Securely Attached2 Dec 2025

The psychology of autonomy and growth: Building stress tolerance, confidence, and motivation with Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

Joining me this week are Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson, co-authors of the bestselling book The Self-Driven Child and leading experts on the neuroscience of stress, motivation, and autonomy.

Together we explore:

- Why a child's sense of control is one of the strongest predictors of resilience, mental health, and stress tolerance.

- How play, rest, and unstructured time uniquely support healthy brain development.

- The hidden ways over-scheduling, overstimulation, and constant "fixing" can unintentionally increase anxiety.

- What it really means to be a "non-anxious presence" — and how your calm helps regulate your child's nervous system.

- How to give kids space to struggle, experiment, and try hard things without overwhelming them or abandoning them.

- Practical, research-backed strategies for helping kids feel both safe and capable in a world that often feels anything but.

Whether you're raising a toddler or a teen, this conversation offers a grounded, science-backed reframe for understanding stress, resilience, and autonomy — and meaningful tools you can start using today to strengthen connection and help your child thrive.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUESTS:

🔗 https://theselfdrivenchild.com/

🎧 The Self-Driven Child Podcast

📚 The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives

📚 The Seven Principles for Raising a Self-Driven Child: A Workbook

📚 What Do You Say?: How to Talk with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home

🎧 The neuroscience of control: Helping kids cope with stress and become self-driven with Dr. William Stixrud

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

📱@selfdrivenchild

📱@drbillstixrud

📱@theothernedjohnson

📱@drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

🔗 Learned Helplessness at Fifty: Insights from Neuroscience

🔗 Rest Is Not Idleness: Implications of the Brain's Default Mode for Human Development and Education

🔗 A Social-Cognitive Approach to Motivation and Personality

🔗 Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Brain Maturation in Adolescents: Implications for Analyzing Longitudinal Data

📚 The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about treating childhood anxiety through SPACE with the creator of this modality Dr. Eli Lebowitz

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the right (and wrong!) way to foster your child's independent play

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the hidden dangers of an achievement centric approach with Jennifer Breheny Wallace

🎧 Listen to my podcast about how RIE can evolve into lifelong respectful parenting with Janet Lansbury

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(453)

The surprising link between your child's vision, behavior, and screen time with Dr. Meenal Agarwal

What if your child's difficulty focusing, struggles with reading, or even some of their behavioral challenges had something to do with their vision, even if they can see perfectly well? In this episod...

10 Nov 59min

Q&A: How to know if my child may have depression?

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg and I talk about what to do when your young child seems sad all the time, how to know when it's some...

3 Nov 24min

How stress affects your child's brain and body: The science of co-regulation, resilience, and healing with Dr. Nicki Bush

Developmental psychologist and UCSF professor, Dr. Nicki Bush, joins me this week to explore stress and how it affects our children and what parents can do to help protect their child's developing bra...

27 Okt 59min

Beyond chores: How to teach kids to notice what needs to be done and share the mental load with Sam Kelly

Sam Kelly, author of Notice and Do, and I talk about why simply assigning chores may not be enough. While chores can teach responsibility, they often overlook an important first step. Before kids can ...

20 Okt 45min

Raising emotionally healthy boys: How to protect connection, vulnerability, and their authentic selves with Dr. Adam McCormick

Dr. Adam McCormick, professor, social worker, and author joins me to explore what happens to boys' emotional worlds as they grow up, and how parents can help their sons stay connected to the parts of ...

13 Okt 56min

Q&A: Am I wrong...or did my doctor give bad parenting advice?

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about... What to make of advice that tells you not to comfort your ...

6 Okt 11min

The neuroscience of resonance: How to use language to strengthen attachment with your child with Sarah Peyton

Author, speaker, and neuroscience educator Sarah Peyton joins me to explore what happens when attachment theory, Nonviolent Communication, and the science of resonance come together. Together we exp...

29 Sep 59min

The connection crisis: Why kids are struggling with friendship and what parents can do with Dr. Niobe Way

Dr. Niobe Way, developmental psychologist and bestselling author, sits down with me to explore why meaningful connection is so essential for our children, and what may be getting in the way of their n...

22 Sep 1h 6min