Compassion Over Compliance: How We're Failing Moms & Teens with Aly Pain Artwork

The Sparkle Project

(Formerly Worthy Mother Podcast)

The Sparkle Project is a feminist podcast for moms who are done carrying the weight of motherhood alone and are ready to connect with who they truly are - their sparkle, if you will.

So many of us feel overwhelmed not because we’re failing, but because we’re mothering inside a patriarchal system that expects us to give endlessly, stay quiet, and lose ourselves in the process. This space challenges those outdated expectations and embraces a more empowered, more supported, more self-honoring version of motherhood.

Hosted by Emily Rose MacDonald, a divorced mom of two on her own journey to shine a little brighter, each episode explores the realities of modern motherhood through a feminist lens that values equity, autonomy, mental health, and the humanity of moms.

You’ll hear conversations about identity, mental health, self-care, healing, and the many ways we can reclaim ourselves in a world that often overlooks the needs of mothers.

If you’re a mom who believes we deserve more than survival, and that our culture has to evolve for moms to truly thrive, you’re in the right place.

Welcome to The Sparkle Project.

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The Sparkle Project

Compassion Over Compliance: How We're Failing Moms & Teens with Aly Pain

September 17, 2024 • Emily Rose Hardy • Episode 115

Parenting coach Aly Pain believes we are setting moms AND teens up to fail by not providing proper education and support for what actually happens to the brain during the teenage years. In this episode, we are digging into why raising teens can be such a challenge, and how our society can better prepare parents for this chapter.

Aly and I talk about:

The complexities of the teenage brain
The emotional rollercoaster of parenting a teen without education and support
How research-based parenting ideologies have shifted, but practice hasn't caught up
Our obsession with compliance and capability
The need for compassion and connection in parenting

A little about our guest:
Growing up, Aly was the smart, fun girl on the outside and a frantic, anxious mess on the inside, going from award winning student and athlete to detention and failing out. She spent years healing the pain of dysfunctional family relationships, including an eating disorder, suicide attempt, and ADHD diagnosis to break the cycle raising her own sons. Since becoming a Certified Life Coach and Certified Relationship Systems Coach in 2006, Aly has empowered parents and teachers around the world to rebuild mutual respect, trust, and meaningful connection with their teens without giving in, daily nagging, or more consequences. She's been featured in the New York Post, ABC Nightly News and the Rachael Ray Show.

To connect with Aly, follow her on Instagram @alypain, TikTok @alypain or Facebook.

If you found this episode valuable, share it with other moms in your life. Follow along with The Worthy Mother Podcast on Instagram @emily.rose.hardy and @worthymotherpodcast, and don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen!

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