Dr. Nanika Coor returns to Project Parenthood with new episodes! Get ready for a deepened commitment to conversations that matter, centered on building a supportive community, promoting collective healing, and embracing liberation in parenting.
Dr. Nanika Coor returns to Project Parenthood with new episodes! Get ready for a deepened commitment to conversations that matter, centered on building a supportive community, promoting collective healing, and embracing liberation in parenting.
Transcript: https://project-parenthood.simplecast.com/episodes/dr-cooris-back-parenting-for-collective-healing-and-liberation/transcript
Have a parenting question? Email Dr. Coor at parenthood@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at 646-926-3243.
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Have you ever circled back to something in your life not because you had to, but because it kept hanging out in the back of your mind? Because it somehow wouldn’t leave you alone… in a good way?
That’s what this podcast has been for me.
I stepped away last year to catch my breath. To create some spaciousness to think. To marinate. And to do the kind of work that doesn’t always fit neatly into podcast episode form. The kind of work that happens deep in the bones, maybe even in the background - unconsciously.
But I didn’t stop thinking about this space and about you listeners. About the stories I’ve shared and the ones I still want to tell.
So I’m back—not to pick up where I left off exactly, but to go deeper.
To create space for conversations that hold complexity and compassion. That center BIPOC voices and wisdom. That challenge parents to outgrow the myths of modernity. That ask what it really means to parent—and live—with liberation in mind.
This time, I’m not just making a podcast, I’m hoping to build a community.
And I’m so glad you’re here to be part of it. This is Project Parenthood. Let’s dive back in.
Hey there, and welcome—or welcome back—to Project Parenthood. I’m your host, Dr. Nanika Coor, a clinical psychologist with a respectful parenting focus. If you’re a returning listener, it’s great to connect again, and if you’re brand new to the show, I’m so glad you’re here.
It feels great to be back behind the mic with fresh energy and a deepened commitment to the kind of parenting conversations that truly matter. Today’s episode is a chance for us to reacquaint ourselves. I’ll share a bit about my recent journey, what reignited my passion for this podcast, and what you can expect from Project Parenthood moving forward. Whether you’re parenting, teaching, mentoring, or simply striving to connect more intentionally with young people, you’re in the right place.
Stepping away from this podcast last year was necessary for me, though not easy. Like many parents I work with, I felt burnt out and isolated. Churning out a podcast without a strong sense of community felt like doing something for people, not with them—which just isn’t aligned with how I aim to live, parent, and connect. Meanwhile, I was also pouring energy into building Parent Intensives into my practice, offering clients a more spacious and transformational experience. That kind of deep work clarified my purpose, centered on this question:
How do we interrupt oppressive systems—and raise children who become interrupters—while also healing from the pain of living and parenting within those systems, many of which are challenging to simply opt out of? How do we hold the truth of our desire to disrupt and build something more humane and sustainable, while still having to survive inside structures that weren’t designed with our thriving in mind?
That core inquiry is really why I came backreturned. Despite needing the break, I missed this space, the insightful guests, and connecting with you—this audience of curious, brave, open-hearted parents and caregivers. I missed diving deep into topics I was hungry to explore and sharing discoveries with families in my practice.
So, I'm returning with a renewed vision: building community here, together. We aren’t meant to parent in isolation, and I don’t want to podcast that way either. This time, I want to engage more with you—your stories, questions, struggles, and hopes. I plan to bring more storytelling, exploring the deeper, messier truths of growing alongside our kids. Honestly, creating these episodes stimulates my creativity and fosters a connection I truly love. So thanks so much for being part of this.
Okay, so I’ve talked a bit about my journey. Now, Ffor those newer here, or needing a refresher, let me properly introduce myself. I’m Dr. Nanika Coor, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Brooklyn, NY. I work therapeutically with parents seeking to build meaningful and connected relationships with their children and break cycles of parent-child disconnection rooted in intergenerational trauma.
As a Black American woman, mother, and partner in a multiracial family raising a gender-creative child, my lived experience fundamentally shapes my approach. I understand navigating racialized stress and generational trauma while striving to parent with intention, compassion, and equity. And I know I’m not alone.
The families I work with often navigate the delicate dance of parenting differently than they were parented. In particular, they want to break cycles of emotionally wounding, dismissive, or punitive ways of being with kids. What lights me up is the possibility of intergenerational healing—the powerful idea that growing our self-compassion can change how we show up for our kids and ourselves. Parenting can really be an act of liberation–an unlearning of harmful systems like white supremacy, patriarchy, and ableism, where we focus on raising emotionally attuned, radically compassionate children connected to their inherent worth. Whether it’s through weekly 1:1 therapy or through targeted Parent Intensives, my goal is helping people cultivate awareness, spaciousness, and intentionality in relating to their children—and themselves. This podcast is another joyful way to do that.
At its core, this show is grounded in curiosity, compassion, and collaboration. I'm not over here offering one-size-fits-all advice, but holding space for reflection, exploration, and the sometimes uncomfortable truths of parenting aligned with our deepest values, even when the world hinders it.
Each week will delve into the courageous, nuanced, human work of parenting. Expect short solo episodes with insights arising from my client work, and conversations with guest experts offering powerful perspectives on topics from child development to social justice. But the thing I’m most looking forward to in the new era of Project Parenthood is getting you involved. Listener Q&As will address your real-life questions and triumphs. If you're wondering something, others likely are too – so reach out; your voice matters!
Some themes we’ll explore this season include:
Don’t get me wrong this won't just be theory; expect practical tools, real stories, and candid talk for your daily parenting life. We’ll consistently use an intersectional lens, acknowledging how race, gender, class, disability, and culture shape our parenting experiences. Because we're not just raising kids; we're raising future friends, partners, coworkers, ancestors. Doing so intentionally, in community, shifts possibilities for everyone.
My return to this podcast is part of a larger vision for collective healing and liberation. This isn't a solo project; it’s one thread in a movement of caregivers interrupting harmful patterns, tending to their healing, and raising compassionate, courageous children. I'm building this with you.
What do you want to learn about? What questions keep you up? Which struggles feel tender? Who should be on the show? Share your thoughts with me via Instagram @bkparents, send an email to parenthood@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at 646-926-3243. I’m envisioning this as a hub for community, creativity, and collective care. If you feel sparked, follow that impulse. Connect!
As we wrap up, here’s a gentle invitation: Whether you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, mentor, or any grown-up shaping a child's world—you're doing complex, meaningful, demanding work. Especially when society often frames parenting as an individual project, not the community-supported, relational effort it’s meant to be.
So, can you slow down? Get curious—about what your child’s behaviors are communicating, not simply about how to get them to stop or start doing something? Stay open to your own reactions, history, healing? Can you parent with intention instead of perfection? It’s not about getting it right every time, but more about showing up with more presence, repair, and grace—for your kids and yourself. You’re allowed to make mistakes, evolve, try again, and hold complexity: the love and rage, joy and fear, tenderness and exhaustion.
This new era of the show embraces all of that: growth, reflection, honesty, community. And remember this truth: If trauma can be passed down, so can healing. If oppression can be inherited, so can resistance, reparation, and restoration.
Whether you're a long-time listener or just joining, I'm truly grateful you're here. Let's show up with curiosity and care. We’re building something, and I hope you'll be part of it. If today resonated, please subscribe, leave a review, and share the show. It helps Project Parenthood reach more caregivers seeking to raise kids with compassion, intention, and respect.
If you’re ready to dig deep, learn, unlearn, and feel more seen, you’re in the right place. I’m so grateful to be in community with you.
Catch you next week.
Project Parenthood is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast, and I want to thank our fantastic team! Dan Feierabend audio-engineers the show. Holly Hutchings is our director of podcasts, Morgan Christianson is our advertising operations specialist, and Nathaniel Hoopes is our marketing contractor.