Empowered to Connect Podcast

What if the parent report card you've been grading yourself on this whole time was never actually yours to fill out? Episode summary bullets: Nicole Barlow, longtime foster and adoptive mom and one of our Cultivate...

Ever notice how a bedtime standoff, a backtalk moment, or a flat-out refusal can turn into you against your kid? Jesse sits down with Mo & Tona Ottinger for an honest look at what happens when parenting starts to feel...

Some books change the way we see. Rhonda Roorda's In Their Own Voices did that for countless adoptive families, including our own here at ETC. In this episode, Rhonda returns to walk us through her debut memoir, Torn...

You said it would be the last warning. You meant it this time. And somehow you are standing in the hallway with your voice raised, wondering how you ended up here again. If consequences have quietly become your first...

<p>Why do kids lie, even when the truth would have been easier? This week, we’re replaying an oldie but a goodie: Let's Talk About Lying with Robyn Gobbel. Lying is usually about fear and felt safety, not character...

<p>Catch the replay! Mona is a Pediatric Psychologist and the author of Beyond Behaviors, among several other books. If you've ever read Beyond Behaviors, you know how brilliant she is! In this episode, we talk about...

<p>Episode 237 is live! ️</p> <p>If someone you love is in the middle of a new placement (whether that's a newborn, a toddler, or a teenager), this one is for the people standing beside them.</p> <p>Tona, Becca, and...

<p>Community can feel different when your parenting journey looks different. Sometimes your circle shifts. Sometimes it shrinks. And sometimes it stretches you in ways you didn’t expect.</p> <p>But here’s what’s true...

<p>In this episode Becca, Jesse, and Tona walk us through what it looked like for them at the beginning of their parenting journey. Starting foster care, adoption, or any new parenting role can feel disorienting and...

<p>Let’s talk about the “Wall Between Us”, the invisible, protective bricks we build from past hurt that quietly block connection with the people we love most. Our snapping, withdrawing, overreacting, and...

<p>What if connection is one of the most powerful tools in the classroom?</p> <p>In this episode, Marti Smith and Amie Huggins join us to share about their new book The Connected Classroom and what they’ve learned...

<p>Does your nervous system feel like it’s been in survival mode for a long time?</p> <p>This episode is for you.</p> <p>We sat down in person with Melissa Corkum to talk about burnout, blocked care, and why connection...

<p>On this next part of our mini-series “When You’re Tired”, we reflect on being emotionally tired. It is the quiet exhaustion that comes from caring deeply, showing up consistently, and holding space for others. Dr...

<p>On today’s episode, Jesse and Jill Stockburger dive into a big question: What do we do when we’re living in chronic stress? They talk about how stress, adversity, and trauma impact us on a deeper level, and what it...

<p>In today’s episode, Jesse and Tona take a deep dive into the tension between connection and compliance in everyday parenting moments. Through real-life stories (yes, even dishes), we explore how prioritizing...