Are we expressing more than we’re actually coping? Kate Mason poses three big, bold questions to five insightful guests—Cat, Cassie, Jack, Maryann, and Tracy. Together, they explore what today’s kids are most missing: is it freedom, discipline, or connection? They unpack whether our personality or our experiences shape us more deeply, and whether the current culture of emotional openness is fostering resilience or just performance. With perspectives from teachers, parents, and leaders, this episode invites listeners to rethink the way they parent, teach, connect, and even scroll. It’s honest, nuanced, and might just shift the way you see the emotional lives of both kids and adults.Listen For2:33 What are kids missing most—freedom, discipline, or connection?8:51 Are we shaped more by personality or experience?14:27 Have we become better at expressing or just posting emotions?19:47 How can we help kids build real resilience offline? Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one clickContact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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Can the Same Parents Raise Different Kids?
Ever wondered if siblings raised by the same parents actually grow up in completely different families?Kate Mason sits down with author, veteran, and filmmaker Pamela Vines to explore how sibling dynamics, birth order, and evolving parenting styles shape who we become. Through heartfelt storytelling and humorous reflection, Pam shares how she and her two sisters (each born in a different decade) experienced three radically different versions of the same parents. From being a self-sufficient middle child to caring for her aging father, Pam reflects on generational shifts in parenting, perception, and purpose. Together, Kate and Pam dig into how personality, timing, and life circumstances affect our family roles, childhood memories, and ultimately, how we parent. Listen For6:59 What inspired Pam Vines’ project on aging, caregiving, and creativity in later life?14:00 How did birth order and big age gaps affect Pamela's family dynamic?24:17 Did all three sisters really experience the same parents?31:41 How did different rules apply to each sibling when it came to freedom and trust?37:52 How do parents unintentionally show favoritism—and can they ever see it?Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one clickConnect with guest: Pam Vines CEO of Vines Film and Media, AuthorLinkedIn | Website | Book | InstagramContact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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Caring for a Parent While Parenting Your Own
What if love, loss, and legacy could all live between the pages of a book? Kate Mason sits down with journalist and author Casey Beros to explore the raw, real, and deeply human story behind her book The Next of Kin. Casey shares how she left a thriving life and career in Sydney to return home to Perth and care for her terminally ill father during the height of COVID-19. Together, they discuss the power of advocacy, the complexities of caregiving within families, and the emotional and practical challenges of walking a loved one to the end of life. This episode is not just a conversation about dying—it’s about how to live, love, and prepare better. It's for anyone who’s ever cared for someone or ever will. Listen For1:05 What happens when life hands you a role you never signed up for?5:26 How did Casey's father react to his terminal diagnosis?13:54 Why did Casey write The Next of Kin and who is it really for?30:50 How do carers avoid isolation and family resentment?43:40 What are the hidden emotional costs of caregiving for young children? Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click Connect with guest: Casey Beros | Medical Facilitator | Educator | CommunicatorLinkedIn | Website | Next of Kin Book | Instagram | X| Facebook| NewsletterContact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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Renovating, Retirement, and Relationships
Ever tried renovating a house with someone whose decision-making style feels like it’s from another planet? In this hilariously honest episode of Parenting and Personalities, Kate Mason dives into the chaos, comedy, and clashing temperaments that come with navigating a home renovation and retirement… at the same time. With her husband Paul newly retired and suddenly hyper-involved in what was supposed to be her renovation project, Kate unpacks their dynamic through the lens of personality types: her ESFP, sanguine, coffee-loving, chat-first approach versus Paul's ISTP, choleric, fix-it-now energy. This deeply relatable episode blends humour with insight as Kate shows how understanding personality can turn potential conflict into connection, even if it means negotiating cupboard handles one deep breath at a time. Listen For6:25 What does an ESFP look like during a home renovation?10:01 How does retirement change a partner’s role in a project?11:58 Can you add underfloor heating at the last minute?16:17 What happens when you double-book trades on the same day?19:51 How do opposites survive renovations and still like each other?Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click Contact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
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What I Wish I Knew as a New Parent—Now That I'm a Grandparent
What happens when a seasoned parent meets their grandchild for the first time—and realizes that parenting doesn’t come with a manual, even the second time around?Kate Mason shares a raw, heartfelt, and often humorous reflection on her first four weeks as a brand-new grandparent. From revisiting the sleep-deprived fog of early parenthood to navigating the emotional nuances of supporting her daughter without overstepping, Kate offers a deeply personal and relatable take on the chaos and beauty of life with a newborn. She reflects on the unique challenges new parents face, the delicate art of offering help (without offering advice), and how her own memories of motherhood have shifted now that her child has a child. Listen For1:23 Sleepless Nights and Grandparent Epiphanies3:12 Why Parenthood Was Never a Given6:02 The First Time Holding Her Grandchild10:01 The Truth About Sleep Deprivation and Grandparent Recovery15:42 The Golden Rule for Surviving Parenthood as a Couple Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click Contact Kate:Email | Website | Kate’s Book on Amazon | LinkedIn | Facebook | X
One thing about being a parent – there’s no shortage of personalities to be surrounded by. Our kids, our partners, our family, our friends. They keep us laughing, growing, loving, and crying. If only they understood us. Like the musician Van Morrison once sang “When people understand what I mean, mama said there will be days like this.” Adelaide Australia’s Kate Mason is an author, wife, and mother who has spent her career studying personality and relationships. In this podcast she looks at why relationships work, and why some don't. She also looks at how our personalities impact our relationships and examines what compels our children, husbands, wives and others to behave the way they do. This podcast is designed to help you understand those you love. A half hour listening on your own, will connect you with the ones you care about the most.
Ireland