The Whinypaluza Podcast

A child who melts down, shuts down, or resists expectations may not be misbehaving. Their nervous system may simply be overwhelmed.

Rebecca Greene welcomes Dr. Niki Elliott, clinical professor and director of the Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity at the University of San Diego, for a powerful conversation about helping neurodiverse and marginalized children thrive.

They discuss sensory differences within families, why children may mask all day and unravel at home, and how parents can become an anchored presence rather than escalating alongside their children. Dr. Elliott also explains why children need agency, dignity, and adults who recognize the needs behind their behavior.

You Will Learn

✓ Why neurodiverse children may melt down after masking all day.

✓ How sensory differences can create conflict between parents and children.

✓ Why parents must understand their own triggers and nervous systems.

✓ How an anchored adult helps a child feel safe and regulate.

✓ Why families need an informed and supportive community.

Connect With Dr. Niki Elliott

Visit https://nikielliott.com to learn more about Dr. Elliott, her programs, and Heart-Centered Connection: 7 Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive.

Preorder the book through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Organizations interested in book clubs or bulk purchases can visit https://www.porchlightbooks.com.

Listen, follow, and share The Whinypaluza Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whinypaluza-podcast/id1534167756

Build Your Positive Thinking Muscle

While Rebecca and her family are enjoying some well-earned vacation time, we wanted to share an episode originally released in 2022. Four years later, its message about strengthening your positive thinking muscle remains just as relevant and needed today.

Positive thinking does not mean pretending everything is wonderful or pressuring yourself to feel happy all the time. It means recognizing negative thought patterns, processing difficult emotions, and intentionally guiding yourself toward a healthier perspective.

In this Whinypaluza Wednesday replay, Rebecca Greene and her family share practical ways to strengthen your positive thinking muscle. Rebecca explains why awareness is the first step toward change, how self-care affects your mindset, and why the way you speak to yourself matters. Like any muscle, positive thinking becomes stronger and more natural with consistent practice.

In this episode:

✓ Why positive thinking should never become pressure to feel happy all the time.
✓ How to recognize negative thoughts before they take control.
✓ Why talking, journaling, praying, or doing a brain dump can help release emotional weight.
✓ How to become your own friend and change the way you speak to yourself.
✓ Why practicing healthier thoughts consistently makes them easier to access.

Listen to this encouraging replay and discover how small, daily shifts can help you move out of a negative place and build a healthier, more resilient mindset.

Listen to The Whinypaluza Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whinypaluza-podcast/id1534167756

Remember to like, follow, and share the podcast with another parent who could use this reminder.

Sending a child to college changes parenting overnight. Parents want to stay involved, but college students need room to advocate for themselves, make decisions, handle conflict, and ask for help.

In this episode of The Whinypaluza Podcast, Rebecca Greene welcomes her special friend Kate Burrow, a higher education professional with more than 20 years of experience working with college students. Kate also helped Rebecca navigate Max’s first year of college, making this conversation especially personal.

Kate offers honest, practical advice about college move-in day, homesickness, academic expectations, roommate problems, campus resources, career exploration, internships, and the difficult transition from managing a child’s life to supporting a young adult.

Listeners will learn:

✓ Why students who struggled in high school may be better prepared to persist in college.

✓ How parents can support their college students without immediately stepping in and taking over.

✓ What to say when a student calls home and says, “I hate it here.”

✓ Why “optional” tutoring, study sessions, and review classes should rarely be treated as optional.

✓ How communication, practical life skills, and asking for help can determine whether a college student struggles or thrives.

Kate also reminds parents that an uncomfortable experience is not necessarily an unsafe one. College students need the confidence to handle hard moments, use available resources, communicate with roommates, and solve problems while knowing that their families remain firmly in their corner.

Listen to The Whinypaluza Podcast on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whinypaluza-podcast/id1534167756

Please like, follow, and share the podcast with another parent preparing for the college years.

About Kate Burrow

Kate Burrow holds a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and has more than 20 years of experience working with college students at colleges and universities across the country. She has taught numerous career and major exploration courses, as well as college success courses designed to help students navigate academic and personal transitions.

Kate has also earned a certificate in Leadership Coaching and is currently learning to become a Proactive Conversations conflict management communication facilitator.

She is a wife, a mother of two, and enjoys reading, attending theater events, and arts and crafts.

Summer can be joyful, chaotic, and surprisingly difficult for working moms. The children are home, schedules constantly change, the house is rarely quiet, and getting through a simple workday can feel nearly impossible.

In this Whinypaluza Wednesday episode, host Rebecca Greene and her husband, Seth Greene, share an honest and funny conversation about “summertime mom mode.” Rebecca explains why doing less during the summer does not mean you are failing. It may mean you are choosing connection, sunshine, friendship, and memories over an impossible standard of productivity.

Rebecca and Seth discuss making time for outdoor breaks, planning vacations and social activities, trying summer hobbies, protecting personal time, and giving yourself permission to serve an easy dinner and leave the laundry for a rainy day.

In this episode:

✓ Why being less productive during the summer does not make you lazy.
✓ How working parents can create small opportunities to enjoy the season.
✓ Why you should schedule the activities you keep talking about doing.
✓ How lowering expectations around meals, chores, and the perfect house creates room for connection.
✓ Why moms may need more personal time when family demands increase.

Listen to The Whinypaluza Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whinypaluza-podcast/id1534167756

Remember to like, follow, and share this episode with another mom who is deep in summertime mom mode.

Technology is changing faster than most parents can keep up, and our children are growing up in a world unlike anything previous generations experienced.

In this powerful episode of Whinypaluza, Rebecca Greene welcomes Teodora Pavkovic, Director of Wellbeing and Parent Advocacy at Qustodio, for an honest conversation about raising children in today's digital world.

Together they explore the realities of screen time, social media, gaming, online bullying, sleep disruption, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence in children's lives. Rather than focusing on fear or guilt, Teodora explains why curiosity, communication, and connection remain a parent's greatest tools.

If you've ever wondered whether your child is spending too much time online, how to respond to cyberbullying, or why AI is becoming a trusted companion for many teenagers, this conversation will leave you informed, encouraged, and better prepared.

In this episode you'll learn:
✔ Why healthy technology use looks different for every child
✔ The warning signs that technology may be affecting emotional wellbeing
✔ How to respond when your child experiences online bullying
✔ Why conversations work better than knee-jerk reactions
✔ Practical ways to create healthy digital boundaries at home
✔ How late-night screen use affects sleep, emotions, and decision making
✔ Why more teens are turning to artificial intelligence for advice and companionship
✔ How parents can stay involved without constant conflict
✔ Ways to build digital resilience instead of relying only on restrictions
✔ Simple conversations every family should be having about technology

Technology is part of our children's future, but strong family relationships can remain the foundation that guides them through it.

Teodora Pavkovic is the Director of Wellbeing and Parent Advocacy at Qustodio, a global leader in digital safety and family wellbeing tools. With a background in psychology, child development, and parent advocacy, Teodora helps families better understand how technology, social media, gaming, and artificial intelligence are shaping children's emotional health, relationships, and development. She is passionate about helping parents raise digitally healthy kids while protecting the family connections that matter most.

Connect with Teodora

🌐 https://www.qustodio.com

Learn more about Qustodio's family safety resources, parental controls, and digital wellbeing tools.

If this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another parent navigating today's digital world.

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