The Gift and Challenge of a ”Spicy” Child | Mary Van Geffen (EP435)

Is your child deeply emotional, stubborn and seemingly immune to traditional parenting advice? In this episode, Diane sits down with parenting coach Mary Van Geffen, author of Parenting a Spicy One, to explore how to raise intense, big-feeling kids without crushing their spirit - or losing yourself in the process.

Mary shares tools for staying calm during explosive tantrums, choosing connection over control, maintaining firm boundaries, and avoiding burnout when parenting feels relentless. If “gentle parenting” hasn’t worked in your home, this conversation offers a compassionate, realistic alternative rooted in calm, kindness, and confidence.

Links Discussed in This Episode |

• Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
• Previous Episode: How to Stop Mom Rage: Calming Strategies Every Parent Needs | Jessie Ereddia (EP420)
• Connect with Mary:
• Website
• Instagram
• Book: Parenting a Spicy One: A Compassionate Guide for Raising a Deep-Feeling and Wonderfully Strong-Willed Kid
• Quiz: Are You a Spicy One?

About Mary |

Mary Van Geffen is an international parenting coach for Moms of Spicy Ones, as well as a Spicy One herself. Mary helps parents practice the spiritual discipline of staying calm, kind, and firm with their strong-willed kids--especially when they don't deserve it. She combines her training as a Simplicity Parenting counselor and Professional Co-Active Coach with hard-earned personal experience raising her own spirited child as well as her mild-mannered child. She has transformed the lives of over eight thousand mothers with her eight-week group program and on-demand digital courses. She shares daily inspirational tips with her nearly half a million followers on Instagram. Her greatest achievement is cultivating a connected relationship with her now-adult children.

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