Rethinking Sleep Training: What Actually Supports Your Child (& Your Mental Health) | Chrissy Lawler (Bonus Episode)
Minimalist Moms Podcast | Purposeful Life & Parenting Tips
Diane Boden
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 19 March 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sleep is one of the most talked-about - and most emotionally charged - topics in parenting. But what if the conversation we’ve been having about it is incomplete?
In this episode, I’m joined by therapist and pediatric sleep specialist Chrissy Lawler, author of The Peaceful Sleeper, to explore how sleep impacts not just our children - but our mental health, relationships, and overall family wellbeing. Chrissy shares how her clinical work revealed a surprising truth: many mental health struggles, especially in postpartum seasons, are deeply connected to chronic sleep deprivation.
We dive into the often-polarizing topic of sleep training and unpack what it actually looks like through a modern, research-informed lens. We also talk about practical, compassionate strategies for supporting better sleep at every stage - including creative tools that help children feel secure while learning to rest on their own.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
- Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
- Connect with Chrissy:
- Website
- Book: The Peaceful Sleeper: An Intuitive Approach to Baby Sleep
About Chrissy |
Christine Lawler, LMFT, is a licensed therapist with over 15 years of experience. As the founder of The Peaceful Sleeper, she has guided more than 400,000 families worldwide to better rest and stronger mental health through her evidence-based, research-backed approach to infant sleep. Featured on Good Morning America, Newsweek, and Better Homes & Gardens, Christine has worked with corporations, executives, professional athletes and celebrities. A mom of four, she combines clinical expertise with real-life parenting experience, offering parents practical, compassionate tools that deliver proven results in helping babies (and their families) sleep soundly.
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.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.
Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com
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 | For those of you that are new around here, I release bonus episodes that serve a niche part of my audience. |
| 0:04.7 | So if this content is something that doesn't fit what you're looking for, check out the other |
| 0:08.5 | episodes that drop this week or join me back here next week for episodes that you don't want to miss. |
| 0:14.4 | I learned that 80% of people with a mental health diagnosis have underlying sleep issues, |
| 0:22.6 | which is like shocking, but also not that shocking, right? Like mental health and sleep are so interconnected. And one current |
| 0:30.0 | theory is that so much of our postpartum mental health struggle has just as much to do with the instantaneous and drastic |
| 0:39.8 | sleep deprivation as it does with even all of the hormone shifts and, you know, |
| 0:45.4 | the postpartum chemicals. |
| 0:47.5 | So when I had babies, I realized like my functioning as a mom, the joy that I feel in motherhood, how empowered that I feel, |
| 0:57.9 | how bonded and connected I am with my baby, it's actually directly impacted by my quality |
| 1:04.8 | of sleep, which is directly impacted by her quality of sleep. And actually, if I can help |
| 1:10.6 | her get good, deep restorative sleep, |
| 1:13.5 | that is literally one of the most important things that I can do to set her brain and body up |
| 1:20.1 | for optimal thriving for her whole life. Sleep is one of the most talked about and most emotionally |
| 1:26.7 | charged topics in parenting. |
| 1:28.3 | But what if the conversation we've been having about it isn't complete? |
| 1:32.3 | In today's episode, I'm joined by therapists and pediatric sleep specialist Christy Lawler, author of The Peaceful Sleeper, |
| 1:38.3 | to explore how sleep impacts not just our children, but our mental health, relationships, and overwhelm family well-being. |
| 1:45.6 | Chrissy shares how her clinical work revealed a surprising truth. Many mental health struggles, |
| 1:50.4 | especially in postpartum seasons, are deeply connected to chronic sleep deprivation. |
| 1:55.1 | We dive into the often polarizing topic of sleep training and unpack what it actually looks |
| 1:59.9 | like through a modern |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
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 2026.