Holding Space

On today’s episode, I’m joined by mindfulness mentor, meditation teacher, and host of the Mindful Mama Podcast, Hunter Clarke-Fields. Hunter is the author of Raising Good Humans and Raising Good Humans Every Day, and for years she’s been supporting parents in moving out of reactivity and into more present, connected relationships with their kids.
As a therapist and parent, I know how easy it is to feel like we’re “messing it all up,” especially in the early years when we’re exhausted, triggered, and trying to break cycles in real time. In this conversation, Hunter reflects on parenting her oldest, now 18, and shares what only time can teach: repair matters more than perfection, and it’s never too late to shift a relationship.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why parenting is a long game, and why you don’t always get immediate feedback that it’s “working”
How repair builds safety and connection, even after reactivity
The power of delighting in your child, and practicing real listening
Why boundaries and self-care are essential, not selfish
Hunter’s message for parents in the thick of the toddler years
My hope is that this episode offers you a deep exhale: you don’t have to be perfect to be a safe, steady parent. What matters is your willingness to keep coming back.
Connect with Hunter
Listen to her podcast: Mindful Mama Podcast
Get her books: Raising Good Humans and Raising Good Humans Every Day
Find her online: mindfulmamamentor.com
If you loved this episode
Share it with a parent who’s in the thick of it right now
Support the podcast with a rating or review
Subscribe to my Substack, A Little Space, Please, for the post that goes with this episode
Learn more about Dr. Cassidy and Co's therapy practice at www.drcassidymft.com

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In this episode of Holding Space, Dr. Cassidy is joined by Dr. Sumi Raghavan for a grounded, human conversation about parenting during a moment of real fear and moral injury.
ICE violence in Minnesota and across the country has left many parents feeling dysregulated, overwhelmed, and unsure how to show up for their kids while their own nervous systems are on high alert. This conversation isn’t happening from a distance. We're two moms, two therapists, sitting inside the same world you are, trying to figure out how to keep showing up without collapsing.
Together, we explore what’s happening in parents’ nervous systems right now, why overwhelm is a reasonable response to real threat, and how regulation is not disengagement, but the foundation for sustained action and care.
We aim to offer concrete guidance for how to talk to kids across different ages, from young children to teens, while protecting their sense of safety without pretending nothing is happening.
This episode is meant to be a place of containment, not more flooding.
Resources & Next Steps
A written companion to this episode, with key takeaways and language you can return to, is available on Substack here.
Links to grounding tools, community resources, and organizations supporting immigrant families are included there as well.
To connect with Dr. Sumi Raghavan and learn more about her New York-based private practice, you can find her on instagram @drsumiphd and her private practice website here!

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On today’s episode I’m joined by holistic decluttering expert and host of the top-rated podcast The Maximized Minimalist, Katy Joy Wells.
As a therapist and parent, I know how often our homes can feel like one more place we’re “falling behind.” In this conversation, we explore how clutter impacts our nervous systems, our relationships, and our sense of enoughness. Katy offers a shame-free, deeply human approach that looks at the emotions, beliefs, and habits under the piles.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why clutter isn’t neutral...how visual chaos pulls on our time, energy, and attention
The difference between clutter and expected mess...and why that distinction can instantly lower your shame
Katy’s idea of a “good enough home” and how it connects to good enough parenting
Why traditional decluttering methods (bins, labels, marathon purges, “spark joy”) often backfire for busy, emotionally-connected humans
How we can model softening, self-compassion, and boundaries with stuff for our kids
My hope is that this episode offers you something Katy and I kept coming back to: hope for a lighter, calmer home that supports presence with the people you love...without having to become a different person or maintain a Pinterest-perfect house.
Connect with Katy
Listen to Katy’s podcast: The Maximized Minimalist
Get her book: Making Home Your Happy Place: A Real-Life Guide to Decluttering Without the Overwhelm
Find her on Instagram: @katyjoywells

If you loved this episode
Share it with a friend whose home feels “loud” right now
Support the podcast and leave a rating or review!
Subscribe to my Substack, A Little Space, Please, and check out the post that goes with this episode!

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Have you ever noticed how much harder parenting feels when things are tense between you and your partner? Maybe you start off trying to calm your kids in the back seat… and somehow end up arguing about the volume of the music. Or one of you sets a boundary with your child, the other undermines it, and suddenly you’re in a standoff that feels way bigger than it should.
In this episode, Dr. Cassidy explores how the stress of parenting can shake the foundation of even the strongest relationships, and what you can do to reconnect when the patience runs thin and the reactions run hot.
In this episode you’ll learn how to:
Recognize why parenting amplifies relational stress
Use “reserves check-ins” to communicate needs and prevent resentment
Shift from “me vs. you” to “us vs. the cycle”
Bring repair, rest, and appreciation back into your partnership

You’ll also hear simple ways to rebuild connection that don’t require date nights, fancy plans, or extra childcare - just small, intentional moments that help you remember you’re on the same team.
Would you love to have this episode written out for you? Check out this substack post!
Interested in learning more about my therapy practice? Click here!

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In this conversation, I’m joined by my dear friend and fellow therapist Dr. Tracy Dalgleish to explore the tender, complex space between partnership and extended family...where love, loyalty, and old patterns can collide.
We talk about why these dynamics feel especially charged for so many of us right now, what it means to navigate guilt and control in family systems, and how we can stay connected to our partners (and ourselves) when generational patterns start to resurface.
Dr. Tracy shares insights from her new book You, Your Husband, and His Mother - a compassionate guide to understanding in-law dynamics, communicating as a united front, and finding your footing as a couple when family expectations run high.
We also talk about:
The cultural shifts that are reshaping how couples and families relate across generations
Common patterns like guilt-tripping, control, and codependency
Why boundaries rooted in core needs (not blame) lead to deeper connection
How aging, identity, and relevance show up in these transitions
And the hope in becoming the kind of mother-in-law or grandparent we want to be someday
This episode is for anyone standing in that middle place...between the family you came from and the one you’re creating while trying to honor both love and autonomy along the way.
Learn more about Tracy’s work and her book at drtracyd.com.
Connect with Tracy on Instagram @drtracyd.
Connect with me on Instagram @drcassidy and learn more about my private practice at www.drcassidymft.com

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