Raising Good Humans
Aliza Pressman
As a parent, do you ever wish someone could just whisper some realistic and trustworthy support in your ear? And not make you feel awful for not having all the answers? Well, that's what I'm here for.
I'm Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist, NYT bestselling author of The Five Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans, Associate Clinical Professor, and Co-Founder of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center. And I'm a mom... trying to raise good humans myself, so I'm in this with you!
In each episode, we'll go deep (but brief) with both experts and parents to share the most effective approaches and tools and talk about the important bigger picture of raising good humans. My goal is to make your parenting journey less overwhelming and a lot more joyful!
Please join me every Friday for new episodes of Raising Good Humans.
I'm Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist, NYT bestselling author of The Five Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans, Associate Clinical Professor, and Co-Founder of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center. And I'm a mom... trying to raise good humans myself, so I'm in this with you!
In each episode, we'll go deep (but brief) with both experts and parents to share the most effective approaches and tools and talk about the important bigger picture of raising good humans. My goal is to make your parenting journey less overwhelming and a lot more joyful!
Please join me every Friday for new episodes of Raising Good Humans.
Episodes
Mentioned books
7 snips
May 8, 2026 • 43min
Perimenopause Starts Earlier Than You Think — What Every Mom Needs to Know Now
Mary Claire Haver, an OB-GYN and author reshaping midlife women’s health, explains how perimenopause often begins earlier than expected. She describes brain-first symptoms like fog, mood shifts, sleep loss, and surprising aches. Learn why tests can miss it, when hormone therapies are useful, and practical prevention steps like sleep, strength, and finding a menopause-informed clinician.
53 snips
May 1, 2026 • 28min
The 3 Tools That Actually Work When Your Kid Won't Listen
They unpack why kids often act out at home and how that can actually signal safety. Practical tactics are shared: offering limited choices, removing barriers to compliance, and using natural consequences. There is also guidance for what to do when everyone is too dysregulated to respond and how steady, warm limits build trust over time.
29 snips
Apr 24, 2026 • 1h 2min
Are You Oversharing With Your Kids — or Not Sharing Enough?
Leslie John, Harvard Business School behavioral scientist and author of Revealing, studies privacy and self-disclosure. She flips the script on oversharing and explores why holding back hurts connection. Short takes cover adaptive revealing, teaching emotional literacy to kids, timing disclosures by relationship, and simple ways to invite honest conversation and curiosity.
23 snips
Apr 17, 2026 • 35min
Is Anxiety Your Secret Weapon?
Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, clinical psychologist, professor, and author exploring anxiety as a functional, future‑focused emotion. She traces its history, critiques medicalization, and explains how anxiety can fuel motivation, creativity, and social connection. Practical parenting moments cover resisting quick fixes, scaffolding kids through uncertainty, and treating mental health as skill building.
61 snips
Apr 10, 2026 • 45min
Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Food w/ Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff
Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff, a science writer who studies neuroscience and behavior, explains how dopamine drives desire, not pleasure. She unpacks signs that dopamine is hijacking kids, why willpower fails, and how screens and ultra-processed foods are engineered to keep them hooked. Practical tactics include replacing temptations with more attractive alternatives and starting tiny to rewire lasting habits.
58 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 18min
The Family as a Team: Why It Matters & How to Build It at Home
They explore shifting from single-person management to leading the family as a team. They discuss how predictability, age-based routines, and visual charts support regulation and independence. They cover co-creating chore plans, using shared calendars to reduce nagging, and pairing logistics with moments of joy to make home life smoother.
31 snips
Apr 3, 2026 • 49min
Understanding Status: The Science Behind Respect and Influence (And What It Means for Parenting) w/ Professor Alison Fragale
Alison Fragale, research psychologist and business school professor who studies power, status, and negotiation. She explains what status really is and why respect matters. Short takes cover warmth versus competence, how self-deprecation can backfire, and practical ways to help kids practice confidence and read social cues.
28 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 52min
Real Ways to Stay Regulated When Parenting Feels Overwhelming w/ Dr. Elisha Goldstein
Dr. Elisha Goldstein, clinical psychologist and mindfulness author, shares practical ways to break the overwhelm in parenting. He talks about tiny shifts that beat perfection, why insight alone does not change behavior, and simple in-the-moment tools to interrupt reactivity. Expect short practices for calming the nervous system, savoring positives, and reinforcing new patterns to stay regulated.
26 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 33min
How to Reduce Mealtime Tension
Practical tactics to ease mealtime tension, including a simple BALANCE routine to ground caregivers before meals. Advice on fostering child autonomy around eating and avoiding power struggles. Tips for offering diverse nutrition without drama and making meals about connection through rituals, stories, and a sacred 15 minutes. A discussion on parents doing their own body-image work to support kids’ healthy self-view.
58 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 1h 18min
The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness w/ Professor Arthur Brooks
Professor Arthur Brooks, social scientist and author on happiness and meaning, shares ideas about coherence, purpose, and significance. He discusses love and relationships as the heart of a meaningful life. He warns against an optimization culture that turns people into achievements and offers practical ways to model leisure, reduce suffering, and nurture real belonging.
