesn’t mean they’re always smooth or come naturally. In this episode, Lynn and Robin talk about the ways we can help foster the skills of connection, how to support our kids and teens as they navigate friendships, and why Lynn will never go on another girls weekend.

Anxiety loves certainty about where our kids are, but it comes with a price.

What role does anxiety play in your marriage?

The mom wine culture is well-rooted now, and statistics show that women are indeed drinking more, significantly outpacing men. Are women paying a higher price with their emotional and physical health? Is the Mommy Wine culture more than just a way to take the edge off a busy day? What are the warning signs moms need to heed as we navigate a stressful world with our various coping strategies? THE LATEST ANXIETY MANAGEMENT COURSE FOR PARENTS! MANAGING ANXIETY IN CHILDREN: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS Thi...

Anxiety expert Lynn Lyons talks to a listener about her 6 year old with separation anxiety. This family has been working hard on their own and with a therapist to get their daughter comfortable being away from mommy. This is a very common issue and one of the first patterns of anxiety to appear developmentally. Learn how to manage these situations and conversations with your young children and how to talk to their teachers to get everyone on the same team against letting anxiety be in charge.

What if your kid needs things “just so” or a meltdown is imminent. When your child seems to be overwhelmed easily and unable to tolerate many sensations, it is sensory processing disorder or is it anxiety? Even trickier, how does a sensory processing disorder lead to an increase in anxiety disorders in children? Anxiety expert Lynn Lyons discusses how parents can understand the difference between the two, as well as how and at what age to seek treatment and how to combat your child’s rigidity ru...

Patterns of anxiety are often passed down in families. If you are actively working to shift the culture in your family to manage anxiety, where do your parents fit in? While your parents can be supportive and helpful, some like those of this listener do not believe in “this therapy nonsense”. Anxiety expert Lynn Lyons address both the positive and negative ways grandparents get involved and how to talk to them (or when to keep them out if it). Fear of flying? Don’t go on the big family trip this...

When some children make mistakes or get overwhelmed, they jump quickly to self criticism and even self hate: “I’m terrible! I suck! You don’t love me!” What does this mean? Is it a red flag? And how should parents react? In this episode, anxiety expert Lynn discusses the traps to avoid and the family skills to promote when this dramatic pattern takes hold. Referenced in this episode: Past Episode: Helping Kids With Shame & Self-Harm The Latest Anxiety Management Course for Parents! Managing ...

Pop culture, from Mr. Rogers to Disney Pixar movies, has the power of story to teach us all…when it’s used this well.

On this Flusterclux In Session episode, anxiety expert Lynn Lyons talks to a mom who is managing a tricky combination of factors: her own worry, her daughter's worry, and her daughter’s chronic illness. Knowing the difference between what worry demands and how to manage a serious condition (like type 1 diabetes or anaphylaxis-causing allergies) can be hard to discern. But it’s a skill families must learn together when your child's mental and physical health are on the line.

Of course parents should pay attention to their family’s health. But when does your worry about illness in a global pandemic become too much? How does your health anxiety impact your family? How do we educate our kids on the ways anxiety can create physical symptoms so that they know when their worry is the cause of the tummy ache?