Show Notes
I spent an entire school term working as a counsellor at a primary school. 19 kids on my roster. And what I learned sitting with them changed how I think about what parents need to know right now.
In this episode I break down the 3 biggest things I saw coming up over and over again:
screen time and what it is really doing
why so many kids have stopped talking to their parents and
why what your child is doing online is not as safe as you think.
I share what worked in my sessions, what I heard from parents and teachers, and how this experience has shaped what I want to do next.
If you are a parent doing your best and still feeling like something is off with your kid, this episode is for you.
📚 Books referenced in this episode:
→ The Conscious Parent by Dr. Shefali Tsabary
→ Loving What Is by Byron Katie
→ No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz
Chapters
00:00:00 Three Things Parents Need to Know: Opening Insights from School Counseling 00:01:07 Welcome to the Confidence Chronicles and Episode 500 Celebration 00:02:58 Going Back to School: My Journey to a Bachelor's in Psychotherapy 00:05:30 Slowing Down to Speed Up: Structure and Systems in Business 00:07:15 Choosing the School: From Prison Work to Primary School Counseling 00:08:24 19 Kids and a Rotating Door: The Reality of School Counseling 00:10:35 Lesson One: Screen Time Is Destroying Our Kids and We Don't Know How to Stop It 00:11:55 The Vertical Video Slot Machine: Why Your Kids Need Phone Boundaries Now 00:13:58 Lesson Two: Communication Breakdown and Why Your Kid Won't Talk to You 00:15:19 The Family Meeting Rock: Creating a Culture of Communication at Home 00:16:42 Teaching Kids About Their Bodies and Strange Behavior 00:18:19 We're Not Really Strangers: Games That Build Family Connection 00:19:30 Lesson Three: Online Safety and the Roblox Problem Parents Don't See 00:23:01 Australia's Shocking Child Safety Statistics and Internet Dangers 00:23:58 Setting Boundaries: Being the Mom Who Checks the Chat 00:24:30 The 16-Year-Old Social Media Ban: Why Laws Won't Protect Your Kids 00:25:09 Teaching Life Skills: Mindset, Communication, and Emotional Intelligence 00:25:39 The Power of Just Being There: Why One Safe Adult Changes Everything 00:26:00 Abandonment Issues and Guilt: Processing My Own Childhood Wounds 00:26:38 How Kids Actually Want to Talk: Toys, Games, and Shoulder-to-Shoulder 00:27:31 Girls, Confidence, and Body Image: The Struggles No One Talks About 00:28:15 The Demand Is Overwhelming: Why Every School Needs a Permanent Counselor 00:28:36 High-Need Kids and Triage: Understanding Why Some Children Are Prioritized 00:29:06 From Prison Dreams to Kid Calling: Why This Placement Wasn't a Mistake 00:29:31 The Last Day Tears: Parents, Teachers, and Kids Saying Thank You 00:29:58 Did I Do Enough? Wrestling with the Need to Serve More 00:30:32 No One Knew I Was the Queen of Confidence: Being Someone to Those Kids 00:31:03 The Juggling Act: Running Kids, Family, Business, and Life 00:31:53 Single Parents Are Queens: Taking Off the Crown for You 00:32:18 Placement 2028 and What's Brewing: The Future of This Work 00:32:38 Keep Talking to Your Kids: Final Advice for Parents 00:32:47 Resources: Dr. Shefali, Byron Katie, and Pouring Into Yourself First 00:33:20 Join the 500 Episode Virtual Party: Thank You for Listening
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→ Website: https://thequeenofconfidence.com
More from The Confidence Chronicles
My love, I want to bring back a conversation from the Confidence Chronicles archives because I think it's a reminder so many ambitious women need.
Have you ever been so focused on what's next that you've forgotten how far you've already come? I'm coming to you from Florida, where I had a moment by the pool that completely broke me open. Years ago, I looked up at the Florida sky screaming and crying after losing my husband. This week, I looked up at that same sky and cried again. But this time, it was because I finally stopped long enough to see the life I've created. My husband. My beautiful children. My business. Speaking on stages across America. There was a time when I genuinely thought I was cursed. That I wasn't worthy. That my life would never turn out the way I dreamed. And now? I can't believe how far I've come. This episode is a reminder for every woman who's been working so hard to build her future that she's forgotten to acknowledge everything she's already survived, overcome and achieved. IN THIS EPISODE: The emotional moment in Florida that brought my past and present together Why ambitious women struggle to celebrate how far they've come How the hardest chapters of your life can shape who you become Why you can be grateful for what you have and still want more Please take a moment today to look at your life and say, “I'm proud of me.” Because I am so fucking proud of you 👑 🌴 AND WHILE I'M HERE IN MIAMI… If you've been following this journey, you know how much it means to me to be back in America, sharing my story, speaking on stages and doing work I once never imagined would be possible. And if you didn't know already, while I'm here in Miami, I'm hosting something really special with Maha Abouelenein! It's called Positioned, Paid & Published, an intimate, full-day personal branding workshop for women who are ready to stop being overlooked and start becoming known for what they do. We're getting hands-on with your personal brand, your story, your visibility and your next moves. Think media, stages, building your reputation and creating a real 90-day action plan. I'd absolutely love to have you in the room with us. 🎟️ Use code PPP20 for your special listener offer. 👉🏽 https://courses.thequeenofconfidence.com/positioned-paid-published READY TO BUILD YOUR AUTHORITY, CONFIDENCE & PERSONAL BRAND? 📖 GET ERIKA'S BOOKS → Becoming Magnetic (Penguin Random House, 2025) → Confidence Feels Like Shit (2020) Available here: https://shop.thequeenofconfidence.com/collections/book Amazon, Barnes & Noble or any audiobook app 📩 GROW YOUR FANBASE Learn the timeless skill that turned my 1,000 followers into a 7-figure global business. → https://courses.thequeenofconfidence.com/offers/TKhTxM3n/checkout ♟️ THE QUEEN'S TABLE My high-level mentorship for women ready to step into leadership, visibility and legacy. → https://thequeenofconfidence.com/the-queens-table/ ✨ THE NEXT LEVEL Build your confidence, audience and income. → https://thequeenofconfidence.com/the-next-level/ 🎤 BOOK ERIKA TO SPEAK For keynotes, corporate events and women's leadership conferences in Australia and the USA. → https://thequeenofconfidence.com/speaking/ 📲 FOLLOW ERIKA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thequeenofconfidence/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-cramer-queenconfidence/ Website: https://thequeenofconfidence.com/about/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thequeenofconfidence 👑 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONFIDENCE CHRONICLES Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2MUxtupRLNGB8cuNC9mwXI Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-confidence-chronicles/id1439434022 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWtf2VIsUYg-vkERa16r_VcFNz3Bt6kLI All platforms: https://thequeenofconfidence.com/podcast/ 🙏🏽 ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? Please subscribe so you never miss one. It takes 30 seconds and it means everything to us! Chapters
I'm in Miami, and I want YOU in the room! 🌴👑 I'm hosting a special full-day event with Maha Abouelenein called Positioned, Paid & Published. If you're ready to build your personal brand, get visible, land stages, pitch the media and become the obvious choice in your industry, this is for you. This is an intimate, hands-on workshop where you'll leave with a 90-day action plan for your personal brand. 🎟️ Use code PPP20 for your special Confidence Chronicles listener offer. 👉🏽 https://courses.thequeenofconfidence.com/positioned-paid-published
Everyone wants the big vision.
Gina Zapanta is a lawyer, entrepreneur, mother of four and founder of Empowered with Gina.