Informal Chat - Ali and Karl No6

When Your Child Is Struggling... It Might Not Be About Them

When a child is struggling, our first instinct is to focus on the child. But what if the real issue lies elsewhere?

In this thoughtful conversation, Ali Knowles, Founder of Subconquest and Ollie and His Super Powers, joins Karl Bennett, Founder of The Wellbeing Consortium and Wellbeing Director within the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) sector, to explore why a child's behaviour is often a reflection of what's happening across the whole family.

Together they discuss:

✅ Why children's behaviour is often communication, not the problem itself.

✅ How stress at home quietly follows employees into the workplace.

✅ Why parents carry enormous guilt and responsibility.

✅ A moving real-life example of family grief and how adults can misread children's resilience.

✅ The subtle signs an employee may be struggling because of family pressures.

✅ Why asking for help is a strength, not a failure.

✅ How Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) can support the entire family through specialist services.

One of the most powerful moments in this discussion is Ali's reminder that parents often believe they must have all the answers. The reality is they don't need to be perfect. Sometimes the greatest gift they can give their children is looking after themselves too.

If you're a parent, manager, HR professional, or simply someone who cares about the wellbeing of families, this conversation offers practical insights that could change how you see children's emotional wellbeing.