Parenting feels harder right now—and it’s not just because you’re tired.

The world our kids are growing up in is changing fast, and many parents are feeling the weight of that without words for it.

Season 2 of Long Game Parent is about breaking the status quo without breaking ourselves. Questioning our actions and the systems around us clarity, compassion, and connection. Not panic. Not perfection.

This is a season for parents who want to raise thoughtful, resilient kids—and stay human while doing it.

Welcome to the long game.

Picking a New Year’s Resolution as a parent? You know how it goes: the calendar flips, you feel that pressure to reinvent yourself overnight: “I’ll work out five days a week.” “I’ll stay calm with my kids.” “I’ll get organized.” “I’ll manage my time better at work.”

And then real life hits — daycare drop-offs, work deadlines, emotional labor, overstimulation, and bedtime negotiations — and by the second week of January, you can’t even remember what your resolutions were, let alone stick to them.

We all secretly know that New Year’s resolutions don’t really work for us. And statistically… they rarely have. So this year, forget those resolutions. Instead, we’re doing something different—something that actually works for parents, kids, teens, and even toddlers:

We’re building your very own 2026 Bingo Board.

A playful, low-pressure, individualized activity the entire family can do at the same time, each creating their own “Year of Possibilities” board.

No perfection. No deadlines. No shame.
Just exploration, fun, and tiny wins. Listen for how to make your own and let the entire family join in!

Does your family run on flexible rhythms instead of strict bedtime schedules — especially during the holidays?
If so, this episode of The Long Game Parent is your guide to keeping kids calm, connected, and emotionally regulated even when routines are chaotic, events run late, and holiday overstimulation hits hard.

In this episode, Coach Lauryn Gregg breaks down the science of co-regulation, child nervous system development, and why kids don’t actually need perfect schedules — they need predictable caregiving. You’ll learn why emotional attunement matters more than exact nap times, how to prevent meltdowns in overstimulating environments, and how to build secure attachment even when your life doesn’t match traditional parenting advice.

Whether you’re a working parent navigating December deadlines, celebrating late nights with family, traveling, or managing multiple events in a single weekend, you’ll learn actionable strategies to support your child’s emotional capacity — without sacrificing your lifestyle or your child’s well-being.

This episode explores:

• How to regulate your child during the holidays without rigid routines
• Why flexible-schedule families thrive on rhythms, not clocks
• Co-regulation vs. control — and how parents become the anchor
• Scripts to prepare kids for late nights, travel, and disruptions
• How overstimulation impacts meltdowns (and how to prevent them)
• “Soft landings,” “micro-regulation,” and other fast reset tools
• What to say when your child starts to lose it
• What to say to yourself when the season feels overwhelming

If you're looking for holiday parenting strategies, tantrum prevention tools, bedtime flexibility tips, or science-backed co-regulation practices, this episode is packed with the calm, grounded guidance you need.

Perfect for working parents, neurodivergent families, gentle parents, and anyone who wants connection—not control—to lead the way.

Holiday Overload: How Working Parents Can Prevent Meltdowns (Theirs + Their Kids’)

The holiday season can feel magical… and completely overwhelming. In this episode of The Long Game Parent, we explore why working parents experience higher stress, burnout, and emotional overload during the holidays, and how that stress directly affects kids’ behavior, regulation, and ability to enjoy the season.

This episode blends science-backed research, gentle nervous-system tools, and real-life flexible-family strategies for parents who juggle full-time jobs, disrupted school schedules, late nights, overstimulation, travel, and big family expectations.

Listeners will learn:

• Why holiday stress spikes for working parents
• How overstimulation and routine shifts affect children’s nervous systems

• How parent burnout contributes to dysregulation in kids
• Flexible, realistic approaches that work for families without strict routines
• Micro-regulation tools that prevent holiday overwhelm
• How to reduce guilt, simplify expectations, and stay emotionally connected
• Exactly what to say and do before kids (or parents) hit emotional overload
• How to build a holiday season that protects your mental health and strengthens family connection

Perfect for parents searching for holiday stress support, gentle parenting tools, working parent tips, emotional regulation strategies, and realistic ways to prevent holiday meltdowns.

This episode helps you create a calmer, more connected holiday—without perfection, pressure, or rigid routines.

In this episode of The Long Game Parent, Coach Lauryn Gregg explores one of the most counterintuitive — yet transformational — parenting and productivity truths: slowing down actually helps you get more done and parent with more connection, calm, and clarity. If you feel rushed, overwhelmed, overstimulated, or constantly “on,” this episode will show you why strategic timeouts are not a luxury… they’re a requirement for long-term success at home and at work.

You’ll learn:

• Why your brain (and your child’s brain) functions better with intentional pauses

• The neuroscience behind rest, presence, and reduced overwhelm

• How timeouts improve emotional regulation, patience, and communication

• How to use micro-pauses, grounding techniques, and slow parenting rituals

• Why “fast-paced parenting” leads to more conflict, reactivity, and burnout

• Easy practices to reset your nervous system throughout the day

• How slowing down helps you show up as the calm, emotionally intelligent leader your family needs

This episode is perfect for working parents, overwhelmed parents, neurodivergent families, and anyone who wants more connection and less chaos. You’ll walk away with real strategies to reclaim margin, reduce overstimulation, and build a home environment grounded in presence—so you can go further, with more ease, by doing less.

This year, you do not need a Black Friday holiday shopping spree if it stresses you out! Here’s how to have a Gift-Free Christmas with kids to celebrate by choosing presence over pressure.

The holidays are marketed as a season of excess, but more and more parents are craving something different: less pressure, less consumerism, less stress, and more connection, presence, and intention. In this episode of The Long Game Parent, certified parent coach Lauryn Gregg explores how families can step out of the cycle of overspending and over-gifting, and instead create a holiday rooted in emotional intelligence, meaningful traditions, and deep family values.

This episode is designed for parents who want to reduce holiday stress, break out of consumer-driven expectations, and build a season that feels calmer, simpler, and more aligned with what truly matters to their family.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why a gift-free or low-gift holiday can reduce stress and increase connection

• How to communicate gift-free plans to extended family without conflict

• Language and scripts for navigating pushback or guilt around giving fewer gifts

• How to support kids emotionally when traditions shift

• Ways to create meaningful holiday rituals that don’t rely on presents

• How to avoid holiday overstimulation, meltdowns, and pressure to perform

• Strategies for handling relatives who don’t respect your boundaries

• How to model emotional intelligence, gratitude, and presence for your children

• A framework for focusing on experiences instead of material gifts

• What to do if you want a slower, calmer, less commercial holiday season

This episode is perfect for:

• Parents wanting a simpler, calmer holiday

• Families overwhelmed by gift expectations

• Parents practicing gentle, respectful, or conscious parenting

• Minimalist families

• Parents seeking holiday boundary scripts

• Families wanting to prioritize connection over consumerism

• Parents raising emotionally intelligent, grounded kids

• Anyone craving a more intentional, values-aligned holiday season

If you feel pressure every year to buy more, do more, or fit into a holiday script that doesn’t match your family’s needs, this episode will help you create a gift-free or low-gift season that feels lighter, more connected, and more aligned with your long game.

Navigating holiday gatherings with family can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re dealing with political disagreements, clashing parenting philosophies, or relatives who push every emotional button you have. In this episode of The Long Game Parent, certified parent coach Lauryn Gregg dives deep into how to show up with emotional intelligence, protect your peace, and stay anchored in your values during the holiday season.

You’ll learn:

• How to set clear, compassionate boundaries with extended family
• What to say when a family member challenges your parenting choices
• How to respond when political conversations get heated—or when someone comes in hot
• Scripts for respectful dialogue that keeps you grounded while honoring your integrity
• Strategies rooted in somatic awareness to keep your nervous system regulated
• How to support young kids through overstimulation, big gatherings, or tough dynamics
• A practical, guilt-free guide to opting out of holiday gatherings
• What to do when you want to engage in meaningful political conversation (and when to walk away)
• A framework inspired by Brené Brown’s boundary wisdom about refusing conversations that dehumanize others
• How to opt out of family holiday gatherings if that’s what you need

This episode offers both mindset and practical tools for parents who want to protect their peace, nurture their kids’ sense of safety, and build families that stay aligned through the chaos of the holiday season. Whether you’re navigating toxic behavior, passive-aggressive comments, differing discipline styles, or complex political landscapes, you’ll leave with language, strategy, and confidence.

Perfect for:
Parents seeking emotional intelligence tools • Gentle/respectful parents • Conscious parents • Progressive parents • Families navigating political division • Parents wanting healthy boundaries • Parents raising critical thinkers • Holiday stress support • Nervous system-aware parenting • Parents looking to set holiday boundaries with family

If the holidays tend to leave you drained, anxious, or overwhelmed—this episode will help you reclaim your time, your energy, and your long game.

• Follow @longgameparent on Substack and Instagram for more tools.
• Share this episode with someone who needs it.
• Leave a review—it’s the best holiday gift you can give the show!

Returning to work after maternity or paternity leave isn’t just a logistical shift — it’s an identity recalibration. Your world has changed, your priorities have evolved, and the workplace doesn’t always catch up as fast as your life did.

In this episode of The Long Game Parent, certified coach Lauryn Gregg gives you the low down on how to hold your boundaries as a new parent after returning to work. You’ll learn why so many parents experience “postpartum work resumption stress,” what the research says about the transition.

We’ll talk about:
- Why 89% of new parents report anxiety about returning to work — and how to ease that pressure
- How to reframe guilt, comparison, and imposter syndrome
- Practical scripts for setting boundaries with managers and teammates
- How to redefine ambition in this new chapter — without losing your edge

- What sustainable leadership looks like when you’re also a parent

This episode is for every working mom, dad, or caregiver navigating the messy, meaningful space between career and care — and wondering how to make both thrive.

🎙️ Subscribe to The Long Game Parent on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Substack for more episodes that help you win at work and home with heart, strategy, and staying power.