What's Happening Here?: Recent Episodes
Dr. Sarah & Kevin
This is a podcast for finding the perfect imbalance of being a parent, a partner, and a person without losing the things that matter most to you in the process, like your sanity
Dr. Sarah, the Brain Gal is a pediatric neuropsychologist and mom of two who translates brain science into everyday life. Kevin is Sarah’s partner in crime, bourbon aficionado, discusser of all things, and father of two.
We started this podcast because we saw a big gap between research and practice, especially when you have a unique family structure like ours! We wanted to share what we have learned and hopefully what we continue to learn about navigating our lives through the lens of brain science with a big old helping of reality mixed in.
We know there are lots of families that look like ours, or kinda like ours, or look nothing like ours, which makes finding a single source of guidance and advice so hard, but we’re gonna try to help you.
So join us as we try to figure out what’s happening here.
Listen to us talk about raising different types of brains - the good, the bad, and the ugly...
Having spent quite a bit of time in schools, there is a pattern emerging and it's not a good one. In this episode we discuss our perspectives on what's going on in schools today and how we as parents can help address some of the issues faced by teachers and administrators. Also, anyone got a guy in Public Works....asking for a friend.
There’s no crying in softball…but there’s yelling! Juliana and her teammates and their Amy G's are having a tough time with their coaches. When you have a punitive coaching style and lack positive reinforcement, the girls are going to lose interest. In schools we teach that punishment stops behavior, but it does nothing for building the skills you want to see kids develop. Same goes with coaching.
We’re married now, so Mr. B.G. has settled into his routine, Amy G. is nice and stable…mostly, and Fronnie can pivot wherever she needs to go. So what happened when Kev started talking about…living together?!” The truth is that change--even good changes can be a difficult process. We become comfortable with what we’re used to.
Ahhh, consequences...one of the tricky areas of parenting. It can be challenging to force yourself to let your kids learn from their own actions. Why is it so hard?! In this episode, we delve into some recent examples of how we've navigated these situations, some successfully and others, well, not so much...
Kids pushing the envelope? Naaa, not our kids! Ok, actually they do it all the time and all kinds of ways. Take a listen as we ATTEMPT to navigate these situations. Maybe we can help you avoid some of the mistakes we've made. We'll give you a hint...get comfortable with Google....you'll see what we mean.
Anyone's Amy G can make an appearance at anytime...sometimes Fronnie just isn't around to help out. But that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Building strong foundations in your relationships makes moments when Amy G appears out of nowhere a little easier for everyone to handle.
What did you do this summer? Well, we got hitched! In our first episdoe of Season 3 we get dig into how everything has changed while at the same time nothing has changed since our wedding. It was a bit of a whirlwind of a day, and we were only able to get there after a lot of heavy lifting.
This is it, the grand finale of our 2nd season! In this episode we recap our engagement weekend and reflect on how in the hell we got here!
Rules are meant to be followed or broken, kinda depends. For instance, who says we have to edit out when we say the wrong episode? Turns out we don't! You guys are smart enough to figure it out, kinda like when you decide when to follow the rules. Or not.
Someone celebrated a milestone birthday and in this episode we talk about new mystery aches and pains and what we’ve learned as we’ve grown older. This includes, but is not limited to, what Sarah’s mother was right about and why a certain older gentleman can be grumpy.
In our last episode we talked about grumpy monkeys and how it’s OK to be grumpy, to sit in those feelings. In this episode, we talk about the impact of this on those around the grumpy monkey and share some advice on how to avoid getting hit in the kisser by bananas!
You know how your little brains can sometimes, well most of time, forget that there are other people in the world? In this episode we talk about how to cope with this infuriating characteristic of these brains can be and how sometimes it’sOK to be a grumpy monkey about it!
Adult friendships are so important to maintaining your sanity but they take effort to build. In this episode we talk about how building the base of those friendships can and will payoff as it is the foundation on which your friendships will stand for years into the future.
How many times have you been talking to someone about something and you realize the two of you are looking at the same thing from two completely different perspectives? Probably happens a lot, especially with your kids. Well, there's a reason for that and it's not you....it's them! Actually it's their brain and how their perception forms their reality. In this episode we talk about how impactful perception is on our brains.
Taylor is right, we're the problem when it comes to what's wrong with our kids. We don't let them fail in life and we're keeping them from learning those important life lessons. Why do we let them fail in sports, but not in school or social situations? In this episode we talk about how difficult it is to watch them fail and give them the space to learn from their failures.
In this episode we find out Sarah's line is the fear of a kid getting hit by a car, so there's that. Listen as we recount an experience we can only hope made an impression on our kids and taught them how important it is to ensure people feel heard. Disclaimer: No children were harmed in the making of this episode.
In this episode, we hear how Sarah believes reframing your perspective gives you control over your emotions...as usual Kevin is skeptical. He's not sure that's a DIY project he wants to tackle.
Apparently there is a new trend of marri....er, committed couples living separately. Look at us, being trendsetters!! In this episode we dive into how this has worked for us and why we think it's the secret to our success....so far.
Ever wonder what makes you happy, like really happy? In this episode we break down the "Happiness Formula" proposed by Dr. Arthur Brooks from Harvard. Well, we try once Kevin figured out what it all meant. It took a few times before he got it. Turns out happiness isn't that simple.
Check out the TedTalk we reference here! https://youtu.be/G7Pf2Xb5PdA
After a "brief" hiatus we're back to share more of what we've learned during our recent therapy sessions, especially regarding how important unwinding yourself from your past is to having the future you deserve.
In this episode we wrap up Season 1 by sharing some of what we learned along the way...pay attention, there may be a quiz!
Turns out knowing the plan helps our brains anticipate and work faster. In this episode we talk about how sharing the plan with our kids can help reduce anxiety and improve familial coordination...and who doesn't love some good familial coordination? It's the best way to avoid leaving tire tracks in the grass....trust me!!
So turns out our unique family sitch isn't so unique...which means what we cover in this episode may be useful to more people than we originally thought! Listen in as we discuss what the term "bonus" means to us and how we apply it....except if you are Sarah's dad....Sarah would prefer if you skip this episode, mmmmkay?
If there's one thing we've learned it's that you have to put that happiness mask on first before you can help anyone else with theirs. Confused? That's OK, we'll explain it all in this episode when we plead for you to become responsible for your own happiness!
Insight is invaluable, just ask her bonus sisters hindsight and foresight. In this episode we talk about the benefits that can be gained by going through the process despite how scary it can be.
Do you need some change to go along with your conflict? Yeah, us too! On this episode we talk about how conflict can breed change, but sometimes a timeout isn't a bad thing.
On this episode we dive into a recent event in our lives that involved kids sports, teenage brains, champagne, the amygdala, and Spiderman...how's that for range?
Relationships are tricky and unique in how they work for each person involved. In this episode we explore the different relationships that make up our family unit and how trying to balance each one is important to health of the all of them. Even with the research out there, we still find therapy works best for us....in our case therapy in six different forms...parent/kid, couples, family, parent, bonus parent, etc. What works for you?
Passion is a strong emotion and one that can have both positive and negative connotations. On this episode we talk about being passionate, some of the benefits....ahem...and the rather unfortunate side effects. We also get into how Fronnie can help us control it so we can learn to harness it.
Do you "wear your emotions on your sleeve?" Does gender matter? Is anyone really in control of emotions? So many questions to find out what's happening here!
Communication, a fundamental building block for a strong relationships, takes a lot of practice. In this episode we tackle how important it is and how we’ve handled it in our relationships.
Join us as we share a little bit about how we got here and some of the things that have impacted our lives to date!
Cheers to us as we kick off our first episode where we introduce ourselves and the wild band we call our family and give some insights into how to ride the see-saw of life! Hint: It's always going to be out of balance!