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Do you ever feel the overwhelm of trying to “do it all”? Or maybe you’ve been struggling on your parenting journey and are needing a bit of hope that it’s all going to be okay?

In this episode, Jenn Abbatiello joins me to talk about peaceful parenting and how it can help us build stronger relationships with our kids and ourselves.

Jenn is a mom of two young boys and a Certified Parent Coach. She is the founder of Your Transformed Family, helping parents end the anger, frustration, and guilt to find calm, confidence and ease in their parenting without yelling, threatening or punishing. 

As a former dominant parent, Jenn learned to become a peaceful parent and is dedicated to helping other parents transform their parenting too! Prior to founding Your Transformed Family, Jenn worked for 20+ years as a senior sales & marketing executive with companies of various sizes and across industries. She helped launch Microsoft Advertising in Canada, built and led the marketing team at Thinking Capital and spearheaded the growth of Reader’s Digest in Southeast Asia. When not working with families, she loves the outdoors skiing, hiking or running with her husband and two boys. One thing she can’t live without is her morning latte with oat milk.

Listen in as we talk about:

• The struggle behind being a mom. Jenn gets honest and real about becoming a mom even if it wasn’t in her life plan.

• Healing our trauma to help our kids through their big emotions. Jenn talks about her biggest parenting lesson, which is to do her own inner healing work so that she can help her kids.

• Tips for prioritizing working on yourself. We can only show up as the mom we want to be when we take care of ourselves. Jenn shares her two tips on how to do just that.

Connect with Jenn

• Instagram: @yourtransformedfamily https://www.instagram.com/yourtransformedfamily/
• Facebook: @yourtransformedfamily https://www.facebook.com/yourtransformedfamily/
• Website: https://www.yourtransformedfamily.com
• Quiz: What’s Your Parenting Style
  • I checked out Jenn’s “What’s Your Parenting Style?” Quiz and learned that I am a “Balanced Parent”.
  • Take the quiz to see what type of parent you are and receive tips and resources to support you along your parenting journey: https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/6230b3f2452f9b00188a8bd5

Connect with Tiana and The Part-Time Jungle Community:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parttimejungle/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parttimejungle/
• Website: https://theparttimejungle.com

THE STRUGGLE BEHIND BEING A MOM 

When Jenn and her husband started talking about kids, Jenn felt it just wasn’t in her life plan. After a battle with cancer, she wasn’t even sure if she could have them. 

Jenn gets honest and real about becoming a mom, and how it brought up many fears and a battle with wanting to be in control. She talks about how she hit her breaking point, packed her bags and left. This is what led her to where she is now, helping people through their parenting journey. 

HEALING OUR TRAUMA TO HELP OUR KIDS THROUGH THEIR BIG EMOTIONS 

“Parenting is about co-regulation. You cannot co-regulate if you yourself are not regulated.”

Our kids, like us, have big emotions. Just because they may be younger, it doesn’t discount how they feel, express and self-regulate. Jenn shares that her biggest lesson as a mother is taking care of herself and doing the hard inner healing work, because it’s so important in being able to show up and be the parent you want to be. When we take the time to work on ourselves, it helps us stay patient in those really hard moments, and gives us the ability to pause and take a step back so we can help our kids.

HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORKING ON YOURSELF

“When you’re triggered by your child, what’s that story that you’re telling yourself? How do you peel the onion of where it originated from so you can change it?”

If we’re not giving ourselves the space to become our best selves, how can we expect the same of our kids? We need to give them space to grow into the people they were destined to become. 

Jenn has two ways she takes care of herself in order to show up as the best mom for her kids:

1. Making sure your own needs are met. Jenn shares that exercise is non-negotiable for her in order to show up fully as a mom. 
2. Making sense of your childhood. Trauma comes in all forms. Jenn highlights that if your child is triggering you, what does that mean for you? What needs to be healed or looked at?

BEG, BORROW, & STEAL FROM JENN

• Go-to meal on a busy night: Pasta
• Favourite family activity: Being outdoors 
• Favourite book: Any books by Brene Brown, as well as her podcast

MAMAS FOR MAMAS – CALGARY

The Part-Time Jungle Podcast is proudly supporting the Calgary branch of the national charitable organization Mamas for Mamas with a “Buy Me a Coffee” initiative. All funds raised will go directly to Mamas for Mamas – Calgary: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thePTJpodcast. A purchase of “one (digital) coffee” is equivalent to a $5 donation to Mamas for Mamas – Calgary.

Mamas for Mamas supports mothers and caregivers in crisis by providing ongoing support to individuals and families facing various poverty-related struggles. Their mission is to change the landscape of poverty through innovative approaches to financial barriers faced by struggling families.

Thank you for listening, for being a part of The Part-Time Jungle community, and for your support of Mamas for Mamas. To learn more about Mamas for Mamas, head to: https://www.mamasformamas.org

Wishing you all the best with your motherhood and work juggle!

~Tiana