Being Better with Brittany

As a parent, it can be difficult to deal with your children arguing or fighting. You may feel torn to pick sides, or feel like there's no way to win in the situation. Luckily, I have some tips for you, and the one that I think you'll really enjoy is that you don't need to be involved in your children's fights. You read that right! Take a listen and find out how to best deal with sibling rivalry!

While attempting to recover from Doug's highly overstayed welcome, I had some very concerning interactions with my new psychiatrist. Doctors are generally very helpful, and certainly know more about medicine than I ever will. However, that doesn't mean they get it right all the time, or that each of them is great at what they do. You know yourself better than they do, so when something doesn't feel right you have to speak up for yourself. You are your best advocate!

Doug is back and brought his friend anxiety with him. Living with both depression and anxiety is an actual nightmare. It's isolating, debilitating, and can be really scary. So I'm sharing my story in hopes of helping others going through something similar.

Ever wanted your kids to behave better, but don't know where to start? These 10 tips help you do just that! Some are easy, some take practice, but used consistently, these tips can help you improve your relationship with your child and build a foundation that fosters better behavior habits.

Friendships can be tough, especially for kids. Every parent encounters a situation where their child comes to them with friendship issues, and it can be difficult to know how to guide them through it. It can also be difficult to not insert yourself into the problem. This week, I give you a six-step plan to help you navigate the issue with your child instead of for them.

Last week we covered punishment vs discipline, but why do some consequences still not yield a change in behavior? This week, I'm talking logical consequences, how to make sure they are appropriate, and how to relay them so that you get the most out of your behavior change!

It's not unusual for parents to be confused by the differences between punishment and discipline. In our modern language the two words are often used interchangeably, even though they originally meant very different things. This week, I go over the important difference between the two, and how to master the art of positive discipline.

Ever see your kid, spouse, friends or random people doing something or acting a certain way and wonder why they're doing that? This week, I'm answering that exact question. All behavior, problematic or not, serves a function, and I'm here to explain what those functions are, what they mean, and how to spot them. Once you figure out the "why", then you can begin to shape problem behavior or fuel desired behavior-it's that easy!

Life with anxiety and depression can be tough to navigate through. Social media can be a great tool to help find pages and accounts to help you do just that. This week, I'm joined by Shelly Anne Shaw, owner of the @the_depression_chronicles11 account on Instagram, to discuss depression struggles, helpful tips to get through the rough patches, and more!"

Ever wanted to ask a therapist a question about your mental health without the commitment of going to therapy? Well, good news-that's what we do this week! I go over 10 questions people wrote in and a therapist answered, as well as weigh in myself on each question and answer!

The holidays are the best time of the year, sure, but they can also be hectic, chaotic, and anxiety provoking for both kids and adults. Let me explain why, and what you can do to make them be a little bit better for you this year!

Reading is one of the most important things we can do with young kids to help stimulate imagination, develop language and listening skills, and sharpen their understanding of the world around them. I sit down with my old high school teacher and children's book author, David Lubinger, to talk about his book series and how he went from teacher to author. Sometimes, when something doesn't go the way we want it creates a whole new path for us to take. Find out how, this week on Being Better!

We've all dated some pretty questionable characters, but not everyone has had the pleasure of dating a full blown narcissist. I dive in to what you may experience when dealing with a narcissist -and what to do to deal with their toxic behavior!

This week, I'm joined by my good friend Mo Hussein, host of Everything Money on YouTube. We talk keys to success and how the right mindset can be your best asset.   

I brought the husband on this week to talk relationships. We go through a list of “normal” relationship habits that people think shouldn't be normal like gender roles, ghosting, location tracking and more!

Mr. Rogers may have had some pretty great neighbors in his hood, but not everyone has that luxury. On this episode, I'm joined by two of my awesome neighbors, Mandy and Sue, to talk about awful neighbors and how you can avoid being one of those awful neighbors.

Following my talk with my guest last week, Mandy, I'm going over the do's and don'ts of step parenting. It can be tricky, and hard to love someone else's child the way we'd love our own, but when done “correctly” (let's be honest, what's the “correct” way to parent, ever?), it can be one of the most rewarding relationships you can have.  

I'm joined by my neighbor and good friend, Amanda, to talk blended families, step-parenting, and solid parenting skills. Lots of laughs on this one..and ya might even learn something too!  

I'm following up last week's episode with how I'm feeling now that I'm out of my depressive episode, my next steps, and some of the unhelpful things people have told me and some of you listening who wrote in to share.

I've never been one to keep much to myself. I'm an open book, and this week, I let you into a very personal page of that book. I was in the midst of a depressive episode, and rather than cancel my recording and hiding under my weighted blanket, I decided to share what was going on in the hopes that others who suffer might feel less alone. It ain't pretty, but it's real, and I'm glad I can share it.

This week I'm rambling about a creepy guy following me around Walmart, why communication matters, and ways to deal with conflict. 

I'm joined this week by my wonderful producer Brian Howie, host of The Great Love Debate. We discuss relationships, Mormons, serial killers, and the best places to hide a body. Sure, we were all over the place, but it sure was fun everywhere we stopped!

This week I'm joined by fellow podcaster Angela from The Focus Within. We talk about her journey through a cancer diagnosis, discovering holistic medicine, and how important it is to take care of your mind body and spirit. We also briefly touch on my weird intrigue of the world of domination, so there's a little something for everyone.

Now that everyone is back to school, I've been seeing a lot of complaints about kids who don't like their teachers. So, this week, I give my advice on how to handle when your kids don't like their teachers. 

Final BTS episode is all for the parents! I'm joined by two parent friends to discuss their expectations when it comes to school and their kids. Lots of laughs - and strange truths - in this episode!

I'm joined this week by two former students - Georgia and Anna - to hear their thoughts on what they want teachers and parents to know before we head back to school. Who better to tell us what our students want/need than students themselves? 

As we head back into the school year, I'm dedicating my next 3 episodes to a back-to-school series. This week on part 1, I'm talking with my fellow teacher friend, Michael, about the things teachers want parents and kids to know (that they can't always necessarily say). 

Human beings have a natural tendency to pin their hopes for happiness on fulfilled expectations. There is nothing wrong with this on it's own, as long as we have good reasons to believe that fulfilling an expectation will make us happy, and we take the necessary steps toward fulfilling those expectations. "Good reasons" might include us knowing from past experience that certain things make us happy. The problem of expectation happens when we expect something to happen without good reasons for that expectation. This week, I'm going to share some ways to control your expectations, and how doing so will improve your happiness!

After 10 plus years working with kids and families, I've seen people care for their kids in really great ways. I've also seen some pretty questionable practices. I came across an article recently discussing things kids need and don't need. This week I brought in my good friend Margaret and her daughter Georgia to go through the list and see if it holds true from 3 different perspectives. One thing we all can agree on-we laughed and learned a lot, and so will you!

Communication can be tough. It's one of the most important parts of a relationship, and can be the thing that makes or breaks your relationship. This week, I break down why it's so important to communicate effectively and what to avoid when trying to get your message delivered.  

Parenting is tough. This week, I'm flying solo to answer listener questions and giving suggestions how to handle those tricky situations you find yourself pulling your hair out over!

This week I'm joined by award winning teacher and columnist Jody Stallings. We discuss life in education, parenting, and share our favorite tips on how to help kids thrive.  

This week, I'm joined by my good friend Michael to discuss all things Pride. He shares his story, we share lots of laughs, and discuss one of my biggest pieces of advice on the road to being better!

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults. So why do they feel so isolating? Do other people feel the same when they experience it? Are we just being dramatic? Of course not! This week, I dive into my own experience with anxiety/depression, some unhelpful (yet, well intentioned) advice I've been given, and some of the strategies I use and have suggested to my clients, friends, and loved ones. 

This week, I'm joined by the always entertaining Stephanie Llewellyn to discuss the struggles we had fitting into the traditional 9-5 world and how we took our struggles and failures and turned them into our new beginnings. We talk shortcomings, expectations, and how those led her to start her own company and her podcast “Who Does She Think She Is”!

On this episode, I talk through my own personal journey to being better, and what you can do to get started. I share my challenges, discuss the struggles I've helped others work through, and tell you some simple steps toward taking back control of your life!

A sneak peek at what's ahead on Being Better!