The Parent Pod

Do you ever feel triggered by your kids and then feel ashamed about how you reacted? You’re not alone.
In this episode, parenting educator and author Rachel Russell explores why parenting can feel so triggering, what’s actually happening in your nervous system, and how exhaustion, old patterns and constant demands play a role.
You’ll learn how to recognise triggers without shame, understand why small moments create big reactions, and walk away with practical tools you can use today to regulate yourself and repair after tough moments.
This episode is for parents who want to stop yelling, feel calmer, and build stronger, safer relationships with their kids.

To purchase Raising R.A.D. Kids or to leave a review, please head over to:
https://books.by/rachel-russell
https://bit.ly/RaisingRADKids
https://inhousebookstore.com.au/collections/new-releases/products/raising-rad-kids

In this episode, we explore what emotional readiness for school really looks like and why it’s built over time, not rushed or forced. We talk about co-regulation, interdependence, waiting and turn-taking, boundaries, and separation, with practical, long-term ways parents can support their children’s nervous systems before and after school begins.
This is a gentle, realistic conversation for anyone supporting a child to feel safe enough to step into school, and to keep growing once they’re there.
To purchase a copy of Raising R.A.D. Kids, head to:
https://books.by/rachel-russell
Stay rad

Starting school is a significant milestone! There is so muchto learn! And it brings big emotions for both kids and parents. 
In this episode, Rachel talks about (from a teacher's perspective) the real challenges of beginning school and what children truly need to feel able and confident during those first few weeks.
This episode is for parents who want to help their child feelprepared and confident without the pressure to get everything right.
You will finish the episode with a calm and realistic perspective on how to support children as they transition into school life.
Stay rad

Oxytocin is the kingpin of brain chemistry and hormones.

It helps dial down stress, reduces feelings of anxiety and overwhelm, and creates the internal conditions for calm, safety, and regulation. When oxytocin is flowing, it becomes the gateway to deeper connection, love, and a sense of belonging.
In this episode, Rachel explores what oxytocin actually is, why it matters so much for emotional regulation and connection, how parents can intentionally cultivate it at home, and how we can empower children to activate their own oxytocin — even when connection with others isn’t immediately available.
If you’d like to go deeper into the neuroscience of regulation, autonomy, and daring, Raising R.A.D. Kids is available here:
https://amzn.asia/d/52r3PxJ
Stay rad.

Today, my book is officially out in the world, and this episode is about how it came to be.
After nearly fifteen years of working with children and families, and many more months of writing, revising, and editing, this book grew out of what I kept seeing in classrooms over time. More big feelings, more anxiety, more children struggling to cope, and a growing focus on behaviour without enough attention on what was happening underneath.
In this episode, I share why regulation became the heart of the book, why behaviour is never the whole story, and how understanding the nervous system changes the way we support children. We explore co-regulation, emotional literacy, parental triggers, and what children really need to feel safe enough to learn and grow.
If you’ve ever felt confused or discouraged by behaviour that doesn’t seem to improve, this conversation offers a calmer, more connected way forward.
For a copy of my book, please head over to:
www.quitefrankly.com.au
Stay rad