Parenting Kids Through Mental Health Struggles, with Kristina Kuzmic

Before we dive in: this episode includes a discussion of childhood mental health struggles and discusses suicidal ideation and self harm. Please take care while listening.

Synopsis:  When your child is struggling and you can’t fix it—what then? In this deeply moving episode, Alyssa sits down with bestselling author and speaker Kristina Kuzmic to explore what it means to parent through a child’s depression. Kristina opens up about her son’s mental health journey and what it looked like behind the scenes: from the early signs that whispered before they screamed, to the moments where connection—not control—made all the difference.

Together, Alyssa and Kristina unpack the stigma around mental health, how depression differs from sadness, and why the stories we share (and how we share them) matter. They talk about respecting children’s privacy, normalizing emotions from an early age, and learning to say “help me understand what it’s like to be you” instead of rushing to fix.

This episode is a compassionate, grounded reminder that you don’t have to have all the answers—you just have to show up.

Transcript: Check out the AI generated transcript on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!