TPP 281a: Dr. Christine Koh Talks About Vulnerability, Overwhelm, and Mental and Emotional Well-Being

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Debbie Reber

Education, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2026

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Christine Koh joins me for a conversation about vulnerability, boundary setting, leaning into discomfort, and making big, messy, life pivots. Christine is a music and brain scientist turned multimedia creative. She is a fierce believer in the power of humans, small moments and actions, and vulnerable, authentic storytelling. She communicates on these beliefs through her work as a writer (she is a contributor at the Washington Post, Boston Globe Magazine, and CNN; co-author of Minimalist Parenting; and founder of the award-winning blog Boston Mamas), podcaster (Edit Your Life, Hello Relationships), designer (Brave New World Designs), and creative director (Geben Communication). You can find her at @drchristinekoh on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. KEY TAKEAWAYS The importance of showing up for ourselves, more now than ever Ways we can reduce overwhelm in life, especially when navigating really hard things How the pandemic shifted Christine’s worries and parenting approach How to set boundaries that are clear and that feel good to you Why Christine believes intention requires attention and vulnerability Why now is a great time to consider making a life pivot and change to bring us closer to our true North RESOURCES Dr. Christine Koh’s website Minimalist Parenting: Enjoy Modern Family Life More by Doing Less by Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest Edit Your Life podcast Hello Relationship podcast Christine on Instagram Christine on Twitter Christine on Facebook Recognizing the Need for Rest — Susan Stiffelman and Debbie Reber (podcast episode) The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey Mercedes Samudio Talks About Shame Proof Parenting (podcast episode) Laura Tremaine Share Your Stuff, I’ll Go First: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level by Laura Tremaine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The weight is over. Last One Laughing is back and it's even more brutal than last time. Share your biggest regrets. I don't regret this haircut. What did you ask for? The Shaggy Slim Shady? Joining us this series we have... Romish Wengrenner Nathan, Diane Morgan, David Mitchell, Mel Gedroich, Amy Gledhill, Alan Carr, Bemi Sola, Ike Mello, Sam Campbell, Maisie Adam and Bob Mortimer. Anyone want a song?
0:23.3	No.
0:24.3	Last One Laughing, new series, watch now, only on Prime Video.
0:30.8	Hey there, it's Debbie. For the month of February, playback Friday episodes are focused on self-care and self-maintenance. If you're feeling worn down,
0:39.1	stretch thin, or just in need of some tending right now, these episodes from the podcast archives will
0:44.3	offer perspective and practical ways to support yourself through this season.
0:51.4	Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed in inspiring,
0:57.3	informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids.
1:01.0	I'm your host, Debbie Reber.
1:03.3	This week, I'm thrilled to share with you a friend who is someone I learned from, grow from,
1:08.3	and continue to be inspired by Dr. Christine Co.
1:13.0	Christine is a music and brain scientist turned multimedia creative and a fierce believer in
1:19.3	the power of humans, small moments and actions, and vulnerable, authentic storytelling.
1:24.8	She's a contributor at The Washington Post, Boston Globe magazine, and CNN,
1:29.5	as well as the co-author of Minimalist Parenting and founder of the award-winning blog Boston Mamas.
1:36.5	She also hosts the podcasts, Edit Your Life, which I love, by the way, and hello relationships.
1:43.4	And a full disclaimer, this is a bit of a different
1:46.5	episode than my more typical fair, because we're not going to be focusing on a specific
1:52.2	diagnosis or even really talk about neurodivergent kids. But we are going to talk about ways
1:58.8	that we can more fully show up for ourselves as creative,
2:03.4	resourceful, and whole humans.
2:06.2	And because I benefit so much from Christine's authentic and vulnerable way of being in the
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