Episódios
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This is an episode originally published in October 2023. It is one of my most popular.
It’s so important for parents to have effective communication with their teenagers and using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can help.
Kate and guest Jeanine Mouchawar discuss how understanding your own and your teen's personality type can improve communication and reduce conflict.
Jeanine shares a five-step process for effective communication: calming oneself before a conversation, stating observations without judgement, getting curious about the teen's feelings, validating their feelings, and asking for their ideas to make better choices.
Jeanine emphasizes the importance of removing the word "why" from conversations as it often puts the other person on the defensive.
Listen For:
10:30 Why parenting approaches differ for teens as opposed to younger children
18:24 Calming techniques (for calming down parents)
24:19 The importance of stating observations clearly
29:35 Avoiding the word “Why”
Guest: Jeanine Mouchawar, BA Stanford
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Website | Free Classes
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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Have you ever forgotten something so obvious that all you could do was laugh and wondered whether your greatest frustrations might actually be the flip side of your greatest strengths?
Kate Mason flies solo and bravely opens the door to life inside her spontaneous, flexible, perceiving brain.
After 30 years of teaching personality, Kate shares her most memorable mistakes: leading the wrong child away at the zoo, concert tickets for the wrong day, and watching her cruise ship sail off without her, alongside the deeply moving story of navigating her mum's dementia and move into nursing home care.
Warm, funny, and unexpectedly tender, this episode is an empowering invitation to understand your own personality, embrace your blind spots, celebrate the organised people who carry you, and discover the joy of living your best life… your way.
Listen for:
2:21 What happens when a teacher accidentally leads the wrong child away at the zoo?
4:48 How can parents turn a plan gone wrong into the best surprise ever?
12:02 How did Kate navigate her mum's dementia and the move to nursing home care?
20:11 What did Kate learn when her river cruise ship sailed away without her?
23:14 Why are your greatest frustrations the flip side of your greatest strengths?
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Contact Kate:
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You don’t need to be opposites to attract. Sometimes two very like-minded people with like-personalities people find mutual attraction.
But it does seem odd that it’s often two people are not the same in many, many ways who find attraction.
For example, why does the introvert find attraction in the extravert? Do they help them learn to speak up more and join the party? And why does the extravert fall for the introvert? Do they help them learn to listen and reflect?
Kate and Tracy are coming at this from experience. Grab a cuppa and join.
Listen for:
7:15 What really attracts introverts and extroverts to each other?
8:43 What does Tracy Noon find irresistible about introverted partners?
11:03 Why does an extrovert reopen an argument two days later?
13:18 Why did Tracy's eleven-year relationship end in total silence?
15:00 How many social outings are too many for an introverted partner?
Guest Co Host – Tracy Noon
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the exhaustion and lost sense of self in early motherhood aren't signs you're failing but signs you're being remade?
Kate Mason welcomes Benita Bensch, author, certified Motherhood Studies Practitioner, clarity coach, farmer, and mum of four boys, for a warm, honest conversation about matrescence, the profound identity shift of becoming a mother.
Benita shares her own journey through postnatal anxiety and burnout, the "black hole" she hit with four children under four, and the science and language that finally helped it all make sense.
Together they explore why understanding this transition matters, how to recognise when to seek help, and why reclaiming your identity makes you a wholer parent.
It's an empowering, hope-filled listen for anyone who has ever quietly wondered, "Who am I now?"
Listen for:
8:00 Why did Benita gradually start to lose her sense of self?
10:24 What do the physical symptoms of postnatal anxiety feel like?
11:57 What does hitting the "black hole" of motherhood look like?
16:52 What is matrescence and why aren't mothers told about it?
25:49 When should an overwhelmed mum reach out for help?
Guest Benita Bensch, Author, Speaker & Clarify Coach for Women
Website | LinkedIn | Email | Instagram | Facebook | Seen Again: Light on Matrescence Book
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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This is an episode originally published in August 2024. It is one of my most popular.
Have you ever wondered what builds resilience in us and our children?
In this episode, Kate chats with Tania Johnson, co-founder of the Institute of Child Psychology.
Tania shares her journey, from fostering four First Nations children to her academic accomplishments and her profound insights into attachment theory and resilience.
Together, they explore the power of purposeful parenting, the importance of allowing children to fail and learn, and practical strategies to foster resilience in our young ones.
Listen For:
4:44 Experiences as a Foster Mom
11:15 When Did We Start Protecting Children from Failure?
26:17 The Impact of Overpraising
35:51 Teaching Resilience
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Have you ever walked away from a disagreement with your partner absolutely certain of what was said…only to have them remember it completely differently? What if that isn't manipulation at all, but simply the way human memory actually works?
Kate Mason welcomes back Associate Professor Celine Vangolde from the University of Sydney, whose research explores memory, trauma, child testimony, and psychological abuse.
Celine's work sits at the intersection of science and real-life relationships, examining how memories are formed, stored, retrieved, and yes, sometimes misremembered entirely…and what that means for the families and couples navigating those moments every day.
This conversation takes a deep, accessible dive into the term "gaslighting", where it came from, how it has evolved, and critically, when a normal memory disagreement ends and genuine psychological abuse begins.
Understanding personality types, memory distrust, and the role of intention gives parents and partners the insight they need to protect themselves and their families.
Listen for:
03:03 How does memory actually work and why don't two people ever remember the same event?
06:52 Where did the term gaslighting originate and how did it evolve over time?
13:43 What does Celine's research reveal about how couples misidentify memory conflicts as gaslighting?
17:11 How should someone decide if they are truly being gaslit or simply in a normal disagreement?
20:21 When does a caring, protective relationship cross the line into coercive control and abuse?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Guest Celine Vangolde, Associate Professor University of Sydney School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, specializing in forensic psychology and memory research
Online Bio | LinkedIn
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the secret to raising happier children wasn't about perfect parenting techniques…but about the quality of the relationship between you and your parenting partner?
Kate Mason is joined by author, family therapist, and family systems expert Dr. Jenny Brown for a return visit that builds beautifully on their first conversation.
Jenny brings decades of clinical experience alongside her deeply personal journey of applying this work within her own marriage and family.
Drawing on the groundbreaking family systems theory developed by psychiatrist Dr. Murray Bowen, she and Kate explore what really happens to relationships when children arrive and why understanding your own role in relationship patterns is the most empowering shift any parent can make.
Whether you're feeling disconnected from your partner, frustrated by different parenting styles, or simply craving more connection in your family, this episode offers both the insight and the hope you've been looking for.
Listen For2:45 How did Jenny's own family experience shape her decades of work with families?
9:14 Why do couples stop truly connecting and become roommates managing kids' logistics?
12:21 How should parenting partners listen to each other without fixing, advising, or comparing?
21:22 What was the moment Jenny realised she was getting in the way of her husband's parenting?
28:23 Where should disconnected parents start when they feel overwhelmed and don't know what to do?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Contact Dr Jenny Brown:
Email | Website | Dr Jenny's Book "The Parenting Paradox" | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
Contact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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Modern life is fraying us. But we can learn how to come back to ourselves.
In this thoughtful and deeply relatable episode Kate welcomes back educator, social worker, author, and speaker Stephanie Malia Krauss to explore why so many parents, teachers, carers, and children feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and disconnected.
Drawing from her book How We Thrive: Caring for Kids and Ourselves in a Changing World, Stephanie explains how chronic busyness, overstimulation, technology, anxiety, and modern pressures pull families away from regulation, connection, and truly human living.
Together, Kate and Stephanie unpack how self-regulation develops, why children and young adults are still learning these skills well into their twenties, how dysregulation can be mistaken for “bad behaviour,” and why parents need practical tools like going “below calm,” using gentle cues, listening instead of fixing, and recognizing their own stress signals.
Listen For
6:26 Why Does Modern Family Life Feel So Overwhelming?
11:15 What Is Self-Regulation and Why Is It Still Developing Until the Mid-20s?
19:20 How Can Parents Calm Themselves When a Child Is Dysregulated?
28:11 Is Your Child’s Behaviour Actually a Discipline Issue or a Dysregulation Issue?
41:17 Could the Personality Trait You Dislike Actually Be Chronic Dysregulation?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Connect with guest: Stephanie Malia Krauss
LinkedIn | Website | YouTube | Instagram | Book: How We Thrive
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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Your memory might feel certain, but it is not a recording.
In this fascinating episode of Parenting and Personalities, Kate speaks with Associate Professor Celine Vangolde from the University of Sydney about how memory really works, especially in children.
Celine explains why two people can live through the same moment and remember it differently, why memories are reconstructed rather than replayed, and how emotions, context, language, stress, and other people’s stories can change what we recall.
The conversation moves from everyday family misunderstandings to child testimony in legal settings, showing parents how to listen more carefully, ask better questions, and stay curious rather than jumping to conclusions.
Listen For
04:32 Is Memory Really Like a Video Recording in Our Brain?
06:56 Are We Ever Telling the Full Truth When We Remember Something?
10:35 Why Can Two People See the Same Thing So Differently?
14:49 How Do Children’s Memories Develop as They Grow?
19:26 Can Parents Trust What Their Children Remember?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Guest: Celine Vangolde, Associate Professor University of Sydney School of Psychology, Faculty of Science | Forensic Psychology and Memory Research
Online Bio | LinkedIn
What colour is the dress?
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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This is an episode originally published in November 2024. It is one of my most popular.
Are you raising resilient children?
In this episode, Kate Mason and Tania Johnson dive into the importance of building resilience and emotional strength in both parents and children.
From the benefits of play to the power of independent problem-solving, they explore how cultural differences impact our approach to parenting.
Discover practical strategies for fostering resilience and learn why it's crucial to let kids experience failure and take risks.
Listen For:
5:03 Teaching Conflict Resolution
9:22 Overprotection and Online Dangers
16:56 The Importance of Family Togetherness
27:00 Fostering Hope in Children
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Guest: Tania Johnson
Website | LinkedIn | The Parenting Handbook | Instagram |
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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What if the reason you and your partner drive each other absolutely crazy over the washing, the cushions, or even the toilet paper roll has nothing to do with bad habits and everything to do with personality?
Kate Mason takes a warm, witty, and surprisingly eye-opening dive into the everyday irritations that quietly shape our closest relationships.
Drawing on the melancholic and phlegmatic temperaments and the Myers-Briggs judging and perceiving preferences, Kate explores why some of us are natural organizers who feel genuine calm when things are in order, while others live happily in flexible, "good enough" mode.
Through hilarious real-life stories from laundry debates at a dinner party to her 94-year-old mother's enduring love of perfectly folded clothes, Kate reveals how understanding your partner's or family member's personality type can transform daily conflict into genuine connection.
This episode will leave you asking a different question: am I loving them, or am I reorganizing them?
Listen For4:14 What everyday moment reminded Kate how strongly our personalities show up in daily life?
6:07 Are you a folder or a scruncher and what does it actually reveal about your personality?
7:10 What are the key strengths and challenges of the melancholic and phlegmatic temperaments?
12:00 How do judging and perceiving types experience time differently and why does it cause conflict?
15:02 What does Kate's 94-year-old mother teach us about how deeply personality is woven into who we are?
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Contact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the real challenge in parenting is not about doing more, but about understanding how we show up?
In this conversation, Kate Mason speaks with family therapist Dr Jenny Brown about the quiet pressure many parents carry to get everything right and the self-doubt that often follows.
With decades of experience and a foundation in Bowen family systems theory, Jenny explores how a parent’s emotional responses, anxiety, and level of involvement shape a child’s development in powerful ways.
Rather than focusing only on changing children’s behaviour, she encourages parents to build awareness, steadiness, and confidence in themselves, creating an environment where children can develop resilience and independence.
Listen For3:20 What inspired Dr Jenny Brown to shift from law into social science and family therapy?
4:50 Why is understanding humans in their social context so important for parenting?
5:16 What do parents often realise later about what they wish they had known earlier?
5:42 Is it ever too late to improve your parenting approach and relationships?
6:13 Why did Dr Jenny Brown write The Parenting Paradox and who is it for?Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Contact Dr Jenny Brown:
Email | Website | Dr Jenny's Book "The Parenting Paradox" | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
Contact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the "right" path to parenthood looked nothing like the one you imagined and turned out to be exactly the one you were meant to take?
Kate Mason sits down with Lorena Otes, author of Solo Mum By Choice, dance teacher, and mother who made one of the most courageous choices a woman can make: to become a parent entirely on her own terms.
Lorena opens up about navigating 12 rounds of IVF, genetic discoveries she never expected, the emotional and financial reality of solo fertility treatment, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going when life doesn't follow the script.
Her story reframes what family can look like and will leave listeners understanding that love, consistency, and showing up are what truly define a parent.
Listen For:
2:52 Was becoming a parent always something Lorena had envisioned for herself?
7:03 What did Lorena discover about her own genetics when she began the IVF process?
13:46 What did 12 rounds of IVF really feel like emotionally and practically for Lorena?
20:06 How does a fiercely independent personality shape the solo parenting experience?
36:12 What advice does Lorena have for anyone considering the solo parenthood path?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Contact Lorena Otes:
Email | Website | Lorena's Book | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
Contact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the hard weeks…the ones where nothing is catastrophically wrong, but everything still feels completely overwhelming…are actually telling you something important about yourself?
Kate Mason invites you into one of those weeks.
A solo episode unlike any other, Kate shares the real, raw, and sometimes messy experience of a family illness unfolding over Easter. Sick grandchildren, worried parents, a husband mistaken for a heart attack, and Kate herself, the last one standing.
With warmth and honesty, Kate connects everyday stress to the deeper work of understanding ourselves and those we love.
This episode offers personality-aware tools for getting through life's quietly destabilising moments.
Not by fixing everything, but by staying steady while it passes.
Listen For2:01 How did a vomiting bug over Easter turn into a week Kate will never forget?
5:24 What happens when you're the main caregiver for everyone and you can't even be near them?
8:53 How do other families quietly carry these kinds of exhausting, invisible weeks?
12:34 What practical tools can help you get through a week when everything feels like a lot?
15:22 Why does acknowledging your stress, rather than minimizing it, actually help you recover faster?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Contact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the overwhelm you feel as a parent isn't a personal failing but a signal that something deeply human is missing from your family's life?
Kate Mason sits down with Stephanie Malia Krauss, an educator, social worker, author, and mother of teenage boys, to explore the revolutionary idea of "re-humaning": reclaiming the connections, love, and belonging that modern life has quietly stolen from our families.
Stephanie's latest book, How We Thrive: Caring for Kids and Ourselves in a Changing World, draws on decades of working with young people and thousands of conversations with overwhelmed parents and caregivers worldwide.
Together, Kate and Stephanie unpack the science behind why our children are struggling, and the beautifully simple, practical shifts that can transform your family's wellbeing starting today.
Understanding your child and those you love has never felt more urgent…or more hopeful.
Listen For2:59 What personal experiences shaped Stephanie's lifelong commitment to caring for children?
10:20 How did the pandemic reveal what overwhelmed parents and children truly need?
23:37 What does the science tell us about connection, love, and belonging as human essentials?
30:50 How does the story of Eastern European orphanages show us what children cannot survive without?
41:06 What small intentional actions can parents take this week to rebuild belonging in their family?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Connect with guest: Stephanie Malia Krauss, M.Ed., MSW | Author | Speaker | Strategist
LinkedIn | Website | YouTube | Instagram | Book: How We Thrive
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the moment your child stops believing isn't an ending… but the beginning of something even more meaningful?
Kate Mason takes a warmlook at one of family life's most tender rituals: Easter traditions.
From the egg hunts of her own Adelaide childhood to the night her son Jack and daughter Cassie discovered the truth behind the Easter Bunnyand the beautiful reframe that followed,Kate explores how traditions shape family identity across generations.
This episode is a gentle, heartfelt reflection on what makes family rituals matter, how to create ones that are doable and sustainable, and why understanding the people you love means holding the magic carefully… and then passing it on.
Listen For1:40 What makes Easter traditions worth keeping, even as life gets busier and children grow?
4:33 What does Kate say traditions actually need to be to last across the years?
9:21 How do you handle the moment a child starts questioning whether the Easter Bunny is real?
11:20 What happened the day Kate's children found out the truth — and how did the family recover?
15:59 How can grandparents, aunties, and uncles join in traditions without stepping on parents' toes?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the biggest barriers to your autistic child's progress aren't the ones anyone told you about… and the solutions are already backed by science?
Kate Mason welcomes back Theresa Lyons, PhD, scientist, autism researcher, and founder of navigating AWEtism, for a conversation that goes beyond the diagnosis and into the biology.
Theresa unpacks three powerful areas that functional medicine research has identified as having real impact for children on the spectrum: gut health and diet (including gluten, dairy, and food additives), the role of genetics and environment in why two siblings in the same house can have completely different outcomes, and a groundbreaking discovery called cerebral folate deficiency… a condition affecting up to 70% of autistic children that may be dramatically limiting speech.
Parents who feel overwhelmed, confused, or like they've already tried everything will find this episode both deeply informative and genuinely hopeful.
Listen For
3:50 What is the real science behind going gluten-free for a child with autism?
7:31 Why is diet change so overwhelming for autism families, and how should parents approach it?
12:16 How can genetics and environment explain why two children in the same household experience autism so differently?
14:29 What is cerebral folate deficiency, and how could a simple blood test unlock speech in non-verbal children?
18:34 What should parents do right now if they think cerebral folate deficiency could be a factor for their child?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Connect with guest: Theresa Lyons, MS, MS, PhD | Founder & CEO Navigating AWEtism
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram| YouTube| Facebook
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the most powerful personality lesson of your life came not from a book or a podcast…but from a train in Tokyo?
Kate Mason shares warm, witty, and surprisingly profound reflections from her holiday in Japan.
Travelling with her family, Kate finds herself using the four temperaments: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic, to make sense of everything from Tokyo's train etiquette to the way her travel companions plan (or don't plan) their days.
This episode is a beautiful reminder that understanding personalities isn't just an academic exercise, it's the daily practice of giving people grace.
You will come away with fresh insight into why the people you love move through the world differently, and why that difference is worth celebrating.
Listen For1:02 How does travelling to a very different culture reveal your own personality?
3:52 What does Japan's approach to rubbish and shared spaces teach us about parenting?
7:28 Why is riding a quiet Japanese train a surprisingly confronting experience for a sanguine?
9:49 What happens when a choleric personality meets the Tokyo train system?
11:44 How do temperament differences show up when a group travels together and what can that teach families?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Contact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What if the words you use every day…without even realising it…are quietly shaping who your children believe they can become?
Kate Mason sits down with communications expert, author, and mother of two boys, Kate Mason, to explore the hidden power of gendered language in parenting.
From "be careful" on the playground to "give grandma a kiss," the two Kates unpack the subtle, everyday phrases that send very different messages to our sons and daughters…often without us even noticing.
Drawing on research, real-life stories, and her new book Powerfully Likeable, guest Kate Mason offers parents practical insight and a simple but transformative question: Would I say this to the other gender?
This episode is for every parent who wants to raise emotionally confident, connected, and capable children.
Listen For2:21 How can better listening instantly improve the way we communicate with others?
7:59 Why do we tell girls to be careful more often than boys?
14:31 How does praising girls for being pretty shape their identity over time?
18:44 Why are boys taught hierarchy while girls are taught rapport?
34:09 How can parents teach body autonomy without forcing children to hug or kiss relatives?
Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Connect with guest: Kate Mason, Communications Coach | Author, Powerfully Likeable | World-champion Debater
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Linktree
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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Parenting isn’t a performance, it’s a relationship, and the messiest moments might be your best clues.
Kate talks with family therapist and educator Lisa Taylor about her new book The Perfect Parent Trap and why “losing it” doesn’t mean you’re failing. It may mean an old, tender part of you is getting “ignited.”
They explore Lisa’s “heartprint” framework (the deep beliefs we carry, like “I’m not enough”), how kids “borrow our nervous system,” and why the real shift often starts with regulating ourselves instead of “fixing” our children.
Listen For:00 Have you ever “lost it” and realized you weren’t parenting from today?
12:43 How do you tell if you’re reacting to your child—or the child within you?
24:59 What does a real repair sound like after you’ve messed up?
33:05 Why does one “difficult” child sometimes hold the whole family system together?
40:49 Can re-parenting your inner child change how you parent right now?Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click
Connect with guest: Lisa Taylor
Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email | Lisa’s Book
Contact Kate:
Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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