Most Recent Episode
Strong Role Models, Strong Families
Real strength at home isn’t perfection—it’s presence. In this episode of Parenting Unfiltered, Dr. Dan Cramer, father of six and clinical director, shares simple ways dads and male caregivers can help kids feel seen, safe, and loved. From bedtime check-ins to “high and low” talks, learn how showing up consistently is more powerful than having all the answers.
Protecting the Growing Brain: Love, Limits, and Everyday Prevention
When kids understand how their brains grow, they make safer choices. In this episode of Parenting Unfiltered, host Sara Kapp talks with Dr. Crystal Collier—therapist, educator, recovery advocate, and author of The NeuroWhereabouts Guide and Know Your Neuro. Drawing on 25 years with kids and teens, she shares practical, brain-based strategies for families and schools.
Learn why limiting screens supports self-regulation, how family meals and bedtime reading build resilience, a three-step emotional literacy script, and easy school-based approaches to boost executive function and reduce risks from tech, substances, and more. Clear, doable steps to protect a growing brain.
Navigating Big Feelings with Little Kids
Big emotions aren’t the enemy—they’re the training ground. In this episode of Parenting Unfiltered, host Sara Kapp chats with licensed clinical social worker and mom-of-three Nikki Mundahl of Comfy Couch Counseling. Nikki shares simple, realistic ways to help kids calm down and bounce back when holiday chaos and sibling clashes peak.
From “connection before correction” to quick, ready-to-use scripts, she keeps it practical: validate the feeling, redirect the behavior, and remember—kids are resilient when we give them tools early. Perfect for parents wanting fewer meltdowns and more peace this season.
Building Resilience Through Play
What if the secret to calmer evenings, more confident kids, and fewer battles… is play? Not Pinterest play. Not perfection play. Real, messy, open-ended play.
In this episode of Parenting Unfiltered, host Sara Kapp sits down with early childhood expert Janet Bassingthwaite—who brings 25+ years of experience from Head Start to university classrooms—to unpack why play isn’t a break from learning… it is learning.
Small Routines, Big Resilience: Real-Life Tools for the Early Years
Starting school isn’t just a day—it’s a season of change for the whole family. In this episode of Parenting Unfiltered, host Sara Kapp talks with Missi Baranko, mom of four and Executive Director of USpire, about easing into preschool and kindergarten with confidence.
From building routines that actually work to spotting early red flags and keeping evenings calm, Missi shares real-life tips that help families thrive. Because those first days? They’re just the beginning.
Healthy Habits for Healthy Minds: Screens, Sleep, and Winter Routines
As days get shorter and screens take over, finding balance at home can feel impossible. In this episode of Parenting Unfiltered, host Sara Kapp talks with Dr. Shauna Eberhardt, a clinical leader who turns research into real-life routines families can actually keep.
From screen-time guardrails that stick to bedtime rituals that calm the chaos, Dr. Eberhardt shares simple, guilt-free ways to help kids (and parents) rest and reset.
If your evenings feel like a battle over “just five more minutes,” this is the episode you’ll want to hear—because the small changes she suggests might just change everything.