Shows
A Wonderful Mess PodcastThe Tyranny of the Phrase “Screen-Free”I was searching for weapons on the internet with my child. And there it was, the label—"screen-free entertainment”.Perhaps some context? We were looking for a toy weapon to complete a Halloween costume. And right there was the sales pitch—this toy is not a screen! We didn’t end up buying this exemplar of screen-free entertainment. Instead, we used a stick with some masking tape. My kid tried to join the toy manufacturer and sell it to me. “Yeah, mom, it’s not screens.” It’s not screens. We now live in a world divided in...
2025-03-1013 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastTired Parents Still Can't Meditate on a MountaintopAbout a year ago, I posted the below essay on mindfulness in parenthood. I had been working on another essay that wasn’t working. I pivoted and put together my thoughts on what mindfulness can look like in a practical sense in real-life parenthood. The hope was this would counterbalance some of the very polished advice and anecdotes in the land of parenting advice. My life has never looked like one of the vignettes you might read in a book or a tidy platitude on an Instagram tile. I figured others may feel the same way. And apparently, they di...
2025-01-2011 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastI Had Stopped Reading FictionHello, and Happy New Year! Yay—I have, for now, figured out my audio issues, so glad to be back reading today's essay. Enjoying the mess?You can help others find A Wonderful Mess by sharing the love. You can do this by liking this post, restacking it on the Substack Notes network, sharing it on social media, or forwarding it to a friend.As always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not...
2025-01-0609 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastBonus December PodcastHello dear readers/listeners,It’s been awhile. Typically, monthly bonus podcasts are for paid subcribers but it’s the holidays after all. And I really just wanted to jump on say hello, rant for a moment or two on a couple hot topics and share some Substack love. So here you go!Some mentions in the podcast* My journey into shoulder surgery* Santa Worries:Helpful interview from Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD about Santa for NBC.Why It’s OK for Kids to Believe in Santa Claus from Psycho...
2024-12-1307 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastOctober Paid Subscriber Mini-PodcastThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit kathrynbarbash.substack.comHello,This is your monthly paid subscriber bonus podcast. Still working out what to do in this space. Some months it’s a little bit of this and little bit of that and so that is what we have going this month.This episode includes:* What we do with the Halloween candy* My new reading accessory influenced by Virginia Sole-Smith to purchase. Spoiler: It’s bringing me great joy! Picture included at kathrynbarbash.subs...
2024-10-3001 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastPerfect Pumpkin Patch Photos: What About the Rest of Us?Hello readers, now that I have written this newsletter for over a year I’ve written quite a lot. From time to time it’s nice to revisit something that many of you have likely not read before. This is a repost from last fall that still holds.As always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, clinical, legal, or professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any information provided is solely...
2024-10-0707 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastOops, I Forgot to MeditateHave you ever stopped doing something by accident? It’s such a human thing to do. All humans are welcome here at A Wonderful Mess. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kathrynbarbash.substack.com/subscribe
2024-09-3004 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastOne Year ReflectionsThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit kathrynbarbash.substack.comA little different than usual. This is a bonus podcast episode for paid subscribers reflecting on one year of A Wonderful Mess. Last year on October 2nd, the first email landed in the inboxes of a handful of friends and family. Join me in celbrating 1 year!
2024-09-2500 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastWho Has Cared for Your Children?Childcare is being talked about a lot these days--here is a glimpse of our childcare narrative.As always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, clinical, legal, or professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk. Always seek the advice of your licensed mental health professional or other qualified health provider. This is a public episode. If you'd like to di...
2024-09-2318 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastNow Trending: Oodles of Parenting AdviceHello! Happy to be back with a Now Trending in Parenting article where we explore trends in the parent-scape.What technically defines the quantity “oodles”? It may sound less than scientific, but it is a perfect word to capture the amount of parenting advice out there today.As always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, clinical, legal, or professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any inform...
2024-09-0913 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastI Wanted to Hold the WordsHello, Do you read the newspaper? Like the acutal physical newspaper. I’ve reunited with the Sunday paper and here is my love letter.Join us in the comments:It doesn’t need to be a newspaper but what do you crave to slow down with?You can find the comments and so much more at kathrynbarbash.substack.com.As always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substi...
2024-08-1905 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastWhen the Present Moment...SucksThis one was from my earlier days blogging in the dark corner of the internet and with the return to school (and the germs) around the corner, it seemed like a worthwhile re-visit.The present moment is a foundational piece of mindfulness practice. The definition seems somewhat self-explanatory but for review:The present moment is the here and now. Not the future or the past but the now.You can find more at kathrynbarbash.substack.comAs always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Ka...
2024-08-0509 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastWhat Makes a Summer Good Enough?We have arrived at the end of July. For some school is just around the corner, for others you still have several weeks to go. Has your summer been good enough?You can find all the links mentioned and more from A Wonderful Mess at kathrynbarbash.substack.comAs always—Just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, cl...
2024-07-2907 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastIt's a Mess and It's Wonderful, tooGreetings— Mindful Mom in the Mud has a new name and today that is what we are talking about. Welcome to A Wonderful Mess!kathrynbarbash.substack.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kathrynbarbash.substack.com/subscribe
2024-07-2205 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastSecret Passageways and Other Creative Acts of ParenthoodThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit kathrynbarbash.substack.comHello dear, do you consider yourself creative? I believe all parents are creative, whether they know it or not.Also, a change is coming and paid subscribers get sneek peak. You can find out more at kathrynbarbash.substack.com
2024-07-1505 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastBeverly Cleary as a Parenting InfluencerThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit kathrynbarbash.substack.comSummertime brings out a seasonal variety of shame-inducing messages for parents. Maybe there are other places to find wisdom besides social media. The children’s section of the library is a treasure trove in this way. Let me introduce a different kind of influence(r), Beverly Cleary.For more, you can visit kathrynbarbash.substack.com
2024-07-0810 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastThe Magic of Meeting PeopleWelcome to July. In honor of Cleft-Craniofacial Awareness Month, I am sharing this post about a community I was so privileged to work with for a number of years. This post was originally published last July on a previous blog and Linkedin. It’s had a little refresh editing and I am so glad to be able to share it here in this space. To read this post, you will find it at mindfulinthemud.substack.comFor more information about Cleft-Craniofacial conditions please visit the American Cleft Palate Association As always—Just a littl...
2024-07-0112 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastTantrum on Aisle 4We are back navigating the mess of parenthood today with the concept of radical acceptance. You can find links to any articles or books referenced in the online version of this post at mindfulinthemud.substack.com. Join us in the comments online with your experiences with radical acceptance.As always—Just a little reminder: The content on Mindful Mom in the Mud posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD on the Instagram account (@drkathrynbarbash), Youtube Channel (@mindfulinthemud) and newsletter (mindfulinthemud.substack.com) or any other medium or social media platform is for educational purposes on...
2024-06-2408 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastThe Kids Are Out of SchoolIt’s summer break in my world. Today we are naviagting the mess that summer can be and lessons learned (?) from the past. All links to book recommendations are available on the online post which can be found at mindfulinthemud.substack.com. And don’t forget to leave a comment about your hopes for summer while you are there.As always—Just a little reminder: The content on Mindful Mom in the Mud posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD on the Instagram account (@mindfulmominthemud), Youtube Channel (@mindfulinthemud) and newsletter (mindfulinthemud.substack.com) or any other medium or social...
2024-06-1009 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastMarketing Meets Parenting AdviceHello, readers. We are back navigating the mess of parenthood with humor, compassion and common sense. This is a post in the Navigating the Noise series. A series focused on tools for navigating the noisy world of parenting advice. Approaching parenting content through a lens of influence and culture among other things.You can check out previous posts similar to this one, here.Was anyone else big on pinkie promises? I remember a phase of life where the pinkie promise was the ultimate promise. If you broke a pinkie promise, you were a suspicious person...
2024-06-0314 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastA Case for Curiosity in Parent CultureWelcome to another post of Mindful Mom in the Mud. A newsletter focused on navigating the mess of parenthood with humor, compassion and common sense. Enjoy reading (or listening) with a hot beverage…or a reheated hot beverage.As always—Just a little reminder: The content on Mindful Mom in the Mud posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD on the Instagram account (@mindfulmominthemud), YouTube channel (@mindfulinthemud), and newsletter (mindfulinthemud.substack.com) or any other medium or social media platform is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, clinical, legal...
2024-05-2015 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastThe Everyday Awe of ChipmunksWelcome to another post of Mindful Mom in the Mud. A newsletter focused on navigating the mess of parenthood with humor, compassion and common sense. You can check out the archive for a variety of posts on mindfulness, navigating parenting advice, neurodiversity, and more by visiting mindfulinthemud.substack.comToday's post is all about awe and finding in the everyday...even in the bathroom. You will find all links mentioned in the post available in the online version of this post at mindfulinthemud.substack.com.If you are enjoying my writing, h...
2024-05-1309 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastGet Out the Balloons and Party HatsWelcome to another post of Mindful Mom in the Mud. A newsletter focused on navigating the mess of parenthood with humor, compassion and common sense. Enjoy reading (or listening) with a hot beverage…or a reheated hot beverage.Hey, it’s my birthday month. It’s time to celebrate. Paid subscriptions are currently available for May at 30$/year or 5$/month. In June, the price will increase. With a paid subscription you get full access to a paid-only section of the Now Trending in Parenting series and access to all podcast recordings of the weekly newsletters. To become a paid...
2024-05-0610 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastIntroducing Doris, the inner criticWelcome to another post in support of practical mindfulness tools, where the focus is on supporting you in your parenthood with tools that are practical, flexible and accessible.This is the first newsletter with an audio version as a podcast. It’s an experiment! This way you can enjoy this newsletter on the go. This will become a paid subscriber benefit at the end of May. So check it out and see what you think.Time to talk about the second arrow or inner critic...listen for some signature moves and then ideas to consider on...
2024-04-2906 min
A Wonderful Mess PodcastIntroduction to Mindful Mom in the MudThis is your imperfect introduction to Mindful Mom in the MudThis is the audio for the Mindful Mom in the Mud newsletter which can be found at mindfulinthemud.substack.com.I am a psychologist. I am a mother to 4 kids. We are a neurodiverse family. I have been a working parent and a stay-at-home parent and now I find myself somewhere in-between. I am writer. I love coffee.Do you ever…* find yourself falling down the parenting information rabbit hole, only to emerge with less clarity than when you started?...
2024-04-2604 min
Under the Influence with Jo PiazzaBite-Sized Bits of MindfulnessTwenty minutes a day of mediation seems pretty out of reach for most moms. Frankly five minutes of meditation seems pretty out of reach. Today we are talking to clinical psychologist Kathryn Barbash about ways to bring mindfulness into your daily life that will actually work for you as a busy parent.Follow Kathryn's substack Mindful in the Mud here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2024-04-0442 min
New Beginnings: A Marriage and Divorce PodcastSociety's Impact on Staying vs. Leaving with Cass MorrowWelcome back to New Beginnings: A Marriage and Divorce Podcast. This week I have the opportunity to share with you a perspective different from my own. I welcome Cass Morrow onto the show to talk with me about what he sees as society's impact on our decisions to leave relationships. Cass Morrow is a relationship coach who, along with his wife, helps couples disrupt divorce and create a new kind of marriage. With a background in therapy and personal development, Cass has worked with over 3,200 men in the first 20 months of his business. He is p...
2024-02-1444 min