Gina Willard a.k.a Mitch's Mum: parenting with unconditional love

Mitch Wallis Podcast

About Mitch's Mum

• Grew up working class, raised Mitch as a single mother in his early years
• Fought her way into a better life for both of them
• Had her second child when Mitch was 15
• Gina is now a successful sales manager at a large technology company
• "She is the best person ever" Mitch

In this episode we cover:

• Independence vs. safety - how do we navigate taking care of a child but empowering autonomy - especially when a mental health issue is present in the child
• #1 thing she did that helped me during that time
• Early warning signs and cues that she wished she saw in me
• The #1 warning sign she wished she saw earlier that she believes is an early indicator to anxiety
• The #1 game to play with your child to help counter anxious thoughts
• 2 tips to balance being firm and being compassionate
• How to balance being a friend vs. being a parent - how to get that right
• Teenage angst vs. something more serious - the answer to knowing if it's clinical
• Post-natal depression twice - what it felt like for her without even knowing she had it and the reality of feeling trapped
• A discussion on whether or not it's good to talk to children about big questions like values and what you believe in from an early age
• Talking to her not wanting to let her down by telling her I wasn’t ok
• The benefits of writing a life narrative and sitting down with your parents to talk it through - re-write your story through their story
• To medicate or not to medicate your child when facing a mental health issue (*seek medical advice)
• What is the end goal of mental health

Book Mitch to speak at your workplace www.mitchwallis.com