Episode Details

How do you get your kids to eat healthier, spend less time on screens, and build better habits without turning your home into a daily battle?
In this episode of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel Wood sits down with author and mother Candice Imwalle for a practical conversation about parenting, food, health, screen time, communication, and the habits children carry with them into adulthood.
Candice began writing children's books because she wanted her own kids to understand why healthy eating matters. That work later grew into a book for moms with practical health, anti-aging, and parenting ideas.
Her central message is simple:
Children are far more likely to change when they understand why something matters to them.
Instead of relying only on “because I said so,” Candice encourages parents to connect healthier choices to goals children already care about — getting stronger, performing better in sports, having more energy, becoming more independent, and being ready for adult life.
Daniel and Candice also talk honestly about how hard this can be when parents are tired, schedules are packed, practices start at 5:00, everyone is hungry, and the drive-through feels easier.
The answer is not perfection.
It is baby steps, preparation, communication, and consistency.
In this episode, you'll discover:
✔ Why healthy habits often begin much earlier than parents realize
✔ Why Candice compares unhealthy habits to other risks parents actively protect children from
✔ How to get kids to eat healthier without creating constant arguments
✔ Why meal prep can make healthy food almost as convenient as fast food
✔ Simple ways to start when you're exhausted and short on time
✔ Why a three-minute workout can be better than waiting for the “perfect” workout
✔ How to explain the “why” behind healthy choices
✔ Why kids respond better when healthy habits connect to their own goals
✔ How to handle screen time and phones during family time
✔ What to do when you're changing habits with teenagers
✔ Why changing everything at once usually backfires
✔ How to involve children in meals without creating more work
✔ Why giving kids choices can increase buy-in
✔ How respect changes the way children respond to parents
✔ Why yelling occasionally is different from making yelling the culture of the home
✔ How parenting and leadership share many of the same principles
This episode is for parents who want their kids to become healthier, stronger, more independent, and better prepared for life — without expecting themselves to become perfect parents overnight.

5 Lessons From This Episode
1. Healthy Habits Start Earlier Than We Think
The habits children develop around food, movement, screens, and self-care can stay with them for years.
Food is not simply about today's dinner.
It helps shape their relationship with health, discipline, energy, and caring for themselves.
2. Parents Still Have to Lead When It Is Inconvenient
Candice makes a strong comparison:
If your child ran toward traffic, you would immediately stop them.
Parents already accept responsibility for protecting children from dangers they are too young to understand fully.
Candice argues that building healthy habits belongs in that same broader responsibility.
3. Start With Baby Steps
You do not need to change your family's entire life tomorrow.
Start with:
One healthier dinner
One planned shopping trip
One short workout
One phone-free meal
One better conversation
Small improvements become routines.
4. Give Your Children the Why
“Because I said so” may create short-term compliance.
It does not always create long-term habits.
Ask what your children care about.
Do they want to:
Get better at football?
Run faster?
Feel stronger?
Make a team?
Have more energy?
Be prepare