Do you have a strong-willed, big-feeling, highly sensitive child who feels like “too much”?

Parenting the “Spicy” Child: Strong-Willed Kids, Big Feelings, and Connection-Based Discipline

Parenting a strong-willed, big-feeling child can feel like living next to a volcano-beautiful, powerful, and unpredictable.

We explore what Mary calls the spicy child: kids with high intensity, low adaptability, high perceptibility, and high persistence. These are the children who feel deeply, notice everything, and refuse to be easily managed.

You’ll learn why shame and punishment backfire, how to regulate your nervous system during meltdowns, and how to lead with connection while still holding firm boundaries.

We also talk about parenting in community spaces, navigating pressure to control behavior, and why repair after rupture is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child.

If you’re raising a sensitive, strong-willed child and want fewer power struggles, more cooperation, and deeper trust—this episode is for you.

✨ In This Episode, We Cover:

• The four traits of a “spicy” child
• Why traditional discipline doesn’t work for sensitive kids
• How to stay calm during meltdowns
• The “conscious pause”
• Completing the stress cycle
• Play as a regulation tool
• Separating your nervous system from your child’s
• How to repair after hard moments
• Mary’s book, audiobook, quiz, and preorder bonuses

You can pre-order Mary's new book here: Pre-Order Parenting a Spicy One

Check out Mary on Instagram

If you are local to Northern Colorado- come join our book club!

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction: Parenting the “Spicy” Child
02:45 – What Makes a Child “Spicy”? The Four Core Traits
07:30 – Why Punishment and Shame Backfire
12:10 – Gentle Parenting vs. Nervous System Leadership
16:40 – Parenting Under Community & Church Pressure
21:15 – Making Regulation Visible
26:00 – Completing the Stress Cycle
30:20 – The Conscious Pause During Meltdowns
34:45 – Why Lectures Don’t Work Mid-Storm
38:10 – Playful De-Escalation: Singing, Silliness, and Connection
42:55 – When Your Child’s Energy Overwhelms You
47:30 – Separating Your Experience From Theirs
51:20 – Repair After Rupture: Owning Impact
56:10 – Raising Future Leaders, Not “Too Much” Kids
59:40 – Mary’s Book, Quiz, and Preorder Bonuses
1:03:15 – Final Reflections + Listener Invitation

Send us a text

If you’re ready to stop living on autopilot and start leading your life with deep presence, I’d love to work with you. Book a free interest call here: Click Here

💌 Want more? Follow me on Instagram @themotherhoodmentor for somatic tools, nervous system support, and real-talk on high-functioning burnout, ambition, healing perfectionism, and motherhood. And also pretty epic meme drops.

🎧 Did you love this episode? Be sure to follow and please take a quick moment to leave a review and send this episode to a friend. I'd love to hear from you on how this podcast impacted you, send me a DM or an email.

Let's explore how to stay hungry for growth without missing the life you already built. We share practical ways to feel content now while nurturing ambition for your body, marriage, work, and motherhood.

• naming the gap obsession and its cost
• choosing hungry not starving as a core mindset
• celebrating wins you already own and wanting what you already have
• body peace through strength, food freedom and comfort
• building a resilient marriage with real boundaries
• steady parenting with repair and regulation
• keeping ambition as permission not pressure
• rejecting one-size blueprints for inner GPS
• making next-step choices in the fog

If this is you and you feel like you are trying to build capacity to pursue your incessant ambition and desire, while also feeling enough- like you can slow down and be present and content- this is exactly the work we do in my 1:1 coaching and at the upcoming Steady Retreat.

You can find all the details for Retreat here: https://themotherhoodmentor.myflodesk.com/steadyretreat

Or coaching work here: https://www.the-motherhood-mentor.com/reclamationcoaching

Send us a text

If you’re ready to stop living on autopilot and start leading your life with deep presence, I’d love to work with you. Book a free interest call here: Click Here

💌 Want more? Follow me on Instagram @themotherhoodmentor for somatic tools, nervous system support, and real-talk on high-functioning burnout, ambition, healing perfectionism, and motherhood. And also pretty epic meme drops.

🎧 Did you love this episode? Be sure to follow and please take a quick moment to leave a review and send this episode to a friend. I'd love to hear from you on how this podcast impacted you, send me a DM or an email.

Forget the sprint. We’re starting the year steady, grounded, and honest about capacity. Instead of chasing a dazzling future self, we look at what’s here now- what worked, what didn’t, and how to build change that outlasts a January dopamine hit. In this episode I share why integrity beats motivation, how to regulate your nervous system in real life, and what it means to show up in the messy middle with devotion and mercy rather than perfection.

This is also your invitation to join Steady January, halfway through the month- a free broadcast channel with short love notes, somatic practices, and thoughtful prompts designed to fit into the margins of motherhood and work. No feed to keep up with, no pressure to share- just simple guidance that respects your time and energy. If you’re tired of quick fixes, you’ll hear how tiny, consistent micro-shifts compound into durable habits and a calmer baseline you can actually feel.

I'm also opening the doors to deeper support: one-on-one coaching for women who want a focused, fit-first space to metabolize stress, set aligned goals, and expand capacity without the urgency spiral. Then we dive into our spring retreat-why co-regulation is a force multiplier for healing, how workshops translate into daily life, and the joy of being well-fed, well-rested, and well-held in a room where growth is contagious. You’ll leave with tools you can use at home and a felt sense of ease that doesn’t evaporate on the tarmac.

If this resonates, join Steady January, explore coaching, or apply for the retreat while early-bird spots last. And if the podcast supports you, follow and leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify—it helps more women find a steadier way forward.

Join Steady January Here: https://themotherhoodmentor.myflodesk.com/steadyjanuary

Want to sneak peak the Spring Retreat: https://themotherhoodmentor.myflodesk.com/steadyretreat

Book an interest call here: https://calendly.com/themotherhoodmentor/exploration-call

Send us a text

If you’re ready to stop living on autopilot and start leading your life with deep presence, I’d love to work with you. Book a free interest call here: Click Here

💌 Want more? Follow me on Instagram @themotherhoodmentor for somatic tools, nervous system support, and real-talk on high-functioning burnout, ambition, healing perfectionism, and motherhood. And also pretty epic meme drops.

🎧 Did you love this episode? Be sure to follow and please take a quick moment to leave a review and send this episode to a friend. I'd love to hear from you on how this podcast impacted you, send me a DM or an email.