meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Minimalist Moms Podcast | Simple Living for Overwhelmed Moms

Growing Up Faster: The New Reality of Ages 6–12 | Dr. Sheryl Ziegler (EP388)

Minimalist Moms Podcast | Simple Living for Overwhelmed Moms

Diane Boden

Self-improvement, Home & Garden, Leisure, How To, Kids & Family, Mental Health, Education, Parenting, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 952 Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Childhood isn’t what it used to be. Puberty is arriving earlier—sometimes as young as eight. Bullying now follows kids home through texts and DMs. And rates of anxiety, depression, and emotional distress are climbing fast. For many parents, the challenges feel overwhelming, especially while juggling their own stress and uncertainty about how to help.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Sheryl Ziegler—clinical psychologist, play therapist, TEDx speaker, podcast host, award-winning author of The Crucial Years, and mom of three. Together, we explore what’s really going on with kids today, why middle childhood (ages 6–12) is more critical than ever, and how parents can offer meaningful support. Dr. Ziegler shares research-based guidance and actionable tools to help you raise resilient, emotionally healthy kids in a rapidly changing world.

Links Discussed in This Episode |


About Sheryl|

Dr. Sheryl Gonzalez Ziegler, Psy.D. is a leading expert in children’s mental health, specializing in today’s tweens, teens, and families. A first-generation Latina of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, she began her career treating high-acuity youth after doctoral training at The Astor Home for Children, supported by the Gates Foundation. In 2006, she founded The Child & Family Therapy Center at Lowry in Denver, CO.

Dr. Ziegler is a regular mental health contributor on Denver’s 9News and has appeared on national outlets like The Today Show, CNN, and The Doctors. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Time, Harvard Business Review, and more. Named a Luminary in Psychotherapy in 2022, she spoke at the Milton Erikson Foundation conference.

She authored Mommy Burnout (2018), awarded Best Parenting Book by the International Latino Book Awards. Dr. Ziegler sits on the board of Detach, a nonprofit for digital wellness, and consults for major corporations on youth mental health. She is also a mother of three.


Episode Sponsors |

The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!


Enjoy the Podcast?

Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 

Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.


Questions |


  • Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.


  • If you’ve been struggling with motivation to declutter or work through bad habits that keep you stuck, I’d love to help you achieve your goals! We’ll work together (locally or virtually) to discover what areas in your life are high priority to get you feeling less overwhelmed right away.  For more info on my processes, fees, and availability please contact!


Our Sponsors:
* Check out Acorns Early: https://acornsearly.com/MINIMALISTMOMS
* Check out Moon & Skin and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://moonandskin.com
* Check out Mr. Pen and use my code MINIMALIST10 for a great deal: https://mrpen.com
* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.org


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-all-things-minimalism-intentionality-and/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

If you're pregnant postpartum or planning to be, or you've got a friend in that season, listen

0:04.3

up. There's a lot in motherhood that we can't control, but your nutrition, that's a powerful

0:08.9

place to start. That's why I've been raving about the company needed. I wish I'd had needed

0:13.8

when I was in that chapter. Their starter plan is a total game changer, a comprehensive prenatal

0:19.4

multi, plus the high quality omega-3 designed to meet

0:22.7

the real nutritional demands of pregnancy and beyond. It's not the bare minimum stuff that most

0:27.3

prenatals offer. This is optimal evidence-based nourishment that actually supports mom and baby.

0:32.9

Trusted by over 6,000 women's health practitioners from midwives to obese, they're raising the bar for women's

0:38.6

wellness. And personally, because I'm out of the prenatal and postpartum, I love their women's

0:43.6

omega-3, collagen, and stress support. They have an entire section for women's health supplements

0:49.1

on their website. So if you've been looking for a supplement that checks all the boxes,

0:53.1

head over to this is needed.com and use code minimalist for 20% off your first order. That's T-H-I-S-I-S-N-E-D-D-D-com and use

1:03.8

code minimalist for 20% off your first order. The data shows that you are the most influential

1:08.9

person in your child's life, more so than media.

1:12.8

And even if at 10, 11 and 12, they love certain music or they love a celebrity or they love

1:18.3

some sports icon, you are still the most influential person in their lives.

1:23.9

Take advantage, right?

1:25.7

Don't let these be the forgotten years.

1:27.4

That's what they're kind of dubbed. Let these be the forgotten years. That's what they're

1:27.8

kind of dubbed. Let these be the years of opportunity because 13, 14, that transition happens.

1:33.6

And now they're looking for their identity and they're looking to anybody but you,

1:39.4

the parent. Now the sports icon, the rap hero, whoever it is, their friends, they are more important.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Diane Boden, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Diane Boden and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.