In this episode, we’re joined by family therapist and author Lisa Taylor (The Perfect Parent Trap) for a deeply honest conversation about what’s really happening underneath our parenting. Lisa brings over 25 years of clinical experience into this discussion as we unpack the difference between reacting to our children versus truly responding to them — and how often we’re unknowingly parenting from our own unresolved “heartprints” rather than the child in front of us. We explore the pull toward control, the moments that hijack us, and what it actually looks like to pause, repair, and reconnect in real time. This is a conversation about letting go of perfection, understanding behaviour as communication, and learning how to hold boundaries from a place of love — not fear.

Connect with Lisa:

Book - https://www.amazon.com.au/Perfect-Parent-Trap-Therapists-Traditional/dp/1923403583/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2E8VQDPV2U8TU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._ao0PRbW0zBY3kS7KnQ3DUz7-q2qOlhvDeJZgzHdOUwgmDudrVGboz5JAjB-ltXPadqtvGtmzN2J9WgpHPWK1cPmbTJkpf_D23VGctUQbYNLUzFVy3e57ktSLo1wYBWPMZB_nuODGg4lk47n8ew6fA12lwI43ckJ2Rois18URTa7Ed8eAni5WdUbulUUOOEc94irCe3QynwqKXkMTw3bTKfAyRmwQ3uqqGYM9aXr6jLfuubxtJfnBca2pYIgj7PrJGRFhAm_n2VAUkQDX4tJ7mQydWQB0jjErppf6tziYp8.vJ0s9YwswYLjAts_LtqLsFT7n8Vyu_UYsnG3WPKmZBA&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+perfect+parent+trap&qid=1775017583&sprefix=The+perfect+par%2Caps%2C260&sr=8-1

https://www.facebook.com/SFACounsellingService

https://strengtheningfamiliesaustralia.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/lisataylor.au/


Book recommendation:

Virginia Satir https://www.booktopia.com.au/virginia-satir-steve-andreas/book/9780911226386.html?source=pla&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21618274688&gbraid=0AAAAA-Ia9hP8VfN-cfNAAaQ7omSeUbDuX

Want support on this journey? Come join us inside Honey Club - where we melt these blocks together, one breath, one practice, one deep remembering at a time. Find out more at julietenner.love.

Reach out to Bridget for 1:1 coaching - bridgetwood.life

This one goes right to the heart of what so many long-term couples quietly sit in but rarely say out loud; the moments where you question everything, where disinterest creeps in, and where part of you starts scanning for the exit.

Julie and Bridget unpack the truth that these seasons don’t mean your relationship is broken, but they do ask something deeper of you.

They explore the concept of the “exit girl” - the part of you that wants out - not as something to suppress, but something to understand, honour, and get honest with. Because when you know what that part of you actually needs, you stop making reactive decisions and start making powerful ones. This is a conversation about choice, clarity, and taking responsibility for the relationship you’re in; whether that means staying, leaving, or completely redefining how you show up inside it.

In this episode we discuss:
• the normalisation of disinterest, distance and “co-existing” seasons in long-term love
• why questioning your relationship doesn’t mean it’s failing…it often means you’re waking up
• meeting your inner “exit girl” and understanding what she’s really trying to communicate
• the difference between reactive “I want out” energy vs grounded, self-led choice
• how over-functioning, motherhood, perimenopause and mental load shift relationship dynamics
• the moment women realise “I don’t actually need this” and what sits underneath that
• why stress strips capacity, lowers emotional intelligence, and impacts connection and desire
• the danger of making relationship decisions from burnout, resentment or nervous system overwhelm
• creating an “exit strategy” as empowerment, not as a threat, ultimatum or escape plan
• getting radically clear on what you do want instead of circling what you don’t
• how economic power, self-trust and support systems shape your choices in love
• the importance of clean, honest communication that invites growth instead of blame
• the truth about long-term love: that it requires ongoing attention, not autopilot
• the role of AI in support spaces and why human-to-human connection still matters deeply
• choosing your relationship consciously, again and again, rather than staying by default

Want support on this journey? Come join us inside Honey Club - where we melt these blocks together, one breath, one practice, one deep remembering at a time. Find out more at julietenner.love or visit: https://julie-tenner.newzenler.com/courses/honeyclub


Reach out to Bridget for 1:1 coaching - bridgetwood.life

Friendships are one of the first places our children meet the raw edges of relationship: loyalty, exclusion, conflict, repair and belonging. And if you’re a parent watching from the sidelines, it can stir up everything. In this conversation, Julie and Bridget unpack the emotional complexity of children’s friendships, particularly through the tween and teenage years, where identity, social power and belonging start to take shape.

They explore the difference between protecting our children and rescuing them, the courage required to teach accountability, and why sometimes the most powerful thing we can do as parents is step back and allow our children to learn how relationships actually work.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why our children’s friendships can trigger such a deep emotional response in parents…especially mothers

• The different ways boys and girls often develop socially and how this shapes their friendship dynamics

• Why the tween years are a “trying on” period for identity, belonging and social power

• The challenge of holding the reality that our child can sometimes be both the hurt one and the one who hurts others

• The temptation to rescue our children socially - and why stepping back is often the more powerful parenting move

• Teaching children accountability and helping them understand the impact of their behaviour on others

• The difference between true bullying and the messy, normal friction of childhood friendships

• How parents can guide children through conflict without taking sides or becoming the referee

• Why going directly to other parents about friendship issues often escalates problems rather than resolving them

• The importance of partnering with teachers and schools when social issues arise

• Navigating the complicated world of group chats, devices and digital friendships

• Helping children recognise who their friends really are and what healthy friendship actually looks like

• Allowing our children to learn resilience, communication and repair through real-life friendship experiences

• Why parenting through friendship struggles is less about fixing the problem, and more about raising relationally aware humans

Want support on this journey? Come join us inside Honey Club - where we melt these blocks together, one breath, one practice, one deep remembering at a time. Find out more at julietenner.love or visit: https://julie-tenner.newzenler.com/courses/honeyclub


Reach out to Bridget for 1:1 coaching - bridgetwood.life