Middle school can feel like emotional whiplash—one minute your kid wants you close, the next you’re getting an eye roll and attitude that makes you wonder, "What is going on?" In this episode, Chrissi sits down with Instagram’s favorite middle school parent coach Bridget KerMorris to unpack what’s really happening beneath the mood swings, disrespect, and constant tech tension—and how parents can stay steady without becoming permissive. You’ll hear why the parent-child relationship is one of the most protective factors in the tween/teen years, plus a practical framework for responding with calm authority (even when you’re triggered). If you’re parenting middle schoolers—especially if big feelings, ADHD, or neurodivergence are part of the picture—this conversation will help you feel more connected, more confident, and less like you’re living inside a daily power struggle.

(1:05) 🎙️ Meet Bridget KerMorris: attorney, therapist + parent coach + mom of seven raising middle schoolers in real time
(3:20) 😬 Why parents dread middle school—and how to turn down the heat at home
(6:10) 🧠 The most protective factor for tweens + teens: the parent-child relationship (and why it’s not “soft”)
(8:05) 🧭 Authority vs. authoritarian: how to hold boundaries without constant power struggles
(10:45) 🧩 Trauma + meaning-making: why what you say (or don’t say) after hard moments matters
(12:40) 📱 Tech rules, phones, Snapchat: how to set limits without your kid hearing “I don’t trust you”
(14:20) 🛑 Pillar 1: The Update Method: how to pause when you’re triggered so you can respond (not react)
(18:00) 🤝 Pillar 2: Accessible, Responsive, Engaged—what secure attachment looks like in middle school
(23:55) 🍉 The “little things” that build connection fast (and why kids never forget them)
(25:30) 🔁 Pillar 3: Repair: teaching accountability + relationship skills after conflict
(27:10) 💡 Pillar 4: Curious relational parenting: helping kids understand their inner world (before adulthood)
(30:40) 🧠 Parenting neurodivergent middle schoolers: rejection sensitivity, emotional dysregulation, and what helps
(37:10) 🌪️ When your kid is constantly moody: how to get back to neutral ground as a family
(42:10) 🧱 Containment + kindness: addressing eye rolls & disrespect without becoming permissive
(48:15) 🗂️ Free guide + Stay Close cards: daily conversation prompts that help your tween open up
(51:45) 🎶 Fun wrap: concerts, celeb look-alike, and what Bridget has “found” in her forties

Follow Bridget on Instagram at @bridget.parentcoach and get your free guide here: 50 Ways I’m Staying Closer to My Middle Schooler

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📱 Check out @foundat40podcast on Instagram for extras, outtakes, and mild oversharing

🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Foundat40

Keywords: Parenting middle schoolers, middle school parenting tips, how to stay connected to your tween, tween mood swings, handling disrespect from tweens, how to respond when your child is rude, connection-based parenting, attachment-focused parenting, building secure attachment with teens, repairing after a parent-child conflict, setting boundaries with tweens, screen time limits for middle schoolers, phone boundaries for tweens and teens, parenting a neurodivergent child (ADHD/autism), parenting strategies for tweens and teens.

Why does adult friendship feel so much harder than it used to — even when nothing is “wrong”? In this episode, Chrissi and her sister Sarah unpack why loneliness, disconnection, and friendship confusion are so common in midlife, especially for women navigating busy schedules, shifting priorities, and changing seasons of life. They explore how modern life quietly reshaped the way we connect — and why feeling lonely isn’t a personal failure. If you’ve ever wondered why friendship feels emotional, awkward, or exhausting in adulthood, this conversation will help you feel seen, validated, and less alone.

(0:00) ❄️ A cold-weather catch-up and why everyday conversation still matters
(5:00) 🧠 Texting tone, all-caps conflict, and how adult relationships misread intention
(9:00) 🤝 Why adult friendship feels heavier — and why so many women quietly struggle
(12:00) 📉 The loneliness statistics that reveal a major cultural shift
(16:00) ☕ The loss of “third spaces” and how modern life fractured community
(20:00) 🧸 Parenting stages, aging kids, and the disappearance of built-in friendships
(24:00) 🎧 Feeling isolated in public — even when we’re surrounded by people
(28:00) ❤️ The Harvard study that reframes happiness, health, and relationships
(31:00) 🌱 “Medium friends” — why they matter, where they fit, and why they’re confusing
(35:00) 🧭 Wanting to show up without overstepping — and why silence can hurt more
(40:00) 🔄 Friendship bandwidth, emotional energy, and shrinking circles in midlife
(45:00) 🛒 Reimagining friendship through errand friends, shared activities, and low-pressure connection
(48:00) ✨ Final reflections on effort, vulnerability, and what adult friendship really needs

✨ Hit follow, send this episode to your group chat, and leave a glowing review

📱 Check out @foundat40podcast on Instagram for extras, outtakes, and mild oversharing

🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Foundat40

Keywords: adult friendship, loneliness in adulthood, making friends in midlife, female friendship in midlife, why adult friendship is hard, feeling lonely even with friends, modern loneliness epidemic, friendship after 40, losing friends as an adult, third spaces and community, rebuilding friendships in adulthood, emotional labor in friendships, friendship circles and bandwidth, medium friends vs close friends, connection and belonging in midlife

What happens when the life you carefully planned unravels — and you realize that it’s time to rebuild a completely new life? In this episode, Chrissi sits down with lifelong friend Melissa Griffiths (who is also the creator of the food blog Bless This Mess) to unpack a bold midlife pivot, from leaving a dream life behind to starting fresh across the country. Their conversation explores reinvention, resilience, family, community, and the messy magic of choosing change on purpose.

(0:00) 🎙️ Why chosen life pivots can feel scarier than unexpected ones

(2:00) ❄️ From Southern Utah sunshine to snowy Northern Vermont

(5:00) 🏡 Building a dream life with full confidence it would last forever

(8:00) ⚠️ When comfort turns complicated — early signs of change

(11:00) 💔 A major family business shift that changes everything

(15:00) 🧠 Navigating betrayal, grief, stress, and emotional overwhelm

(19:00) 🚚 Searching the country for a new future — and landing on Vermont

(23:00) 🏫 Moving kids, switching schools, and adjusting as a family

(28:00) 🌱 Grieving the old life while building a new one

(33:00) 🧘‍♀️ Nervous system healing, health shifts, and slowing down

(39:00) 🔄 Midlife reinvention, identity changes, and redefining success

(46:00) 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 Friendship, community, marriage, and intentional living

(52:00) ✨ Advice for anyone at a crossroads — courage, connection, and what’s next

Follow Melissa (and her new Vermont life!) at @blessthismessblog or discover your favorite new recipe at her blog Bless This Mess

✨ Hit follow, send this episode to your group chat, and leave a glowing review

📱 Check out @foundat40podcast on Instagram for extras, outtakes, and mild oversharing

🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Foundat40

Keywords:

midlife reinvention, major life pivot, starting over at 40, life plan falling apart, midlife career change, family relocation story, moving across the country with kids, redefining success in midlife, healing after major life change, building a new life after loss, resilience in midlife, intentional living at 40, personal growth through change, navigating identity shifts, finding community after a fresh start