Podcast
Peace and Parenting: How to Parent without Punishments
Hosted by Michelle Kenney, M. Ed · EN
Are you sick of parenting with the ideas of yelling and shame and looking for something that feels better, is different, but still has a sense of boundaries and limits?
Welcome to Peace and Parenting! Michelle is a former teacher, counselor, certified parenting coach, mom of two teens, recovering yeller, and perfectionist who parents without using punishments altogether. And guess what? It works! On this show, you’ll learn the how behind having kids who are entirely UNPUNISHED but who are also successful, kind, loving, and know how to follow directions.
Once a week, Michelle shares her insights and expertise on connective parenting through solo episodes and interviews with experts and other struggling parents. If you have exhausted all other options and don't know what to do next, this could be the parenting strategy you've been searching for.
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Play Instead of Punishment
6d ago00:18:38Tap to summarizeWhen your child is being hard, what is the first tool you reach for? A countdown. A consequence. A lecture. A raised voice. Almost every one of those is a version of the same instinct: when my child gets hard, I get harder. It makes complete sense, because that is exactly what we were taught to do. In this episode, I am making the case for the opposite. The single most powerful thing you can do in your hardest parenting moments is not bring more pressure. It is to bring more play.I know exactly what some of you are thinking: play rewards bad behavior. Actually, it does the opposite. A hard behavior is a child who is stuck, and play dissolves the stuckness. Hard moments call for seriousness. Actually, a serious face reads as more of a threat to your child's nervous system, and threat escalates behavior. Play is for little kids. Your teenager did not stop playing. You did.This episode dismantles the three biggest myths that keep parents stuck, then hands you the tools to try tonight.Download the Play GuideJoin us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on ZoomInterested in coaching? Let's have a conversationCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →
Your Neurodivergent Child Doesn’t Need a Different Parent
2w ago00:20:34Tap to summarizeWhen Cammie's son began struggling with school, anxiety, and sensory challenges, she heard the same message so many parents hear: maybe he needed a different approach. But instead of abandoning connection, she leaned into it, and watched something remarkable happen.In this episode, Coach Cammie shares her family's journey, from heartbreaking school drop-offs to the moment her son was finally ready to walk into school on his own. Together, we explore why neurodivergent children don't need a different kind of parent, they need the same foundation of connection, offered with even more understanding, patience, and trust.Join us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on ZoomInterested in coaching? Let's have a conversationCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →
Your Child is Not Disrespectful, They Are Dysregulated.
3w ago00:24:37Tap to summarizeFor years, I believed that when my daughters pushed back, they were being defiant. Then one afternoon at the American Girl store, my youngest daughter had a public meltdown that completely changed the way I understood children's behavior and my role as a parent.In this episode, I'm sharing why behavior is communication, not defiance, and how learning to read the message beneath your child's actions can transform your relationship. I'll walk you through the mindset shifts and practical tools that helped me stop fighting the behavior and start understanding the child underneath it.Join us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on ZoomJoin our Skool CommunityCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →
Breaking the Cycle: How to Parent Differently Than You Were Parented (with Coach Tim)
4w ago00:18:16Tap to summarizeIf you've ever caught yourself saying the very words you swore you'd never say to your child, you're not alone. I've been there too. In this episode, we’re sharing why breaking generational parenting patterns isn't a matter of trying harder or having more willpower. It's about recognizing the blueprint you inherited and learning how to write a new one. Through personal stories, research, and years of coaching parents, We’ll help you understand why old reactions surface so quickly—and why that doesn't mean you've failed.We'll walk you through the hidden ways inherited patterns show up in everyday parenting, explain why awareness alone isn't enough to create lasting change, and share practical tools you can begin using today. Breaking the cycle doesn't happen through perfection—it happens one small moment at a time, as you learn to pause, repair, and choose a different path for yourself and your children.Join us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on ZoomInterested in coaching? Let's have a conversationCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →
The Quiet Child Nobody Worries About: What's Actually Going On
Jun 3000:18:30Tap to summarizeMost of us were raised to believe that a "good" child is a calm child, who does not push back, does not melt down, does not make the adults around them uncomfortable. We have spent generations praising children for the absence of need. But the absence of need is not the same as the absence of pain. There is a kind of child (and you may have one in your house right now) who looks easy from the outside. But underneath, she is doing a job. She is scanning the room. She is reading your face when you walk in from work. She is calibrating which version of herself is allowed today. That child is not calm. She is hypervigilant. And the cost of hypervigilance always gets paid somewhere, usually in adulthood, usually in a therapist's office twenty-five years later.In this episode, I'm walking through how people-pleasing actually installs in a child's nervous system, why the loud kid who falls apart with you is often safer than the quiet one who has stopped asking, and the five patterns that quietly turn a child wired toward attunement into a child who is permanently scanning. I'll also share the story of a mom who came to coaching about her eleven-year-old daughter, the easy one, the mature one, and what she discovered about her own childhood along the way.Resource shared in this episode: Download our Shame Free Home GuideJoin us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on ZoomInterested in coaching? Let's have a conversationCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →
The Hidden Cost of Emotionally Immature Parents (And How to Stop Passing It On)
Jun 2300:18:02Tap to summarizeMany of us grew up in homes where emotions were dismissed, mistakes were punished, and children learned to manage the feelings of the adults around them. As parents, we often recognize those patterns intellectually, but recognizing them and changing them are two very different things. In this episode, Michelle explores the long-term effects of growing up with emotionally immature parents and why awareness alone isn't enough to break the cycle.In this episode, we share the practical work of healing childhood wounds while raising children differently. We explain why our biggest parenting reactions are often connected to unresolved experiences from our own childhood, and we show you three powerful practices that help parents interrupt old patterns in real time, repair relationship ruptures, and begin the deeper process of reparenting themselves.Join us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on ZoomInterested in coaching? Let's have a conversationCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →
Why Calling Your Kid "Difficult" Changes Who They Become
Jun 1600:18:38Tap to summarizeSomewhere along the way, maybe out loud, maybe just in your own head, you started calling one of your children the difficult one. The intense one. The spirited one. The one with the issues. And you love them, of course you do. But quietly, where no one can see, you have wondered if something is wrong with them. Or with you. Or with both of you. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone, and there is nothing wrong with you. This is one of the most invisible patterns in modern parenting, and it takes real work to see.In this episode, I'm walking through what the label is actually doing to the child you're trying to help. We'll cover the science of how a parent's expectations physically shape who a child becomes, the five patterns good parents fall into without realizing it, and the five-step roadmap to break the cycle starting this week. I'll also share the story of a mom in our community whose seven-year-old had been the family "problem" for years, the emails from school, the bedtime wars, the dinner refusals, and the single tool that changed everything.Join us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on ZoomInterested in coaching? Let's have a conversationCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →
The Manipulation Myth: What's Really Happening When Your Kid Acts Out
Jun 900:14:48Tap to summarizeI had been told the same story since I became a mom: “children are manipulative”, “They do that on purpose”. I believed it. I bargained and threatened, my daughter melted down harder, and the wall between us got higher. I had been told kids push their parents because they want the power, so I tried to take the power back. It didn't work. It actually never works, because that is not what is really happening,In this episode, I'm walking you through what is actually happening. We'll cover the neuroscience of why your child genuinely cannot manipulate you the way a grown adult can, the translation guide for the behaviors that look most manipulative (from the meltdown over cereal to the "you don't love me" line), and the response protocol you can use today. There is so much we can find out when we ask the right question.Join us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on ZoomInterested in coaching? Book a Discovery Call with me at michelle@peaceandparentingla.comCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →
Why Your Child Listens to Everyone But You (And What to Do About It)
Jun 200:12:29Tap to summarizeWhy does my child listen to everyone but me? I remember being there myself. I was a teacher and counselor for thirteen years before I had kids, and I could not get my own oldest daughter to cooperate for five minutes. I thought, I am trained for this. What is wrong with me? Nothing was wrong with me. And nothing is wrong with you.The truth is, what most of us were taught about cooperation is wrong. Cooperation isn't something you demand, it's something you grow. In this episode, I'm walking through the neuroscience of why your child saves their worst behavior for you, the five most common cooperation drains in our homes, and the five-step road map I teach my clients to flip the dynamic. I'll also share the story of a mom whose seven-year-old went from a nightly bedtime war to brushing his teeth before she even asked, and the one small shift that changed it.Download our Guide to CooperationJoin us on our Weekly Training this Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on Facebook & ZoomInterested in coaching? Book a Discovery Call with me at michelle@peaceandparentingla.comCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →What You're Doing to Keep Them Safe Is Making Them Fragile
May 2600:21:11Tap to summarizeThe week before my oldest daughter left for college, I caught myself reorganizing her room, repacking her bags, sending her articles she didn't ask for. And I realized standing in her doorway one night, she was ready. She had been ready for a long time. I was the one who wasn't ready to let her go. What hit me hardest wasn't the goodbye. It was the recognition that for years, I had been fighting the same quiet battle inside myself: the pull to manage, the pull to control outcomes, the pull to step in just one more time so things didn't go sideways.In this episode, I'm walking you through what I now teach parents inside one-on-one coaching about raising a genuinely resilient kid. We'll cover the loving belief almost every parent holds that's quietly making their child more fragile, the brain science of "tolerable stress" and why your child's prefrontal cortex actually needs struggle to grow, the difference between abandoning and over-helping (a sweet spot I call connected courage), and the five shifts that change everything. This isn't about being a harder parent. It's about finally trusting the child you've been raising all along.Download our Empathy GuideJoin us on our Weekly Training every Thursday at 9:30 am PT live on Facebook & ZoomInterested in coaching? Book a Discovery Call with me at michelle@peaceandparentingla.comCheck out my book UNPUNISHEDFollow Peace and Parenting:Instagram: @peaceandparentingFacebook: @peaceandparentinglaYouTube: @peaceandparentingla💌 Enjoy today’s episode? Please share it with a fellow parent or leave a rating and a review.Feeling called to bring this work to other parents? Our Coaching Certification Program trains you to do exactly that. DM me CERTIFICATION on Instagram for details.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →