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132 | Parent Yourself First: Raise Confident, Compassionate Kids by Becoming the Parent You Wish You’d Had with Bryana Kappadakunnel

  • Emily Reuschel
  • Jan 23
  • 4 min read

Gather in Growth Podcast episode #001

LISTEN TO PARENT YOURSELF FIRST: RAISE CONFIDENT, COMPASSIONATE KIDS BY BECOMING THE PARENT YOU WITH YOU'D HAD WITH BRYANA KAPPADAKUNNEL ON: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Your player of choicePodcast


I’m overjoyed to welcome a special guest, Bryana Kappadakunnel, onto the podcast today!


Bryana Kappadakunnel is a  licensed Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and author of the NEW book, Parent Yourself First: Raise Confident, Compassionate Kids by Becoming the Parent You Wish You Had. She believes in providing families with practical tools and compassionate support. Not only can this work heal the child-parent relationship, but also, leave a lasting impact on the generations to come.


Bryana originally thought her career would be in working with children (ages 0-5), but she quickly realized she was destined to work with parents. She had a bit of a ‘lightbulb’ moment that led her down a path of helping parents heal their ‘inner child’, and ultimately, transform their relationships with their child(ren).


In today’s episode, we talk about what it looks like to parent yourself first, and how to raise confident, compassionate kids by becoming the parent you wish you had. So many of us have a desire to parent our children differently than how we were raised. Unfortunately, we aren’t clear on how to go about parenting in a more conscious, connected, and intentional way.


If you truly want to improve your relationships with your children and your overall family dynamic, it starts with you. We change the world by healing ourselves!


You’ve got to be okay with getting curious, ‘feeling your feelings’, and letting those move through you. It will be difficult and uncomfortable at times, but it’s VITAL that you get to the root of what you’re feeling, instead of staying stuck in guilt and shame when you’re triggered by your children.


Bryana and I also discuss how your past upbringing is undoubtedly influencing your parenting in the present, why the self-compassion piece is crucial in healing the little girl or boy inside of you, juicy details on her upcoming book, and more.


Bryana is someone I’ve looked up to for a very long time. She’s really shaped how I’ve worked on myself as a mom, which in turn, has allowed me to pour into my kids in the ways they deserve.


I KNOW this episode is going to bless you greatly; don’t forget to pre-order Bryana’s new book, Parent Yourself First, HERE, if you’re listening before January 28th, 2025!


Bryana Kappadakunnel is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, an Infant-Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, a Perinatal Mental Health Specialist-Certified, and a Certified Conscious Parenting Coach via Dr. Shefali’s training program. She is the owner and voice behind Conscious Mommy, where she teaches parents to become the conscious parent they never had. For more than a decade, she’s helped thousands of parents learn how to end power struggles, break cycles of past hurts, and transform the energy of their home from chaos to peace.


With all of Bryana’s proven and practical insights and strategies, parents grow their parenting toolkit and their confidence. She is the mom of 2 children, and lives with her spouse in Southern California. Her first book, Parent Yourself First, comes out January 28th, 2025.


In this episode about parent yourself first: raise confident, compassionate kids by becoming the parent you wish you’d had, we cover:

  • Bryana’s ‘lightbulb’ moment that ultimately led her on the path to helping parents heal their ‘inner child’ & transform their relationship with their child(ren)

  • What it really looks (and feels) like to pursue the path of ‘conscious parenting’

  • Choosing to get curious and let feelings move through you vs. shoving them down and pretending they’re not there

  • Taking time to notice what’s happening within your body & giving yourself space when you’re triggered by your child

  • How your past upbringing may be influencing your parenting now + learning to parent from a place of connection

  • Having compassion while also setting boundaries within intergenerational relationships

  • Bryana’s upcoming book, Parent Yourself First

  • Realizing you don’t need to have all the answers + finding comfort in the unknown


Connect with Bryana:


If this episode sparked something in you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your people. Your support helps more people step into curiosity, ask hard questions, and reclaim a faith rooted in love, truth, and authenticity. Let’s shift the conversation—together.


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More about the Gather in Growth podcast: 

Gather in Growth is more than a podcast—it’s a sanctuary for women coming home to themselves and each other. A sacred space to expand horizons, reignite our power, and live unapologetically as our fullest, most authentic selves.


Hosted by Emily Reuschel, this is a gathering place for the doers, dreamers, and seekers who crave connection, purpose, and meaningful impact. Through raw conversations and soul-deep reflections, we’ll embrace curiosity, step to the edges of our comfort zones, and defy expectations.


Picture this: women gathered around a fire, sharing stories with open hearts—connecting, healing, and evolving together. That’s the spirit of Gather in Growth. This is our space to awaken and embody the lives we’ve been yearning for—lives rooted in alignment, guided by intuition, and built with intention.


If you’re ready to move beyond limits and labels, cultivate deep inner trust, and courageously embrace the magic of who you are, then welcome home. Together, let’s Gather in Growth.


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If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it! Your support helps us reach more people who are ready to question, grow, and evolve.


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