Parents We've Met

rova | Parenting Place New Zealand

Kia ora and welcome to Parents We've Met, where we wade into the magical, messy depths of parenthood to uncover the moments and learnings that keep us coming back for more.  We're your hosts, Jenny Hale and Dayna Galloway, and together we share candid and inspiring conversations with well-known New Zealand parents - and experts - who, just like us, are navigating the wild and wonderful terrain that is parenthood.  With Jenny 's 'Parent Coach' hat on, we delve into a wide range of topics, from neurodiversity, to co-parenting, tricky teen behaviours, sleep struggles, grief, loss, big emotions and SO much more. While most of these chats are light-hearted, at times we also dip our toes into some big topics of conversation that are aimed at a parent audience – and not suitable for little ears!  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas at parentingplace.nz

  1. Coaches’ couch: Back to school (but make it stress-free!)

    JAN 26

    Coaches’ couch: Back to school (but make it stress-free!)

    We're back for 2026 and leaning straight into the good stuff! Dayna and Jenny are joined by Parent Coach Sheridan Eketone for a timely chat on the (often) tricky transition from summer holidays to the start of the school year.  We tackle back-to-school anxiety, big feelings, friendships, after-school meltdowns and the bevy of emotions around school and pre-school. Sheridan shares handy tips for parents on making school transitions easier, including rehearsals, ‘bridges to separation’ and ‘leaving and receiving’ rituals, along with ideas for some simple things you can do daily to support confidence and independence. For our TEENS, we talk re-establishing healthy school-week routines, especially when it comes to sleep and phones, and structuring daily and weekly schedules to reduce worry and anxiety.  Check out some of the resources mentioned in this episode:  Untangling Anxiety: Supporting kids through worry and fear – an online self-guided course for parents and caregivers: https://hub.parentingplace.nz/courses/untangling-anxiety The Red Plate: https://parentingplace.nz/shop/red-plate-ceramic The power of rehearsals: https://parentingplace.nz/resources/lets-rehearse-how-to-make-a-hard-thing-easier  Time to spare and why it matters in parenting: https://parentingplace.nz/resources/time-to-spare-and-why-it-matters-in-parenting  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas HERE.  Find us on:⁠ YouTube⁠ / ⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠Facebook⁠ / ⁠Tik Tok ⁠/⁠LinkedIn  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    17 min
  2. Will I ever get a full nights’ sleep? with Dan Ford, sleep psychologist

    12/01/2025

    Will I ever get a full nights’ sleep? with Dan Ford, sleep psychologist

    If you’re feeling defeated by sleep, or lack thereof, this episode is for you. Sleep psychologist Dan Ford, founder of The Better Sleep Clinic, joins Dayna for a straight-up chat on sleep, stress, melatonin and magnesium, and how genetics might have a role to play in your bedtime struggles. From snoring to nightmares, insomnia to 3am wakeups, Dan unpacks some common sleep challenges and sheds light on how our kids' sleep habits might be affecting their brain development and wellbeing.  Together they also explore some of your burning sleep questions, including:  Why do kids get hyperactive when they’re tired? (and fool you into thinking they’re not tired) How do screens affect sleep and bedtimes? How do hormones and perimenopause affect women's sleep?  Why does trying harder to sleep sometimes make insomnia worse?  Kids snoring - when is it harmless and when should you get it checked?  The ABCs of children’s sleep: age, bedtime, consistency.  Dan also shares plenty of practical, realistic advice for parents, from creating healthy routines, to understanding why wake times matter more than bedtimes. He talks about how to support teens whose body clocks naturally run late and offers gentle strategies for those moments when a child simply can’t fall asleep without you.  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas HERE.  Find us on:⁠ YouTube⁠ / ⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠Facebook⁠ / ⁠Tik Tok ⁠/⁠LinkedIn  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min
  3. Coaches’ couch: What is your anger trying to tell you?

    11/24/2025

    Coaches’ couch: What is your anger trying to tell you?

    This episode is a reassuring reminder that anger isn’t a parenting failure - it’s a message! In this coaches’ couch episode, Jenny and Dayna sit down with Parent Coach Kristin Ward to unpack what might be going on beneath those fiery ‘red-brain’ moments that sometimes sneak up on us parents. We talk about why anger shows up, why some of us meet it with shame or self-condemnation, and how understanding its purpose can completely change the way we respond.  Using the ‘anger iceberg’ metaphor as our guide, we look beneath the surface at the unmet needs that often drive big reactions. We also share practical strategies for navigating moments of anger and rage, including:  Preventing the blow-up by acting early, using firm boundaries before your tank hits empty  The power of a ‘pause’ when emotions are high. Using, ‘We’ll talk about this later’ as a circuit breaker rather than a shutdown.  Rupture and repair and strengthening connection after tricky moments.  Keen for more episodes that touch on the topic of anger in parenting?  🎧 Kanoa Lloyd: Stretch and grow (your kids and yourself!)  https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/kanoa-lloyd-stretch-and-grow-your-kids-and-yourself/id1710061323?i=1000674632767  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas HERE.  Find us on:⁠ YouTube⁠ / ⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠Facebook⁠ / ⁠Tik Tok ⁠/⁠LinkedIn  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    24 min

Trailers

About

Kia ora and welcome to Parents We've Met, where we wade into the magical, messy depths of parenthood to uncover the moments and learnings that keep us coming back for more.  We're your hosts, Jenny Hale and Dayna Galloway, and together we share candid and inspiring conversations with well-known New Zealand parents - and experts - who, just like us, are navigating the wild and wonderful terrain that is parenthood.  With Jenny 's 'Parent Coach' hat on, we delve into a wide range of topics, from neurodiversity, to co-parenting, tricky teen behaviours, sleep struggles, grief, loss, big emotions and SO much more. While most of these chats are light-hearted, at times we also dip our toes into some big topics of conversation that are aimed at a parent audience – and not suitable for little ears!  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas at parentingplace.nz

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