Dr. Caroline Buzanko

Dr. Caroline Buzanko Empowering professionals and parents to raise strong, emotionally healthy kids—by ditching outdated strategies and building real confidence.

Psychologist | Resilience Rebel | Yoda of Anxiety

The holidays are supposed to be joyful—but for many families, they’re also overwhelming.Crowds. Noise. Disrupted routine...
12/24/2025

The holidays are supposed to be joyful—but for many families, they’re also overwhelming.

Crowds. Noise. Disrupted routines. Big emotions.

Especially if your child experiences anxiety, ADHD, autism, or sensory sensitivities.

That’s why we created Thriving Through the Holidays: A Family Guide to Connection, Calm, and Joy.

This free guide offers:
✔ Practical, evidence-based strategies
✔ Support for emotional regulation and sensory needs
✔ Tools to reduce stress without lowering connection
✔ Permission to let go of “perfect” and focus on what actually works

If you want a holiday season that feels calmer, more connected, and more humane—this guide is for you.

💛 Download here:
https://korulearninginstitute.kit.com/2025holidayguide

Your kid looks you dead in the eyes and says:⁠⁠“…So is Santa real?”⁠⁠ Cue the parent brain: Do I lie? Do I ruin Christma...
12/24/2025

Your kid looks you dead in the eyes and says:⁠
⁠
“…So is Santa real?”⁠
⁠
Cue the parent brain: Do I lie? Do I ruin Christmas? Do I panic? ⁠
⁠
In this Parents of the Year holiday episode, Andrew and Caroline talk about:⁠
- what to say when kids start questioning Santa⁠
- why the “big reveal” doesn’t need to be dramatic⁠
- how to shift the story toward generosity and kindness⁠
- how to bring kids “into the fold” so they feel proud, not fooled⁠
- the one thing that actually creates mistrust (hint: it’s the adult vibe)⁠
⁠
If this conversation is coming soon at your house, you’ll want this one in your back pocket.⁠
⁠
🎧Listen now: Parents of the Year — Santa, Truth, and Keeping the Holiday Spirit⁠
⁠

Holiday season = big feelings on repeat.Excitement. Pressure. Late nights. Loud gatherings. “Boring” at Grandma’s. Scree...
12/23/2025

Holiday season = big feelings on repeat.

Excitement. Pressure. Late nights. Loud gatherings. “Boring” at Grandma’s. Screen-time battles. Meltdowns.

This Overpowering Emotions Holiday Special replay is a real-world guide to keeping the holidays from turning into a dysregulation marathon—for kids and adults.

I share:
- the ONE boundary that changed Christmas for our family
- how to keep “just enough” routine so kids don’t unravel
- how to catch overwhelm early (before the blow-up)
- what to say when kids are disappointed, bored, or angry—without fixing or minimizing
- quick resilience-builders: coping cards, code words, and calm reset plans

If your nervous system already feels tired thinking about holiday plans… this one’s for you.

🎧Listen now: Holiday Special Replay — Building Emotion Regulation and Resilience Over Winter Break

12/23/2025

Holiday break can bring joy… and a whole lot of overwhelm.

In this Holiday Special Replay of Overpowering Emotions, Dr. Caroline shares what holiday dysregulation looks like in real life (including her own family’s “never leave the house on Christmas Day” boundary), why kids melt down when routines shift, and how adults can turn everyday holiday stress into practice for emotion regulation and resilience.

You’ll hear concrete ways to keep just enough structure, reduce sensory overload, handle screen-time battles without power struggles, and teach kids to “catch it early” before emotions take over—using body awareness, code words, coping cards, and simple family rituals that build flexibility and calm.

This season doesn’t strain families because they’re doing it wrong.It strains them because expectations are high, routin...
12/22/2025

This season doesn’t strain families because they’re doing it wrong.

It strains them because expectations are high, routines are gone, and nervous systems are already stretched thin.

In this holiday special of Resilience Unleashed, Dr. Caroline unpacks why the holidays amplify stress for both kids and adults—and how small, intentional shifts can protect regulation, connection, and meaning when things feel like “too much.”

Because resilience isn’t about forcing cheer.

It’s about creating space to breathe, reset, and respond with intention—even in the middle of the chaos.

Read the Holiday Special Edition of Resilience Unleashed today! https://lnkd.in/gyUyaJ3U

🎄 Why do the holidays feel so hard… even when they’re “supposed” to be magical?In our latest Parents of the Year episode...
12/18/2025

🎄 Why do the holidays feel so hard… even when they’re “supposed” to be magical?

In our latest Parents of the Year episode, Andrew and I chat about what makes the holidays overwhelming for families—and what really helps.

We talk about:
• Why kids melt down more during the holidays (even when they’re excited)
• How overstimulation, routine changes, and adult stress collide
• The social media comparison trap no one talks about
• What parents can do in the moment to protect connection and calm
• How to lower expectations without losing the magic

This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing less—on purpose.

If you’ve ever thought:
👉 “Why is everyone else having a perfect holiday?”
👉 “Why is my child melting down over nothing?”
👉 “Why do I feel exhausted instead of joyful?”

This episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now on Parents of the Year (episode 192)

The holidays don’t create emotional problems—they expose regulation limits.In this special crossover episode of Overpowe...
12/16/2025

The holidays don’t create emotional problems—they expose regulation limits.

In this special crossover episode of Overpowering Emotions and Parents of the Year, Dr. Caroline and her husband Andrew talk about:
• why kids melt down during the holidays
• how overstimulation impacts emotion regulation
• the role of structure, expectations, and social comparison
• and why parents’ nervous systems matter more than perfect traditions

This isn’t about lowering standards—it’s about protecting nervous systems.

🎧 Listen now to episode 219 on Holiday Stress, Overstimulation & Emotion Regulation

12/16/2025

The holidays are supposed to be joyful—but for many families, they quietly amplify stress, overwhelm, and emotional reactivity.

In this special crossover episode with Parents of the Year podcast, Dr. Caroline and her husband Andrew step away from “perfect holiday” pressure and take a psychologically grounded look at why emotions run hotter during the holidays, for both kids and adults.

We explore how disrupted routines, sensory overload, social comparison, family dynamics, and unrealistic expectations tax the nervous system—and why emotional meltdowns, irritability, withdrawal, or disappointment are not signs of failure, but signals of dysregulation.

This episode bridges emotion regulation science with real-life parenting moments, including:

· Why overstimulation is often behind kids’ holiday meltdowns

· How social media comparison fuels anxiety and emotional exhaustion

· The role of structure, predictability, and proactive planning in regulation

· Why parents’ emotional regulation sets the ceiling for their children’s

· How to identify non-negotiables, let go of the rest, and reduce emotional load

· Practical strategies for creating “magical moments” without emotional burnout

Rather than trying to make emotions disappear, this conversation focuses on helping families anticipate emotional needs, regulate proactively, and respond with intention instead of reactivity.

Check out the shownotes on Apple Podcasts for more information!

Most parents I work with don’t want to talk about phones anymore.If the kids aren’t on them, you’re fighting about them....
12/10/2025

Most parents I work with don’t want to talk about phones anymore.

If the kids aren’t on them, you’re fighting about them.

In this new Parents of the Year episode, Andrew and Caroline sat down with therapist MJ Murray Vachon, to talk honestly about:

• Why phones act like co***ne for the brain
• How dopamine hits from scrolling change what feels fun
• Why kids melt down when you say “time’s up”
• P**n at age 8, violent p**n in high school, and why “my kid is a good kid” isn’t enough
• AI chat “friends” and kids learning how to tie a noose from a bot
• What to do when your child says, “If you take my phone, I’ll kill myself”
• Why phone rules have to start with you, not your child

MJ’s line that hits parents hard:

“You can’t sell this to your children until you buy it yourself.”

If you feel overwhelmed by phones, that’s a normal reaction to an abnormal situation. You are not behind and you are not alone.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on your favourite podcast channel

Kids are often told: “Sit still. Stop fidgeting. Be serious.”But what if the movement, noise, and silliness are the body...
12/09/2025

Kids are often told: “Sit still. Stop fidgeting. Be serious.”

But what if the movement, noise, and silliness are the body’s way of releasing stress and trauma—not a problem to stamp out?

In this week’s Overpowering Emotions episode, Dr. Caroline sits down with Taoist teacher and Qigong instructor Sifu Boggy to talk about:

The “sacred child” and why we’re never meant to grow out of play

How fidgeting, wrestling, running, climbing, and even yelling can help kids discharge big feelings safely

His own story of bullying, depression, and suicidality—and how Qigong gave him a way to move pain through his body

Simple movement practices you can try with kids (and yourself) in minutes

If you support kids who are anxious, explosive, or constantly “on the go,” this conversation will make you see their behaviour—and your own responses—in a new light.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Overpowering Emotions wherever you get your podcasts.

👉 Tag anyone who needs permission to bring more play into healing.

12/09/2025

Big feelings don’t always need more rules and structure. Sometimes they need play, movement, and a bit of silliness.

In this episode of Overpowering Emotions, Dr. Caroline is joined by Sifu Boggy (Paul Brighton), a Taoist teacher who blends Qigong, Tai Chi, humour, and “sacred child” energy to support healing.

They talk about why kids are the real teachers, how fidgeting and wild play help release stress from the body, and why shutting down movement can actually lock in tension, anxiety, and trauma. You’ll hear how Qigong supported Sifu through bullying, depression, and suicidality as a teen, and how simple standing exercises can help kids and adults regulate today.

If you work with kids who are anxious, shut down, “too much,” or always on the move, this episode will give you a warm, playful way to see them—and yourself—differently.

Kids “can’t stand” being bored.Parents feel guilty when they hear “I’m bored.”And most brains panic if there isn’t a scr...
12/03/2025

Kids “can’t stand” being bored.

Parents feel guilty when they hear “I’m bored.”

And most brains panic if there isn’t a screen or a podcast running in the background.

In this week’s Parents of the Year, Andrew and I talk about boredom as a mental health skill—for kids and adults.

We cover:
• Why boredom can feel legitimately painful (especially for ADHD brains)
• How boredom builds distress tolerance and emotion regulation
• Why our brains need time in “mind-wandering mode” to come up with ideas and creative solutions
• Screen habits that quietly drain attention, sleep, and patience
• Simple ways to build “bored on purpose” time into family life

We also tell on ourselves: phones in bathrooms, audiobooks in cars, late-night scrolling, and trying to work while dogs do parkour on a giant hallway gong.

🎧 Listen to the new episode of Parents of the Year wherever you get your podcasts.

Tag a parent, teacher, or therapist who needs the reminder that it’s okay—actually healthy—for kids (and grown-ups) to be bored sometimes.

Address

30 Springborough Boulevard SW
Calgary, AB
T3H5M6

Telephone

+15872059291

Website

https://parentsoftheyear.buzzsprout.com/, https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/overpowe

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