What Cultures Around the World Can Teach You About Parenting with Marina Lopes

What Cultures Around the World Can Teach You About Parenting with Marina Lopes

Author: Anna Seewald April 1, 2025 Duration: 1:10:29

Brazilian-American journalist and former foreign correspondent Marina Lopes about parenting hacks from around the world. Drawing on her multicultural background and experiences living in various countries Marina explores how different cultures approach parenting, offering practical ideas for American parents. 

  • The Brazilian "birth party"
  • The Chinese tradition of postpartum rest ("sitting the month")
  • The Danish practice of babies sleeping outdoors
  • Swedish parental leave policies
  • Parenting in Mozambique
  • Singapore's reliance on hired help and affordable childcare
  • French universal childcare
  • Giving children real responsibilities and chores
  • Rethinking parental roles and challenging the guilt
  • And so much more

Despite exploring parenting practices worldwide, the author and her husband ultimately chose to raise their family in the US to be near their loved ones, emphasizing the importance of "going where the love is" and building community within their chosen location.

Get her book: Please Yell at My Kids : What Cultures Around the World Can Teach You About Parenting in Community, Raising Independent Kids, and Not Losing Your Mind

New to the podcast? Not sure where to start? Download our free TRAUMA KIT — a curated guide with live links to 10 powerful, handpicked episodes to get you started.

Explore how trauma shapes your body, brain, nervous system, and relationships — and discover pathways to healing and transformation.

Featuring world-renowned experts like Gabor Maté, Deb Dana, Thema Bryant, Paul Conti, and more.

LINKS AND RESOURCES


Anna Seewald hosts Authentic Parenting, a space for those who believe that raising children is deeply intertwined with growing themselves. This podcast moves beyond quick tips and strategies to explore the inner work required to parent with intention. Conversations here are grounded in a trauma-informed perspective, offering a compassionate lens through which to examine family patterns and reactions. The core idea is that by consciously addressing our own histories and connecting with our authentic selves, we can interrupt cycles of generational stress. What you’ll hear in each episode are thoughtful discussions and practical insights aimed at transforming daily challenges into opportunities for connection. The goal isn’t perfection, but fostering a family life with more calm, understanding, and genuine joy. It’s about creating an environment where children can thrive without carrying burdens forward. Tuning into this podcast feels like a supportive dialogue, reminding you that the journey of parenting is also a profound path of personal discovery. It’s for anyone ready to embrace the motto of raising their children while growing themselves.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Authentic Parenting
Podcast Episodes
Rethinking Modern Fatherhood, Mental Health, and Masculinity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:53
Kevin Maguire, author of The New Fatherhood, about what is shifting inside modern fatherhood and why so many men are trying to parent differently than they were parented themselves. Did you know that dads can experience…
The Mental Load of Fatherhood and Why Anger Isn't a Superpower [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:50
Jon Gustin from Tired Dad on what it really means to show up as a father not perfectly, but intentionally, how to keep the bigger picture front and center when you're exhausted, triggered, and pulled in a hundred directi…
Your Mental Health and What's Going Right with Dr. Paul Conti [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:39
Returning guest, renowned psychiatrist and author Dr. Paul Conti on tapping into our often ignored and long over-looked generative drive, the primary factor that's already going right in each of us. The generative drive…
The Loneliness of Parenting: Why You Can't Do It Alone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:44
Dr. Debbie Raphael on the significance of social connection—friendships, community, and creating your village. Connection isn't a luxury—it's a lifeline. It's one of the most powerful antidotes we have to stress, burnout…
The Japanese Way of Raising Calm, Caring, Capable Kids [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:49
Lisa Katayama, author and mom on what we can learn from the Japanese approach to parenting. Get her book: The Japanese Way of Parenting: And What It Taught Me About Raising (Mostly) Calm, Caring, Capable Kids OTHER EPISO…
Generosity, Happiness & the Reality  of Uneven Friendships [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:08
We hear a lot these days about boundaries, self-care, and protecting our energy. But what about generosity? In this episode, Kristy Lauricella and I explore generosity—what it means, how it shows up in everyday life, and…
Trailer: Welcome to Authentic Parenting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:07
Authentic Parenting is a podcast about breaking generational trauma cycles and raising emotionally healthy children by growing ourselves first. If you want to parent differently than you were parented, this podcast is fo…