Podcast · 56 episodes

Raising Good Humans

by Dear Media, Aliza Pressman · English

As a parent, do you ever wish someone could just whisper some realistic and trustworthy support in your ear? And not make you feel awful for not having all the answers? Well, that's what I'm here for. I'm Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist, NYT bestselling author of The Five Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans, Associate Clinical Professor, and Co-Founder of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center. And I'm a mom... trying to raise good humans myself, so I'm in this with you! In each episode, we'll go deep (but brief) with both experts and parents to share the most effective approaches and tools and talk about the important bigger picture of raising good humans. My goal is to make your parenting journey less overwhelming and a lot more joyful! Please join me every Friday for new episodes of Raising Good Humans.

Education Kids & Family Parenting

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Latest episodes

How to Help Your Child Make Friends (and Be a Good One)How to help kids navigate school transitions and build friendships by focusing on being a capable friend (not just finding friends), lowering stakes, and practicing social skills for different ages…25 Sep 2026 · 47 min

Sibling Fights: When to Step In (and When to Stay Out)How parents should respond to sibling fights—when to step in (safety, power imbalance, dehumanizing language, bullying) vs when to stay out and coach repair.18 Sep 2026 · 39 min

Dr. Shefali: The Hormones Behind First Love, Heartbreak, and Hookup CultureConscious parenting for dating, heartbreak, hookup culture, porn, and social-media/body messaging, framed through sex-differentiated hormones and neurochemistry.11 Sep 2026 · 38 min

All episodes

Angela Duckworth on the Hidden Forces Shaping Your Kid's BehaviorDr. Angela Duckworth explains “situated” behavior—how kids’ (and adults’) character and habits emerge from the physical and social situations around them, not just inner traits.4 Sep 2026 · 48 min · 17 chapters

Were 'Covid Kids' Really Damaged? What 17 New Studies ShowA conversation about a Child Development journal special section reviewing 17 longitudinal studies on long-term COVID impacts on children and adolescents, addressing whether “COVID kids” were…28 Aug 2026 · 44 min · 16 chapters

Here's the Talk to Have Before Your Teen's First PartyThe episode is about what parents should talk through before a teen’s first party: preparing emotionally, setting clear expectations, and planning for safety. The host (Dr.21 Aug 2026 · 30 min · 15 chapters

Picky Eating & Food Guilt with Jennifer AndersonRaising healthy, judgment-free eaters; embodied independence; reducing food guilt; handling picky eating and preventing disordered eating; balancing permissive vs restrictive feeding; managing…14 Aug 2026 · 46 min · 17 chapters

How to Disagree With Your Kids Without FightingHow to disagree with kids (and partners) without fighting, using behavioral-science findings about constructive disagreement, language, and timing.7 Aug 2026 · 55 min · 18 chapters

How to Raise an Imaginative Child — and Why Imagination Matters More Than You ThinkThe episode argues that imagination is a trainable cognitive skill that simulates and can transcend reality, and that it affects anxiety and physiology because the brain responds to imagined…31 Jul 2026 · 40 min · 17 chapters

Hard Parenting Questions Answered: 'I Hate You,' Porn Talks, Vapes, and School Pickup MeltdownsSolo listener Q&A with Dr. Aliza Pressman on hard parenting moments: “I hate you” from a 5-year-old, guilt about limited Bluey screen time, school pickup meltdowns, how to talk about porn with an…24 Jul 2026 · 31 min · 11 chapters

Your Brain Isn't Declining — It's Waiting for You to Do These Five ThingsThe episode argues that adult brain health isn’t fixed decline; adult brains remain neuroplastic and can grow brain volume.17 Jul 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 19 chapters

What a Neuropsychological Evaluation Actually Reveals About Your ChildWhat neuropsychological evaluations reveal about children, when to seek one, how to interpret results (including diagnoses), and how to communicate findings to kids/schools to support strengths and…10 Jul 2026 · 38 min · 18 chapters

Why Your Kid Needs More Chores, More Boredom, and More Frustration (Yes, Really)The episode argues that kids need more chores, boredom, and manageable frustration because obligations and constraints build competence, attachment, and creativity, while “easy button” convenience…3 Jul 2026 · 43 min · 15 chapters

Dating After Divorce: What to Tell Your Kids and WhenHow divorced parents can date again while protecting children’s emotional well-being—what to tell kids, when to discuss dating, how to handle blunt questions, and how to talk about loneliness without…26 Jun 2026 · 26 min · 8 chapters

The Science of Dad Brain: How Fatherhood Changes Men ForeverFatherhood’s “Dad Brain” science—how becoming a dad reshapes men’s brains, caregiving behavior, and mental health; plus practical guidance for new parents and why fathers matter.19 Jun 2026 · 51 min · 17 chapters

Adam Grant + Dr. Aliza: The Real Science of Effective ParentingParenting science and practical guidance on balancing warmth with limits; skepticism toward “gentle parenting” as an ideology; using research to avoid over-optimizing and over-intervening.12 Jun 2026 · 40 min · 14 chapters

Why Are All the Young People So Insecure?Secure attachment beyond parent-child—how to build “secure mode” by prioritizing reliable peers and using everyday micro-interactions (“simis”) rather than blaming parenting or focusing only on big…5 Jun 2026 · 45 min · 19 chapters

Your Kids Are Wired to Flourish — Here's How to Get Out of Their WayNeuroplasticity and how caregivers can promote children’s flourishing through relationships, emotional regulation, and a daily mindfulness practice.29 May 2026 · 46 min · 13 chapters

Deodorant, Porn, and Nudes: How to Actually Talk to Your Tween About the Hard StuffHow to talk with middle-school tweens about “hard stuff” (consent, sexuality, pornography, dating, sending nudes) without lectures or shame, using a repeatable conversation approach called the BRIEF…22 May 2026 · 45 min · 15 chapters

Perfectionism Isn't High Standards. It's Hurting Your KidProfessor Thomas Curran (LSE) explains perfectionism as a relational, deficit-based mindset driven by shame and conditional approval, not “high standards.” He argues it harms mental health and youth…15 May 2026 · 28 min · 7 chapters

Perimenopause Starts Earlier Than You Think — What Every Mom Needs to Know NowPerimenopause can begin a decade before menopause and often overlaps with postpartum/parenting stress.8 May 2026 · 43 min · 12 chapters

The 3 Tools That Actually Work When Your Kid Won't ListenDefiant child behavior at home and how to respond with “loving limits” (not permissiveness) using three practical tools: prioritize non-negotiable limits like bedtime, offer limited choices, and…1 May 2026 · 28 min · 7 chapters

Are You Oversharing With Your Kids — or Not Sharing Enough?“Adaptive revealing” for kids and parents—how to balance oversharing (too much, too soon) with undersharing (too little), using strategic vulnerability, emotional literacy, and context/timing to…24 Apr 2026 · 1 h 2 min · 29 chapters

Is Anxiety Your Secret Weapon?Anxiety as a productive emotion and “secret weapon,” not something to eradicate; how caregivers should respond to kids’ anxiety by pausing fixing, validating feelings, and helping children tolerate…17 Apr 2026 · 35 min · 22 chapters