The Better Behavior Show with Dr. Nicole Beurkens – Details, episodes & analysis

As we emerge from 'sugar season', I thought this would be a great time to revisit a very popular previous episode I did with Dr. Natasha Beck, lovingly known as Dr. Organic Mommy, on reducing sugar and simple strategies for improving nutrient density in our diets. With obesity and mental health skyrocketing in kids and adults, what are some simple swaps and better food choices we can make to improve our physical and mental health?  We start with the basics on how to realistically improve nutrition and lifestyle, including non-toxic living tips and how to get selective (or picky eaters) to try new foods so that every family is empowered to make healthy decisions. There are loads of meal suggestions and cleaner packaged food options for kids that Dr. Beck shares in this one!  

Dr. Natasha Beck is a parenting expert and founder of Dr. Organic Mommy, an online resource focused on pregnancy, parenting, and non-toxic living. She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, specializing in Pediatric Neuro-psychology, and a Master's in Public Health specializing in Child and Family Health. She's also certified in leadership education and neurodevelopmental disabilities from Children's Hospital Los Angeles. From how to handle tantrums to mealtime difficulties to helping families live healthier lives, Dr. Organic Mommy aims to help every family make healthy decisions, drawing on her experience as a mom and a parenting expert. Her parenting expertise combines the use of Waldorf, Montessori, and RIE philosophies, all of which we have covered at various times on the show, tied into cognitive-behavioral and play therapy. When she's not working on Dr. Organic Mommy, Natasha is busy raising her three children, and she's got another, a fourth on the way, and her two fur babies with her husband, and serves on the board of various organizations.

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Episode Timestamps:
Episode Intro … 00:00:30

Introduction to Dr. Beck … 00:01:12

Dr. Beck’s Background—ADHD and Effects of Diet … 00:02:48

Biggest Knowledge Gaps on Food & Lifestyle … 00:05:23

2 Biggest Offenders in “Kids Food” … 00:07:28

Chronic Health Issues Associated with Sugars and Overconsumption … 12:47

Practical Ways to Reduce Sugar … 00:16:38

Taking Baby Steps to Decrease Sugar … 00:22:33

Best Kid-Friendly Snacks to Have On-Hand … 27:20

Should You Avoid Juice? … 00:31:19

Snacks are the Easiest to Transition to Start With … 00:36:45

Preservatives, Dyes, and Chemicals Hiding In Our Food … 00:38:58

Food Additives on the Gut, Oral, Brain, and Overall Health … 00:43:32

Social Toxins Can be Worse than Chemical Ones … 00:45:35

Episode Wrap up & Resources … 00:47:00

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Need help with improving your child’s behavior naturally?

• My book Life Will Get Better, click here to learn more.
• Looking for more? Check out my Blog and Workshops.
• Interested in becoming a patient? Contact us here.
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My guest this week is Jason Campbell.

We are discussing how to avoid stress buildup and dysregulation in kids and ourselves by learning how to create more space in your life--and I don't just mean physical space--we're talking about the space we need in our minds, thoughts, feelings, bodies, and the environment around us. Learning how to create this space allows us to be more reflective and responsive when things happen, as opposed to being reactive. We explore practical ways to not only avoid the buildup of toxic stress, emotions and experiences, but also how to be more resilient, especially when we're navigating particularly tough times and seasons with our kids and in our own adult lives.

Jason Campbell's journey into meditation, music and wellness began 44 years ago, at the age of 8, when his teacher told him to never listen to notes, but instead to listen to the space in between the notes. He's been creating music ever since and has released over 100 albums and has been #1 on multiple billboards and Amazon charts. Jason is also a seventh degree black belt and co founder of Zen Wellness. His unique perspective on health, wellness and spiritual growth comes from his lifelong study of both music and the ancient arts of Eastern Health, medicine, meditation and enlightenment. His music and teachings have opened meditation to thousands of people who have never meditated before, or who have tried meditation and failed in their effort to simply sit still and clear the mind. Jason often says “Be still for one song, five minutes per day, close your eyes and breathe with the bell. It can change your life.” On a personal note, Jason is the father of two young adult children and understands what it means to navigate the many challenges that come along with having kids and the extra needs they bring.

Follow Jason:

• Websites:
  zenpiano.com
  https://www.jasoncampbellmusic.com/
  https://www.zenwellness.us/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasonandrobincampbellmusic/
• Insta: https://www.instagram.com/jasoncampbellmusic/

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Episode Takeaways

Episode Intro … 00:00:30

Introduction to Jason Campbell … 00:01:40

Ideas of What Meditation is Supposed to Be … 00:5:50

Be Present Now … 00:9:45 

Creating More Space to be Regulated … 00:14:47

Counterintuitive Approach to Being Less Reactive … 00:20:40

Avoiding Chronic Stress Buildup: Purging … 00:29:00

3 Minute Breathing Exercise … 00:34:50

Where Emotions Live in the Body … 00:41:40 

Resources & Episode Wrap Up … 00:45:30

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Need help with improving your child’s behavior naturally?

• My book Life Will Get Better, click here to learn more.
• Looking for more? Check out my Blog and Workshops.
• Interested in becoming a patient? Contact us here.
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Drbeurkens.com

My guest this week is Sarah Moore.

In this episode, Sarah and I discuss discipline and kids. Now the word discipline can bring up all kinds of thoughts and feelings for parents, often based on our own childhood experiences, beliefs, or things we’ve read about kids and parenting. The reality is, that all kids need discipline. It’s important to understand that discipline really means teaching and guiding, not punishment, spanking, etc., which we often associate with the word. So to help us think about discipline in a developmentally supportive, appropriate, helpful way, I’ve invited expert Sarah Moore back on the show to share about her new book and more of her wisdom around conscious parenting; to help shift our approach and mindset around discipline so that we able to practice it in ways that are healthier for us, our relationships, and our kids’ development.

Sarah Moore is the founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting, and the author of Peaceful Discipline, Story Teaching, Brain Science and Better Behavior. She's a public speaker, armchair neuroscientist, and most importantly, a mama. She's a lifelong learner with training in child development, trauma, recovery, interpersonal neurobiology, and improv comedy. As a Certified Master Trainer in Conscious Parenting, she helps bring joy, ease and connection back to families around the globe.

Connect with Sarah:

• Insta:@dandelionseedspositiveliving
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DandelionSeedsPositiveParenting
• Website: https://dandelion-seeds.com/
• Twitter: @DandelionSeeds5

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Episode Takeaways

Episode Intro … 00:00:30

Introduction to Sarah Moore & Peaceful Parenting … 00:01:25

Instincts to Sift Through the Outdated & Bad Parenting Advice … 00:05:56

Combining Discipline with Peaceful … 00:08:30

What is Discipline? … 00:10:45

Counterproductive Discipline … 00:14:05

Discipline Kids will Ask for! … 00:19:30

Importance of Storytelling and Discipline … 00:21:40

Importance of Laughter … 00:27:35

Proactive Discipline & Trusting the Process … 00:31:00

Reactive Discipline Scenario: Misbehavior at School … 00:37:36

For the Parent Who is Skeptical or Burnt-out … 00:43:22

Resources for Parents, Book & Episode Wrap Up … 00:46:15

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Need help with improving your child’s behavior naturally?

• My book Life Will Get Better is available for purchase, click here to learn more.
• Looking for more? Check out my Blog and Workshops.
• Interested in becoming a patient? Contact us here.
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Drbeurkens.com

My guest this week is Mary Voogt, she is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, feeding expert, wife, and a homeschooling mom to four who used to be selective eaters. She is the founder of Just Take a Bite and creator of The Mouth Mind Movement Minerals Method to get kids to say “Mmm!” to nourishing food every day. She uses a combination of nutritional therapy, eating styles profiling, EFT, and hair tissue mineral analysis to assess kids and get to the root cause of feeding challenges and create a personalized plan to overcome them. She blogs about her passion for nourishing food and empowering kids to take ownership of their health. And when she’s not in the kitchen, teaching her kids, or working with clients, Mary enjoys reading, walking, yoga, and spending time with her family on their 10-acre hobby farm and orchard.

In this episode, Mary and I discuss how to empower kids to be healthy eaters. We delve into a unique way of thinking about eating styles in kids, and why it’s important to understand each child’s specific needs around eating, including how things like their personality and activity level play a role in eating. Learn more about Mary Voogt here.

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This weeks question is from Elizabeth,

“My son, who is 7 is still bursting into tears, yelling, stomping, and throwing things when he makes a mistake or doesn't get his way. It’s hard for him to self-regulate when he has reached his red zone.”

In today's Q&A, I'll be talking about strategies that can help your child learn to regulate their emotions as they go through developmental phases that can be overwhelming and challenging. We are going to cover a lot of ground; some specific parenting strategies you can try in the moment, some longer-term strategies that are critical to success, and some big picture things to be thinking about in terms of the underlying cause.

You can submit a question by emailing us at support@drbeurkens.com with the subject line "Podcast Question."

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My guest this week is Sarah Frisch, an independent, agender autistic adult. Since their diagnosis in adulthood, they have earned a BA in psychology and pursued a career in autism consulting. They work with parents and other autistic people as well as organizations like Autism Support of Kent County and the Department of Defense's Autism Research Program. When not expanding their understanding of the many and varied experiences in the autism spectrum, they enjoy gardening and foraging for wild food as well as spending time with their spouse.

In this episode, Sarah and I discuss their experience of growing up autistic, but not knowing it until adulthood, experiences in adulthood thus far, and what might be helpful for parents and professionals to know about how to best support people with brain-based differences throughout their lifespan. This is a fantastic episode for parents of children with autism to listen to (as well as family members and professionals). Learn more about Sarah here.

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This weeks question is from Shante,

“My 7-year-old son stomps, screams, yells and constantly says, ‘I hate you mom, you’re so mean.’ I tell him to use other words to express what about me is mean. Should I tell him to go to his room? How do I get him to stop doing this all the time, even when he’s slightly upset or frustrated? I also have a 3-year-old, and I don’t like that she’s learning and watching her brother respond to me and yell at me that way, because now she’s calling me mean and screaming and yelling. I’m feeling lost, please help.”                             

In this episode, I will address what is really going on when an upset child becomes verbally hostile and says really hurtful things.  We will discuss specific strategies, things to say, ways to get through these moments, and then some things to implement in the long term.

You can submit a question by emailing us at support@drbeurkens.com with the subject line "Podcast Question."

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My guest this week is Brendan Mahan. He is an internationally recognized ADHD and Executive Function expert, a highly engaging, sought-after speaker, and the host of the “ADHD Essentials” podcast. A former teacher, mental health counselor, and principal, Brendan helps individuals, families, schools, and businesses manage the challenges of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and neurodiversity through an approach that blends education, collaborative problem solving, and accountability with compassion, humor, a focus on strengths and growth, and his trademark Wall of Awful model.

In this episode, Brendan and I discuss some of the major challenges parents and families face when a member of the family has ADHD and ways to support them and celebrate their strengths. Brendan tells us about the Wall of Awful and how this philosophy can help people with ADHD approach difficult tasks in a more positive way. Learn more about Brendan here.

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My guest this week is Penny Williams. Penny helps parents of challenging kids feel less alone and break down the barriers to success and joy for their families and for themselves. Through her podcast, award-winning books, online parent training programs and conferences, parent coaching, and mom retreats, she has helped thousands of neurodiverse families survive and thrive in the face of ADHD and/or Autism.

In this episode, we get to hear all about Penny’s experience as a mom of a neurodiverse child and how she rose to the challenge and became an expert in helping parents and families see the right path for their children. Penny has so many encouraging things to say to parents and gives some good take-home tips as well. Learn more about Penny here.

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This weeks question is from Heather,

“Hi Dr. Nicole, my four-and-a-half-year-old son is a good kid, but we can’t get him to focus on learning. All he wants to do is run and play. When they have circle time at school, he’ll only sit for four minutes, then he’s up and looking for something else. I am trying so hard to teach him his ABC’s, and he just says “Nope, let’s play.” or “Not now, mom”, but yet if I give him my cell phone, he can be on it for an hour watching shows without a problem. I just don't know what else to try. He’s also lacking in some speech development by about a year, and I have an appointment to get a referral for speech therapy. Not sure if I should ask about ADD or other issues.”

In this episode I will address the question - what is a normal attention span for a young child and why does screen time seem to hold their attention when nothing else will. I will also share effective strategies to improve focus and learning in children that never seem to want to sit still.

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