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Pop Culture Parenting

Pop Culture Parenting

Dr Billy Garvey, Nick McCormack 139 Episodes Sep 30, 2026

This podcast is about finding the sweetspot between the textbooks and real life when it comes to parenting. Dr Billy (a developmental pediatrician) and Nick (a developing parent) are a couple of dads having honest discussions about parenting day to day. They use iconic TV and cinema scenes from the 80's & 90's to give context to Billy's parenting advice.

Episodes

PCP Collabs: Understanding Boys with The Man Cave Ep. 2
PCP Collabs: Understanding Boys with The Man Cave Ep. 2 Sep 30, 2026 00:52:56 "Yeah, but what do I actually say to my boys?"If Part One of this series reframed how we see the boys in our lives, Part Two is about what comes next: the words.In Part Two of this special three-part series, Pop Culture Parenting and The Man Cave move with you from understanding to language.Billy is sharing the clinical insight behind why certain approaches work alongside the most valuable insight
PCP Collabs: Understanding Boys with The Man Cave Ep. 1
PCP Collabs: Understanding Boys with The Man Cave Ep. 1 Sep 27, 2026 01:24:09 "Why won't he tell me what's going on?"It's one of the questions Billy hears most from parents. Inside schools across Australia, The Man Cave hears boys asking something strikingly similar: "Why does no one seem to get me?"Two sides of the same relationship. Rarely in the same room. In this special three-part series, Pop Culture Parenting teams up with The Man Cave to close that gap. Billy of
Episode 140: Lost boys & The Lost Boys
Episode 140: Lost boys & The Lost Boys Sep 20, 2026 01:18:30 What does it mean to be a man? The Lost Boys gives us a window into one version of that answer and it isn't pretty. In this episode we use the film to explore masculinity and what the research tells us about how boys develop their sense of who they are, what it means to be strong, and what they risk losing when the only version of masculinity on offer is rigid, stoic and built on control
Episode 139: Sensory sensitivities reflection
Episode 139: Sensory sensitivities reflection Sep 13, 2026 02:02:42 The response to our Sensory Sensitivities episode reminded us just how personal and powerful this topic is. Our polls revealed that 85% of our community find the world too full on for their senses some days, and the reflections that followed were honest, funny and deeply moving. We hear from a social worker whose son's autism diagnosis unlocked more than 80 years of unrecognised sensory challenges
Episode 138: Sensory sensitivities & Mad Max Fury Road
Episode 138: Sensory sensitivities & Mad Max Fury Road Aug 30, 2026 01:00:10 Every child experiences the world differently, and Mad Max: Fury Road gives us the perfect lens to explore why. In this episode on Sensory Sensitivities we dive into the science of sensory processing, including all eight senses, and what it means for the children we love and care for. We discuss how the brain decides what to notice and what to ignore, why some kids seem to need more of everything
Episode 137: Anger reflection
Episode 137: Anger reflection Aug 16, 2026 02:04:27 The response to our anger episode was one of the most moving we have ever received. In this reflection we hear from parents who grew up around anger they couldn't name and are working hard not to repeat those patterns, from a dad who recognised himself in his own mother's rage during the most vulnerable weeks of early parenthood, from someone who works with young people in custody for whom anger b
Episode 136: Anger & Lethal Weapon
Episode 136: Anger & Lethal Weapon Aug 2, 2026 01:06:50 Every parent knows the feeling. Your kid goes from zero to meltdown in seconds, over something that seems completely trivial. In this episode we use Lethal Weapon as our jumping-off point to explore what's actually happening in a child's brain when anger takes over. We talk about why children's brains are wired to detect and react to emotional triggers before they're wired to interpret them, why t
Episode 135: Healthy habits reflection
Episode 135: Healthy habits reflection Jul 19, 2026 01:57:16 Episode 135 is out now! Healthy habits reflection goes deep into the gap between the habits we want and the reality of our lives. We hear extraordinary listener stories, questions and advice. A music professional who survived her own real-life Fletcher and came out the other side with a powerful question about what we teach kids to normalise in the pursuit of excellence. A dad whose chaotic childh
Episode 134: Healthy habits & Whiplash
Episode 134: Healthy habits & Whiplash Jul 5, 2026 01:03:40 Healthy habits. We all want them for our kids and for ourselves, but as Whiplash reminds us, the pursuit of improvement can sometimes drift into pressure, perfectionism and burnout. In this episode we explore what the science of habit formation actually tells us about lasting change, including why healthy habits are built more by our environments than our willpower, why people with strong self-con
Episode 133: Arrival of a baby reflection
Episode 133: Arrival of a baby reflection Jun 21, 2026 01:41:16 What an episode. We asked the PCP community and they delivered some of the most beautiful reflections and advice about the arrival of a baby. We answer question about feeling ready, repairing bonds, jealousy and the foundations of connection. We hear practical advice and phenomenal reflections from people who have overcome challenges that no one should have to. Thank you to everyone who shared th
Episode 132: Arrival of a baby & The Incredibles
Episode 132: Arrival of a baby & The Incredibles Jun 7, 2026 01:14:36 This one might seem like it's just for new parents but it's for all of us. There's no moment quite like a new baby. You're handed the most enormous responsibility of your life wrapped in a very small blanket. Using The Incredibles as our jumping-off point, we explore what a newborn actually needs from the people around them. Why responsiveness matters more than perfection, and what support really
Episode 131: Rewards & punishments reflection
Episode 131: Rewards & punishments reflection May 31, 2026 01:53:14 Episode 131 is out now! Rewards and punishments reflection goes deeply into how developmental theory and the evidence can be used in the real world to guide our kids. We hear amazing listener reflections, questions and advice including a mum whose seven year old caught her mid-bad-parenting and handled it better than she did, a dad fighting the daily battle between connection and control, and a te

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