I was at the grocery store with my nine-year-old. She'd had a hard day (the class bully had gone after her) and she wanted everything. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Brioche with Nutella. Red velvet cupcakes. Whipped cream straight from the aerosol can. And I said no to most of it.

In today's episode, I'm talking about why. I'm also talking about why I think the "let kids eat whatever they want, whenever they want" message that's everywhere in the body-positive parenting space is missing something really important.

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Mentioned in this episode:

New Book! Raising Body-Confident Kids

You want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books

When we become doctors, lawyers, or teachers, there are exams, certifications, and years of preparation. But when we become parents, we’re handed a newborn and sent home.

Dr. Debbie Raphael—a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist—became a mother at the same time she began her child psychiatry fellowship. That unusual overlap gave her a rare opportunity: she was learning the science of child development at the exact moment she was living it. Over time, she began journaling about that experience, eventually turning those reflections into her forthcoming book, Carry My Strength, which explores the emotional and psychological layers of parenting.

In this episode, Dr. Whitney and Dr. Raphael talk about the emotional realities of parenting—from the identity shifts that happen when we become parents to the ways our own childhood experiences shape how we raise our kids.

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Potty training can feel like one of the most stressful milestones in early parenting. There’s pressure from preschool deadlines, advice from every corner of the internet, and the nagging feeling that your child is the only one who hasn’t figured it out yet. But what if potty training struggles aren’t really about behavior at all?

In this episode, Dr. Whitney talks with Dr. Quiara Smith, a pediatric pelvic health occupational therapist and founder of Aloha Integrative Therapy, about the many biological, sensory, and developmental factors that influence toileting.

They discuss why constipation, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and muscle coordination all play a role in toileting success (and why the “three-day potty training method” often misses the bigger picture).

If potty training has been a source of stress in your family, this episode offers a compassionate, evidence-based perspective on what might actually be going on inside your child’s body.

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