5 Secrets to Raising Resilient Kids Who Can Handle Hard Things

When your child is anxious, overwhelmed or afraid, should you step in or let them work it out? The answer could change how you parent. Justin and Kylie Coulson share five research-backed ways to build resilience in children, from listening without rushing to fix things to letting kids tackle chall…

What Failure Taught Justin About Asking for Help

What happens when you give everything you have and still can’t finish? Justin shares the emotional reality of attempting a 50km charity walk with a 10kg vest, battling an injury and facing the decision to quit. Justin and Kylie reflect on failure, resilience and the courage it takes to admit when …

When Your Phone Gets Between You and Your Child

Your phone might be getting in the way of your child’s learning, confidence and connection with you. Justin and Kylie Coulson unpack three research findings every parent should know, from the link between heavy AI use and lower school test scores to why early puberty may increase anxiety risk in g…

The Side of Justin Coulson You Don’t Usually Hear (Happy Birthday Dr J!)

Behind the parenting advice is a dad, a husband, a son and a grandad who’s still learning as he goes. For Justin Coulson’s birthday, Kylie takes the microphone and asks the questions we don’t usually hear on the Happy Families podcast. From the grandmother who made him feel like the favourite to t…

Calmer School Mornings Start the Night Before [a Listener Q&A]

School mornings shouldn't end with tears, frustration and everyone feeling like they've failed. Justin and Kylie answer Emma's question about her two daughters and share practical ways to make getting ready for school less stressful. From preparing the night before to swapping constant instruction…

How to Ruin a Child [with Richard Glover]

What if some of the parenting advice you’ve been given was completely wrong? Richard Glover has spent years digging through Australian parenting manuals, government advice and expert recommendations from the past 100 years. What he found is funny, disturbing and surprisingly reassuring. From bein…

Lift The Load Appeal

Today Justin is taking on a gruelling 50km walk carrying a 10kg vest to raise $50,000 for Top Blokes, a mentoring program helping young men build resilience, develop healthy relationships and learn to ask for help. After losing his nephew Logan to suicide, this mission is deeply personal. We need…

Is 'Letting Go' the Hardest Part of Parenting?

Parenting gets harder when your kids start needing you less. Justin and Kylie talk about the messy reality of raising children who eventually leave home, make their own choices and face hard things without you beside them. They share a beautiful reminder that resilience rarely looks neat, why the …

Why Your Kids Stop Telling You Things

The more you monitor your kids, the more they might hide. Research on parental monitoring shows that knowing where your kids are matters far less than creating a relationship where they feel safe telling you what is really going on. Justin and Kylie Coulson unpack what the research says about disc…

Is Australia’s Social Media Ban Working? Anika Wells on What Comes Next

Australia made global headlines when it introduced a minimum age of 16 for social media. But months on, more than eight in 10 kids are still using age-restricted platforms. Justin Coulson sits down with Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells to ask what is happening, why compliance has been s…