We Didn't Turn Out OK with Jennie Monness
We Didn't Turn Out OK with Jennie Monness
Podcast Description
For the last two decades, I've worked closely with infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents—listening, guiding and supporting families and their young children. I've connected with so many parents through my social media account, texts, calls, and leading moms' groups. When we have open, honest and vulnerable conversations—no matter who you are as a parent—that's how we connect, learn and grow.
We also discover so much about ourselves and how that plays into our parenting. That's why I created We Didn't Turn Out Ok—a podcast where you'll hear real conversations about challenges we face in parenting, hear how we uncover the roadblocks, often from our own stuff, and listen to how we work through what's often keeping us stuck. There will be professionals in the field, noteworthy guests and everyone in between.
Using my own parenting journey and approach—combined with research-backed best practices—I am determined to help us all move forward from our areas of where we "didn't turn out ok." Every guest will be sharing openly and honestly knowing that it will help them grow as a parent but will also help all of you listening.
Welcome to We Didn't Turn Out Ok.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into various parenting challenges, focusing on themes such as resilience, emotional support, and navigating complex conversations with children. Episodes explore topics like setting boundaries on nudity in the home, discussing the concepts of death, and managing expectations around children's activities.

For the last two decades, I’ve worked closely with infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents – listening, guiding and supporting families and their young children. I’ve connected with so many parents through my social media account, texts, calls, and leading moms’ groups. When we have open, honest and vulnerable conversations – no matter who you are as a parent – that’s how we connect, learn and grow.
We also discover so much about ourselves and how that plays into our parenting. That’s why I created We Didn’t Turn Out Ok, a podcast where you’ll hear real conversations about challenges we face in parenting, hear how we uncover the roadblocks, often from our own stuff, and listen to how we work through what’s often keeping us stuck. There will be professionals in the field, noteworthy guests and everyone in between.
Using my own parenting journey and approach, combined with research-backed best practices, I am determined to help us all move forward from our areas of where we “didn’t turn out ok.” Every guest will be sharing openly and honestly knowing that it will help them grow as a parent but will also help all of you listening.
Welcome to We Didn’t Turn Out Ok.
I sat down with Dr. Brooke Weinstein, a globally recognized expert in neuroscience-based parenting, occupational therapist, and what she calls a “personal trainer for your brain.” But this episode goes far beyond strategies or frameworks.
It’s about what happens when life forces you to look at yourself differently.
After the loss of her husband to suicide, following a period where Brooke began choosing herself in ways she never had before, she was faced with the kind of truth most of us spend our lives avoiding: that so much of who we think we are is actually just our nervous system trying to keep us safe.
We talk about:
What it really means to regulate your nervous system (and why it’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity)
When you realize you can’t fix anyone and you aren’t supposed to
People-pleasing, identity, and the unraveling that comes with choosing yourself
How trauma and loss reshape the way we parent, and the way we live
Talking to our children about hard things, and why our job is to parent the child in front of us… not the one we fear they might become
Throughout the episode, we come back to this idea over and over again:
everyone fucking matters.
Including you.
Brooke’s work blends neuroscience, sensory regulation, and real-time pattern awareness to help people not just understand their triggers, but actually change them. And in this conversation, you’ll hear what that looks like not just in theory, but in a life that’s been cracked open and rebuilt.
I also share parts of my own journey this past year, and why one of Brooke’s posts hit me so hard,
“People think healing is gentle. It’s not. Healing is gutting. Nothing destabilizes you more than realizing your entire personality was just your nervous system trying to keep you alive…”
This episode is so honest, raw, emotional and hopefully will inspire you to never forget that you matter too.
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