Shows
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthThe Hidden Casualties of Family Addiction Battles, with Brenda ZaneEPISODE DESCRIPTION:"When elephants fight, it's the grass that suffers." This African proverb stopped me mid-scroll during a walk, and I saw my family's addiction story with some pretty painful clarity. While my ex-husband, husband and I stomped around trying to wage war on our son's substance use and high-risk lifestyle, we completely missed who was getting trampled beneath our giant, well-meaning feet.This week's raw and honest solo episode unpacks the heavyweight champion of family conflicts: parents locked in battle over how to handle their child's substance use. I reflect...
2025-12-2520 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthRecognizing Warrior Moms With Adult Kids In Addiction, with Cathy CiothABOUT THE EPISODE:When your journey with a child's substance use stretches into its second decade, you enter what we loving call "warrior mom" (or parent) territory – a place where endurance meets wisdom, and self-preservation becomes an art form. Today's conversation with Hopestream co-founder, Cathy, honors these battle-tested parents who've been navigating their adult children's challenges for ten, fifteen, even twenty years or more.This isn't an advice-filled episode - because more advice isn't what you need. It's a raw, honest dialogue between two mothers who know the unique terrain of loving a ch...
2025-12-1846 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthA New Way To Treat Trauma and Addiction, with Jan WinhallABOUT THE EPISODE:When Jan Winhall landed her first job running a group for incest survivors in a psychiatric ward, she discovered something revolutionary: the young women's self-harming behaviors weren't signs of pathology – they were brilliant survival strategies orchestrated by dysregulated nervous systems. This revelation launched a 45-year journey that would transform how we understand trauma and addiction.Today, Jan brings her Felt Sense Polyvagal Model to parents navigating the bewildering landscape of their child's substance use. Her approach flips traditional treatment on its head: rather than analyzing thoughts and willpower, she teaches us...
2025-12-1157 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthThe Telepathy Tapes: Connection Can Defy Logic, But Not Love, with Betsy Hicks-RussABOUT THE EPISODE:When your child's struggles shatter every paradigm you've held about communication, consciousness, and connection, where do you turn? Today's guest, Betsy Hicks-Russ, found herself navigating this exact terrain as the mother of Joey, a 32-year-old non-speaking autistic man whose journey would ultimately revolutionize her understanding of human potential. Through her discovery of The Telepathy Tapes—a groundbreaking podcast documenting telepathic abilities in non-speaking individuals—Betsy's world transformed from one of perceived limitations to infinite possibilities.Now, while you may not think this episode seems relevant to families navigating substance use chal...
2025-12-041h 05
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthDon’t Get Distracted: Focus on The Right Things When Your Child Is Struggling with Substances, with Cathy CiothABOUT THE EPISODE: There's a certain shift that occurs when you stop charging at your child's substance use and instead learn to back in quietly, treats in hand, like Rocky Kanaka (Sitting With Dogs) approaching a terrified shelter dog. In this conversation with Cathy, you'll discover how this counterintuitive approach, born from watching a man give positive affirmations to traumatized pit bulls, might actually hold the key to reconnecting with your own frightened, defensive teenager. (you have to listen now, right?!)Your child, barricaded behind substance use and sending desperate signals th...
2025-11-2734 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthFostering Independence With Boundaries and Discomfort, with Nicole Runyon, LMSWABOUT THE EPISODE:Author and therapist, Nicole Runyon, LMSW, witnessed something that reshaped her entire career: loving, intact families were producing children with trauma-like symptoms typically identified in severe abuse survivors. As a therapist watching teen after teen struggle with paralyzing anxiety and digital-age depression, she recognized she was working too far downstream. The revelation was both sobering and hopeful—these weren't organic mental health crises, but environmental challenges that parents could actually address. Her decision to leave a thriving therapy practice (complete with a multi-year waitlist) to educate parents directly speaks to a p...
2025-11-2057 min
Hopestream for parenting kids through drug use and addictionWhy Can’t I Fix This? Eight Steps to Move From Wishing to Planning When Your Child Struggles with Addiction, with Brenda ZaneEpisode 299
ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Your 3am Google search spiral feels beyond frustrating when you're usually the one with answers. In this week's solo episode I acknowledge the unique exhaustion of spinning your wheels while your child struggles, and offer a concrete 8-step menu of ways to move from wishing into actionable planning and hope.
If your existing parenting toolkit isn't working to create positive change in your family this episode will offer ways to rethink and recharge. The best news is, when you change yourself, the rest of the family system cannot not c...
2025-11-1300 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthWhy Can’t I Fix This? Eight Steps to Move From Wishing to Planning When Your Child Struggles with Addiction, with Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:Your 3am Google search spiral feels beyond frustrating when you're usually the one with answers. In this week's solo episode I acknowledge the unique exhaustion of spinning your wheels while your child struggles, and offer a concrete 8-step menu of ways to move from wishing into actionable planning and hope. If your existing parenting toolkit isn't working to create positive change in your family this episode will offer ways to rethink and recharge. The best news is, when you change yourself, the rest of the family system cannot n...
2025-11-1345 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthWhen Your Child Doesn't Believe They're Ill: Understanding Anosognosia and Mental Illness, with Dr. Xavier AmadorABOUT THE EPISODE:When your child doesn't believe they need help, finding a path forward can feel nearly impossible and is exhausting in every way. Dr. Xavier Amador offers profound hope through his LEAP method—a neuroscience-backed approach born from both his clinical expertise and the raw reality of loving family members with schizophrenia.Dr. Amador's journey began with seven transformative days at his brother's side, where traditional confrontation failed spectacularly. His brother, brilliant yet trapped by anosognosia (the neurological inability to perceive one's own illness), couldn't recognize what everyone else could see. It...
2025-11-0644 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthHow to Stop Normalizing Dangerous Behavior When Your Child Struggles With Addiction and Mental Health, with Dina CannizzaroEPISODE DESCRIPTION:If you've ever found yourself tiptoeing through your own home, rehearsing conversations to avoid triggering an explosion, or even putting a lock on your bedroom door for protection—you're not alone. Today's conversation with Dina Cannizzaro, Hopestream's Director of Education, confronts the uncomfortable reality so many parents face: how profoundly we normalize dangerous situations when our child struggles with substances.Dina brings battle-tested wisdom from parenting her son Parker through nine years of IV heroin use (now nine years sober) and coaching hundreds of families through similar chaos. She shares the ex...
2025-10-3056 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthWhy Your Struggling Child Pushes You Away: The Attachment Connection, with Todd SarnerABOUT THE EPISODE:When a young person you love is struggling with substances or challenging behaviors, the instinct to fix everything can feel overwhelming. In this illuminating conversation, marriage and family therapist Todd Sarner brings decades of attachment science into sharp focus, and offers a roadmap for parents navigating the turbulent waters of adolescence. Drawing from his training with Dr. Gordon Neufeld and other attachment pioneers, Todd reveals why our kids' most hurtful behaviors often mask their deepest needs for connection. We explore the delicate dance between holding firm boundaries and maintaining compassion – wha...
2025-10-231h 04
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthThink Like A Negotiator When Your Child Misuses Substances, with Cathy Cioth ABOUT THE EPISODE: In this episode Cathy and I discuss unique skills from the business world that can be applied to our relationships - especially one with a struggling teen or young adult who is misusing substances and has mental health challenges. I share a surprising learning I picked up from reading a book about hostage negotiation (you may even be able to relate to that kind of situation) and we dig into why it’s important for parents not to take your child’s actions and behaviors too personally. We tie this all int...
2025-10-1621 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthAmber Hollingsworth: Put The Shovel Down When Your Kid Is Misusing Drugs and AlcoholABOUT THE EPISODE:If someone in your life has an unhealthy relationship with drugs and/or alcohol, you likely already know my guest for today’s episode - Amber Hollingsworth. Amber hosts the wildly popular YouTube channel, “Put The Shovel Down,” with nearly 1 million subscribers. Amber and I sat down to talk about her addiction-riddled family of origin, and the best advice she gives family members from her two-plus decades in the field of addiction counseling. We cover what to do if parents aren’t on the same page about their child’s substance u...
2025-10-091h 11
Hopestream for parenting kids through drug use and addictionWhat Parents of Struggling Kids Really Need, with Brenda ZaneEpisode 293
ABOUT THE EPISODE:
When your friend or family member has a child struggling with mental health and substance use, it can feel awkward and difficult to know how to help support them. This episode is meant to be a resource for learning ways that you can be helpful, not hurtful, when your friend or family member is experiencing a parenting crisis.
I share some common misperceptions about addiction and substance use, talk about the latest science on motivation and change, and give real examples of what you can do to help. It’s a...
2025-10-0200 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthWhat Parents of Struggling Kids Really Need, with Brenda Zane ABOUT THE EPISODE: When your friend or family member has a child struggling with mental health and substance use, it can feel awkward and difficult to know how to help support them. This episode is meant to be a resource for learning ways that you can be helpful, not hurtful, when your friend or family member is experiencing a parenting crisis.I share some common misperceptions about addiction and substance use, talk about the latest science on motivation and change, and give real examples of what you can do to help. It’s a pr...
2025-10-0219 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthHow Anxious Attachment Impacts Your Struggling Child, with Trevor HansonABOUT THE EPISODE:Trevor Hanson had accumulated a pretty good life - from living on a beach in Hawaii, to getting a great job at Tesla and engaged to be married. One year later, he was unemployed, his engagement and his jaw were both broken, and he was living alone in the Reno desert.Trevor suffered depression, nightmares, and suicidal thoughts before deciding to seek therapeutic help. He developed a real appreciation for the process of therapy – but he also had ideas about how it could be better.Today, Trevor holds a...
2025-09-2551 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthThe Best Way To Not Say or Do The Wrong Thing, At The Wrong Time, with Cathy CiothABOUT THE EPISODE:We've all been there. A tense or heated conversation where something flies out of your mouth that you don't really mean, or you inflict your 'help' when it's not wanted or needed. You might, at times, find yourself solving a problem that has nothing to do with you, or you give well-intentioned advice to someone who will never, ever take it.Enter our favorite Hopestream tool...the Lip Clip. A metaphorical device that prevents you from jumping in when you should really stay back, and gives you a magical opportunity...
2025-09-1844 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthWhen Your Child Says, “No Thanks” to The Faith They Were Raised With, with Heather FrazierABOUT THE EPISODE:Substance use and recovery can shift every aspect of a young person's life - even the faith that has been deeply ingrained in someone’s upbringing. Parents often have visions and expectations of their child's lives, and for parents of faith, that usually includes a life of shared values and traditions. So what happens when our kids choose differently?My guest today, Heather Frazier, only developed ideas about this when her own children not-so-politely exited the family's religious practice. Her advice has striking similarities to our advice to parents of kids...
2025-09-1154 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthEd Ternan, Song for Charlie's Founder On His Unrelenting Work to Warn About Fake PillsABOUT THE EPISODE:When Ed and Mary Ternan finally met the police officer who had been on scene at their son's overdose death, he had an off-the-record theory: "This is not official, and you'll have to wait for toxicology to come back, but this is going to be fentanyl," the officer told them.News about the synthetic opioid is inescapable today, but in 2020, the couple had never heard of it. Charlie was a popular, successful student with no substance use issues. How could this have happened?As it turned out, Charlie...
2025-09-0446 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthYou Can Create Conditions For Change When Your Child Battles Addiction, with Dina CannizzaroABOUT THE EPISODE:It’s hard to come to terms with how little control we have over whether our kids choose recovery or remain in an unhealthy lifestyle. In this episode, you’ll get to hear from Dina Cannizzaro, a mom who has been through hell and back (more than once), but has channeled all that fear and anxiety into taking actionable steps toward relearning how to connect with her son and how to harness the surprising power of self-care. You’ll hear how far she and her son Parker have come now that he...
2025-08-2854 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthSending Your Struggling Kid Off To College?, with Cathy CiothABOUT THE EPISODE:It’s the season parents often dream of - their high school senior has successfully walked the stage and they’re now packing the family car to make the ceremonial drive to the four-year university their family goes to. They’ll do Parent Weekend, buy the sweatshirt and bumper sticker and wave their child off until they see them at Thanksgiving.But it doesn’t go like that for everyone, and it sometimes feels like a facade if your child is on their way to a four-year university when they may be b...
2025-08-2150 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthWhat Your 'Failure to Launch' Teen or Young Adult Kid Really Needs, with Dr. Mark McConvilleEPISODE DESCRIPTION:In this summer 'from the vault' episode I'm resharing an impactful interview with Dr. Mark McConville, a clinical psychologist specializing in adolescents and young adults. We discuss:Strategies for parents to transition from directive parenting into a consultant roleHow to offer wisdom while allowing your child to take the initiativeThe difference between enabling and supportingHow pre-competence might look like incompetence and what to do about itThe value of thinking through the worst-case scenarioPractical examples of limits and setting expectations with a not-yet-launched teen or young adultAnd the critical importance of maintaining a...
2025-08-1452 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthSix Parenting Tools You Need for Navigating A Child's Substance Issues, with Cathy CiothEPISODE DESCRIPTION:A fresh new, 'from-the-vault' episode that is as relevant today as it was in 2022!Navigating life with a young person who’s misusing substances and struggling with mental health can feel like a ride in a very stormy sea. Parents need to be well-equipped for the journey, but often aren’t sure what the mandatory, life-saving provisions are to bring along. In this episode, Cathy Cioth, Hopestream Community co-founder, joins me to share our top six recommended provisions for parents as you navigate the turbulence that comes with a chall...
2025-08-0733 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthParenting with Confidence And Clarity Through Crisis, with Beth HillmanABOUT THE EPISODE:Figuring out your evolving role as a parent during your child’s adolescence is difficult, even if you aren’t dealing with substance misuse. The natural inclination to protect and nurture is already being challenged by your child’s growing sense of autonomy. You’re told to step back, control less, and allow them to make their own mistakes. So, for parents of kids who are misusing substances and struggling with mental health, this process is especially agonizing. How do you walk the line between healthy support and “enabling?” How do you, as a p...
2025-06-2656 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthOvercoming Parenting Doubt and Fear: Part Two, with Cathy CiothEPISODE DESCRIPTION:In part two of this two-part episode, Cathy and I dive deep into two more of those sneaky, often invisible struggles that so many of us experience when parenting through substance use and mental health challenges.PART TWO:In part two, we marvel at and empathize with you when it comes to the insane learning curve parents face when their child is experimenting with or addicted to substances and facing mental health issues. We faced it ourselves and proudly wear our honorary Real Life Research Ph.D...
2025-06-1935 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthOvercoming Parenting Doubt and Fear: Part One, with Cathy CiothEPISODE DESCRIPTION:Sometimes, the hardest parts of our journey are the feelings we can't quite put our finger on, when you can tell something feels off but can't really articulate exactly what's wrong. In this two-part episode, Cathy and I dive deep into four of those sneaky, often invisible struggles that so many of us experience when parenting through substance use and mental health challenges.PART ONE:In part one, we cover the kind of grief that doesn't get a funeral, the common response of hypervigilance and the exhaustion...
2025-06-1233 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthFrom Heroin and Felonies at 17 to Guiding Families Through A Child’s Addiction, With Henry MaxwellABOUT THE EPISODE:Henry Maxwell began drinking and smoking marijuana at 12 and by 17, was an IV heroin & cocaine user. Not long afterward, his experimentation expanded to nearly every scheduled drug he could find, from Xanax to amphetamines and highly unregulated substances like ‘spice’. His teen years were largely spent among serious drug users twice his age, and involved many of the traumatic experiences common in that high-risk lifestyle.At the age of 17, Henry was hospitalized for a cocaine overdose that mimicked the symptoms of a heart attack, leaving him afraid for his own life...
2025-05-2956 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthBreaking Your Own Perfectionist Patterns While Parenting a Struggling Child, with Cathy CiothABOUT THE EPISODE:We’re back with another episode of the ‘Cathy & Brenda Show’, and this week we tackle a topic we see recurring in our community and the parents we work with…achievement-oriented parenting. As two recovering perfectionists ourselves, Cathy and I both share examples of what it looks like to be achievement-focused when your child (or children) struggle with substances and mental health. We talk about the tendency some of us have to want everything on the outside to look a certain way, even when that’s doing damage to our kids, and how it can...
2025-05-1554 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthMother's Day Bonus Episode: For The Mom Parenting Your Child Through Addiction and Mental Health Challenges, with Brenda ZaneEPISODE DESCRIPTION:It's that day, mama. The one filled with many hopes, expectations and potentially big, deep, sad feelings. Wherever you are today, if you're parenting a young person through substance misuse, addiction, and mental health problems, I see you. This short episode is my Mother's Day gift to you - to let you know the things you do are seen, the feelings you feel are valid, and you are beautiful and loved.Enjoy and please be so very good to yourself today, and every day.This podcast is p...
2025-05-1110 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthThe Fentanyl Overdose That Almost Took My Son: A Short Series, with Brenda ZaneEPISODE DESCRIPTION:Eight years ago a miracle happened. Today’s episode is one from the vault - originally published in 2021, which I’m resharing today in honor of my son’s eight year anniversary of starting a new life.While it’s longer than my usual episodes, this series of story chapters allows you to drop into the ICU with me, among other places, as our family hung onto hope that my son Enzo would not be one of the statistics you read about in the news. You’ll be along for the excruciati...
2025-04-171h 47
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthWhat Does Support Look Like When Your Child is in Recovery?, with Cathy CiothEPISODE DESCRIPTION:In this deeply personal episode, Cathy and I peel back the layers of what parent support looks like during your child's long-term recovery, sharing some intimate "what if" questions that continue to echo in our minds. Drawing from our own experiences with three kids in recovery, we explore the nuanced emotional landscape of supporting our kids, and ourselves, through the challenges of substance misuse and mental health issues.We answer questions like, "What's my role when when my child is 5+ years into recovery? "How do you...
2025-03-2741 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthA Subtle & Stealth Strategy That Creates Real Change if Your Child is Misusing Drugs & AlcoholABOUT THE EPISODEIn this episode, I delve into the concept of allowing natural consequences as a form of 'invisible intervention' in parenting teens and young adults struggling with substance misuse and mental health issues. I share real-life examples and experiences on the benefits of stepping back to let reality teach essential lessons, emphasizing the need for patience and rock solid boundaries. I highlight the challenges parents face in resisting the urge to fix everything and discuss how this approach can profoundly impact a child's journey towards recovery - creating change sooner than l...
2025-03-1318 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthThree Things We Want You To Know If Your Child Struggles With Mental Health and Substance Misuse, with Cathy CiothABOUT THE EPISODE:Over the five years of doing this podcast and participating in hundreds of calls and groups in The Stream, our online community for moms, Cathy and I have seen patterns emerge and today we’re talking about a few of them. We’re sharing three things we see come up over and over which have a great impact on parents when they have a child or children who struggle with mental health and substance misuse. The good news is that there are simple (not easy) and practical ways you can modif...
2025-01-1652 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthGolden Nuggets of 2024: Highlights From Some Of The Best Episodes Of The YearABOUT THE EPISODE:The tradition continues! Each year, I share a “Golden Nuggets” episode with segments from some of the best of the year. This year, you’ll hear from me, along with Kristina Kuzmič, Mary Crocker Cook, Dr. Amy Hoyt, and Jared Murray. Be sure to head to the show notes and download the PDF with links to each of the full episodes. EPISODE RESOURCES:Download the episode PDF with links to all episodesACES - Adverse Childhood Experiences questionsAssoc. Of Recovery High SchoolsAfraid To Let Go - Mary Crocker Cook’s...
2024-12-261h 11
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthEmbracing the Uncomfortable Space Between Expectation and Reality When Your Child Struggles with Substances and Mental Health, with Brenda ZaneThis Thanksgiving, join me for a heartfelt exploration of life's most challenging moments. When our carefully constructed and curated expectations shatter like dishes crashing from a flipped table, how can you find grace, gratitude, and grounding? In this short solo episode, I draw from a deeply personal reflection sparked by loss and uncertainty. This episode speaks directly to anyone feeling untethered—parents struggling with family challenges, individuals navigating unexpected life transitions, or anyone wrestling with the gap between what is and what we thought life (or Thanksgiving) would be. Gift yourself 15 minutes and find ways to e...
2024-11-2815 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthStepping Into Acceptance When Your Child Misuses Substances and Struggles with Mental Health, with Brenda ZaneIn an unplanned and heartfelt episode, I decided to share some thoughts on the importance of acceptance in the face of life's challenges. I discuss how resisting difficult experiences can hinder personal growth and highlight the beauty of transformation that comes with accepting reality. You'll also hear a story of a life saved recently by one of our members, made possible by the support of Hopestream's scholarship fund. This episode takes place during our Seeds of Hope Giving Campaign for 2024, which you can learn more about at hopestreamcommunity.org/donate. If the Hopestream podcast has been helpful...
2024-10-1712 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthHow to use CRAFT To Invite Your Child To Accept Help or Treatment For Their Substance Misuse or Addiction, with Brenda ZaneCommunity Reinforcement and Family Training (aka CRAFT) is a system for helping friends and family members change the way that they interact with someone they love who has an unhealthy and/or dangerous relationship with substances. CRAFT teaches family members how to stay connected, increase communication, and effectively encourage their loved one toward treatment, while taking care of themselves in the process. This episode centers around what parents need to know about CRAFT to have the best possible chance at having their child accept help for their substance misuse. It's one where you may want a...
2024-09-2629 min
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent ChildrenTPP 403: The Connection Between Differently Wired Kids and Substance Use, with Brenda ZaneJust as technology evolves rapidly, so too do the ways drugs are consumed. For parents, it can be challenging to recognize when our kids are using, especially since many products on the market now resemble harmless school supplies or candy. And then if we find our kids are engaging in drug use, how do we even begin to navigate that?That’s what we’re going to explore today with my guest Brenda Zane, whose oldest son struggled with an addiction to a high-risk lifestyle and illicit drugs for over five years. After nearly losing him to two...
2024-09-1045 minFull-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent ChildrenTPP 403: The Connection Between Differently Wired Kids and Substance Use, with Brenda ZaneJust as technology evolves rapidly, so too do the ways drugs are consumed. For parents, it can be challenging to recognize when our kids are using, especially since many products on the market now resemble harmless school supplies or candy. And then if we find our kids are engaging in drug use, how do we even begin to navigate that?That’s what we’re going to explore today with my guest Brenda Zane, whose oldest son struggled with an addiction to a high-risk lifestyle and illicit drugs for over five years. After nearly losing him to two...
2024-09-1045 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthTen Parenting Patterns That May Prolong Your Child's Struggle with Substances, And What To Do Instead, with Brenda ZaneParents sometimes fall into patterns that can unintentionally prolong their child's struggle with substance use. In this eye-opening solo episode, Brenda Zane reveals ten common parenting pitfalls that might be keeping your family stuck on the Roller Coaster Ride. I emphasize that recognizing these behaviors doesn't make someone a bad parent but rather, presents opportunities for growth and positive change.In just 30 minutes, you'll discover practical strategies to shift your approach and create the conditions for positive change – without the guilt or shame. And many of them you can implement today!Key points covered in th...
2024-08-2931 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthSix Ideas When You're Looking For The Escape Hatch While Parenting A Child Struggling With Drugs and Alcohol, with Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:Upon returning from vacation, I started to notice a theme in our community and my friend groups - there are a lot of exhausted, brain-fried parents who are looking for an escape from the day-to-day strain of having a child who misuses or is addicted to substances. From spouse and partner relationships to our kids themselves, we sometimes need time to tap out and escape.This episode will give you six simple (not necessarily easy) things you can do when you’re looking for an escape hatch to help navigate th...
2024-07-2527 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthI See You; Honoring Moms of Kids Misusing Drugs and Alcohol, with Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:It's Mother's Day week, 2024. I'm personally counting my blessings because my kids are all healthy and our family is in a positive and safe place. It wasn't always this way. There were Mother's Days when I wanted to crawl even deeper under the covers and not show my face. There were Mother's Days when I didn't know where my oldest son was. Today, I want to honor those who may not be looking forward to Sunday, the ones who are feeling the weight of having a child who struggles with s...
2024-05-0911 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthThe Difficult Realities of Using The Invitation To Change With A Child Struggling With Drugs or Alcohol, with Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:Because I sit at a vantage point of seeing many parents working to understand and implement the Invitation To Change Approach (ITC) with their child who struggles with substance misuse, I see things others don't. I hear the frustrations and the celebrations, and I know that while an approach like the ITC is very powerful and effective, it isn't a magic wand.Sometimes, the more difficult aspects of using a compassion and empathetic-centric approach to a very scary and challenging problem don't get talked about. In today's short, solo episode I...
2024-04-0422 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthInsights From Honest Conversations With Treatment Programs, Consultants, and Real World Parents, with Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:I recently sat down with over 20 treatment program owners, directors, therapists, educational consultants, and 20+ parents who are or have been on the journey with their kids, and I'm sharing the insights I gleaned in today's episode.From insurance nightmares to difficult transitions and THC-induced psychosis, I cover a lot of territory, bringing you a boots-on-the-ground view into what's really going on today in treatment and the struggles parents are facing when they have a child who misuses substances.EPISODE RESOURCES:Hopestream Community (hopestreamcommunity.org)Solutions Parenting...
2024-01-2542 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthHopestream Golden Nuggets of 2023ABOUT THE EPISODE:I release about 50 episodes of Hopestream every year, and every year there are a few conversations that just stick. Months later I’ll find myself reflecting on how a specific story or perspective has the potential to change the way we think and act as parents of kids working toward recovery. I think of these important moments as this year's “golden nuggets.”So at the end of every year, I share these nuggets in an episode packed with some of my favorite bits of wisdom, and we’ve got great ones this year...
2023-12-281h 01
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthNavigating Addiction With Your Child: You Are Going To Be OK, with Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:Friend, we made it to the end of 2023. This is my final solo episode of the year and after much thought and debate, I decided to share a gift I'd like to give you, some words of hope and strength for wherever you are in The Journey.This short episode is one you can save and play when things get tough, and I encourage you to share it with someone you know who's also going through difficulties - not just parenting challenges.Looking forward to another year of connection...
2023-12-2112 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthTen Recovery Eye-Openers For Parenting a Child Through Substance Misuse or Addiction, with Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:For parents who are on a roller coaster ride with their kids who misuse drugs and alcohol and struggle with mental health, recovery can sometimes feel like an elusive dream. So, after 187 episodes where I've talked with experts, people in recovery, parents, siblings, and my son who's in recovery, I wanted to distill down 10 of the top eye-opening recovery insights I've gathered on this journey. I also share related episodes for these so you can dive deeper into the ones that resonate most. If you're looking for ways to stay pos...
2023-10-1220 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthClose To Home: Personal Details and Insights From His Addiction and Recovery with Brenda’s Son, Enzo NarcisoABOUT THE EPISODE:For years, listeners of Hopestream have heard stories about my own family’s experiences with substance misuse and recovery. Today, after 184 episodes, I’m thrilled to finally introduce you to my son, Enzo. I’m inspired by how he’s built a meaningful life free of substance misuse and for the time and energy he now dedicates to helping kids struggling with their own path to recovery. This is a conversation between two people who did (mostly) everything wrong but now spend our lives trying to help others meet these challenges more prep...
2023-09-2157 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthTen Simple and Effective Phrases That Help Diffuse Difficult Conversations, With Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:When you have a complex child, all your conversations and relationships might feel more strained. If you're like me, you sometimes find yourself at a complete loss for words and struggle with how to diffuse or launch your communication in a helpful and productive way.If this sounds like you, you're in luck as I'm sharing ten very simple and highly effective phrases you can use when you're stuck for words or your words aren't currently working.And to make it even easier, there's a PDF in the show...
2023-08-3117 min
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthThe Secret Menu; Reframing The Experience of Parenting and Addiction, with Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:Sometimes you can gain a different understanding of things by looking at them through a new lens. Today's bite-size episode does that for you as the parent of a young person who struggle with substances - in the form of a short story.You'll hear about a restaurant owner and her strange, secret menu. And for those who eat from it, it can provide benefits and gifts not available anywhere else.It's one you may want to single-task for to absorb the full meaning. Created with love and compassion...
2023-08-2409 minHopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental HealthIs It Ok To Use A CALM Approach With A Child Who Misuses Drugs and Alcohol? With Brenda ZaneABOUT THE EPISODE:It's a shorty episode today, tackling the question of whether a calm approach can work when you have a child misusing substances.I share my perspective on why I believe parents often think they need to use aggressive, confrontational tactics to get their children to change and invite you into an experiment to test the theory.I then provide a four-step way to move into a CALM approach when things get heated with your child. It's a simple but effective way to have less drama and more control.
2023-06-0114 min