Dr. Jody Carrington

Dr. Jody Carrington Psychologist | Speaker | Best-Selling Author I passionately believe in the power of the relationship with the people we love, lead, and teach.
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As a clinical psychologist, I have spent most of my career working with children and families who have experienced trauma. Growing up on a farm in rural Alberta, Canada, and after 13 years (!) of post-secondary education, I took my first job on the Mental Health Inpatient Units of the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. It was during those 10 years that I learned the most about kids, families, relationships, and the vital importance of connection. Today, I’m back living in a rural setting, managing a private practice, raising a family, speaking around the country about relationships, connection and my new book, Kids These Days. My favourite thing on the planet to do is to speak with educators—they have the power to change the trajectory of a life every single day. It’s time that we need to start focusing less on kids these days, and more on those of you who hold them every day. The core of everything I speak and write about comes down to this: we are wired to do hard things. We can do those hard things so much easier when we remember this: we are wired for connection. Join us on this journey to build a strong, connected community—it’s a (re)connection revolution starting now.

It’s about understanding the biology, the history and the longing underneath it all and choosing differently where we ca...
03/31/2026

It’s about understanding the biology, the history and the longing underneath it all and choosing differently where we can.

You can attend with your mom, with your daughter, step-mom, sisters, aunties, mom-like figures or on your own. You’ll receive printable resources to help you continue the work long after the session ends.

One conversation.
One intentional pause.
One opportunity to step into this relationship differently.

Visit drjodycarrington.com/workshops for our two for one ticket deal and join us May 3, 2026.

The season opener was a sell out. A sold-out stadium, shoulder to shoulder with strangers who don’t feel like strangers ...
03/31/2026

The season opener was a sell out. A sold-out stadium, shoulder to shoulder with strangers who don’t feel like strangers for long. Living rooms with people leaning in at the same moment. Sports bars buzzing, everyone watching the same pitch, the same swing, the same hope.

That moment where you're smiling at the opening ceremony and then fans jump, yell and turn to someone beside them… whether they know them or not. We leave our small screens…for a bigger one that somehow brings us back to each other.

Different places, same experience.
Same highs. Same nerves. Same joy.

That’s the beautiful thing about sports. They gather us, ground us, and remind us what it feels like to be part of something together.

Toronto Blue Jays baseball has a way of doing that. Of reminding us we were never meant to do life alone. So if you found yourself a little more connected as you watch, that’s not by accident. That’s what happens when we feel part of something.

That conversation between Anderson Cooper and Sara Bareilles is such a quiet reminder of something we often forget.Grief...
03/26/2026

That conversation between Anderson Cooper and Sara Bareilles is such a quiet reminder of something we often forget.

Grief isn’t something we move past. It’s something we move with.
It changes shape, it softens in some places and sharpens in others, but it doesn’t disappear just because time passes. And maybe it’s not supposed to.

I've thought about this so much this year - in the complicated mess that is grief: healing doesn’t come from answers. It comes from being willing to say it out loud. To let it be witnessed. To not sit in it alone.

Because the truth is, we don’t heal in silence. We heal in connection. In stories shared. In someone else saying “me too” and meaning it (that last part is the most important).

If you are carrying something heavy right now, you’re not meant to carry it alone.

You don’t have to rush it. You don’t have to explain it perfectly. You just have to let yourself be human in it.

And that is enough.

Before the stages.Before the podcast.Before the books.There was a little girl with a whole lot to say.And no idea just h...
03/25/2026

Before the stages.
Before the podcast.
Before the books.

There was a little girl with a whole lot to say.
And no idea just how many people would one day be listening.

These photos keep taking me back to the original podcast title, Everyone Comes From Somewhere.

Wherever this finds you today, who ever you've become to so many, I hope you get to steal a moment to consider just how much you've accomplished in this lifetime. How much you're loved. And just how much we need you.

A little Monday reflection for you:Humans are mirrors.They reflect tone.They reflect nervous systems.They reflect leader...
03/23/2026

A little Monday reflection for you:

Humans are mirrors.
They reflect tone.
They reflect nervous systems.
They reflect leadership.

This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about awareness.

If they mirror you…
what are they seeing?
Tone is contagious.
Calm is contagious.
Chaos is contagious too.
Start with the one in the mirror.

What makes you feel like your best self? Start there. And give us the best you got today. We've never needed the best of you more. xo

03/21/2026

This episode might just change the way you think about burnout, emotional regulation, and how to actually rest.

is an occupational therapist, a neuroscientist of the soul (my words, not hers), a mama, a widow, and an absolute warrior when it comes to helping people understand their nervous systems.

We’re both obsessed with talking about emotional regulation but in this episode, we take it all the way back to the nervous system. What actually dysregulates us? What does “regulating” look like (besides box breathing and ice baths)? And how the hell are we supposed to do it when we’re overwhelmed, overbooked, and just trying to survive?

We talk trauma. We talk grief. We talk sensory overload and how your nervous system might be screaming at you... and you don’t even know it yet.

This episode is for the seekers, the cycle breakers, the tired-as-hell humans who are doing their best but can’t quite find their breath. It’s for the partners who feel stuck. It’s for the parents running on empty. It’s for anyone who's ever asked, “Is it supposed to feel this hard?”

You’re not broken. Your body’s talking to you. Let’s help you understand what it’s saying.

Five things I would say to you as a psychologist if I was not afraid of hurting your feelings — Take Five:1. You’re not ...
03/19/2026

Five things I would say to you as a psychologist if I was not afraid of hurting your feelings — Take Five:

1. You’re not “too sensitive.” You may just be dysregulated.

When your nervous system is overwhelmed or overtired everything feels personal and louder than it actually is.

2. You keep calling it “just a busy season.”

If every season is busy it’s not a season — it’s a pattern.

3. You don’t need better time management.

You need better boundaries and the courage to hold them. You first is the most important one (and the hardest to honour).

4. You’re waiting to feel confident before you act.

Confidence comes after you do the hard thing, not before. Read that again.

5. You say you want peace but you rehearse conflict in your head all day and reach for your phone when you (desperately) need a little more stillness.

You, dear one, deserve a little quiet filled with nothing but sunshine. Give it to you first and then (and only then) will remarkable things happen more often.







This conversation with Eric Dane is a deeply human interview and I've thought about it a lot.It’s one thing to watch som...
03/17/2026

This conversation with Eric Dane is a deeply human interview and I've thought about it a lot.

It’s one thing to watch someone as a character on a show like Grey's Anatomy (my personal obsession for years). It’s another to see the human behind the role speaking openly about loss, loneliness, resilience, and what life has meant to him.

Knowing he recorded this while aware his time was limited makes it especially heart-wrenching. The conversation feels raw, honest and deeply personal.

It was meant for his daughters but it’s also a reflection anyone can listen to. A reminder that behind every public figure is a human story, shaped by experiences we often never see. It's also the greatest reminder, when life gets heavy, that regardless of age, race, religion, socio-economic status, or gender identity, we are all human. And time waits for no one. His lessons here are profound and I hope you love the little reminders as much as I needed to hear them.

The next virtual clinical workshop is comin right up! I do a talk every other month around here for everyone and anyone ...
03/16/2026

The next virtual clinical workshop is comin right up! I do a talk every other month around here for everyone and anyone in this little community and next month I thought it high time to talk about fighting. With all the assholeryish people out there, this seems to be a skill we could all do a little deep dive on. You in?

We'll talk about the thing most of us were never taught how to do well: conflict. Whether it's with your partner, your colleague, a customer, your kid, or your in-laws—conflict is part of every relationship worth having. And yet, we treat it like a problem instead of what it really is: an invitation to go deeper. In this honest, fiery, and practical 90-minute virtual session, let's take the shame and fear out of conflict and show us how it can become one of our greatest tools for connection. We will talk about why it's only gonna get harder in this next generation, and why getting better at it now (and showing those you lead and love how to do it) might be your greatest contribution to this planet. Tag a little someone who you think might need this one the most... ;) I'd love to have you all hang out with me on Monday, April 13 (you even get a seven-day rewatch link if you can't join us live)!

March Break isn’t about making memories. It’s about making kids feel seen. This week has a funny way of making us feel l...
03/15/2026

March Break isn’t about making memories. It’s about making kids feel seen. This week has a funny way of making us feel like we have to do more.

More activities.
More plans.
More “memory making.”

But here’s the thing about kids.
They don’t measure love in ski passes, trips, or perfectly planned days.

They measure it in attention.
In the moment you look up from your phone and really see them.
In the laugh that lasts a little longer.
In the walk, drive (or even FaceTime when travelling) where they tell you a story.

Connection regulates nervous systems.
And when kids feel seen, their little worlds settle.

So if this March Break feels messy…
If you didn’t book the big trip…
If everyone’s a little tired…
You’re probably doing better than you think.

The goal was never perfection.
It was always connection.

You matter first.Not because you hold the title.But because regulated leaders regulate rooms.And if you want steady team...
03/12/2026

You matter first.
Not because you hold the title.
But because regulated leaders regulate rooms.
And if you want steady teams,
you start with a steady nervous system.
It's actually as simple as that.
It's no longer a soft skill. It's strategy for success. Full stop.

Here's two questions to ask yourself today (or save to come back to):
If culture reflects the leader, what’s yours reflecting?
Why are they lucky to have you?

For many of us, we were taught that "self-care" was an add-on. A luxury. A part of the soft-skills incorporated into our...
03/11/2026

For many of us, we were taught that "self-care" was an add-on. A luxury. A part of the soft-skills incorporated into our organization's cultural strategy. Here's the thing team: we are playing by a set of rules that was created for a world that no longer exists. In just one generation, the way were taught to parent, teach, lead - the game has changed. Humans haven't. Our nervous systems have to take precedent if we every want to find joy, happiness, or impact. Here's the deal: self-care means coming back home to the best parts of you, first. Deep breath, getting a snack, scheduling a nap, a few minutes of stillness, or a workout, those are not rewards - they are strategy for getting the most out of this life for you. You're the one who matters most. That's not selfish. That's strategy. I promise.

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2nd Floor 5037 50th Street
Olds, AB
T4H0C9

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+14035594061

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