Raising kids has always been complicated - but doing it in a world of algorithms, constant comparison, endless pressure and nonstop noise is a whole different challenge.

Dr. Shefali - Columbia-trained clinical psychologist, New York Times bestselling author and founder of the conscious parenting movement - joins Kelsey to unpack what it takes to raise healthy, confident kids today. And as Dr. Shefali makes clear, conscious parenting isn’t only about changing how we raise our children - it starts with looking at ourselves.

She explains how our own unhealed patterns can show up in our parenting and relationships, how to recognize when your inner child is “behind the wheel,” and why becoming a conscious parent means raising yourself right alongside your kids.

They also get into dating and choosing a future co-parent, the conversations Dr. Shefali believes couples should have before committing, and why the ability to repair after conflict may tell you far more about a relationship than the honeymoon phase ever could.

Plus: how algorithms and social media are shaping girls and boys, teaching daughters to trust their inner voice, raising emotionally healthy sons without shame, knowing when to let your child struggle, navigating mom guilt - and why Dr. Shefali says it may be time to stop chasing an A+ in parenting and become perfectly happy with a B.

I think that opening is much better for this one. It gives us a timely hook without doing the “What if…” device again.

THIS WEEK'S TOOLKIT:

READ:⁠Raising Conscious Daughters + Raising Conscious Sons⁠ — Dr. Shefali’s newest books on raising emotionally strong, connected girls and boys in today’s digital world. Both out now!

⁠A Radical Awakening + The Parenting Map⁠ — Two of the books Dr. Shefali specifically recommends in this conversation for deeper work on personal growth and conscious parenting.

FOLLOW: Instagram: ⁠@doctorshefali⁠TikTok: ⁠@doctorshefali⁠YouTube: ⁠Dr. Shefali⁠

EXPLORE: ⁠DrShefali.com⁠ — books, events, courses and more.

⁠The Conscious Classroom⁠ — Dr. Shefali’s online courses and workshops, including conscious parenting, relationships and personal growth.

⁠Parenting & You with Dr. Shefali⁠ — her podcast with real-time parenting conversations and practical tools.

What if the best thing you could do for your dating life is shake up the life you’re already living?

This week, Kelsey sits down with Serena Kerrigan (aka SFK) — entrepreneur, creator, media personality and author of the new book Let’s F*cking Date — for a candid, hilarious and surprisingly vulnerable conversation about dating, confidence, self-trust and learning to let yourself be surprised.

Serena opens up about leaving her job at Refinery29 just before the pandemic, turning virtual blind dates into the series that launched her career, and building the larger-than-life SFK persona that helped her become confident... until she realized she no longer needed the armor. She also shares how throwing out one of her biggest dating “rules” ultimately led her to Felix, her partner of three years, who is six years younger.

Together, Kelsey and Serena unpack why being open-minded and ready to be seen isn’t the same thing as settling, how to stop approaching every first date like an audition for marriage, what to do when dating starts to feel hopeless and why the relationship you build with yourself is the most important one of all. Serena shares her 3P Theory for taking the pressure off first dates, the “vacation mentality” that changed the way she approached dating, what she believes matters most in a healthy relationship, why every woman should have money of her own... and the dating rule she wishes she’d broken much sooner.

Plus, Serena enters SFK Celeb Love Court to weigh in on exes revisiting old relationships, hard launching on social media and whether you can really find love on reality TV — before a rapid-fire round of F*ck Yes or F*ck No on first-date sex, sharing locations, getting back with an ex, closure, the “right person at the wrong time” and more.

If you’ve ever worried you’re running out of time, questioned the dating pool, feared settling or simply needed permission to stop overthinking and start living, this episode is for you.

Because Serena’s advice to her younger self might just be the reminder we all need: “Stop f*cking panicking. Everything is gonna work out.”

THIS WEEK'S TOOLKIT

READ: ⁠Preorder Let’s F*cking Date by Serena Kerrigan⁠ — Serena's debut book, out September 22: letsfuckingdate.com

FOLLOW: Serena on Instagram www.instagram.com/serenakerrigan ⁠(@serenakerrigan)⁠ and TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@serenakerrigan ⁠(@serenakerrigan)⁠

TRY: Take Serena’s 3P Theory into your next date: remember it’s either Potential, Practice or Plot. Your only job on date one is to decide whether you want date two.

CHALLENGE: Change one thing about your routine this week... a different coffee shop, workout class, grocery store, event, whatever. Not because you have to meet someone there, but because Serena’s challenge is to step outside your comfort zone and give life more opportunities to surprise you.

Have you ever had a dream sitting quietly in the back of your mind...the book you want to write, the side hustle you want to start, the creative idea you swear you’ll get to someday?

This week, Kelsey sits down with TODAY lifestyle editor and debut author Francesca Cocchi, whose new rom-com, Have a Great Summer, turned a lifelong dream of writing fiction into a two-book publishing deal.

Francesca pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to become a published author—from finding the idea she couldn’t stop thinking about and writing just a few hundred words at a time after work, to finishing an 80,000-word manuscript, querying literary agents, navigating rejection and ultimately landing a publisher.

But this conversation is about so much more than writing a book. Kelsey and Francesca talk about pursuing a big dream while maintaining a demanding full-time career, protecting the relationships and routines that make life feel full, giving yourself grace when the timing isn’t right, and letting go of the pressure to reach every milestone by an arbitrary age.

Together, Kelsey and Francesca discuss:

-How Francesca turned an idea inspired by her own wedding planning into Have a Great Summer

-The small daily writing goal that helped her finish an entire novel while working full-time

-Why pursuing a passion doesn’t have to mean putting the rest of your life on hold

-How to protect yourself from burnout when your “side hustle” starts becoming a second career

-How to get a book published, including what querying a literary agent actually looks like, and what aspiring authors should include in a query letter

-The journey from finished manuscript to literary agent to publisher

-The surreal moment Francesca learned she wasn’t getting a one-book deal… but a two-book deal

-Why celebrating the little milestones along the way matters just as much as celebrating the big win

-The pressure women can feel to squeeze career ambition, relationships, family and every other milestone into one “perfect” timeline, and how to overcome that

- Francesca’s refreshingly honest perspective on being in her early 30s, loving the life she’s building and allowing herself to decide what comes next on her own timeline

-What her supportive marriage has taught her about partnership, and the green flags she thinks are worth looking for

-Why friendship is one of the most important love stories in Have a Great Summer

-The advice Francesca would give anyone sitting on a dream they haven’t quite been ready to pursue

And perhaps the biggest reminder of all: you don’t have to create the “Great American Novel” to create something worthy of putting into the world. Sometimes taking the pressure off, leaning into what you know and allowing yourself to make something simply because you love it is exactly what allows the magic to happen!

THIS WEEK’S TOOLKIT:

TO READ: Have a Great Summer by Francesca Cocchi: a nostalgic Jersey Shore rom-com about weddings, friendship, first love, coming home and figuring out what you really want

https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/shop/have-a-great-summer/

TO TRY: SCRIVENER — the writing software Francesca used to give her creative work its own dedicated space outside of the programs she used for her day job.

https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview

TO CONNECT: Connect with Francesca and stay up to date with her work here:

https://www.instagram.com/francescaa_nicolee/?hl=en