Reflective Parenting Podcast by Curious Neuron
You don’t snap at your kids because you’re a bad parent. You snap because your stress builds faster than your awareness, and no one ever taught you how to handle that.
I’m Dr. Cindy Hovington, a mom of three with a doctorate in neuroscience and founder of Curious Neuron. I created The Reflective Parenting Podcast for parents who care deeply, know a lot, and still find themselves overwhelmed in the real moments.
This is not a podcast where I tell you how to be a perfect parent. I’m in it with you.
Each week, I invite you into my own reflections:
- what I’m learning from scientific articles and books,
- what I’m noticing in my nervous system and emotions,
- and what real parents and experts teach me in conversation.
Together, we get curious about why we snap, shut down, or over-function in conflict, and what’s actually happening in our brain and body when we do. We talk about stress, shame, repair, boundaries, playfulness, and the quiet moments no one sees—so you can start to recognize your patterns and gently shift them.
By listening, you’ll learn to:
- notice your stress and body signals earlier,
- understand the lenses and stories that intensify hard moments,
- regulate your nervous system when parenting feels like “too much”,
- and handle conflict with more calm, clarity, and repair.
- But more than that, you’ll have a companion in the work.
I’ll share where I struggle, what I’m practicing, and how I’m trying to grow, so you don’t feel like the only parent who finds this hard.
If you’re ready to move away from “perfect” parenting and toward reflective parenting—where every tough moment becomes data, not failure—pull up a chair.
Let’s learn, feel, and grow together.
Find out which book I will be covering next month:
https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/
Join the private group on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/groups/reflectiveparentingpodcast/
Start training your emotional awareness for FREE:
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
Purchase my course The Emotionally Aware Parent.
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Follow us on Instagram @drcindyhovington or Facebook @curiousneuronparenting
Reflective Parenting Podcast by Curious Neuron
3 reflections about how we take care of ourselves as parents
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Why do so many parents feel like they don't have time to take care of themselves?
The answer isn't as simple as being busy.
This week, we're reflecting on a passage from the book How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh and exploring why our own needs slowly disappear after becoming parents. I'll also share a simple reflection exercise that helped me reconnect with the things that brought me joy before having children—and why gratitude may be more powerful than we think.
In this episode, we reflect on:
- What brought me joy before I had children?
- How can I bring a small part of that back into my life?
- What moments of joy have I been overlooking?
Sometimes the goal isn't finding more time.
It's learning to notice what already helps us feel more like ourselves.
Don't forget to join our NEW BOOK CLUB!
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
This week's resources:
- This month's book: How to Love
- Article: The impact of gratitude on depression and anxiety: the mediating role of criticizing, attacking, and reassuring the self
- Article: The efficacy of seven gratitude interventions for promoting subjective well-being
Related podcast episodes you might have missed:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reflective-parenting-podcast/id1440533170?i=1000771848174
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reflective-parenting-podcast/id1440533170?i=1000720552759
Watch this episode on YouTube:
- Join the Reflective Parent Book Club for only $9.99 for the year: https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-book-club
- Watch my Tedx Talk on YouTube called The Over-Educated, Emotionally Underprepared Parent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDYJFY_9K9E&t=19s
- Get your FREE emotional awareness training (comes with a poster, workbook and video):
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iEbFRZ5QQ&t=12s
- Grab our course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
- Or email me to join the next 6-week training, to schedule a discovery call for a 1:1 consult for your and your family or to book some leadership training for your workplace info@curiousneuron.com