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What if your child’s “bad behavior” isn’t something to fix—but something to understand?

In this powerful episode of A Journey to Whole Woman Health, Dr. Jamie Erwin and Dr. Mary Kathryn Nader sit down with licensed professional counselor supervisor Kate Jennings, founder of The Bug and the Bee, to unpack what’s really going on beneath tantrums, anxiety, and overwhelm in kids and teens.

From toddler meltdowns on airplanes to middle school friendship struggles and rising anxiety, Kate shares practical, evidence-based tools for parents to respond with empathy, clarity, and confidence.

You’ll learn why behavior is communication, how anxiety shows up in the body, and how small shifts in your response can completely change your child’s emotional world.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why behavior is always about gaining or avoiding something
• The power of “connect before redirect”
• How anxiety activates the fight, flight, or freeze response
• Why saying “you’re fine” can actually increase anxiety
• The mind-gut connection and why kids feel anxiety in their bodies
• How to respond to tantrums, overwhelm, and emotional outbursts
• Practical scripts to help your child process fear and uncertainty
• How to model emotional regulation as a parent

Key Takeaways:

• Kids do well if they can
• Behavior is not random—it’s communication
• Anxiety lives in the body, not just the mind
• Connection builds safety—correction alone does not

Resources Mentioned:

• SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)
• Mind-gut connection research
• Collaborative Problem Solving framework

Connect with Our Guest:
Kate Jennings, LPC-S
The Bug and the Bee (Fort Worth, TX)

If this episode helped you better understand a child in your life, share it today with a parent, teacher, or caregiver.