Reframing the Conversation
Turning Chaos Into Calm
In my new line of work, I remind parents that we’re all winging it. There is no manual for parenting. But our kids don’t know that.
We’re older, bigger, equipped with a modicum of executive functioning, language, perspective, and decades of experience being human. Parents have the advantage.
Until your little munchkin catches you at your worst.
You’re running on fumes. Long hours. Managing personalities. Smiling through stress. You’ve been “regulated” all day. Controlled, professional, and polished.
This article was written by Penny Greening and originally published by BC Parent Newsmagazine. FULL ARTICLE
A History of Scilence and Survival
Every year on International Women’s Day, we celebrate the progress women have made towards gender equality. But celebration asks something else of us: reflection.
Reflection on the slow pace of systems to recognize women’s health as worthy of study. Reflection on the women whose struggles were never named. And reflection on the quiet realities many women still carry. READ MORE
Stay Present, Stop Fixing
The most supportive thing a parent can do is stay present without trying to fix everything. This approach required confronting shame. I worked especially hard to avoid passing on the body image shame I inherited to our daughter. I shifted how I spoke about bodies and food, choosing more neutral language that framed physical change as a natural occurrence vs. a moral failing.
This excerpt appears in the story, What Cancer Taught Me About Breaking Family Cycles, by Penny Greening, and was originally published in By The North (BTN). FULL ARTICLE
The “Reset” Mindset
By now, you’ve probably heard that for most people, New Year’s resolutions don’t survive past a few weeks. From my brief professional career and personal hobbies in the fitness industry, I learned through daily practice, what many of us discover the hard way: long-term consistency is the real key to change. There’s no mystery and no magic pill. At least, none that’s healthy or sustainable.
When progress is slow or unglamorous, inconsistency creeps in. We fall off track not because we lack willpower, but because we lack planning or support. Parenting can feel much the same.
This article was written by Penny Greening and originally published by BC Parent Newsmagazine. FULL ARTICLE
Pain Revealed, Power Gained
In this story-focused conversation, Mikaela Brewer (Publication Manager, Unsinkable) sits down with Penny Greening—a mom, professional communicator, and mental health advocate based in North Vancouver, BC. FULL STORY
Backpacks, Body Shame & the Playground of Food Talk
The fallout of body-based bullying isn’t just emotional. It has serious mental health consequences. Numerous Canadian studies and school health surveys have found that children who are bullied are at significantly higher risk for anxiety and depression, low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction, social withdrawal and academic decline, and sometime worse
This article was written by Penny Greening and originally published by BC Parent Newsmagazine. FULL ARTICLE