![]() |
Authentic ParentingAuthor: Anna Seewald
Break the cycle of generational trauma by doing your own work, connecting to your authentic self, so that you can raise children who won't have to recover from their childhoods. Our Motto is: Raising Our Children, Growing Ourselves. Authentic Parenting explores how you can find more calm, connection and joy in parenting through the process of self-discovery and inner growth with a trauma-informed lens. Enjoy! Language: en Genres: Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Mental Health, Parenting Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Reactivity, Fatherhood, and the Balancing Act of Ambition and Presence
Episode 469
Thursday, 11 December, 2025
Jeff Hittner on the invisible pressures dads carry every day—balancing ambition with presence, holding emotions they were never taught to express, feeling the weight of being a provider while wanting to be deeply connected, and silently wondering whether they're doing enough. 03:18 — Why dads default to fixing 06:10 — How conflict exposes emotional patterns you didn't realize you were repeating 09:27 — What happens inside your body in the first seconds of reactivity 12:55 — How shame hides in anger or withdrawal and shifts your parenting 16:40 — Why ambition and presence feel at odds—and how to hold both 19:12 — How the definition of "providing" can create hidden distance 22:03 — What kids actually need from you when they're dysregulated 26:44 — How small repairs rebuild connection after hard moments 29:58 — Why dads often hide their struggles and how vulnerability helps 33:21 — How real-time emotional attunement works—and what derails it 37:49 — What regulated fatherhood looks like in everyday interactions 41:30 — Why self-compassion matters more than perfect parenting 44:56 — How tiny daily habits build long-term emotional resilience 48:20 — What keeps parents stuck in reactive cycles and how to break them LINKS AND RESOURCES Support the podcast by making a donation (suggested amount $15) 732-763-2576 call to leave a voicemail. info@authenticparenting.com Send audio messages using Speakpipe. Work w/Anna. Listeners get 10% off her services.












