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 2 of 6
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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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How Birth Order Affects Your Future
Firstborns tend to earn more, study longer and experience better mental health than their younger siblings. For decades, researchers have struggled to explain why. A huge study following 1.2 million Danish children…
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The Friendship Skills Every Child Needs [with Michelle Mitchell]
Friendship isn't just part of childhood. It shapes confidence, mental health and whether kids feel they belong. So why does it seem harder than ever? Michelle Mitchell joins Dr Justin Coulson to unpack the biggest…
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Why Trying to Fix Your Child Backfires [a listener Q&A]
Nothing seems to work. You model gratitude. You talk about growth mindset. You ask what went well each day. Yet your child still expects the worst, finds the problem first, and drains every exciting moment. So should…
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5 Things Happy Couples Do Weekly
Most relationships don't fall apart because of one big moment. They drift because of hundreds of tiny missed moments. In this episode, Dr Justin and Kylie Coulson unpack five surprisingly simple weekly habits that…
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I Blew It With Our Daughter Then Asked One Question
Sometimes the biggest parenting breakthroughs come right after we completely blow it. Justin admits he let protective-dad mode take over when he confronted his daughter about a boyfriend he didn’t trust. The…
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The Simple Secret to Feeling Included
Your child wants to join the game. You want to join the coffee group. Your teenager wants to be part of the weekend plans. So why does asking feel so impossible? New research reveals that most of us get one crucial…
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The Screen Mistake Parents Don't See Until It's Too Late [with Madonna King]
You banned social media. You set the rules. You thought the biggest danger was over. It isn't. Award-winning journalist Madonna King has spent more than a year speaking with hundreds of children, parents, teachers,…
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How to Stop Sibling Squabbles [a listener Q&A]
The constant bickering is exhausting. One child is breathing too loudly. Someone looked at someone the wrong way. Another toy has been touched. If you're breaking up the same tiny arguments every day, this episode will…
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Help! My Child is Dating a Flirty AI Chatbot!
Your child could be having deeply personal, romantic conversations tonight and not with another teenager. A new wave of AI companion apps is attracting young people by offering constant attention, endless validation…
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What Are They Teaching Our Kids?
What if your child's sex education class wasn't teaching what you think it is? In this episode, Dr Justin Coulson sits down with teacher representative Ed Schuller to discuss claims about explicit sexual education…
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The Connection Every Child Needs [with Prof. Nicholas Epley]
A heartbreaking family loss changed the way Professor Nicholas Epley understood his own research. In this episode, he shares how grief, adoption and decades of social science reveal a simple truth that can help every…
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The Missing Ingredient in Childhood Friendships [with Prof. Nicholas Epley]
Your child doesn't need better social skills. They need more chances to use them. University of Chicago behavioural scientist Professor Nicholas Epley explains why we're wired for connection but keep avoiding it. His…
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When Your Child is Left Out [a listener Q&A]
Watching your child be ignored hurts. You want to step in, fix it and make it stop. Before you do, listen to this conversation. Justin and Kylie answer a question from a mum whose young sons are being shut out by…
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7 Million School Days Lost in Victoria
Seven million school days were missed in Victoria last year. Is this a sign of a growing problem, or are parents finally putting their families first? A new report has sparked fierce debate about school attendance.…
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The Parenting Time You Think You Don't Have
You finish the day exhausted. Work's done, dinner's over and the last thing you want is another thing to do. But the moments your kids remember rarely come from expensive holidays or perfectly planned activities. They…
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Is The Social Media Ban Already Failing?
Australia banned social media for under-16s. It hasn't stopped kids from using it. New research shows most young people are still logging on, creating fake accounts and finding easy ways around age checks. Dr Justin…
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The Energy Game: Stop Running on Empty! [with Amantha Imber]
You're not imagining it. Parenting really does feel harder when you're running on empty. If you've caught yourself wishing for just one day where nobody needs you, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar.…
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The Content That's Stealing Kids' Empathy [A Listener Q&A ]
A fight video lands on your child's phone. They laugh. They watch it again. They send it to a friend. What do you do next? This week, Justin and Kylie answer a question from a mum whose 12-year-old daughter received…
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How to Stop Wishing Parenting Away
What if the moment you're desperate to get through today becomes the one you'd give anything to have back? Brushing tangled hair. Carrying a sleeping child inside. Sitting through one more song. These moments can feel…
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The Secret to Getting Kids Off Screens
A Disney movie about toys ended with a conversation about screens, sewing and what childhood is starting to lose. After watching Toy Story 5, Justin and Kylie found themselves talking less about the movie and more…
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AI Chatbots & Social Isolation
AI is becoming the friend people never argue with, never disappoint, and never switch off. New research suggests that's exactly the problem. A 12-month study of more than 2,000 adults found people who turned to AI…
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Stop Performing and Start Parenting [with Christian O'Connell]
What if being a better parent had nothing to do with having the right answers? Beloved radio host and bestselling author Christian O'Connell joins Dr Justin Coulson for an honest conversation about anxiety,…
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Listener Q&A — Suicide at Child's High School
A student dies by suicide. Suddenly every parent is asking the same question: What do I say to my child? Justin and Kylie tackle one of the toughest conversations a parent can face. They unpack the latest research,…
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What It's Really Like to Have a Big Family
Six kids. One house. Endless noise, constant mess, and a level of logistics that would test anyone. With Australia's birth rate at a record low, Justin and Kylie share the reality of raising a large family in 2026.…
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Why Most Families Feel Stuck and How to Fix It
What if the thing your family needs most… isn’t more time - but better conversations? In this episode, we reveal the one habit that keeps us aligned, connected, and actually moving forward - despite the chaos of…
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Growth Mindsets & Academic Improvement
We’ve told kids for years that effort changes everything. But the biggest review of growth mindset research in decades just found the results are tiny… sometimes nothing at all. So should parents and teachers stop…
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The Parenting Paradox, with Dr Jenny Brown
The harder we try to be the "perfect" parent, the more we can unintentionally hold our children back. Family therapist Dr Jenny Brown explains why modern parenting has become so intense, how worry fuels conflict, and…
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When All Their Friends Have Phones and You’re Standing Firm
Everyone else has a phone. Your child feels left out. And you’re the “mean parent” holding the line. So what now? In this solo Q&A episode of the Happy Families Podcast, I unpack one of the most common parenting…
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Whose Cup Are You Filling?
You are pouring yourself out every single day. But into whose cup? In this powerful conversation inspired by Derek Thompson, Justin and Kylie explore a simple metaphor that will stop you mid-scroll: every morning you…
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Does Your Child Mirror Your Worst Habits?
The hardest part of parenting isn’t managing our kids. It’s facing ourselves. This week, a heated family moment revealed something uncomfortable — our children often mirror the very behaviours we struggle with.…
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The Kindness Paradox That Changes Your Child’s Mental Health
When your child is anxious, lonely or flat… your instinct is to comfort them. But what if the fastest way to help them feel better isn’t self-care — it’s helping someone else? New research reveals a powerful mental…
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Teaching Kids About Periods [with Kate Andrews from Wild Creative Australia]
What if the way we talk about periods shapes how our daughters feel about themselves for the rest of their lives? For generations, menstruation was treated as awkward, embarrassing, or simply ignored. In this…
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Raising Girls Who Like Themselves & Feel Good in Their Own Skin
It’s happening younger than ever. Girls as young as five are worrying about their weight, and by age nine the insecurities can hit hard. In this episode we unpack a listener’s heartbreaking question: “Is my daughter…
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The Secret to Raising Emotionally Strong Children
What if the very thing we’re trying to protect our kids from… is the thing they actually need most? Many parents want their children to feel confident, resilient, and worthy. But in our effort to make life easier for…
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I Forgot to Walk Our Daughter Down the Aisle and It Changed Everything
Four days before his daughter's wedding, Justin crashed his bike, suffered a severe concussion, and arrived at the big day bruised, stitched up, and barely functioning. Then he forgot the one thing every father of the…
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Are Attention Spans Really Shrinking?
For years we've been told that screens, social media and short-form videos are destroying our ability to focus. But the latest research tells a very different story. In this Doctor's Desk episode, Justin and Kylie…
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A New Model of Schooling
What if the problem isn't your child... but the way school is designed? For many families, traditional schooling simply doesn't fit. Whether it's school refusal, elite sport, performing arts, health challenges,…
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Help! I Called My Daughter the B Word! (A Listener Q&A)
One rushed morning. One moment of frustration. One word you wish you could take back. If you've ever lost your temper with your teenager and spent the rest of the day drowning in guilt, this episode is for you. When…
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You Don't Have to Attend Every Argument
What if the fastest way to end an argument with your child is to refuse to join it? When emotions are running high, most parents instinctively step into the conflict, hoping to teach a lesson, fix the behaviour, or…
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A Concussion, A Wedding and What Matters Most
One moment he was riding his bike. The next, he was unconscious on the side of the road with no memory of what had happened. This week on I'll Do Better Tomorrow, Justin shares the terrifying cycling accident that…
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Removing Screens From Childcare [with Anna Russell]
A group of Victorian childcare centres recently conducted a "digital detox", removing screens, cameras, Spotify, YouTube, and other technology from classrooms. What happened next surprised even the educators involved.…
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Inside the App Helping Millions of Families Flourish [with Smiling Mind CEO Sarah La Roche]
What if just a few minutes a day could help your child build resilience, confidence, emotional awareness, and stronger relationships? With children's mental health challenges rising earlier than ever, many parents…
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When Grandparents Don't Get It [a listener Q&A]
What happens when someone your child should be able to trust leaves them feeling judged, misunderstood, and unloved? In this heartfelt Q&A, we respond to a mother whose autistic and ADHD daughter was deeply hurt by a…
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Babysitting Costs Blowout
How much is a night out really costing parents in 2026? For many families, the answer is: far more than they can afford. With babysitting costs soaring and the cost of living biting hard, more parents are finding…
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The Message Our Boys Desperately Need Right Now
It's another Friday, where Justin and Kylie look back at the week that was with another 'I'll Do Better Tomorrow' episode. This week, as Justin's new book Boys hit bestseller lists, a parent shared a confronting…
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Raising Boys Who Do the Right Thing [an excerpt from 'Boys']
What helps a boy do the right thing when everyone else is doing the wrong thing? In this episode, Justin shares one of the most important lessons from his new book, Boys: Building Strong Young Men from the Inside Out.…
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The Hidden Pressure Shaping Our Boys [an excerpt from 'Boys']
What if one of the biggest challenges facing boys today is something most parents never see? In this fascinating conversation, Dr Justin Coulson explores the concept of "precarious masculinity"—the idea that boys…
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"Boys" Book Release - Kylie Interviews Justin
Boys are struggling—and many parents can feel it. In this special episode, Kylie Coulson turns the tables and interviews Dr Justin Coulson about his brand-new book, Boys: Building Strong Young Men From the Inside Out.…
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