Dr. Jody Carrington

Dr. Jody Carrington Psychologist | Speaker | Best-Selling Author I passionately believe in the power of the relationship with the people we love, lead, and teach.
(454)

As a clinical psychologist, I have spent most of my career working with children and families who have experienced trauma. Growing up on a farm in rural Alberta, Canada, and after 13 years (!) of post-secondary education, I took my first job on the Mental Health Inpatient Units of the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. It was during those 10 years that I learned the most about kids, families,

relationships, and the vital importance of connection. Today, I’m back living in a rural setting, managing a private practice, raising a family, speaking around the country about relationships, connection and my new book, Kids These Days. My favourite thing on the planet to do is to speak with educators—they have the power to change the trajectory of a life every single day. It’s time that we need to start focusing less on kids these days, and more on those of you who hold them every day. The core of everything I speak and write about comes down to this: we are wired to do hard things. We can do those hard things so much easier when we remember this: we are wired for connection. Join us on this journey to build a strong, connected community—it’s a (re)connection revolution starting now.

112 days today. That’s how long I’ve been on this side of heaven without my Dad. And to think, last week, I thought for ...
08/07/2025

112 days today. That’s how long I’ve been on this side of heaven without my Dad. And to think, last week, I thought for sure I was “good”. In fact, I was feeling guilty that many of my memories or thoughts of him were fleeting. Brought a smile even. And then boom. Somehow yesterday I discovered that we are in the triple digits when it comes to days where I could no longer touch him or hug him. As early as his late 60’s, he started to struggle with dementia and he was 74 when he died 112 days ago. Sometimes I thought this time of separation on the earth with him was helping. I couldn’t just call him in the past year, because he didn’t know how to pick up a phone. But I always had the option of talk to him. To tell him things.

I think the big blow came yesterday with the next book proposal on the table. The next big leap for me, for my team. I know it’s going to be a big one. I can feel it. I also know I will sacrifice incredibly to make it what it needs to be. Aaron will pay the price and so will our kids. People will wonder if I love my work more than them and if the time always on the road will be worth it in the end. I don’t know that answer. But I know that there is a script in my bones to relentlessly pursue the thing that gives me the light so I can continue to give it away. It is in these days that I crave him the most. He gave me this drive. He showed me how to build great things. And I just want to ask him, is it all going to be okay?

You Don’t Need a Better Routine—You Need a Community.You can have the perfect morning routine.Meditate. Hydrate. Journal...
08/06/2025

You Don’t Need a Better Routine—You Need a Community.

You can have the perfect morning routine.
Meditate. Hydrate. Journal till your hand cramps.
And still feel deeply alone.

Why?
Because self-help doesn’t replace being held.
It doesn’t make eye contact. It doesn’t say “me too.”
It doesn’t bring you a muffin on the day your heart breaks a little.

We heal in relationship.
We regulate in community.
We rise because someone else looked us in the eye and said,
“You don’t have to carry this by yourself.”

So no—maybe you don’t need more discipline.
You need your people.

💬 Tag the ones who’ve helped you come back to yourself.

📱 "Wow, must be nice to have time to yourself." or "No worries, I'll just do it myself then."Ever get a text like that f...
08/06/2025

📱 "Wow, must be nice to have time to yourself." or "No worries, I'll just do it myself then."
Ever get a text like that from a friend?

Passive-aggressive messages are hard because they sting—but they’re also a clue. A clue that something’s unspoken. A need is unmet. A feeling is hiding underneath. Is it your job to always fix it? F**k no. Hear me out...

Sometimes, in fact most times, it's not about if you'll respond, it's how. Consider this...

Pause. Don’t fire back.
You don’t need to match their energy. You need to understand it.

Get curious, not furious.
Try: “Hey, I got your message—tell me more? What's up?”

Don’t take the bait.
Passive-aggression is usually fear in disguise. Fear of being direct. Fear of not being heard. Fear of being too much. It doesn't make it right or justified, but understanding it can be your fuel to slow your roll.

Decide what kind of relationship you want.
Not every comment needs a comeback—but the healthiest relationships need clarity, not mind games.

It takes guts to name what’s going on instead of playing along. But connection lives in truth, not guessing games.

You deserve relationships where people say what they mean—and mean what they say.

💬 Tell me your thoughts friends: are we in a passive-aggressive world these days?





Today is that special kind of emotional whiplash: Last day of the long weekend✨ Are you still wearing a bathing suit?✨ A...
08/04/2025

Today is that special kind of emotional whiplash: Last day of the long weekend

✨ Are you still wearing a bathing suit?
✨ Are you already spiraling about tomorrow’s inbox?

Today is giving:
🫠 “What even is my job again?”
📅 “Did I agree to a meeting at 8am? Am I okay?”
💻 “What’s the least chaotic outfit I can wear while crying internally?”

Let’s be real:
This final day of the long weekend is not about productivity.
It’s about mourning.
It’s about staring into the void while half-heartedly folding towels.
It’s about Googling “How to move to Italy with no plan.”

Reminder:
💛 You don’t have to “gear up.”
💛 You can glide in sideways tomorrow, covered in sand and snacks and unbothered energy.

💬 Drop a 🍷 if you’re pretending today doesn’t count.

Camping. F**k me. I know so many of you love it. And I love that you do, because really, it is the best thing for humans...
08/01/2025

Camping. F**k me. I know so many of you love it. And I love that you do, because really, it is the best thing for humans these days. Disconnect and get back to nature. I write about that s**t. I also did an interview with Oprah Daily (see how I just through that in there); they were writing an article on the concept of "pre-annoyance" - doing something where you are already annoyed before the event even takes place. The timing was divine. I said to the amazing interviewer (who was not Oprah, by the way, in case you were wondering - although someday I hope Ops and I get to sit together), I can tell you all about pre-annoyance. See, my personal husband has this place on a beautiful river, in his family for years, where the peace is palpable, and the silence is deafening. Some of my clearest moments have come on a lawn chair, sitting in that very river. The part that annoys me (pre, during, and post) is just how much it takes to pack up your little life, prep, feed, entertain. And then pack that s**t all up again, now bug-infested and soggy, and come right back home. When you do it all the time, you have all the bells and whistles and you're good at it. We are not. Alas. I also said to the Oprah lady that the counteract to preannoyance is frequent shoulder-dropping and on-purpose joy seeking. So, that's the plan. Stay tuned. And send hope. xo

08/01/2025

Tune in, because this one? It’s a gut-punch (in the best way). I have long-admired this powerhouse of a woman. A fellow psychotherapist, she has been on some of the stages I have only dreamed about. And she's a NY Times best selling author. And she knows her s**t. 🎯
⁠
I sat down with the legendary to talk about what happens when you finally realize:
➡️ You can't heal others until you’ve done your own work.
➡️ Boundaries aren't walls — they’re bridges.
➡️ You’re not broken — you’re fu***ng learning.
⁠
We cover it all: messy healing, high-functioning codependency, and how to stay true to your mission even when the world tells you to play small.
⁠
🎧 New episode is LIVE.
Go get your heart cracked open (in the best, most badass way).

🧳 "5 Ways to Stay Connected After a Family Trip (Without Needing Therapy… Again)"If you followed along on my family's re...
07/31/2025

🧳 "5 Ways to Stay Connected After a Family Trip (Without Needing Therapy… Again)"

If you followed along on my family's recent month-long venture on a British Isles road trip, you might be familiar with my "bathroom confessions", where I went every day to dispel the myths of a "perfect family vacation". For the record - those rarely exist and many of us spend way too much time beating ourselves up over it.

The other thing we don't talk about is what happens after the family vacation. When throat-punchery may have been high, exhaustion rampant, and routine non-existent.

Here are 5 ways to stay connected with your people after the family trip ends—and before you block them until Christmas:

Send a photo with context.
No one needs 48 blurry lake pics. But a selfie + “Can’t believe we survived this chaos” = connection.

Create a fake award ceremony.
🏆 “Most Dramatic Tantrum”
🏆 “Survivor: Minivan Edition”
🏆 “Didn’t Say a Single Mean Thing to Aunt Brenda”
Give them their flowers. And maybe a trophy emoji.

Check in for real.
Like “Did you get home okay?”, "What was your favourite day?", etc.

Share the joke that almost made you p*e.
Laughter is glue. Text that weird inside joke. Bonus points if it makes zero sense out of context.

Say the thing no one says.
“I love you.”
“I know we’re all just doing our best.”
“I’m glad we did that—even if it was a lot.”

💬 Tag your family vacation crew and award them something ridiculous.
Or real. Or both.

07/30/2025

Stop Trying to Feel Better. Just Feel First.

We’re so good at trying to feel better.
We journal. We breathe. We scroll for inspirational quotes.

But here’s the truth nobody wants to post on Instagram:
You can’t bypass what your body still remembers.
You can’t self-help your way around the ache.

The only way through?
Feel it. Sit with it. Name it.
Let it be messy and loud and inconvenient.

Because trying to feel better before you feel anything is like icing a cake that’s still raw inside.

🧨 This summer, stop numbing.
Start noticing. Just a little bit at a time.
If it's true, start with reminding yourself out loud if you can, in your head if you have to: You’re safe to feel it all.

💥 We had a fight. Now what? Here’s the truth: Conflict is not the problem. Unrepaired conflict is.Every relationship—rom...
07/29/2025

💥 We had a fight. Now what? Here’s the truth: Conflict is not the problem. Unrepaired conflict is.

Every relationship—romantic, parenting, friendship, workplace—will hit turbulence. In fact, if you "don't ever fight", it makes me worried. Conflict is a part of any relationship that matters. What matters most, however, isn’t how hurt you both were. What matters is how you repair. The thing most of us forget is that you can't give it away if you've never received it. If no one has shown you how to apologize, it's hard to know how to do it well.

✨ Here’s what repair can sound like:
• “I didn’t show up the way I wanted to. I’m sorry.”
• “Can we try again? I want to understand you better.”
• “That conversation got heated. Let’s take a breath and circle back.”

Repair takes courage. It takes one person brave enough to go first. Not to win—but to reconnect. Here's the most important thing about it: a repair will never include the word BUT. When that word shows up, you'll erase the apology. Every. Time.

If you’ve just had a blow-up, here’s your sign: it’s not too late. Not if you’re still trying.

The people we love are worth the repair. Drop your shoulders and lean on in. ❤️

07/25/2025

📵 TURN IT OFF. Seriously.
Not forever. Just long enough to get back to yourself and your loved ones.

Here’s the truth: You’re not weak. You’re not broken. You’re just HUMAN. And the people who design notifications? They are literal neuroscientists trained to hijack your brain.

You are a good person. But you’re not that good to resist the constant dings, pings, and scroll holes.

We can’t connect—to ourselves or our people—when we’re being pulled a thousand different directions by a screen.

✨ So here’s the strategy:
Put your phone in another room.
Turn off the damn alerts.
Give your nervous system a break.
And watch how fast you come back "online"—prefrontal cortex and all.

Let your kids watch you choose presence over pings.
Because that’s how we teach it.

Let’s be honest: Trying to focus on work in July feels like herding goldfish in a thunderstorm. It’s hot. You’re oversti...
07/24/2025

Let’s be honest: Trying to focus on work in July feels like herding goldfish in a thunderstorm. It’s hot. You’re overstimulated. And everything in your body is screaming, “Shouldn’t we be on a patio right now?”

So if you’re feeling unfocused, unmotivated, or just plain done—remember this: You’re not lazy. You’re just human in summer mode.

Here’s what helps:
Regulate before you get productive.
You can’t grind from a dysregulated nervous system.
Start with breath, movement, or one damn sip of water.

Use the season, don’t fight it.
Lean into early mornings for deep work.
Let afternoons be lighter.
Close the laptop 30 minutes early—and don’t feel guilty.

Make focus feel good.
Create a “deep work” playlist.
Add a ritual: a fancy drink, a cold cloth, a reward.
Pleasure helps productivity land.

One tab. One task. One thing.
Your brain isn’t built for 17 things at once—especially not in July.
Close the chaos. Choose one thing. Let that be enough.

Anchor in purpose, not pressure.
Ask:
Why does this matter?
Who does this serve?
How will this help someone feel seen?

🧠 Your worth isn’t in how productive you are this summer.
🌞 But your focus can still feel good if it’s rooted in presence—not pressure.

💬 What’s your go-to ritual when your focus is melting?
Drop it below. Let’s crowdsource some mid-summer sanity. 👇

07/23/2025

You Can Be Grateful and Still Be F*cking Tired

Let’s make something real clear:
You can be so deeply grateful for your life—and still be absolutely fried.

You can love your kids and still want to scream into a towel.
You can adore your job and still fantasize about running away to the woods.
You can have everything you prayed for… and still feel like you're running on fumes.

Because gratitude doesn’t cancel exhaustion.
Joy doesn’t erase burnout.
You’re allowed to hold both.

🌙 So tonight, say thank you—and also, holy s**t, I’m tired.
You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just human.

Address

Olds, AB

Telephone

+14035594061

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dr. Jody Carrington posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Dr. Jody Carrington:

Shortcuts

Share

Category