Just One Thing for Parents with Dr Bettina Hohnen

What's just one thing you can do when you feel like you just can't get through to your child?
Dr Russell Woodhead is a clinical psychologist whose therapeutic work is built around exactly this problem: how to reach young people who don't want to be reached. In this episode, he introduces the concept of epistemic trust, our built-in filter for deciding whose knowledge and guidance we're willing to take on board, and explains why this can be hardest to earn in the teenage years, though the same trust has to be built at every age.
Russell walks through why rushing in to fix things or offer advice too soon can actually close a child off further, and what to do instead: getting curious about the facts of their world before their feelings, resisting the urge to jump to your own perspective, and showing your child that you genuinely understand how things look from where they're standing. It's an idea that many parents will recognise straightaway, with real, practical steps attached.
You can find more from Dr Russell here: https://www.drrussellwoodhead.co.uk/

What if the most calming thing you could put on a screen for your kids was also the most alive? In this episode, Bettina talks to Tucker Malarkey, creator of the Migration Project — a live-streaming platform broadcasting real wildlife migrations in real time. No narration, no AI, no editing. Just nature, unfolding as it happens. Tucker shares the unexpected moment that started it all, why this kind of screen time affects the brain so differently from anything else your child watches, and the emerging science that's now catching up to what parents are already noticing. Her one thing for parents is surprisingly simple — and you can try it tonight.
🎥 Watch live at livemigrations.com or search Live Migrations on YouTube.

What's just one thing parents can do to help their child switch off before bed?
This week I'm joined by Mark Westmoquette, an astrophysicist turned Zen meditation and yoga teacher, whose work brings together the science of the night sky and the practice of mindfulness. He's the author of Look Up at Bedtime, a book of five-minute mindful activities and stories to help families share the wonder of the universe.
Bedtime can be one of the most stressful moments of a parent's day; full of separation, fear of the dark, and the hope that they'll just go to sleep on time for once. In this conversation, Mark offers a gentle shift in perspective: instead of a battle to be won, bedtime can become a shared moment of curiosity. He explains how looking up at the stars, or even noticing the sounds and air of the night, can broaden a child's perspective, soothe anxiety, and strengthen your connection at the same time.
We talk about why mindfulness comes so naturally to children, why not knowing the answers together can be a gift rather than a worry, and how a sense of awe and wonder can lift both parent and child out of the busyness of the day. 
You can find out more about Mark Westmoquette here: https://markwestmoquette.co.uk/

What's just one thing parents can do to help a child who is restricting what they eat? In this episode of Just One Thing for Parents, I'm joined by Yaara Shimshoni, clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine. Yaara has extensive experience training, supervising and treating families using SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), and she has recently adapted this approach to ARFID, or avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. 
Together, we explore why mealtimes can become such a battleground, and why the instinct to keep the peace can, over time, make things harder rather than easier.
Yaara explains the difference between the normal fussy eating that so many toddlers go through and the more significant restriction that starts to affect a child's growth, health or daily life. We talk about all the things parents understandably do to help a child feel less distress in the moment, from making separate meals to buying one particular brand, and why these short-term fixes can reinforce a child's fears in the long run.
For any parent who dreads mealtimes or worries they are getting it wrong, this episode offers a compassionate, science-based way to step back, ease the pressure, and focus on what is genuinely within your control.
You can find out more about Yaara Shimshoni's book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/breaking-free-of-picky-eating-9780197769447

What happens when life throws your family a curveball?

In this special long-form episode, I'm joined by Dr Rebecca Chilvers and Dr David Trickey, both Consultant Clinical Psychologists who specialise in supporting families through trauma, loss, uncertainty, and unexpected challenges.
Together, we explore what happens when the future you imagined for your child or family suddenly changes. We discuss guilt, shame, grief, uncertainty, and the stories we tell ourselves when difficult things happen.
We also talk about why parents often feel pressure to fix things, why compassion matters more than certainty, and how relationships can help us navigate even the hardest experiences.
This is a thoughtful conversation about parenting through the unexpected and finding a way forward when life doesn't go to plan.