Catherine Cowell talks with Val Mullally—author, parent educator, and SuperVision facilitator based in rural Ireland—about creating psychologically safe spaces for children (and really, for everyone).
Val shares how her own journey through emotional intelligence and neuroscience shaped her parenting philosophy: leading from love, not fear.
They discuss sensory sensitivity (how overwhelmed senses often drive "misbehaviour"), the difference between genuine affirmation and empty praise, and helping kids name and process emotions like anger rather than suppress them.
Val introduces her TRAKC model—Trust, Resonance, Authenticity, Kindness, Candour—for building psychological safety, emphasizing that rupture and repair (not perfection) build real trust, and that trust can't be demanded, only earned.
The conversation weaves together parenting, leadership, and supervision, showing how the same principles that help struggling children apply to all relationships.

It's a warm, reflective conversation blending psychology, faith, and decades of hands-on experience with children and adults alike.