In this episode, Jon addresses one of the most loaded questions parents ask quietly: what does it mean when my child wants to play guns, war, or “bad guys”? Grounded in the idea that most parents aren’t reacting to the play itself, but to the meaning they’re afraid it carries, he looks beneath the behavior to what high-arousal play is actually doing in a child’s brain. All of this plus "What to actually do...."

Send us a text

CLICK HERE to Register or learn more about the 5 Brain Hacks that will CHANGE your LIFE

Support the show

Links to help you and me:

• To support the Podcast, Subscribe on Substack
• Get Jon’s Top Five Emotional Regulation Games
• Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
• Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
• Follow Whole Parent on
  • Instagram,
  • Tiktok,
  • Facebook,
  • Youtube

This episode is a quiet, reflective departure from Jon’s usual teaching format—part science, part story, part meditation on what parenting does to the human brain. Beginning with the migration of the Arctic tern, Jon explores how love quite literally rewires us, asking what happens when the self itself begins to migrate in service of another.

Parents will walk away with a deeper understanding of neuroplasticity, caregiving, and identity—and a tender reassurance that feeling disoriented, changed, or unlike your former self isn’t a failure of parenting, but evidence that love is doing its work.

Send us a text

CLICK HERE to Register or learn more about the 5 Brain Hacks that will CHANGE your LIFE

Support the show

Links to help you and me:

• To support the Podcast, Subscribe on Substack
• Get Jon’s Top Five Emotional Regulation Games
• Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
• Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
• Follow Whole Parent on
  • Instagram,
  • Tiktok,
  • Facebook,
  • Youtube

Friday yap with the Mrs.

Send us a text

Support the show

Links to help you and me:

• To support the Podcast, Subscribe on Substack
• Get Jon’s Top Five Emotional Regulation Games
• Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
• Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
• Follow Whole Parent on
  • Instagram,
  • Tiktok,
  • Facebook,
  • Youtube

In this episode, Jon tackles one of the most anxiety-provoking parenting topics: kids and secrets—and why secrecy can feel so loaded for both children and parents. Centered on the idea that the most powerful word in a child’s world isn’t rule or consequence, but promise, he explains how secrecy hooks into loyalty, safety, and attachment long before kids have the brain development to navigate those tensions.

Parents will walk away with clarity on the difference between privacy, surprises, and secrets, insight into why “just tell me” often backfires, and a calmer, more protective framework for becoming the kind of adult their child wants to tell when something really matters.

Send us a text

Support the show

Links to help you and me:

• To support the Podcast, Subscribe on Substack
• Get Jon’s Top Five Emotional Regulation Games
• Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
• Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
• Follow Whole Parent on
  • Instagram,
  • Tiktok,
  • Facebook,
  • Youtube

This episode is a departure from Jon’s usual Q&A format—a reflective, narrative-style episode that zooms out to explore how words quietly shape who our kids believe they are. Beginning with the now-famous classroom experiment by Jane Elliott, Jon traces how labels don’t just describe behavior—they produce it, often long after the moment has passed.

Parents will walk away with a deeper awareness of how subtle cues, implied expectations, and everyday language shape a child’s nervous system, identity, and sense of possibility—and a gentler, more curious lens for noticing which versions of their kids (and themselves) are being invited to exist.

Send us a text

Support the show

Links to help you and me:

• To support the Podcast, Subscribe on Substack
• Get Jon’s Top Five Emotional Regulation Games
• Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
• Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
• Follow Whole Parent on
  • Instagram,
  • Tiktok,
  • Facebook,
  • Youtube

In this episode, Jon unpacks the moment every parent dreads—when a child looks at you and says, “You can’t make me.” Rather than framing it as defiance or disrespect, he explores what’s actually happening in a child’s nervous system when power struggles show up. Parents will walk away with a calmer lens, a clearer understanding of why control battles escalate, and practical ways to lead with confidence, reduce friction, and protect connection—without giving up boundaries.

Send us a text

Support the show

Links to help you and me:

• To support the Podcast, Subscribe on Substack
• Get Jon’s Top Five Emotional Regulation Games
• Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
• Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
• Follow Whole Parent on
  • Instagram,
  • Tiktok,
  • Facebook,
  • Youtube

Find out YOUR Parenting Type CLICK HERE

In this episode, Jon introduces the Seeker parent: the caregiver driven by curiosity, depth, and a longing for what feels real and alive. Centered on the tension between freedom and responsibility, he explores how authenticity can become both a gift and a hiding place, especially when big feelings or obligations feel suffocating. Parents will walk away feeling deeply seen, with language for their restlessness, insight into how emotional intensity shows up in parenting, and reassurance that their unfinishedness is not a flaw, but a source of connection, creativity, and trust.

Send us a text

Support the show

Links to help you and me:

• To support the Podcast, Subscribe on Substack
• Get Jon’s Top Five Emotional Regulation Games
• Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
• Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
• Follow Whole Parent on
  • Instagram,
  • Tiktok,
  • Facebook,
  • Youtube

Find out YOUR Parenting Type CLICK HERE'

In this episode, Jon introduces the Driver parent: the caregiver who leads with momentum, decisiveness, and an instinct to move things forward. Grounded in the belief that safety comes from action, he explores how strength can quietly turn into control when vulnerability feels risky. Parents will walk away with language for their leadership instincts, insight into how power and connection can coexist, and reassurance that slowing down doesn’t diminish their strength—it makes it usable.

Send us a text

Support the show

Links to help you and me:

• To support the Podcast, Subscribe on Substack
• Get Jon’s Top Five Emotional Regulation Games
• Get Jon’s Book Punishment-Free Parenting
• Preorder Jon’s Children’s Book Set My Feelings Free
• Follow Whole Parent on
  • Instagram,
  • Tiktok,
  • Facebook,
  • Youtube