Podcasts · Kids & Family · Society & Culture
Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families
Dr Justin Coulson
300 episodes
Deciding which parenting advice to follow? Join the thousands of mums and dads who turn to Australia’s most downloaded parenting podcast.
More about the show
Dr Justin Coulson and his wife Kylie bring real parenting solutions every day, cutting through the noise of modern advice with clear, practical guidance for every step of parenting.
From early childhood challenges to the complexities of the teenage years, each daily episode offers simple, evidence-based strategies to help you feel more confident in your decisions and more connected to your kids.
Episodes page 1 of 6
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Stop Telling Girls to Put Up With Period Pain [with Anthea Rhodes]
Nine in 10 teens who get periods regularly experience pain, and around half report moderate to severe symptoms. In this episode, Dr Justin Coulson speaks with paediatrician Dr Anthea Rhodes from the Royal Children’s…
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Paracetamol, Autism and ADHD: What the Latest Research Really Says
Can paracetamol during pregnancy increase the risk of autism or ADHD? Justin and Kylie Coulson unpack four provocative studies challenging what we think we know about pregnancy, relationships, gender differences and…
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The Truth About Homeschooling and Social Skills [a Listener Q&A]
When school leaves your child overwhelmed, anxious and struggling to learn, is pushing through really the best option? Justin and Kylie Coulson share their experience with homeschooling, the emotional toll of…
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Clare Rowe on the Mental Health Industrial Complex
What if all our talk about mental health is making it harder for kids to cope with life? Dr Justin Coulson sits down with educational and developmental psychologist Claire Rowe to unpack the rise of therapy speak, the…
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Justin Won an Award, But His Biggest Achievement Happened at Home
What matters most when you walk through your front door? Justin Coulson has spent years helping families build happier lives, and his work has now earned him a University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor's Alumni…
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Rethinking Success After High School
Worried your teenager is falling behind or has no idea what they want to do after school? You’re not alone, and their future is bigger than their grades. Dr Justin Coulson chats with educator and careers expert Dr Jo…
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Why Telling Kids to Use Their Words Doesn't Always Work [a Listener Q&A]
Your five-year-old is hitting other children when they're angry, frustrated or feel something is unfair. You've talked about using words, encouraged them to burn off energy and tried everything you can think of. So…
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5 Secrets to Raising Resilient Kids Who Can Handle Hard Things
When your child is anxious, overwhelmed or afraid, should you step in or let them work it out? The answer could change how you parent. Justin and Kylie Coulson share five research-backed ways to build resilience in…
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What Failure Taught Justin About Asking for Help
What happens when you give everything you have and still can’t finish? Justin shares the emotional reality of attempting a 50km charity walk with a 10kg vest, battling an injury and facing the decision to quit. Justin…
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When Your Phone Gets Between You and Your Child
Your phone might be getting in the way of your child’s learning, confidence and connection with you. Justin and Kylie Coulson unpack three research findings every parent should know, from the link between heavy AI use…
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The Side of Justin Coulson You Don’t Usually Hear (Happy Birthday Dr J!)
Behind the parenting advice is a dad, a husband, a son and a grandad who’s still learning as he goes. For Justin Coulson’s birthday, Kylie takes the microphone and asks the questions we don’t usually hear on the Happy…
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Calmer School Mornings Start the Night Before [a Listener Q&A]
School mornings shouldn't end with tears, frustration and everyone feeling like they've failed. Justin and Kylie answer Emma's question about her two daughters and share practical ways to make getting ready for school…
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How to Ruin a Child [with Richard Glover]
What if some of the parenting advice you’ve been given was completely wrong? Richard Glover has spent years digging through Australian parenting manuals, government advice and expert recommendations from the past 100…
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Lift The Load Appeal
Today Justin is taking on a gruelling 50km walk carrying a 10kg vest to raise $50,000 for Top Blokes, a mentoring program helping young men build resilience, develop healthy relationships and learn to ask for help.…
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Is 'Letting Go' the Hardest Part of Parenting?
Parenting gets harder when your kids start needing you less. Justin and Kylie talk about the messy reality of raising children who eventually leave home, make their own choices and face hard things without you beside…
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Why Your Kids Stop Telling You Things
The more you monitor your kids, the more they might hide. Research on parental monitoring shows that knowing where your kids are matters far less than creating a relationship where they feel safe telling you what is…
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Is Australia’s Social Media Ban Working? Anika Wells on What Comes Next
Australia made global headlines when it introduced a minimum age of 16 for social media. But months on, more than eight in 10 kids are still using age-restricted platforms. Justin Coulson sits down with Federal…
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When School Isn’t Working, Find a Better Path [a Listener Q&A]
What do you do when your 17-year-old refuses to go to school, skips classes and has no idea what he wants to do instead? Justin and Kylie tackle a tricky question from a parent whose son is struggling with Year 11.…
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The Real Mrs Happy Families (Happy Birthday Kylie!)
It’s Mrs Happy Families’ birthday week, so Justin puts Kylie on the spot with questions she hasn’t seen before. There are childhood confessions, a $2 garage sale bargain, a surprising celebrity crush, competitive board…
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The Digital Duty of Care Is Coming [with Anika Wells]
More than eight in ten Australian kids were still using age-restricted social media platforms months after the under-16 law came into effect. So is the legislation working? Justin speaks with Federal Communications…
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Just Do Something - The Ultimate Wellness Hack
What if improving your wellbeing was far simpler than you thought? In this Doctor’s Desk episode, Justin and Kylie unpack a huge new scientific review published in Nature that analysed 183 wellbeing studies involving…
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Raising Kids Who Can Handle Hard Things [with Ant Williams]
What if protecting our kids too much is actually holding them back? In this powerful conversation, Dr Justin Coulson sits down with extreme athlete, sports psychologist, and author Ant Williams to unpack why so many…
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The Hidden Cost of Fighting the Wrong Battles (a Q&A)
You’re worried. They don’t care. And somehow, headphones have become the hill your relationship might die on. When one mum fears Bluetooth is harming her teen’s brain—and he flatly refuses to listen—this episode…
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Why Your Kids Only Listen When There’s a Reward
Your child can spend hours on screens without being asked… but getting them to empty the dishwasher feels impossible. So what’s really going on with motivation? In this episode, Justin and Kylie unpack the psychology…
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Lessons From Lion's Star Lachie Neale
What happens when your child knows they did the wrong thing but immediately reaches for an excuse? The Lachie Neale tribunal story gives parents a surprisingly useful way into a bigger conversation about…
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Teaching Kids About Friendship
Friendship drama is one of the biggest sources of stress for kids — and heartbreak for parents. In this episode, Justin and Kylie unpack the six powerful habits that create strong, lasting friendships and explain how…
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The Hidden Breathing Problem That Can Look Like ADHD
Your child’s behaviour problems might start with the way they breathe. Dentist Dr Jason Leung joins Justin to explain why mouth breathing can affect sleep, concentration, emotional regulation and behaviour, and why…
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Raising Responsible Readers [a Q&A About Inappropriate Books]
Your child loves reading… but now the books feel too mature. Do you step in, or risk shutting it down altogether? This episode tackles the tricky middle ground between protecting your child and preserving their love…
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Nobody Likes You When You're Like This
When life gets overwhelming, even good people become hard to live with. In this deeply honest episode, Justin and Kylie open up about the pressure, stress, snapping, guilt, and emotional overload that can quietly take…
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Stop Pushing and Watch What Changes
The harder we push, the more our kids can push back. Fresh from a free-diving trip in the Philippines, Justin shares an unexpected parenting lesson from 20 metres underwater: staying calm can get you further than…
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Do You Know That's Wrong?
Location tracking. Checking a partner’s phone. Constantly asking where they are and who they’re with. For some teenagers, controlling behaviour is becoming so normal they may not even recognise it as a red flag.…
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Screens, Kids & the Hijacked Brain: Dr Wayne Warburton on Beating Screen Addiction
Is your child’s screen time spiralling—and every conversation about it ends in a fight? Professor Wayne Warburton, leading psychologist and researcher, reveals how apps and games are deliberately engineered to hook…
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When Your Child Hates the School You Chose [a Listener Q&A]
You’ve chosen the school you believe is best for your child. There’s just one problem. They absolutely refuse to go. When an 11-year-old is threatening to cut up his uniform and stay home rather than attend the high…
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5 Things to Stop Saying to Your Kids
Some of the most well-intentioned things we say to our kids can backfire. From “Good job, you’re so smart” to “You’ll be fine” and “Why can’t you be more like your sister?”, Justin and Kylie unpack five common phrases…
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The Greatest Legacy a Dad Can Leave
The best Father’s Day had almost nothing to do with presents. Justin and Kylie share the unexpectedly beautiful family dinner that turned into stories, tears, terrible dancing and a powerful reminder of what children…
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Why Overthinking Decisions Makes Us Less Happy
More choice should make us happier. Turns out, it often does the opposite. Whether it’s choosing a movie, buying a pair of jeans or helping your child pick school subjects, searching for the absolute best option can…
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Derek McCormack on Parental Stress and Burnout
Parents have more advice, information and expert guidance than ever before. So why are so many feeling stressed, isolated and burnt out? More than 10,000 Australian parents took part in the Parenting Today study,…
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Why Restricting Party Treats Can Backfire [a Listener Q&A]
Your child is standing in front of a party table loaded with cake, lollies and soft drink. Do you step in or let them go for it? Justin and Kylie’s answer might surprise you: let the party be the party. Research…
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What Your Child Is Being Taught About Gender at School [with Clare Rowe]
Do you actually know what your child is being taught about gender and identity at school? Child and adolescent psychologist Clare Rowe says many parents have no idea what is being introduced in classrooms,…
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Millenial Dads (When Mum Goes Away)
What if trying to create the perfect family moment is the very thing getting in the way? After a week away with three of their daughters, Kylie realised she’d arrived with a clear picture of how their time together…
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AI Is Making Real Relationships Feel Harder
AI never gets annoyed with you. It rarely pushes back. And it’s very good at telling you exactly what you want to hear. New research suggests that this constant validation may come with a cost. After just three weeks…
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Gaming & Neurodivergence: How to Make Gaming Healthier at Home [with Andrew Kinch]
Gaming can be a source of connection, competence and joy, especially for neurodivergent kids. But when switching off leads to arguments, anxiety or explosive behaviour, parents need more than another screen-time rule.…
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How to Handle Dating in the Tween Years [a Listener Q&A]
Your 12-year-old announces they’re dating someone. There’s hand-holding, constant texting and plenty of “love you” messages. Do you shut it down, set rules or stay out of it? Justin and Kylie unpack early teenage…
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Can We Ban Laptops From Primary School?
We put laptops and tablets into classrooms with a promise that technology would improve education. Nearly two decades later, parents and teachers are asking a confronting question: Did we get it wrong? Justin speaks…
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Stop Trying to Create the Perfect Family
What if trying to create the perfect family moment is the very thing getting in the way? After a week away with three of their daughters, Kylie realised she’d arrived with a clear picture of how their time together…
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The Baby Screen Habit Parents Need to Break
One in three babies is using a phone or tablet by six months old. By age two, almost one in ten is averaging around four hours of screen time a day. New research into screen use during the first years of life has…
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What Every Girl Needs to Know About Porn [with Kristen Jenson]
Pornography isn’t just a boys’ issue. Girls are seeing it too, often before their parents realise they need to talk about it. Kristen Jenson, founder of Defend Young Minds and author of Good Pictures, Bad Pictures…
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Why Kids Lie and What to Do About It (a Listener Q&A)
Your five-year-old tells a whopping great lie at Show and Tell. Do you correct them, call them out, or let it go? Lying can push every parental button, but for young kids, stretching the truth can be a surprisingly…
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Enhanced Games (and Why Failure Might Be Your Child’s Best Teacher!)
Everyone wants the shortcut. Better results, less effort, faster success. But what happens when the shortcut fails? The Enhanced Games promised superhuman athletic performances through performance-enhancing drugs.…
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The Reading Crisis Hitting Aussie Kids
One in three Australian kids is struggling to read at the expected level. In a classroom of 30, that’s 10 children falling behind. Justin speaks with Rachel Amorosakra from Reading Out of Poverty about what poor…
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