Sustainable Parenting | Positive Discipline for Raising Resilient Kids

Ever feel like a tiny terrorist runs your house? We’ve been there. Today we get honest about how well-meaning empathy can slide into indulgence, why that shift burns parents out, and how to reclaim calm authority without losing your warmth. Our focus is the sturdy middle ground—kindness and firmness at the same time—so kids feel seen and still meet clear, respectful limits.

We start by naming the pattern: when kids refuse ...

If one of your kids is pushing every button you have—and you’re wondering why parenting feels so hard with them lately—this episode is for you.

Drawing from Positive Discipline and the wisdom of Rudolf Dreikurs, we explore what children are really asking for when their behavior feels irritating, defiant, or attention-seeking. Often, it’s a need for significance and belonging—not stricter consequences or longer explanations.

In this e...

In this Valentine’s-season episode of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast, I share simple positive parenting strategies that help children truly feel loved while strengthening connection and cooperation. 

We explore how small, intentional gestures can meet kids’ emotional needs and support calm confident parenting—without lectures, yelling, or power struggles.

You’ll learn:

• how positive character feedback helps with raising con...

Are you feeling overwhelmed trying to raise kind kids in an unkind world?

Between constant headlines, cultural tension, and everyday parenting struggles, many parents are asking the same question: How do I raise compassionate, resilient kids who will make the world a better place?

In this episode of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast, I share my number one tip for raising kind, caring humans—especially during uncertain and stressful t...

What if owning less could help you parent with more calm, confidence, and connection?

In this episode of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast, Flora McCormick sits down with Joshua Becker of Simplify Magazine to explore how minimalism supports dependable calm, and deeper relationships with ourselves and our kids. 

We talk about how clutter quietly fuels stress, power struggles, and yelling — and how simplifying your home can become one ...

What do we do when our kids are disrespectful — they aren't listening, and they have attitude — and it starts draining the life out of us?

This week on the Sustainable Parenting Podcast, I’m joined by my husband for a candid, coffee-on-the-couch conversation about disrespectful behavior in kids, the number one frustration I hear from dads in parent coaching. Together, we explore why this issue sparks so many power struggles, ho...

What if setting family goals didn’t feel overwhelming—or like one more thing to get right?

In this episode, I’m sharing a gentle, realistic approach to setting family goals for 2026 that offer direction without pressure and intention without perfection. Instead of rigid resolutions or systems that fall apart by February, we talk about how families can choose a shared target—and allow the path there to flex as life unfolds.

You’ll lea...

Screens often show up as gifts—but they come with big questions. In this episode, we talk honestly about kids’ tech, family values, and how to decrease those overwhelming tantrums over tech. 

If you’re focused on raising confident kids while keeping tech in its place, this episode will support you. If you have struggled to know where to set boundaries on tech, this will give you those clear guardrails.  

By the time you finish listen...

Power struggles don’t end because we find the perfect argument; they end because someone helps the room feel safe again. We unpack a practical, science-backed shift from control to connection that brings cooperation faster and with far less effort. 

Drawing on HeartMath’s research on heart coherence, Bruce Perry’s state-dependent brain science, and Ross Greene’s collaborative problem solving, we show how a calm presence, a softer vo...

This week I’m diving into a spicy truth:
 Gentle parenting may be wrecking your holidays. 

Not because you weren’t patient enough…
 Not because you didn’t validate enough…
 But because the version of Gentle Parenting most parents try to use during holidays simply doesn’t work.

In this episode, I break down why your Positive Parenting Strategies fell apart the minute your child got overwhelmed, overstimulated, or embarrass...

Do you ever find yourself thinking, “Why is she being so difficult?”

If so, you’re in the right place — and you’re definitely not alone.

I’m Flora McCormick, Licensed Professional Counselor and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant- and in this episode I’m sharing a powerful reframe that brings so much relief in those tough moments:

Instead of asking “Why is she acting out?” shift to “What is she having a hard time with?”

This one q...

If you’ve been trying so hard to stay calm, validate feelings, and reason with your child — but still end up in power struggles, meltdowns, or 20-minute debates about a broken banana — this episode is your breath of fresh air.

Flora McCormick, LCPC — parenting coach, counselor, and mom of two — reveals the surprising missing piece that makes gentle parenting actually work: learning to talk less.

You’ll hear a real client story of how...

"My mom's a parenting coach and yes, it's annoying."  Hear this, and more, in today's episode.

Today my special parenting expert guest is... my daughter, Eva! This is a chance for you to hear how we talk through challenges, problem-solve, and think about ways to manage tough situations. 

In this episode, we explore how kind and firm parenting works, from the perspective of a 9-year-old.  

Eva shares...

If you're having bedtime, out-the-door, or morning battles where your partner swoops in mid-meltdown, sending you into a rage, you’re not alone.

In this episode, Flora McCormick, LCPC — parenting coach and host of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast — shares 3 simple Positive Discipline tools that help you end power struggles without yelling, shaming, or giving in.

You’ll learn:
 ✨ How to use one powerful c-word  to get your c...

If nighttime currently feels like a hostage situation — tiny footsteps down the hall, endless requests for “one more kiss,” or a child who can only fall asleep if you stay glued to the side of their bed — you are so not alone. 

So many loving parents find themselves exhausted by bedtime battles, thinking, “I cannot have this battle right now. I’m done. I’m exhausted. Why does this have to be so hard?!”

In this episode, Flora welcomes...

Do you ever end the day feeling touched out, snappy, or like you’ve run a marathon no one saw you train for?

 This episode is your permission slip to stop trying to do it all.

Flora McCormick, LCPC — parenting coach and host of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast — shares simple Positive Parenting Strategies to help you end your day calmly, without guilt or exhaustion.

Instead of trying to be productive, present, and peaceful all a...

Feeling exhausted from doing everything — the school snacks, the bedtime routines, the constant reminders — and ready to just burn the whole thing down? 

What if being a "Lazy Parent" was the key to more joy and ease?!  

Spoiler alert - I think it is!!

In this week’s episode, I invite you into a surprisingly freeing mindset: Lazy Parenting.

 No, it’s not about neglect or indifference — it’s about choosing intentional cal...

Today we explore why toddlers hit, bite, and grab at playdates and how to respond without shame or panic...and with tools that will shift the behavior for real!

Did you know - these challenging child behaviors are VERY common in the early years of development?! 

Research shows that these behaviors are actually very common in early childhood. Studies find that between 26% and 70% of toddlers show some form of physical aggression — hit...

Does your child suddenly “lose their hearing” the moment you ask them to pick up their shoes, come to the table, or turn off the tablet? You’re not alone—and you’re not going crazy. In this episode, we’ll unpack why kids pretend not to hear you and how to break the exhausting cycle of repeating yourself over and over.

By the time you finish listening, you will know:

• Why kids really tune us out (and it’s not because they’re disres...