Show Notes
Perimenopause and puberty happening in the same house can be intense! So, we invited Kathleen Kelava to our podcast to shed some light on this hormonal double whammy.
Kathleen’s a registered psychologist and the owner of Pinnacle Psych. As a former police officer and a mom of three children with some exceptional needs, she understands how tough life can be. And also how tough it is as a mom to rise above.
In this conversation, Kathleen teaches us that our ‘unskillful parenting’ moments are actually gifts to our children. And she reassures us that the hormonal chaos of perimenopause and puberty is normal, and provides some incredible opportunities to connect with our kids.
Connect with Kathleen.
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Here are some other things we talked about in our conversation, and where you can find them in the episode.
3:05 – Anxiety, Depression and Family Dynamics
Kathleen shares why she left policing to become a psychologist.
7:27 – The Challenges of Parenting During Perimenopause and Puberty
Kathleen share her strategies for understanding and managing this phase of life and some of the common challenges perimenopausal moms experience. And how to deal with the guilt and shame we experience.
Tools Kathleen likes:
The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron: an evidence-based exercises to help us understand our values and how we see ourselves.
Using Anxietycanada.com to craft a plan based on evidence-based practice.
10:55 – How to Choose Our Reactions
Learn some easy tips to allow us to place a gap between teenage hormonal chaos and our response. She also reassures us that we not causing permanent damage with our kids.
18:00 – Helping Ourselves to Help Our Kids
Our kids can trigger our unresolved issues and traumas and can impact our parenting. Kathleen addresses these ‘artifacts from the past’ and how they can be like gasoline on the hormonal fire in her house.
25:00 – When to Seek Professional Help for this Hormonal Double Whammy
We don’t need an diagnosis to be struggling. To suffer and to be human, and to have anxiety, those are normal things. And there’s no shame in getting help.
31:00 – Using Humor to Navigate Hormonal Changes
We discuss some of the fun ways to deal with the hormonal chaos. Humor is a potent tool and can be really connective.
35:09 – Teens and Perimenopausal Women Are All Unique
What did you think of today’s episode? We want to hear from you!
Thank you so much for listening to the show. Here is how you can connect with us at This Is Perimenopause.
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