The Kindness Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

The Kindness Podcast

Episode: What Does Kindness Look Like When We’re Talking to Our Teens? Guest: Shanna Reyes, MS, LCMHCS

Episode Overview

Talking to teens can bring out the best — and sometimes the worst — in us. In this episode, host Nicole J. Phillips talks with trauma expert Shanna Reyes about how kindness can reshape the way we communicate with our kids, especially when conversations get uncomfortable.

They explore how to connect instead of control, how to set expectations when college kids return home for the holidays, and what to do when we inevitably get it wrong. Because kindness in parenting isn’t about saying all the right things — it’s about being willing to repair when we don’t.

About the Guest

Shanna Reyes is the founder of Counseling Integrity and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor with nearly two decades of experience specializing in complex PTSD, dissociation, and developmental trauma. She combines cutting-edge neuroscience with deep clinical intuition to help clients heal at the root level.

She is one of only four EMDR Institute Facilitators in North Carolina and serves as Co-Coordinator for the NC Trauma Recovery Network (EMDR HAP). Shanna is also EMDRIA Certified and trained in Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), Parts Work/Ego State Therapy, and Transactional Analysis/Redecision Therapy.

Key Takeaways

• How to open conversations when your teen seems shut down or defensive.
• Why setting expectations before college kids come home can prevent conflict.
• How to recover when you say something you regret.
• Why repair — not perfection — builds lasting connection.
• Simple ways to bring curiosity and calm to tough moments.

Resources Mentioned

• Counseling Integrity – Shanna Reyes
• The Gottman Institute – Parenting Resources
• The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline by Dr. Dan Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson (“Repair, repair, repair.”)

What does kindness look like when we can't fix what's wrong in someone's life? In this moving kickoff to Season 7 of The Kindness Podcast, host Nicole Phillips sits down with trauma chaplain Robyn Hare, who spends her days walking into the hardest moments imaginable — emergency rooms, trauma bays, and hospital waiting areas where lives change in an instant.

Nicole and Robyn talk about what it really means to show up for people when their world has fallen apart, how to offer comfort instead of control, and the smallest gestures that bring light to unbearable situations.

If you’ve ever wondered what to do when someone you love is hurting — or how to stay kind and grounded in a world that feels heavy — this conversation is for you.

Be warned -- Nicole and Robyn are good friends and find humor in almost everything.

Sissy Goff, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP is the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee, where she works alongside her counseling assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. Since 1993, she has been helping girls and their parents find confidence in who they are and hope in who God is making them to be, both as individuals and families. Sissy is a sought-after speaker for parenting events and the author of twelve books, including the bestselling Raising Worry-Free Girls and Braver, Stronger, Smarter (for elementary aged girls) and her new release for teenage girls, Brave. Sissy is a regular contributor to various podcasts and publications as well as her own podcast called Raising Boys and Girls.

You can find more information and resources at raisingboysandgirls.com and follow Sissy on Instagram at @sissygoff.

Carol McCloud, the “Bucket Lady,” is the author of ten books, which began with the blockbuster Have you Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids in 2006. By trade, Carol is a speaker, author and certified emotional intelligence trainer. Her books have sold three million copies and have been translated into many different languages. A champion for bucket filling, Carol works with a powerful presenter team who strive to help all ages and occupations grow in kindness, self-control, resilience and forgiveness, all leading to a happier life.

Connect with Carol at : https://bucketfillers101.com.

Dr. Gary Chapman is an author, speaker, pastor, and counselor. He has a passion for people and for helping them build lasting relationships. He is an internationally recognized marriage counselor and director of marriage seminars. The 5 Love Languages is one of his most popular titles—it has been translated into 50 languages and has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide.
Dr. Chapman was a family counselor in private practice for 40 years. His nationally- syndicated radio programs air on more than 400 stations. Learn more at https://www.5lovelanguages.com.

Penn and Kim Holderness have produced more than 100 videos since the global pandemic started, including over 50 songs - some with multiple tracks in a medley format. Their videos on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram have garnered over 365 million views from all over the globe! They receive thousands of comments per day from viewers thanking them for helping bring levity to such an uncertain, scary time.

Get to know this hysterical family at https://theholdernessfamily.com/ or check out The Holderness Family on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

The musician also runs the Jason Mraz Foundation, which has donated over $1 million to organizations supporting inclusive arts education and equality. The foundation recently put on an event in San Diego, “SHINE,” to celebrate all-inclusive arts education and become more fully immersed in the community using Jason’s music as a backbone. In many ways, Jason, a two-time Grammy winner, Songwriters Hall of Fame Honoree and board member of the ASCAP Foundation, aims to use his position to empower others and inspire real-world change and positivity. Everything he does and every song he writes comes back to the idea of love. Look For The Good is not just an album – it’s a refreshing way of seeing and experiencing the world we live in.

You can connect with Jason at :

https://www.facebook.com/JasonMraz/

https://www.youtube.com/jasonmraz

And on his website at https://jasonmraz.com.