145. How to Make Peace With How Motherhood Changes You

151. Why You Don't Have to Believe Everything You Think

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2042151/fan_mail/new] In this episode, I walk you through where negative thoughts actually come from, why your body reacts to a scary thought as if it's really happening, and why trying to force them out only makes them louder. We look at the difference between a fact and a thought that distorts that fact toward the negative, and I give you a set of questions you can run any thought through to decide whether it deserves your attention. This is the foundation underneath so much of the work we've done since, and even if you heard it when it first came out, I have a feeling it will meet you somewhere new this time. (This is an encore episode that will help remind you how to work with your thoughts!) If you'd like to get the show notes for this episode, head to:  https://leighgermann.com [https://leighgermann.com/]

150. Why You Stress, and How to Feel More in Control

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2042151/fan_mail/new] In this episode we walk you through what's actually happening in your brain the moment stress takes over, and why your reactions make complete sense once you understand the system underneath them. I'll show you the five ways your nervous system steps in to protect you and why your thinking brain goes quiet right when you need it most. We'll look at one surprising trigger behind so much of our daily stress, and I'll give you a simple shift that turns a moment of being hijacked into a moment of choice. You'll leave understanding your stress response as a protector rather than an enemy, and that understanding is where resilience begins. If you'd like to get the show notes for this episode, head to:  https://leighgermann.com [https://leighgermann.com/]

149. How to Make Screens Work For Your Family This Summer

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2042151/fan_mail/new] Screen time doesn't have to be a source of guilt, negotiation, or constant battle — and the research is finally catching up to what many moms already sense. In this episode, we walk through a values-based approach to family screen use this summer, including why screen-free days aren't automatically good days, what screens as a reward are actually teaching your kids, and how to run a family screen meeting that gets everyone on the same page. Whether you're dealing with a younger child or a teen, this episode gives you a practical framework for making screens work for your family — not against it. If you'd like to get the show notes for this episode, head to:  https://leighgermann.com [https://leighgermann.com/]

148. How to Make Summer Less Stressful

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2042151/fan_mail/new] It's the end of May and I've been sitting with moms all month who are half excited about summer and half quietly dreading it — and I noticed the same handful of questions coming up again and again. So in this episode I take the most common summer struggles I hear from real moms and work through them together, because there is something genuinely helpful about knowing that what you're carrying isn't a personal failure — it's a shared experience. We look at why summer actually feels harder than the school year from a nervous system standpoint, how to build a loose rhythm that keeps the overwhelm from taking over, why needing space from your kids is not a sign of insufficient love, and why filling every gap of your children's days is doing them less good than you think. This is a practical, honest conversation about surviving and steadying yourself through the season   ** Free Download**  The Answer Guide to the Top 10 Questions of How to Survive the Summer   Get it in the show notes at LeighGermann.com Epsiode 148 If you'd like to get the show notes for this episode, head to:  https://leighgermann.com [https://leighgermann.com/]

147. How to Get Back on the Same Side as Your Body

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2042151/fan_mail/new] So many of us moms are trying to build resilience while living completely disconnected from our own bodies. We push through stress, override exhaustion, ignore anxiety, and keep functioning until our nervous systems finally demand our attention. In this episode of Leadership Parenting, we explore the powerful connection between resilience, nervous system regulation, and body awareness. Drawing from neuroscience research on interoception, emotional regulation, and Polyvagal Theory, we look at how the body detects stress before the mind fully processes it, why chronic overwhelm impacts emotional resilience, and how learning to listen to your body can help you feel calmer, steadier, and more emotionally regulated. I also share practical resilience tools from the Self-Awareness pillar of the Resiliency System, including simple body check-ins, grounding breaths, and awareness practices that help moms reduce stress reactivity, strengthen emotional resilience, and reconnect with themselves in compassionate, sustainable ways.  If you'd like to get the show notes for this episode, head to:  https://leighgermann.com [https://leighgermann.com/]