Website: 🌐 www.andiclark.com

Support Circle Membership: https://andiclark.thrivecart.com/support-circle/

Self Assessment form: https://subscribepage.io/big-emotions-self-assessment

Book a 30-Minute Call with Andi – Get your questions answered and explore next steps: Book here: https://tidycal.com/andi1/bookacall

If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “Why is nothing working?” when your child is melting down, this episode is for you.

In today’s episode, Andi introduces the concept of Stress Animals—a powerful and accessible framework to help parents decode their child’s behavior in moments of emotional overwhelm.

You’ll learn how to spot the early signs of dysregulation, understand your child’s stress response, and most importantly, how to shift your own energy so you can help your child return to calm.

Key Takeaways:

• Every child has a unique stress response—and it’s not about bad behavior, it’s about nervous system overload.
• The Stress Animal framework (Dolphin, Shark, Turtle, Clownfish) helps parents identify how their child reacts to stress—and how to support them accordingly.
• Your own stress animal matters too. The way you react can either soothe or escalate your child’s stress state.
• You can’t connect through correction. Lasting change happens when you meet your child’s stress with the kind of connection they need.
• Regulation before resolution: Problem-solving comes after calming the nervous system—never during a meltdown.

Episode Highlights & Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction – What to expect & why this matters

[02:00] Why traditional strategies fail with dysregulated kids

[05:00] The biology of stress – nervous system states explained

[06:45] Introducing the Stress Animals:

Dolphin – The regulated, connected state

Shark – Explosive, reactive energy

Turtle – Shut-down, withdrawn, retreating energy

Clownfish – Anxious, people-pleasing, over-worrying

[11:00] How your stress animal impacts your child’s response

[13:30] Why we don’t want to be in dolphin all the time

[14:00] Matching your response to your child’s stress animal

[15:00] Real-life examples: what worked, what didn’t, and why

[20:00] Supporting the nervous system through grounding tools

[21:00] One family’s story: shifting from Clownfish to quiet presence

[22:00] Final thoughts – Why this approach changes everything

✨ You’re not expected to get this right every time. But every step toward understanding helps build the connection your child needs to feel safe and supported.

Website: 🌐 www.andiclark.com

Support Circle Membership: https://andiclark.thrivecart.com/support-circle/

Self Assessment form: https://subscribepage.io/big-emotions-self-assessment

Book a 30-Minute Call with Andi – Get your questions answered and explore next steps: Book here: https://tidycal.com/andi1/bookacall

Parenting isn’t just about raising our kids—it’s also about healing ourselves. In this powerful conversation, Jenn Abbatiello shares her journey from perfectionism and high achievement to learning how to parent with connection, grace, and calm. Together, we dive deep into how generational patterns shape our parenting styles, how to navigate grief and guilt in motherhood, and what it really takes to build a joyful, connected family—without losing yourself in the process.

Whether you're feeling burnt out, stuck in old ways, or unsure how to support your child without repeating the past, this episode will help you feel seen, understood, and ready for change.

Key Takeaways

• Parenting often brings us to our breaking point—but it’s also an opportunity for transformation.
• Grief is a natural part of parenting—especially when letting go of our “old life.”
• You can love your children and miss the life you had before. Both can be true.
• Punishment and disconnection aren't the only tools. Understanding leads to true change.
• Kids don’t need us to be perfect—they need us to be regulated and real.
• We can’t support our children in becoming their true selves if we haven’t done the work ourselves.

Episode Highlights

00:00 – Meet Jenn Abbatiello: Her story of shifting from corporate success to parenting transformation

02:00 – What it feels like to lose joy in motherhood—and why it’s so common

04:30 – Mourning your old life and learning to live in the and

06:15 – The “stoic badge of honor” and how emotions come roaring in with motherhood

10:15 – Why gentle parenting gets misinterpreted—and how to define consequences with compassion

12:30 – A real-life example of consequences vs. punishment with Jenn’s child

14:00 – Andi’s story about her son, Pokémon, and helping him take ownership

16:00 – What schools miss: Executive functioning, stress, and the root cause of meltdowns

17:45 – What to do during a meltdown vs. after a meltdown

20:30 – Why your child’s behavior triggers you—and what that means for your healing

22:00 – Jenn’s story of colic, control, and generational expectations

25:30 – The parenting puzzle: So many pieces, and why healing yourself matters

27:00 – Letting your child be themself—and why that requires your own growth

30:00 – Living someone else's dream vs. letting your kids follow their own

34:00 – Childhood programming, identity, and subconscious stories

36:00 – Andi’s IFS story: How one childhood memory created a lifelong belief

39:00 – Why self-care isn’t selfish—and how to do it in your current season

42:00 – Jenn’s encouragement for parents feeling stuck or overwhelmed

Resources Mentioned

Jenn Abbatiello’s free email series:

• Name: 3 Critical Steps to...

Website: 🌐 www.andiclark.com

Support Circle Membership: https://andiclark.thrivecart.com/support-circle/

Self Assessment form: https://subscribepage.io/big-emotions-self-assessment

Book a 30-Minute Call with Andi – Get your questions answered and explore next steps: Book here: https://tidycal.com/andi1/bookacall

If your child has ever been labeled as dramatic, difficult, or lazy… this episode is for you. Andi breaks down the most common behaviors reported by over 60 parents who filled out the Kids With Big Emotions Self-Assessment—and reveals what’s really going on underneath.

This isn’t just about behavior. It’s about root causes, hidden struggles, and executive functioning challenges that often get missed in schools and misunderstood at home.

Key Takeaways

• Behavior is the tip of the iceberg—executive functioning is often what’s underneath.
• Kids aren’t being difficult on purpose. They’re often overwhelmed, misunderstood, or unsupported in key areas of brain development.
• Sensitivities to sound, clothing, and transitions may be signs of deeper processing challenges or superpowers that need support to shine.
• Many kids labeled as lazy, disorganized, or disruptive actually have struggles with working memory, attention, or impulse control.
• Shifting from judgment to curiosity helps uncover patterns and truly support your child’s needs.
• The self-assessment form is a powerful first step to uncover what’s going on beneath the surface.

Episode Highlights & Timestamps

[00:00] Welcome & overview of the parent self-assessment results

[02:00] What 66 parents revealed—140 out of 180 average checkmarks

[03:00] Big emotions, meltdowns, impulse struggles—what the numbers say

[04:00] Why behavior-based discipline often misses the real problem

[05:00] Sensory sensitivity as a superpower—and why it needs support

[06:45] Trouble learning from mistakes? This might be why.

[08:00] Why schools often miss what’s really going on

[09:15] From behavior to brain: what to look for underneath

[10:30] Start tracking patterns—what triggers overwhelm or shutdowns

[12:00] Writing struggles, masking, and misunderstood learning differences

[13:30] Why executive functioning assessments matter

[14:30] What to say instead of “Why didn’t you do this?”

[15:15] Helping your child feel understood and supported

[16:00] Speaking the language of executive functioning in IEPs

[17:00] Concrete examples: working memory, impulsivity, perception

[18:00] Tools, links, and next steps for parents ready to dig deeper

Resources Mentioned

Kids With Big Emotions Self-Assessment: Click here to get the form: https://subscribepage.io/big-emotions-self-assessment

Executive Functioning Podcast Series

• Ep. 85 Perception: Emotional Regulation