How to Stop Yelling & Start Connecting With Your Kids with Amanda Rodriguez of Unconditional Connections
Guest name: Amanda Rodriguez
Business name: Unconditional Connections
Parenting can feel overwhelming fast—especially when you know how you want to respond to your kids, but then someone isn't listening, emotions are high, you're trying to get out the door, and staying calm suddenly feels a whole lot harder.
In this episode, I sit down with Amanda Rodriguez, a certified parent coach, former teacher, and mom of two based in the Erie/Boulder area who works virtually with families through her business, Unconditional Connections. We talk about how parents can better understand their children’s behavior, set loving boundaries, regulate their own emotions, and create stronger connections with their kids.
Amanda works with parents who often know how they want to parent but struggle to put those tools into practice when real life gets messy. Throughout our conversation, we explore what's actually happening developmentally with young kids, why behavior isn't always as straightforward as it seems, and why children can handle something perfectly one day and completely fall apart over it the next.
We also break down Amanda's "pregame, game time, and postgame" approach to parenting and why some of the most effective parenting happens before a challenging moment ever begins. Amanda shares practical ways to prepare kids for expectations, collaboratively solve problems, hold boundaries without losing connection, and respond when emotions are already running high.
And because parenting isn't only about our kids, we talk about us, too—our triggers, our nervous systems, the expectations we place on our children, and what we can do when we're the ones about to lose it.
In this episode, we cover:
How to set boundaries while maintaining connection
Why child development isn't always linear
Executive function and setting age-appropriate expectations
Why your child can do something one day and struggle with it the next
Amanda's "pregame, game time, and postgame" parenting framework
Navigating sibling conflict and big emotions
How parents' own experiences can influence their reactions
Practical ways to regulate yourself when you're getting overwhelmed
How role-playing can help parents prepare for challenging situations
What parent coaching actually looks like
Whether you're dealing with tantrums, sibling fights, bedtime battles, kids who don't seem to listen, or simply trying to yell less and feel more connected to your children, this conversation is filled with practical tools and reminders you can bring into your own family.
The goal isn't perfect parenting. It's becoming more intentional about how we respond, getting curious about what our kids need, and building the kind of relationship we want to have with them for years to come.
This episode is your reminder that parenting isn't about getting it right every single time. Our children are still learning how to navigate their emotions, relationships, and the world around them—and we're learning right alongside them.