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You want to show up as the best parent you can be… but sometimes your patience runs out, your words land harshly, or your home feels more chaotic than calm. So what’s the answer?

In this powerful episode, I’m sharing the best ancient practices I’ve learned to be a better parent—timeless tools that help me respond with more presence, love, and light in everyday family life.

Tune in to discover: how the simple art of pausing before reacting can transform any moment, the power of speaking words that heal rather than harm, the daily renewal practice that helps you and your child begin again, a shift that lets you see your child’s soul (not just their behavior), and the beautiful rituals that can turn your home into a sacred space.

If you’re ready to bring more connection, calm, and light into your parenting, this episode is for you.

In this episode we chat about:

• Restriction: Pausing before reacting (3:07)
• Conscious speech: Speaking words of light (8:04)
• Daily renewal: Beginning again each day (9:35)
• Seeing the soul, not just the behavior (11:22)
• Inviting the light into our home and creating a sacred space (13:07)

Episode resources:

• Mastering Your Mean Girl by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Open Wide by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Comparisonitis by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Time Magic by Melissa Ambrosini and Nick Broadhurst (book)
• Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy (book)

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The following transcript has been automatically generated and not checked for accuracy.

[00:00:00] The Melissa Ambrosini Show. Welcome to the Melissa Ambrosini Show. I’m your host, Melissa bestselling author of Mastering Your Mean Girl, open, wide, comparisonitis and Time Magic. And I’m here to remind you that love is sexy, healthy is liberating, and wealthy isn’t a dirty word. Each week I’ll be getting up close and personal with thought leaders from around the globe, as well as your weekly dose of motivation so that you can create epic change.

Your own life and become the best version of yourself possible. Are you ready? Beautiful. Beautiful.

Hey, beautiful. Welcome back to the show. I’m so excited about this episode because a couple of weeks ago, I put a question box on my Instagram stories and asked you what you wanted me to do more solo episodes on. And I got so many amazing topics from motherhood, spirituality, [00:01:00] health, relationships, business, all the amazing things that I love speaking about.

And so today I wanted to share five ancient practices that have made me a better mother. And these are things that I am living, that I am embodying right now. Not only have they made me a better mother, they’ve also made me enjoy motherhood so much more. So I wanna share them with you because they are powerful, they are potent.

You are going to want to write them down or open a new note in your phone and type them in there because you do not wanna miss these. Before I dive in, I wanna say that motherhood is the most beautiful, humbling, stretching journey that I’ve ever been on. And along my motherhood journey, there have been moments where I have reacted, where I’ve felt guilty, where I’ve felt exhausted, and that’s not how I want this motherhood experience to be for me.

And [00:02:00] since I have been studying Kabbalah this year, which I absolutely love, you can go and listen to my first episode where I spoke all about the teachings that have really changed my life. Now Kabbalah has given me some ancient tools that have literally changed the way that I show up as a mother, and I feel like I would be doing a disservice to you if I didn’t share these with you because they have profoundly impacted me in a positive way in the way that I show up as a mother.

Completely changed. So today I wanna share with you five practices that have made me not just. A calmer, more conscious parent, but have also helped me love motherhood so much more. And if you are here, I know that you wanna be a better, more conscious parent. This show attracts that person. So if you have found yourself snapping or feeling guilty or wishing that you would have responded differently, these five [00:03:00] practices will shift everything for you.

So grab your pen and paper. Or open a new note in your phone and let’s dive in. So the first practice is called restriction. It’s about pausing before reacting. This has been so huge for me. So this principle in Kabbalah restriction, it’s about creating space between the trigger and the reaction. And our children, they are beautiful mirrors and they can trigger stuff within us.

And if we are not conscious and aware, we can just fireball, react back at them. And that does not feel good for anyone. And that is not the way that I want a parent. It’s just not, so for example, like say your child reacts in a certain way, they throw something or anything, it doesn’t really matter what it is.

But in that moment, your [00:04:00] impulse is to snap or is to yell, or is to get angry or react. The restriction is that one breath, the pause, where we remind ourselves that we can choose how to respond. So we pause, we feel the anger bubbling up, we feel the insert, whatever feeling comes up for you. Instead of reacting, we pause, we take a breath.

That sacred pause is where the light enters. That sacred pause is so powerful. It doesn’t mean that you ignore the behavior. I’m not talking about that. What it means is there is space for light to enter and you can respond from there. You get to choose to respond in a way that builds connection instead of adding to the chaos.[00:05:00] 

Now, this one practice alone in my family has changed everything. So anytime I feel that bubble of anger or whatever it is rise within me, I take a breath. Nick can literally see it within me. Then later that night, once the kids are in bed, he’ll say to me, well done babe. Well done for taking a breath and choosing how to respond and react.

In that moment you could have been totally reactive in a negative way, but you took a breath and the light came in and you chose to respond from love. And the other day he said to me, I literally saw you take a breath and I saw light enter your body and it was so beautiful ’cause you softened your face softened.

And it was a heated moment, but I chose to take a breath. So this is called restriction. Pausing before reacting. It is so powerful, my friend. So I [00:06:00] want you to try this. Whenever you feel like you want to react in a negative way, I want you to pause and take a deep breath, feel the light, the love, enter your body, and then soften.

And respond from there. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have boundaries. Of course, children need healthy boundaries. It just means that you are not adding to the chaos. You’re being an adult and you’re not adding to the chaos. You are dealing with your feelings outside of the situation. This one thing has been a game changer for Nick and I.

It has allowed me to enjoy motherhood so much more. I’m a much better mother. I’m enjoying it so much more since embodying this one practice. Okay. And also I wanna mention that Kabbalah teaches that every reactive moment that feeds the chaos, while every conscious response it brings in [00:07:00] more light. Okay?

So if your child talks back, for example, or does anything that triggers you and your reactive ego wants to punish, to control, pause, take a breath. Ask yourself what’s really needed here? And then you can shift into responding with awareness, with love, with consciousness. Okay? And this is what I remind myself of daily.

My kids won’t always remember every word that I say to them, but they will always remember how I made them feel. The energy that I bring into the room, the energy that is in my home and reacting, it creates fear. Responding from a loving place, from softness, it creates safety. And I want my home to feel warm, safe, fun, playful.

I don’t want it to be a place of fear. So this has been so powerful for me and I [00:08:00] want you to practice it. Let me know how you go and embody this. So the second practice is conscious speech, speaking words of light. Okay, so. Words are energy. Words are powerful. They literally shape our reality. And as a mother, our words become our children’s inner voice.

And what we speak over them, they become. So remember that your children will become what you speak over them. And it may seem small, but over time, like our words, they either plant seeds of shame or seeds of confidence. Conscious speech has reminded me that my children are constantly absorbing not just what I say but how I say it.

So even things like if your daughter is standing there and you say, Bambi is shy. Like, these are things like, don’t cast that. Spell over them. Be very [00:09:00] mindful of the words that you speak over your children. They are listening. Their cells are listening. To everything that you say. So be mindful of your speech.

Speak words of light and love. Be conscious of your speech. Don’t ever say anything in front of them or even behind their back that you don’t want them to become. And do this for yourself too. Do this for yourself. So that is the second practice. So the third practice that I love is called daily renewal, beginning again each day.

So one of the most freeing Cabalistic teachings is that every single day is a chance to begin again. Yesterday does not define today. Now there have been nights where I’ve gone to bed, I’ve put my head on the pillow, and I’ve said to Nick, I feel so guilty. Maybe it was the way that I responded to Bambi, or I was [00:10:00] distracted by my phone and I’ve not showed up.

In a moment that day as the mother that I know I can be. And this daily renewal reminds me that today I can bring new light. I can start again today. And motherhood is not about perfection. It’s about continuously showing up as your best self for your kids. And when our kids see us beginning again, they learn self-forgiveness and the courage to keep trying and to keep going.

So every day you can begin again no matter what. You can wake up, take a couple of deep breaths, and when you greet your children, you greet them with love, you hug them. Every morning I greet my children like it is the best day on earth. I hug them, I kiss them. I’m so excited to see them. How did you sleep?

Tell me about your dreams. I’m so happy to see you. [00:11:00] I missed you. I love you so much. I greet them with warmth in my voice, warmth in my body language, hugs, kisses, and that teaches them that every day they can begin again. They learn self forgiveness and the courage to keep trying. So that is a really powerful one, and it has changed so much for me.

The fourth practice. Is about seeing the soul, not just the behavior. Now, I’ve interviewed so many parenting experts, and in Dr. Becky’s book, good Inside, she talks about this. It’s not about the behavior, it’s about what’s underneath the behavior. And Kabbalah teaches that we are a soul on a journey, and our children are no different.

So a tantrum, it isn’t just bad behavior, it’s a soul expressing frustration or need. What is really going on. And when I remind myself that this is a beautiful soul in front of me, not just a [00:12:00] behavior, I meet my child with more compassion, more love, more empathy, something is going on for her to be expressing this way, and it’s my job.

To work out what is going on, what needs are not being met for her? Yeah, what needs are not being met for her? How can I help those needs get met? Maybe she needs some quiet time. Maybe she needs more one-on-one time with me or something else. This has helped me shift from judgment to empathy, and that empathy changes the whole dynamic in our home.

So remember that. It’s not about the behavior. There is a beautiful little soul standing in front of you that is needing something, and it’s our job to help them get that need met. This has been so powerful for me because when they have big emotions, big feelings, instead of getting frustrated, I see that there’s a need within her that’s not being [00:13:00] met, and it’s my job to help her.

So that is the fourth practice, seeing the soul, not just the behavior. Now, the fifth and final practice that has been a game changer for me is inviting the light into our home and creating a sacred space. So in Kabbalah, light is everywhere, but when we consciously invite it into our environment through intention, everything changes.

Because the energy in our home becomes the air our children breathe. And when I invite light in consciously, our home feels calmer, softer, and more aligned. I feel like as the mother of the home, our energy dictates the energy of the entire home. It is our responsibility to create a beautiful, safe, calm, soft, aligned, kind energy in our home.

So there are a few [00:14:00] things that you can do to support that. However, the most important thing that you can do to invite more light into your home and to create a sacred, beautiful space is you look at your energy. Are you rushing? Are you stressed? Because I promise you, if you are rushed and if you are stressed, your children will feel that.

And if you don’t want your children to rush and feel stressed, then we have to look at our nervous system. So how can you bring in and invite more light into your home? Firstly, you can look at your space. Is it chaotic? Is there stuff everywhere? Cleaning up your space, putting some beautiful things around your home, like photos and bees works, candles and things like that.

There are so many things that you can do to create a beautiful environment in your home. Something that we love to do is set the table every night. It is so easy to not set the table. And to just [00:15:00] throw a place mat down and throw the food on. And don’t get me wrong, there are times when I do that, but the times where I intentionally set the table and maybe Bambi helps me, maybe she doesn’t, but where I intentionally create a beautiful, sacred space, it’s not fancy, it is just a linen tablecloth that I’m tie dyed myself some place mats that have food stains on them.

But I get a beeswax candle that Bambi and I have made, and I light that candle. We say a beautiful prayer before dinner. These are the things that your children will remember the feeling. And so I think about this, what do I want them to say about their childhood when they are talking to their future partner or their friends in their twenties, what are they gonna say?

What do I want them to say? I want them to say. My home was so peaceful and beautiful. My mom was so calm. We had so much fun. [00:16:00] We danced in the kitchen every night. It was a beautiful, blissful upbringing. We spent a lot of time in nature, whatever it is. Think about what you want your children to say when they’re talking to their friends or when they’re talking to their future partner.

What do you want them to say? I think about this so often. And it makes me be a better mother in this moment. So that one is super powerful. That’s my fifth practice that has been a game changer for me. All five of these practices have literally changed the way that I show up as a mother. They have brought so much joy to my life and they have allowed me to enjoy this motherhood journey so much more.

So let’s recap. The first practice is restriction and responding, pausing before reacting, creating space for the [00:17:00] light and love to enter, and choosing a conscious response instead of an ego-driven reaction. That’s the first one. The second one is conscious speech, using words as energy, shaping your child’s inner voice with kindness and intention.

The third one is daily renewal, letting go of the guilt and beginning again each day, bringing fresh light into motherhood. Number four, seeing the soul, not just the behavior. Remembering that your child is a beautiful soul on their own journey, on their own spiritual journey. And this will shift you from judgment to compassion.

Number five, inviting the light into your home, creating beautiful, sacred spaces and an atmosphere through intention, rituals, gratitude, and energy. These five ancient practices have made me a better mother and [00:18:00] have allowed me to enjoy this motherhood journey so much more. And if this feels like a lot, don’t try them all at once.

Just choose one this week. Maybe it’s the pausing before you react, or maybe it’s softening in your words. Maybe it’s forgiving yourself tonight when you put your head on your pillow and beginning again tomorrow. Or maybe it’s lighting a beeswax candle tonight before dinner. Motherhood is not about being perfect.

Delete that word perfect and perfection from your vocabulary. Motherhood is a spiritual journey. It is sacred. It is an honor. And it’s about bringing more light into our families, one choice at a time. And never forget that you are such a beautiful mother. You are here. You wanna be better. And for that, you’re amazing.

Never forget that. I hope you got a lot out of this episode, and if you did, please subscribe to the show and leave me a review on Apple Podcast because that [00:19:00] means that we can inspire and educate even more people together. And it also means that all of my episodes will just pop up in your feed so you never have to go searching for a new episode.

Now come and tell me on Instagram, which of these five is your favorite and which one you’re going to start with today. And if you want more episodes like this, please let me know. And before I go, just a reminder that love is sexy, healthy is liberating, and wealthy isn’t a dirty word.

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Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be SO grateful if you could leave me a review on Apple podcasts, that way we can inspire and educate even more people together.

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P.P.S. Please seek advice from a qualified holistic practitioner before starting any new health practice.