Zen Supermom: The Mental Fitness Podcast
I'm not a supermom. But I always wanted to be one and have it all: family, career/business that I love, AND the time for myself. But that ambition without proper stress resistance and resilience killed my mom (cancer at 48) and drove me to the edge of burnout twice. Only when I saw the disastrous effects of my anger, stress, and resentment on my little daughter, I knew I had to change... Since then, not only have I healed but I also helped thousands of other women all around the world through trauma-informed therapy and mental fitness training. And I decided to share the most vulnerable and valuable pieces of my and their journey here. Because if we got out of that dark, stuck place of feeling like a terrible mom, YOU CAN DO IT TOO. So choose the episode that speaks to you and tune in!
Zen Supermom: The Mental Fitness Podcast
Ep 175: Why Parenting Techniques Don’t Work When Your Toddler Hits, Spits, or Throws Food
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
How do you stop a toddler from hitting, spitting, or throwing food… without yelling, punishing, or losing control?
Most parenting advice will tell you what to say to your child.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Parenting techniques are often the last thing that actually helps in these moments.
Because when your child spits at you, hits a sibling, or smiles while breaking the rule again…
it’s not just a behavior problem.
It becomes personal.
You feel disrespected.
Ignored.
Out of control.
And in that moment, every parenting script you’ve read disappears.
In this episode of the Zen Supermom Podcast, we talk about:
- why toddlers test boundaries (and why they smile while doing it)
- why parenting techniques fail when you're already triggered
- how your reaction teaches your child more than your words
- the hidden “power struggle” dynamic many parents accidentally reinforce
- how your own childhood patterns influence your reactions
- what emotional leadership actually looks like in real time
- and one simple thing you can start doing today to handle these moments differently
This episode is not about perfect parenting.
It’s about becoming the calm emotional leader your child needs — especially when things get messy.
Listen now.
If you want to go deeper, watch the free Mommy Tantrum Masterclass where I explain how to break generational reaction patterns and lead your home with calm authority.
Hi, I’m Alena - founder of Zen Supermom and creator of the IDTR method (Intergenerational Developmental Trauma Repatterning).
I work with thoughtful, committed parents who have already tried to understand themselves - and still find themselves reacting under pressure in ways they don’t want.
My work focuses on changing the underlying pattern that formed early, shows up in the nervous system under stress, and gets passed on to the next generation unless addressed as a whole.
🎧 Start here – Mommy Tantrum Masterclass
Find out what’s really driving your reactions with your kids — and what to do next.
👉 Watch the Mommy Tantrum Masterclass
📚 My book – I Yelled, I Cried, I Healed
Get the Zen Supermom book here:
👉 I YELLED, I CRIED, I HEALED (book on Amazon.com)
More about me & my work:
👉 https://www.alenagomesrodrigues.com
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