The Child Psych Podcast

If every request turns into a battle, mornings feel like a marathon, and you're constantly walking the line between staying calm and completely losing your patience, you're not alone.

In this episode of The Child Psych Podcast, psychologist Tania Johnson sits down with parenting educator Kirk Martin, founder of CelebrateCalm, to explore why some children seem to push every button—and what parents can do instead of yelling, threatening, or repeating themselves for the tenth time.
Kirk shares practical, down-to-earth strategies for parenting strong-willed, highly sensitive, and emotionally intense children. Together, he and Tania discuss why traditional discipline often backfires, how parents can become the calm anchor their children need, and simple ways to reduce daily power struggles while building trust and cooperation.

Rather than trying to control children's behaviour, this conversation focuses on understanding what's driving it and responding in ways that help children develop emotional regulation, confidence, and resilience.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why some children are naturally more intense, persistent, or emotionally reactive.
How to stop getting pulled into daily power struggles.
Practical ways to stay calm when your child is escalating.
Why connection creates more lasting change than constant correction.
Simple phrases that de-escalate conflict and encourage cooperation.
How to build your child's emotional regulation while strengthening your relationship.
Small changes that can make family life feel calmer and more connected.
Whether you're parenting a toddler with big feelings, a school-aged child who argues about everything, or a teenager who seems impossible to motivate, this episode will leave you feeling understood—and equipped with practical tools you can start using today.

Kirk Martin is the founder of CelebrateCalm and one of North America's leading parenting educators, known for helping families reduce power struggles and create calmer, more connected homes. Drawing on decades of experience working with strong-willed children, he shares practical, compassionate strategies that help parents respond with confidence instead of frustration.

To learn more about Kirk or explore his parenting resources, click here.
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When the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dan Shapiro was simply looking for something meaningful to do with his son. What began as an after-school chess club quickly turned into an unexpected journey that challenged everything he thought he knew about intelligence, learning, and what it really means to help a child thrive.
In this episode of The Child Psych Podcast, psychologist Tania Johnson sits down with Dan, author of Decoding Genius: The Unexpected Lessons of After-School Chess Club, to explore the remarkable lessons hidden within one of the world's oldest games. Driven by his son's growing passion for chess, Dan immersed himself in the fascinating history and science of the game, uncovering stories of blindfold chess masters, child prodigies, remarkable feats of memory, and the surprising reasons cultures around the world have long viewed chess as a powerful tool for developing the mind.
But this conversation isn't really about raising chess champions.
It's about raising children who can think ahead, tolerate frustration, recover from mistakes, embrace challenge, and discover the quiet confidence that comes from mastering something difficult. Together, Tania and Dan explore why meaningful struggle is essential for healthy development, how chess strengthens executive functioning and emotional regulation, and what every parent can learn from a simple game played across a checkered board.
In this episode, you'll learn:

How one family's pandemic chess journey became a lesson in resilience, confidence, and connection.
Why chess develops much more than strategic thinking.
The fascinating history of chess and why it has captivated brilliant minds for centuries.
How children build executive functioning through planning, pattern recognition, and decision-making.
Why mistakes, setbacks, and losing are essential ingredients for growth.
How parents can foster curiosity, perseverance, and a love of learning without creating pressure to perform.
Why the greatest lessons children learn through chess have very little to do with winning.

Whether your child is already a chess enthusiast or has never played a single game, this conversation will inspire you to think differently about challenge, mastery, and the hidden moments that shape a child's developing mind.

Dan Shapiro is an author, entrepreneur, and lifelong student of learning and human potential. Inspired by his son's journey into competitive chess during the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote Decoding Genius to explore the surprising ways chess develops resilience, creativity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.
To learn more about Dan or to purchase Decoding Genius: The Unexpected Lessons of After-School Chess Club, click here.
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Your teenager barely leaves their room. They're gaming for hours, avoiding school, pushing every button, and every conversation ends in an argument. You've tried consequences. You've tried backing off. You've tried talking, therapy, and taking devices away. Yet nothing seems to change.
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone.

In this episode of The Child Psych Podcast, psychologist Tania Johnson sits down with family therapist Dr. Scott Sells, author of Parenting Your Out-of-Control Teenager, to discuss what parents can do when they feel like they've lost both their authority and their connection with their teen.

Rather than focusing on quick fixes, Dr. Sells explains why so many families become trapped in cycles of conflict and power struggles. Together, they explore how anxiety, gaming, depression, trauma, entitlement, and family dynamics often become intertwined, making it difficult for parents to know where to begin. Most importantly, Dr. Sells offers practical strategies that help parents step out of constant battles and begin leading their families with both confidence and compassion.

This conversation is filled with hope for parents who feel exhausted, discouraged, or afraid that it's too late to reconnect with their teenager.

In this episode, you'll learn:
The first thing parents should stop doing when their teen seems completely checked out.
Why power struggles around screens often make the problem worse.
How to stay calm when your teen knows exactly how to push your buttons.
The difference between treating the behavior and understanding what's driving it.
Practical screen boundaries that reduce conflict instead of escalating it.
How to rebuild motivation, responsibility, and hope in a teenager who seems to have given up.
Why healthy parenting isn't about choosing between love or limits—it's about learning how to provide both at the same time.

Whether you're parenting a teen who is struggling with gaming, anxiety, school refusal, depression, or constant conflict, this episode offers practical tools and a fresh perspective to help you move from surviving each day to rebuilding your relationship—and your confidence as a parent.

About Dr. Scott Sells
Dr. Scott Sells is an internationally recognized psychologist, family therapist, speaker, and the creator of the evidence-based Parenting with Love and Limits® model. For more than 30 years, he has helped families navigate some of the most challenging adolescent behaviours, including defiance, aggression, school refusal, anxiety, depression, substance use, and technology-related conflict. His practical, compassionate approach has helped thousands of parents rebuild both authority and connection with their teens.

To learn more about Dr. Sells, click here or to purchase Parenting Your Out-of-Control Teenager: 8 Strategies to Reestablish Authority and Reclaim Love, click here.
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For years, parents have been told to talk to their children about their feelings. But what if talking isn't always what children need most?
In this episode of The Child Psych Podcast, child psychologists Tammy Schamuhn and Tania Johnson challenge one of today's most common parenting messages. While emotional literacy is incredibly important, there are moments when constantly asking children how they feel can unintentionally keep them stuck in their emotions instead of helping them move through them.
Tammy and Tania explore the difference between acknowledging feelings and over-focusing on them. They discuss why children need more than conversations—they need co-regulation, play, movement, connection, and opportunities to experience competence. You'll learn when to lean into emotional conversations, when to simply be present, and how to help children build resilience without making every difficult moment the center of attention.

If you've ever wondered, "Am I talking about feelings too much?" this episode offers a balanced, compassionate perspective grounded in attachment, neuroscience, and child development.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why talking about feelings isn't always the most effective intervention.
• The difference between validating emotions and unintentionally reinforcing them.
• When children need connection instead of conversation.
• How play, movement, and co-regulation help children process difficult emotions.
• Why emotional resilience comes from experiencing feelings—not avoiding them or over-analyzing them.
• Practical ways to respond when your child is upset without turning every moment into a therapy session.

This conversation isn't about talking less with your child—it's about knowing when words help, when presence matters more, and how to support children in ways that foster lasting emotional health.
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In this episode of The Child Psych Podcast, Tammy sits down with Dr. Daniel Amen, physician, double board-certified psychiatrist, founder of Amen Clinics, and author of *Raising Mentally Strong Kids", for a powerful conversation about children’s brain health.

Dr. Amen explains why we need to shift the way we talk about “mental health” and begin thinking more deeply about brain health. He shares how children’s brains are shaped by everyday choices — including nutrition, sleep, movement, screens, stress, connection, substances, and the environments they grow up in.

Together, Tammy and Dr. Amen explore how parents can teach children to love and care for their brains, rather than simply nagging them about what not to do. They discuss practical ways to support children with ADHD, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, and low resilience by looking at the brain and body as deeply connected systems.

In this episode, we discuss:

▪️ Why “mental health” is really brain health
▪️ How brain health impacts anxiety, ADHD, mood, learning, and resilience
▪️ Why gut health matters for children’s emotional well-being
▪️ The role of protein, healthy fats, fiber, and blood sugar regulation
▪️ Why screens and social media can affect dopamine and motivation
▪️ The importance of delaying smartphones and setting technology boundaries
▪️ How sleep, movement, sunlight, and exercise support the developing brain
▪️ Why connection, listening, and attachment help protect children’s mental health
▪️ How parents can build “brain reserve” and resilience in their children
▪️ What parents can do to model brain-healthy habits at home

Dr. Amen reminds us that children make better choices when they understand their brains. When kids learn to ask, “Is this good for my brain or bad for it?” they begin to build a foundation for healthier decisions, stronger relationships, greater resilience, and lifelong well-being.

This episode is a must-listen for parents, educators, clinicians, and anyone who wants to help children grow strong, healthy brains.

Dr. Daniel Amen is a physician, double board-certified psychiatrist, award-winning researcher, and founder of Amen Clinics, which has 11 locations across the United States. His mission is to end mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health. Amen Clinics uses brain SPECT imaging as part of its clinical approach and reports having one of the world’s largest databases of brain scans related to behavior, with scans from patients across 155 countries. Dr. Amen is also a bestselling author whose work focuses on brain health, mental health, ADHD, anxiety, addiction, trauma, resilience, and helping families build healthier brains.

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