Tracy Cassels - Podcast Details

Shows

No One Told UsEpisode 83: What does research say about sleep training? Bed Sharing? Debunking the Myths with Tracy CasselsEpisode 83: What does research say about sleep training? Bed Sharing? Debunking the Myths with Tracy Cassels @tracycasselsphdThis week Rachael and guest Tracy Cassels PhD, Director of Evolutionary Parenting, discuss all the hot sleep topics- sleep training, bedsharing, and more, and specifically dive into what research shows (as well as what’s lacking).Inside this episode: Challenging the notion that sleep training improves infant sleep Why responsive caregiving is crucial for a child's well-being and mental health The reasons why highly sensitive children may not respond well to sl...2025-04-0353 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 65: How can nurture transform your parenting and your child?When we think about raising our children, we often all have ideas of what is best and what we want to do. Not always are we able to achieve those goals – for better or worse. But the early years, especially 0 to 3, are crucial in our children’s neurological development and knowing what can benefit them and how we can overcome adversity in that time is something all parents should know. Returning to the show this week is Dr. Green Kirshenbaum, a neuroscientist, doula, and educator who is here to discuss her new book – The Nurture Revolution – and help families understand what’s g...2025-02-041h 18

Postpartum ProductionS2EP5 - Where Evolutionary Parenting Meets Modern Practice: A Conversation On Postpartum, Parenting Culture, And Creative Pursuits With Tracy Cassels“It's okay to struggle in a society that doesn't support you. It's okay to be like, this doesn't work and I have to get some stuff done. The question is then, how do you approach those changes that you have to make with your family in mind [...] while considering everyone? So it's also looking at your child and saying, Yep, this may not be ideal, it may not be what I want it to be, but how do I do it knowing what's most important to my child?”~ Tracy Cassels, PhDIn this episode, Kaitlin has a conv...2023-05-1758 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 64: How Is Breastfeeding Portrayed in Literature in Different Cultures?Normalizing breastfeeding is an ongoing battle in some Western cultures. Even when someone starts out breastfeeding, many report not being able to meet their goals or face various obstacles in trying to nurse their children. One part of the equation is how breastfeeding is represented in these cultures. Is it accessible through various media? How is it perceived? Joining me today to help answer this question - and discuss the implications of it - is Dr. BJ Woodstein, author of the book The Portrayal of Breastfeeding in Literature. Hopefully by understanding the power of how breastfeeding is portrayed, we can...2023-03-031h 12

According to the CasselsBreathing for Health and Wellness with Tracy Mahan Tracy Mahan is a breath work expert and the founder and CEO of Feel to Heal coaching and co-owner of Discover Chiropractic and Wellness in Houston, Texas. She has overcome a health crisis and developed her own technique of breathing to help women lower anxiety and stress and optimize true health in mind, body and spirit. She states that shallow breathing can cause weakening of the diaphragm, tightening of muscles, lack of oxygen to the brain, and stress. Deep breathing, on the other hand, can increase oxygen intake by 20% and activate the parasympathetic system, leading to a more relaxed...2023-01-2646 min

According to the CasselsUnlocking Your Breath with Tracy Mahan Unlock the power of your breath to overcome anxiety and stress and optimize your overall health with Tracy's incredible story of overcoming full kidney failure at the age of 36. Learn her unique technique of breathing and discover the benefits of increased rest, oxygen, and clarity. Experience the spiritual connection of breath work and make decisions with ease in a relaxed and aligned state. Start your journey today by practicing a few minutes of breath work daily and gradually building up. Discover the full potential of your breath with Tracy's guidance. Key Points In...2023-01-2624 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 63: How do we reconcile early intervention for Autism with neurodiversity?Our understanding and acceptance of Autism has evolved over the years towards a greater awareness of what we call neurodiversity - broadly, the idea that each brain is unique and what used to be considered "disorders" are not at all, but rather reflections of these uniquenesses with their own strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, we have also learned how valuable early intervention is for longer-term outcomes. But how can this be? If we aren't "fixing" anything, why the need for this intervention? Joining me is Dr. Lauren Franz, the Associate Director of Duke University's Center for Autism and...2022-12-2152 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 62: What do we really know about Crying It Out?As we know, sleep is one of the most talked-about topics for new parents. None of them are getting enough, and everyone is worried about it. In Western cultures, parents are often made to feel that the only way to get sleep is to leave their baby to cry to learn to sleep alone, something called 'crying it out'. This can be modified slightly where parents leave their child for intervals of time, often called 'controlled crying' or 'controlled comforting'. Importantly, the age at which we recommend this to families has gotten younger and younger over the years, and even...2022-12-011h 07

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 61: How does parental presence and contact affect children's stress and sleep?Bedtime. It's one of the biggest struggles parents face. Everyone is tired, we just want our kids to calm and go to sleep. But how does our bedtime affect their sleep? Often we hear that we need our kids to be independent at bedtime, do things on their own, that that will lead to a good sleep. The problem is that there hasn't really been any research on how these actions affect bedtime... until now. This week I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Lauren Philbrook who is with me to talk about her new research looking at the question of...2022-10-1456 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 60: How can we raise anti-racist children?Raising good humans is hard. We all worry about if we're doing best and we don't always know how to do it. This is especially true when we start touching on topics we may not have experience with, like racism. Many of us may think that we can just try to raise kids who aren't racist and that will be enough. But it's not. We need to actively work to change the ingrained racism in our society and our children can lead the way if we help them get there. This is where help is needed and I was thrilled...2022-08-201h 09

Untaming60. Tracy Cassels: Evolutionary Parenting(Interview starts at 2.22) Welcome to Season Four of the Untaming Podcast! It is currently the Last Quarter Hunger Moon here in the Southern Hemisphere. Tracy Cassels, PhD is the director of Evolutionary Parenting, a resource she founded in 2011 after the birth of her daughter Maddy. It began whilst she was in graduate school and has continued and grown as she completed her PhD and moved towards more direct work with parents and families. Connect with Tracy: Evolutionary Parenting Website: https://evolutionaryparenting.com/ Evolutionary Parenting Podcast: https://evolutionaryparenting.co...2022-08-191h 23

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 59: Does the Sleep Training Research Apply To All?External validity. It's a topic that many of us don't really talk about. It's the idea that certain research findings only apply to certain groups. In sleep training, most people assume the research is applicable to all families, but is this the case? This is the question that Dr. Levita D'Souza and I examine this week as we talk about the research that provides us information on who takes part and who doesn't, and what this means for our understanding of the research in broader terms. Dr. Levita D'Souza: https://www.centreforperinatalpsychology.com.au/psychologists/levita-dsouza/ Relevant Research: https://academic...2022-07-251h 13

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 58: How can we support LGBTQ+ parents?When it comes to parenting, there are thousands of books with myriad bits of advice for soon-to-be-parents and those who are already parents and facing some kind of struggle. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming when we think of all the bits of advice out there. One would think we don't need more, right? But what if you are a parent who just can't see yourself in any of these books or pieces of advice? What if you just aren't represented? This has been the reality for many LGBTQ+ parents and hopeful parents when they browse the books that are incredibly...2022-06-301h 07

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 57: What happens to the couple when they become parents?Welcome back after our break and I hope you enjoyed the last few weeks and maybe even used that time to check out some of our older episodes that always stay relevant for families! This week, we're back and talking about the transition to parenthood. In the transition to parenthood, many of us realize that who we are is going to fundamentally change. We don't know how, we don't know how we're going to cope with it, but we expect a change. What we don't often think about is the effect on our relationship if we happen to be entering...2022-06-231h 16

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 56: What are the long-term outcomes associated with a state-run pre-K program?For ages, policy makers have been pushing earlier education for children. In many previous studies, these have been found to be very helpful for families that are disadvantaged, but yet the research on them has been short-lived since states of taken on the role of overseeing these programs. Of course, if a program can help a family or child, it should be available, but what if it doesn't? Joining me today is Dr. Kelley Durkin whose career focuses on children's education and how we can help children's learning. Working in the State of Tennessee, she is able to assess their...2022-05-131h 21

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 55: What do we know about a child's sensitivity to their environment?Orchid or dandelion? Highly sensitive or relatively robust? These are some of the ways that we have conceptualized the concept of how sensitive a child is to the environment in which they are raised. Through a combination of nature and nurture, some of our kids are just that much more sensitive. But are they sensitive their whole lives? What genetics make this happen? What environments are good or bad? None of it is quite as simple as it may sound which is why I'm so excited to have one of the pioneers in this field joining me to talk about...2022-05-061h 05

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 54: How can we assess the effects of prenatal stress on child outcomes?I'll be honest that I don't know of a single pregnancy that didn't involve some level of stress. I think the entire act of carrying a baby and everything that goes along with it is stressful in its own right. But sometimes there are stressors that are even greater. Sometimes it's chronic stress from work or life events, or sometimes it's greater stress from natural disasters or even war. Many of us have heard about how bad prenatal stress is for babies, but how much is too much? What are these effects and how are we able to quantify what...2022-04-291h 32

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 53: Can maternal separation explain postpartum depression?Postpartum depression is associated with a host of negative outcomes for mothers and babies alike, yet we still have very little understanding of the etiology behind it and what may exacerbate or mitigate it. Research on postpartum depression is difficult, however, because we can't randomly assign people and try to weed out the various components that may affect mental health outcomes. It's a difficult task. But what if a standard way of looking at parenting and outcomes using animal models might be able to inadvertently inform on postpartum depression? Joining me this week is Dr. Annakarina Mundorf who has postulated...2022-04-211h 15

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 52: How does media use affect our kids and what can we do about it?One of the more difficult topics for many families these days has to do with media use. We are a tech-heavy society and that extends downwards to our kids. It's not uncommon to go out and see parents handing over screens to their kids to get through a dinner, a car ride, a boring appointment, and so on. At home kids spend hours in front of screens for school, to be social, to play games, and more. When parents try to understand the effects of this screen time, they are often met with tons of different information. Some makes it...2022-04-151h 28

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 51: What is 'Uspavani' and how can it help us support our children's sleep?When you think about your child's sleep, what are the words that often come to mind? I know in Western cultures, we often hear "independence", "self-soothing", "needy", "manipulative" and so on. The way in which we speak about something has a profound impact on how we conceptualize and approach it. In the realm of sleep, the language of independence and manipulation has led to the flourishing of sleep training and perceived sleep problems for many families. But what if we had culturally-approved and accepted language that focused on supporting our children during sleep? What difference could that make? The word...2022-04-051h 15

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 50: What are the experiences and beliefs of fathers who identify as attachment parents?In the realm of parenting - especially attachment parenting - the focus has been on mothers. In fact, if you go to any attachment parenting group - online or not - you are far more likely to come across a group of moms talking about their beliefs, experiences, struggles, and so forth. But it's not just mothers who experience and parent with an attachment-related set of beliefs. Fathers and partners also experience attachment parenting and can have a profound impact on their child's development and their own relationship with their child, but we know incredibly little about this. Today I...2022-03-241h 12

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 49: What do we know about sleep and SIDS?As we kick off Season 2 of the podcast, we're going to dive into the research on an area that often brings fear to new parents - rightfully - that of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Most people will be aware of best sleep practices promoted by professionals - put your baby to sleep on their back, no extra items in the sleeping area, and no matter what you do, never sleep with your baby. But how well do these recommendations stand up to the actual research? What do we really know versus what we're being told? Joining me (again...2022-03-151h 14

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 48: Fathering Series: From Mountain Gorillas to Humans, What Matters in Fathering?I would first like to welcome you to the final episode of this season. I am thankful to all of you who listen and give me hope that there are still those people out there who respect and love science as much as I do and who find the work of researchers who rarely get to be in the spotlight as fascinating as I do. This final episode – also the last in the fathering series, but I promise there will be more focus on fathers going forward – tackles the issues of co-parenting, the role of biological paternity, dads as “babysitters”, and more...2021-12-031h 11

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 47: Fathering Series: What does systemic racism look like when researching families of colour?When we look at research, especially in the realm of development, we tend to focus on things like resilience, struggles families face, and so on. This is particularly true when we look at the research on parenting in families of colour - the focus starts with what's wrong and how we can fix it. It was under this guise that I approached Dr. Erika Bocknek as she had done research on resilience in Black Fathers that was - I thought - interesting. What we talked about ended up being quite different with a much larger focus on the inherent racism...2021-11-191h 01

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 46: Fathering Series: What Makes Good Fathers? (Part 2)This week we continue our conversation with Dr. Lee Gettler, discussing his research which has advanced our knowledge on fathering across cultures and from different lenses. Here is for all the fathers out there. Dr. Lee Gettler: https://anthropology.nd.edu/people/faculty/lee-gettler/ Relevant Research (just skimming the surface): https://www.pnas.org/content/108/39/16194.short https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dev.22121 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70958-3 https://pure.mpg.de/pubman/faces/ViewItemOverviewPage.jsp?itemId=item_3281046 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajhb.23342 2021-11-1159 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 45: Fathering Series Part 1: What Makes Good Fathers?Let's be honest - when we talk about parenting, we're often talking about mothering. Most of the research on raising kids is based on mothers. Mothers in WEIRD cultures (and by weird, I mean the acronym - Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic countries). But of course, humans are in a small group of animals where the fathers play a large role in how children are raised. This means we need to broaden our work, our discussions, and our mindsets around parenting if we're going to truly understand parenting. As such, this is the beginning of my Fatherhood series where...2021-11-0459 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 44: What have been the effects of COVID on Parents' Mental Well-Being?We are almost two years into a global pandemic and many families have struggled to find a new normal. Some people seem to have found a new normal that exceeds life pre-pandemic, but many face ongoing difficulties. Parents are in a unique position because they are not only facing this pandemic from a personal perspective, but also as those trying to navigate their children's social and emotional well-being. How people are faring is a topic of great interest for researchers and joining me today to talk about how these changes are affecting parents is the head of the Lancet's Covid...2021-10-281h 05

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 43: How does our stress response develop in response to early childhood adversity?Stress is a hot topic today with many people worrying about the degree of stress they face daily. We know stress in our adult lives is a problem, but I often hear people speak about stress as if it's only an adult problem. Sadly children can face many stressors - some of them quite large - early in life and this can have profound and nuanced impacts on their development, especially how they respond to stress in the future. Joining me today is Dr. Brie Reid, a researcher focusing on the effects of exposure to early life stressors - and...2021-10-221h 25

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 42: How can families navigate and overcome a NICU experience?One of the more terrifying events for any parent is seeing their child born and rushed off to the NICU. Though we might talk about how it's so much better compared to losing our children - and there's no doubt that's the case - the typical experience for families in the NICU isn't one that we would wish on anyone. Some of the best NICUs in terms of medical care are those least equipped to deal with the psychological and bonding needs of new families. Parents can be left with little time with their baby, no room for them to...2021-10-151h 24

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 41: How do marginalized parents experience parenting in Western cultures?Too often we look at parenting practices and our judgment of them in absolute terms. I know I myself have been guilty of this. Sometimes it's warranted, but sometimes the judgments and the repercussions become a way that we disenfranchise and marginalize already marginalized groups in our society. When we think about the experiences of families facing involvement from government systems - many of which are founded on principles that are racist in nature - we can start to understand how the systems mean to support children may end up doing the opposite. This week I am joined by Dr...2021-10-071h 12

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 40: Can co-sleeping help prevent SIDS? Part 2Welcome back to Week 2 with Dr. James McKenna as we continue our conversation into SIDS, colic, breathing, and how our closeness to our babies can protect them. Please see below for the summary from Part 1: I want to mention some things that parents of young babies have to think about. They often think about: * Where their baby sleeps * Why their baby cries (or cries so much) * Worry about SIDS * How much their baby sleeps * Their baby's brain development * How to feed their baby (and how to get support for it) * Wondering when our babies will speak Of course there is...2021-09-3056 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 39: Can co-sleeping help prevent SIDS? Part 1I want to mention some things that parents of young babies have to think about. They often think about: * Where their baby sleeps * Why their baby cries (or cries so much) * Worry about SIDS * How much their baby sleeps * Their baby's brain development * How to feed their baby (and how to get support for it) * Wondering when our babies will speak Of course there is so much more, but I mention these in particular because they may all be related to something we definitely don't think about: How our babies breathe. If you're confused, don't worry because this week is...2021-09-2356 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 38: What kind of parenting helps children develop emotion regulation?We all want our kids to be able to regulate themselves, don't we? It feels like one of the main goals of parenting is how we are able to help get our kids to the stage where they can handle big emotions, frustrations, and the minor struggles on their own. Like most things that are developmental in nature, parents can play a key role in how this happens. This week we explore the issue of how parents can help their child's emotion regulation development with renowned researcher Dr. Lisa Gatzke-Kopp. From parenting in infancy to the synchrony between parent and...2021-09-031h 22

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 37: Can Babywearing Help with Mother-Infant Relationships?Babywearing is still somewhat fringe in our society, despite being exactly how babies have been kept close to parents for most of human history. I mean, it's not like we had strollers back in the stone age. When people utilize babywearing today, most do so for convenience. After all, if you've tried navigating strollers on public transit, you know the nightmare. But is there more to it? Attachment parenting advocates keeping babies close to build attachment and foster bonds, but does it really do that? This week I had a chance to talk to the one researcher who is bringing...2021-08-261h 24

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 36: What are the effects of birth trauma on the birthing parent and child?When you think back to your birth, do you recall it fondly? The way they say you're supposed to feel about this momentous moment? Or do you try to block it out? Cry about it? Feel like it was an event you don't even want to remember? For too many families, birth isn't a peaceful event or even a happy one, but something that brings longer lasting traumas for all. Though many tend to think that if baby is healthy, there's no reason for this, unfortunately a healthy baby does not mean there was no trauma. This week I am...2021-08-191h 17

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 35: How can we help (or be helped) with perinatal mental health struggles?When we get pregnant and are expecting our first child, most people don't see this as a time to worry that their mental health is going to go downhill. We're supposed to be happy or even thrilled about this new stage in our lives. But for many families, pregnancy is the beginning of what can be some serious mental health struggles. Perinatal depression, anxiety, and more are all common occurrences, yet ones we don't really talk about in our society. We don't warn families and many will struggle without support or even awareness of what is going on. This week...2021-08-121h 04

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 34: How can we balance our infant's biological sleep with a parent's need for sleep?If you've listened here before you will know that the research doesn't support the idea that extinction sleep training methods, like crying it out or controlled crying, actually improve our infant's sleep (or children's for that matter). Despite parents reporting improvements, when we look at objective measures of sleep, the sleep of children pre- and post-sleep training is actually no different. Many of us see this as a bit damning for sleep training, but what cannot be denied is that sleep training may improve parent sleep and in cultures where sleep is hard to come by and expectations for parents...2021-08-051h 09

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 33: How does Montessori differ from modern-traditional education?When we think about education, most of us think about our experience with what we might call modern-traditional schooling: classes by grade, a teacher at the front, testing, memorization, getting to know a new teacher each year, and maybe some more good like good friendships or more bad, like bullying. But what if school doesn't have to look like this? What alternative paradigms are out there? This week I'm joined by former Montessori Principal and advocate for public Montessori at a national level John Freeman to discuss what the different features of Montessori are and how they can help children...2021-07-221h 13

The Beyond Sleep Training podcastTracy Cassels PhD, on sleep, responsiveness, and the joy she gets from cuddling her little onesSUMMARY- Join Carly as she hears Tracy Cassels' story of growing up being responded to, and responding to her siblings and how that armed her for her own parenting journey. Tracy discusses the pressure felt as a new parent, even armed with her own experience and research, as well as how sleep has looked for her family as it has grown and changed over the years. Her biggest tip for a new parent? Hold your baby...Tracy also has her own podcast mentioned in this episode, you can listen here.There's a few...2021-07-2136 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 32: What is the Evolved Nest and how can it help us thrive?"It's just the way it is!" "Progress is always good" These are the sentiments that many people feel about the way our society and culture is structured. Because it's how we've grown up and what we've experienced, we believe this is the way it is. We view change as progress and think that anything different must be less than. But what if this isn't the type of society or life that enabled us humans to thrive? We evolved to this point, but is this really the best we can hope for? Welcome to the concept of the Evolved Nest...2021-07-151h 19

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 31: What are the myths we're told about nursing beyond infancy?When you thought about nursing, did you think about how long it would go? Did you think, "I will absolutely be done by one because that's old enough"? Then find yourself with a 2-year-old attached to the boob and worry that they're too old? Or perhaps you were okay with that from the start, but still face comments, questions, and accusations from others about this? Welcome to nursing beyond infancy - something most of the world does, but which those of us in WEIRD - Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic - countries seem to have some odd ideas about...2021-07-081h 16

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 30: How do we navigate our parenting decisions within our cultural framework?From the moment a family is expecting their first child, decisions are made about how that relationship is going to work, decisions that don't always match reality. The addition of a new person to the family - and a rather helpless one at that - changes everything. Here we have a baby who needs and expects certain things. Food. Warmth. Care. We also have parents who often live in cultures that tell them what to expect from their baby. And as I talked about last week with Dr. Helen Ball, often the messages parents get are incongruent with their realities...2021-07-011h 28

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 29: What is the relationship between feeding and sleep in infancy?"You must breastfeed!" says the medical professional. "Don't you dare sleep with your baby!" says the same medical professional. The tension between how we feed our babies and how we sleep with them is a real problem for many new families. As primates, we are expected to stay close to our young, and that includes nighttime, and this has profound implications for our feeding journey. As we discussed last week, breast or chestfeeding grief is real and many families struggle with it, but some of this comes from advice that may be well-intentioned but harms that feeding relationship. This week...2021-06-241h 06

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 28: Why should breastfeeding grief and trauma matter?Although not every parent chooses to, many report wanting to breastfeed or chestfeed their child. Our Western society likes to promote this with slogans and ideas that "breast is best", but most of that isn't backed up with the type of support that parents need to make this a reality. From inadequate leave to advice that counters the promotion of breastfeeding to a lack of instrumental and social support for new parents, breast and chestfeeding are an uphill battle, to say the least. Unfortunately this means many parents fail to reach their own goals and this can lead to intense...2021-06-181h 11

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 27: What about the forgotten tweens?When we first become parents there are tons of books and advice for us to follow in the baby years and even the toddler years. As our kids age, however, it seems that all the parenting experts start to fade away. They don't dare touch the older children until perhaps the teenage years. Yet our tweens - that delicate age around 8 to 13 - is crucial to how we will face the teenage years with our children. The challenges that can come with this age can set the stage for how we will approach potentially even more tumultuous times in adolescence...2021-06-101h 11

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 26: Why is male infant circumcision a human rights issue? (Part 2)Welcome back to part two of my talk with Brian Earp. If you haven't listened yet to last week's episode, I strongly suggest you do because some of what we talk about this week directly follows that conversation. Moving on from the discussion of health risks versus benefits of male infant circumcision, this week we turn towards the social elephant in the room, namely the gendered debate on circumcision as well as more emotional issues such as the defensiveness of parents and the struggles for some men to feel heard on the issue. I hope this conversation may also provide...2021-06-0457 min

The Way We ParentScientific Motherhood with Tracy Cassels, PhDTracy, Paula, and Samantha talk about how a research driven society can enhance parenthood and also hinder it, in some ways. We talk about the research around cry it out and other sleep training methods, crying in arms, and more! We have an interesting chat around modern feminism and what that looks like when you've chosen to be a stay at home mom or a "gentle" parent. Find Tracy here on Instagram, or here on her website. Listen to the Evolutionary Parenting podcast here! Follow Paula @newparadigmmotherhood and Samantha @samantha.tully on Instagram. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The e...2021-06-011h 29

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 25: Why is male infant circumcision a human rights issue? (Part 1)In North America - the United States in particular - males are regularly circumcised at birth. Over the years, various arguments have been made leading up to a shift in the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting that the benefits of male infant circumcision outweigh the risks. In this episode - the first of two - I had the chance to talk to Brian Earp, an outspoken critic of the arguments often made in favour of non-therapeutic male infant circumcision. He approaches this topic with logic and science and we start today by looking at these arguments regarding benefits versus risks...2021-05-2755 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastBonus Episode: Covid-19 Infection, Vaccination, and Breast MilkThis is a special episode of the podcast because it's focused on something highly relevant to us today. At this moment, we're faced with a global pandemic that we are trying to overcome. Over the past few months, vaccinations have become a crucial step in this process, but there are still questions and concerns that people have, especially around those who are breastfeeding or chestfeeding. I had the chance to talk with Dr. Rebecca Powell, an immunologist who has been at the forefront of the research trying to understand the impact of covid infection and vaccination on breastmilk and in...2021-05-2345 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 24: What is the role of intergenerational early life experience on life outcomes?A common view today is that when we are born, we are somehow born on even footing when it comes to the effects of how we are raised and what this means for us developmentally. We believe this despite the emergence of epigenetic theories that tell us otherwise, but the problem becomes how to actually study this given the myriad variables that are at play. This week I had the pleasure of talking to a leader in this field - Dr. Amanda Dettmer - and her work studying rhesus macaques to explore this very issue of not only intergenerational effects...2021-05-201h 21

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 23: What is the association of parenting styles with emotion regulation in infancy?We're all told that we need to be good parents, but what does this mean? Is it universal for all people of all walks of life? In this episode, I talk with my ongoing guest Dr. Levita D'Souza about a paper that piqued our interest looking at the relationship of parenting styles with emotion regulation in a predominantly lower-SES and African American sample. Through understanding the effects of parenting on emotion regulation, we can better understand the implications for child development in these marginalized communities. And yes, we need to consider the intersection of parenting and race and economics because...2021-05-131h 11

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 22: What does an evolutionary framework that centres on mothers and babies look like?When we explore our human evolutionary histories as they've been told so far, the central theme is often on the male experience. The hunter. The conqueror. How did male fertility traits impact relationships? And yet, what is most central to human survival? Procreation and raising the next generation which inherently should involve mothers and children. It is under this lens that Drs. Lesley Newson and Peter Richerson approach a new way of thinking about our collective evolution in their new book A Story of Us: A New Look At Human Evolution. I had the chance to have a wonderful conversation...2021-05-061h 12

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 21: What is the reality of and barriers to cooperative lactation today?Despite a lot of talk about breastfeeding in our culture, very little discussion happens about the various ways that lactation and provision of breast milk is shared amongst nursing parents. We often think about lactation between one mother and one child and yet that is not how it presents for all families or for all children. From allomaternal nursing to breast milk banks, the world of cooperative lactation is diverse and reflects the needs of various communities and families, but many barriers remain. This week I had the utmost joy in talking about this with Dr. Aunchalee Palmquist, someone who...2021-04-291h 08

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 20: What does breastfeeding advocacy look like in the era of fed is best?This week we delve into the world of breastfeeding advocacy with none other than the Badass Breastfeeder herself, Abby Theuring. It feels like no matter where you turn today, breastfeeding has become politicized beyond belief, and the voice of those whom breastfeeding directly impacts is left out. Whether it's women sharing stories of feeling shamed or bullied into breastfeeding or the polar opposite of the fed is best movement that moves us away from the support that individuals need to reach their breastfeeding goals, advocacy today is a landmine. Luckily it's one Abby is willing to enter and one that...2021-04-221h 18

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 19: Do dyslexics experience emotions differently?Most people conceptualize dyslexia as an intellectual disorder, but that simply isn't the case. Although dyslexia is a struggle with reading, reading isn't all there is to our intelligence, just one component of our neurological profile. And as with most things in the brain, if one area is less reactive, chances are other areas are even more reactive. This week, we explore research into the emotional world of children with dyslexia with Drs. Virginia Sturm and Christa Watson, co-authors of a new paper examining how children with dyslexia process emotional stimuli and what this might mean socially for them. The...2021-04-151h 02

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 18: How early is too early for empathy in infancy?For years we have assumed that babies were incapable of complex empathy. We thought they could react to others' distress through emotion contagion but that was it. It turns out, we were wrong. This week we explore the empathic life of infants through the amazing work of Dr. Maayan Davidov who has been showing the world exactly how capable of empathy infants are. Join us as we talk about these discoveries and what it means for us parents. Papers Discussed: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bjop.12402 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/desc.13016 Dr. Maayan Davidov's Lab: https...2021-04-081h 21

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 17: What is an "infant sleep problem"?Most parents are led to believe that something is wrong with their babies (or toddlers) because they are waking at night, requiring assistance from parents to settle, or taking a while to fall asleep at night. The common solution is to "sleep train" to "fix" these problems. But what if these aren't actually problems? In this episode, Dr. Levita D'Souza and I discuss the reality of infant sleep and why parents need not be worried about many of these common infant behaviours. Knowing what is a sleep problem and what isn't - and why sleep training still isn't the answer...2021-04-011h 22

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 16: How can we help reduce the risk of asthma, eczema, and allergies in our kids?Did you know that half of all babies born today will develop allergies? Up to a third will become asthmatic or suffer from eczema? Chronic disease is something most families are facing with their children and it shouldn't be this way. Join me as I talk to Michelle Henning co-author of Growing Healthy Babies - an evidence based guide to helping reduce our children's risk for chronic disease - about what is going on and what parents can do to lower the odds. Growing Healthy Babies Website: https://www.growhealthybabies.com Michelle Henning's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growhealthybabies/ To...2021-03-251h 23

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 15: How does sleep-disordered breathing affect your child?Does your child snore? Breathe through their mouth? Seem to stop breathing for parts of the night? These are all examples of sleep-disordered breathing, something that can have a large impact on our children's quality of life but is often misunderstood or ignored by parents and medical professionals alike. In this episode, I speak with Dr. David McIntosh, a pediatric ENT who specializes in sleep-disordered breathing. He goes over why we need to care about these issues and what can be done to help families who are struggling. Dr. McIntosh's clinic: http://entspecialists.com.au/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook...2021-03-181h 13

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 14: How can we hold space for pregnancy loss?Approximately 1 in 3 pregnancies will end in pregnancy loss and the risks are higher for women of colour. This is devastating for those who experience it and yet our culture and many of the people tasked with caring for us during pregnancy are not equipped to help families through these times. This episode I talk with Amy Wright Glenn, the founder of the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death and the creator of Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss, a course designed for professionals to help them learn to care for those struggling with this loss. Not only do...2021-03-111h 11

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 13: How did cry-it-out become authoritative in our culture?It seems like you can't talk to anyone about your baby and their sleep without being told that you have to cry it out or use a modified version, like controlled crying. In our culture, it's the go-to for all sleep problems or even pre-emptive sleep problems. How did we get here? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jennie Rosier, a professor at James Madison University and my co-author on a paper in the Journal of Family Issues on the same topic. How we got here is an interesting story, albeit one that has nothing to do with...2021-03-041h 03

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 12: What can we learn about parenting from dead babies from the past?We can only understand our present when we understand our past, right? But how can we do that when the evidence of that past is gone? When the stories aren't passed down or recorded? This week we explore this question with bioarchaeologist Dr. Sian Halcrow of the University of Otago who does just this. She studies the bones of dead babies to help us better understand the practices and environments in pre-history eras. From weaning behaviours to the effects of fertility to how inequality played into parenting, we cover what is known - and what isn't - from these early...2021-02-251h 16

Badass Breastfeeding PodcastBed-Sharing and SIDS with Tracy Cassels, PhDSubmit your question and we’ll answer it in a future episode!Badass Breastfeeding PodcastTracy Cassels, PhD is BACK! This week, Abby talks with Tracy about SIDS, sleep, breastfeeding, and the science behind it all. You don’t want to miss it!! If you are a new listener, we would love to hear from you. Please consider leaving us a review on itunes or sending us an email with your suggestions and comments to badassbreastfeedingpodcast@gmail.comWE HAVE TRANSCRIPTS!! You can also add your email to our list and h...2021-02-221h 23

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 11: How does child anxiety affect sleep training?How does child anxiety affect sleep training? It's a question I've thought a lot about and always been frustrated that no one has ever thought to consider these children. This week I got to talk to Dr. Michal Kahn, the first researcher I know to consider the experience of anxiety - in this case separation anxiety - in the effectiveness of different sleep training methods. And while we don't agree on sleep training more generally, the concern for this subgroup was a shared point of interest. You can see the paper here (and email Dr. Kahn for a copy): https...2021-02-181h 22

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 10: Does artificial sweetener use in pregnancy affect babies?Do you use artificial sweeteners? Did you use them while you were pregnant? In our quest to curb sugar, we've moved towards a high use of these sweeteners without necessarily thinking about the effects. This week I had the chance to chat with Dr. Meghan Azad, a lead researcher in the field of understanding the effects of artificial sweeteners (or non-nutritive sweeteners as I learned they should be called) to talk about the effects of their use in pregnancy on our babies - yes, our babies! Our discussion was based on a series of papers she's published which you can...2021-02-1159 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 9: Does sleep training affect attachment?Why does research not find a relationship between sleep training and attachment? Isn't the idea that we need to be responsive regularly to foster secure attachment? And isn't sleep training the opposite of that? This week, Dr. Levita D'Souza, a counselling psychologist and attachment researcher, joins me to discuss the many reasons why we may not find a relationship in the research. Or at least not as it's been studied. To learn more about the Evolutionary Parenting Podcast visit https://evolutionaryparenting.com/evolutionary-parenting-podcast-2/2021-02-041h 09

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 8: What happens to the brain during pregnancy and beyond?What happens to the brain during pregnancy and beyond? How does our parenting impact our children's neurological development for life? This week, I speak to Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum, the world's first neuroscientist-doula, about the research on how pregnancy affects our brains and how it primes us to parent in particular ways. Not only that, but how this neurological priming impacts our babies' development and what kinds of parenting our babies are looking for. A must-listen for anyone interested in pregnancy, parenting, and the brain.2021-01-271h 05

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp. 7: What is education outside the modern school system?In this episode, Tracy Gillett (of Raised Good) and I discuss the issue of alternative schooling. Specifically, what does education look like when you aren't using modern schools? What kinds of struggles can you face and what are the benefits to things like forest schooling, homeschooling, unschooling, and more? Drawing on our own experiences and a discussion of the research on education, I hope this conversation will help families who are looking for alternatives gain a better understanding of the options out there.2021-01-201h 09

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp 6: How does sleep training in infancy impact infant behaviour at 1 year?In this episode, I had the chance to chat with Dr. Gerald Giesbrecht of the University of Calgary about a recent study looking at the factors associated with and outcomes of delaying our responsiveness to our babies cries. Is this something that is beneficial? What are the nuances in the research that often don't get the space in mainstream science reporting? We go into all of this here. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.2021-01-121h 06

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp 5: What are the barriers to breastfeeding facing families with hospitalized or ill children?In this interview with Lyndsey Hookway of Feed Sleep Bond and Holistic Sleep Coaching, we don't actually talk about sleep! Instead I got to ask Lyndsey about her research in the barriers and struggles facing families who are breastfeeding children with various medical conditions, including acute illness, chronic illness, life-threatening illness, and congenital problems. It is heartbreaking at times to hear what families face and the lack of support, but Lyndsey shares information for anyone going through this and has a road map for where we all need to be going to support these families.2021-01-051h 07

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp 4: How do we move towards gentle parenting across cultures?In this interview, I talk to the founder of the Gentle Mama, Halyley Bukhamsin. She is a UK ex-pat living in Dubai and trying to help families move towards a more gentle response to their child's sleep. Most interesting to me is the cultural variety in Dubai and the unique circumstances that poses for someone working across so many cultures. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and I thank Hayley for coming on, especially as she was at the tail end of fighting Covid!2020-12-201h 04

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp 3: What are the sleep struggles facing families today?This episode I interview Carly Grubb, the amazing founder of the Beyond Sleep Training Project and the charity Little Sparklers, based in Australia. We talk about all we can relating to her work, sleep training, orchid kids, and the struggles facing so many families today!2020-12-041h 15

Badass Breastfeeding PodcastNight Weaning and BoundariesSubmit your question and we’ll answer it in a future episode!IT’S WORLD BREASTFEEDING MONTH!Have you become so frustrated with nighttime breastfeeding that you want to night wean?Have you wondered about night weaning, but you’re just too tired to figure it out?Are you interested in setting up some breastfeeding boundaries with your baby/child?Well mamas, this is it. If the answer isn’t in this episode, we can tell you where to find the answer (also in this episode). If you a...2020-08-1742 min

Badass Breastfeeding PodcastBed-sharing and Getting SleepSubmit your question and we’ll answer it in a future episode!Have you struggled with lack of sleep because of your new baby?Were you told that bed sharing would lead to the death of your baby?Did you know that there are very specific risk factors linked to unsafe bedsharing?If you ever wondered about any of these things, you definitely need this episode. You will probably not get this information anywhere else. And it’s important.If you are a new listener, we would love t...2020-05-1134 min

The Consciously Parenting PodcastAn Attached Parent for LifeWhat is a “normal parent”? Can conscious parents look to others in our culture for attached parent models? Studies are showing the number of children experiencing healthy emotional attachment are “abysmally low” for a modern and “advanced” society. Is parenting keeping pace with progress? Parents today need courage to step away from the mainstream practices that are failing to foster healthy attachment. We’ve been led to think that parenting with attachment in mind takes more time and effort than traditional parenting – that it’s just a lot of unhappy extra work. The idea that ma...2020-04-1533 min

The Consciously Parenting PodcastIs Your Parenting Leading to Secure Attachment?Maybe you’ve seen the articles and memes, or heard the jokes that portray attachment parenting as extreme, unattainable, and actually harmful to the parents that attempt it. Is attachment parenting realistic? Is it desirable? Is it only for privileged parents? Or is it attainable for all? Must we meet the many “requirements” of attachment parenting for our kids to be happy and healthy? What does it really mean to be an attached parent? Parents today are being given mixed messages about attachment parenting. With heavy workloads, lack of support, children with high needs, and confli...2020-04-1519 min

The Consciously Parenting PodcastWhat is Attachment? Is it different from Attachment Parenting?When I had my first child, I had been studying attachment theory (John Bowlby) and wanted to create a relationship with my child that created a secure base for him. I found attachment parenting and wondered if it would create the “secure attachment” I wanted my son to have – the kind of attachment that would allow him to reach out when he needed, and to be resilient. Knowing that early attachment influenced later well-being, I wanted to figure it out! When I had my son, I used a lot of attachment parenting strategies because they felt good to us...2020-04-1516 min

Badass Breastfeeding PodcastReplay - Nighttime Breastfeeding With Tracy Cassels, PhD - Evolutionary ParentingSubmit your question and we’ll answer it in a future episode!This week on the Badass Breastfeeding Podcast, Abby talks with Dr. Tracy Cassels, the author at Evolutionary Parenting. You do not want to miss this amazing interview. Dr. Cassels will talk about how evolution plays a role in your baby’s behaviors, and why your baby does what they do as a newborn. This is such an eye opening learning experience! Sleep questions, behavior patterns…all of this and more. This episode is a little longer than what we usually do, and we hope you e...2020-04-0655 min

Badass Breastfeeding Podcast082 - Nighttime Breastfeeding With Tracy Cassels, PhD - Evolutionary ParentingSubmit your question and we’ll answer it in a future episode!This week on the Badass Breastfeeding Podcast, Abby talks with Dr. Tracy Cassels, the author at Evolutionary Parenting. You do not want to miss this amazing interview. Dr. Cassels will talk about how evolution plays a role in your baby’s behaviors, and why your baby does what they do as a newborn. This is such an eye opening learning experience! Sleep questions, behavior patterns…all of this and more. This episode is a little longer than what we usually do, and we hope you e...2019-03-1854 min

Bridging PhillyFlashpoint: Combatting anti-vaxx sentiment, balancing Cheyney's budget and #americatozanzibarHost and KYW Newsrdio community affairs reporter Cherri Gregg asks the burning questions about the anti-vaxx movement fueled hoax and conspiracy theories rampant on the Internet helped to spread misinformation about vaccines. Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at CHOP joins Dr. Tracy Cassels, Director Evolutionary Parenting and Dittymae Jankaukas, the Gloucester County Public Health Nursing Director is a lively discussion of this important hot topic. The Flashpoint newsmaker of the week is the Cheyney University, the nation's oldest historically Black institution of higher learning. President Aaron Walton announced that the school will finally have a balanced...2019-03-1048 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp 2: Responsive Parenting - When Needs Become WantsWhen do our children's needs morph into wants? How are we supposed to be responsive without "giving in"? These are some of the questions that I talk about with a mother looking for answers about how to be a loving, responsive, and sensitive parent without harming her child's budding independence.2017-02-2254 min

Evolutionary Parenting PodcastEp 1: Does breastfeeding on demand lead to expectation of immediate sexual gratification in adults?In this inaugural episode, Pinky McKay and I chat about an interesting question: Does breastfeeding on demand at night lead to the expectation of immediate sexual gratification in adulthood? This was a question given to me by a reader who was told this would be the case by a close friend. Sadly, too many people still link breastfeeding or nursing with sex and think that allowing a child to feed on demand leads to entitlement. Nothing could be further from the truth and Pinky and I discuss these misconceptions. If you want to read up some more on topics related...2016-11-131h 05

Nourish Balance ThriveUnderstanding How We Evolved to ParentHow do you approach big parenting decisions? Do you find yourself confused and conflicted with what the “experts” say? Have you wrestled with the idea of “sleep training,” bedsharing, or nursing schedules for your baby? What if there was a way to approach all of the important topics so you were empowered to make the best choice for you and your family? My guest Tracy Cassels offers a sound and unique perspective that I think will help a lot of parents. Tracy has an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science, masters in Clinical...2016-09-1346 min

Trek TV - The most ambitious Star Trek podcast on the internet!Trek TV Episode 142 - Star Trek: The Next Generation S00E00 - "Bonus interview with Adam Cassels of the Star Trek Beyond Barco Escape experience"#142 In this episode of Trek TV we discuss Star Trek: The Next Generation S00E00 - "Bonus interview with Adam Cassels of the Star Trek Beyond Barco Escape experience". Hosted by Vaughn. Interviewing Adam Cassels of the Star Trek Beyond Barco Escape experience Visit our website for fan art, news and more!2016-07-1325 min