Connected Families Podcast

What does it look like when a family’s whole trajectory begins to change? For the Dewey family, it hasn’t looked like perfection. It has looked like grace, growth, and small wins worth celebrating. Joe and his wife, Courtney, have spent years practicing the Connected Families Framework™ in their busy, homeschooling, “beautifully messy” home. Now Joe is stepping in as the new president of Connected Families. In this episode, host Stacy Bellward joins Joe and founders Jim and Lynne Jackson for a personal conversation about Christian parenting, ministry, everyday faith, and the hope that how we love our kids today can shape our families for generations. 

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Jim and Lynne Jackson are the Founders Emeritus of Connected Families in Plymouth, MN. With over 50 combined years of professionally helping families and a love for working in the church, Jim and Lynne have brought reliable, God-centered, research-based parenting resources to families since 2002. 

Joe Dewey is the new President of Connected Families and a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach. He has a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and has served in full-time ministry with Cru in Leader Development and Human Resources since 2010. He has been a certified life coach since 2017. These experiences, and more, have molded him into a leader who leads with solutions. Whether in ministry or parenting, he finds clarity amid complexity, providing win-win solutions. 

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

For more than twenty years, Connected Families has heard countless stories: parenting stress decreased, the angry household that got gentler, the relationship that came back to life. Beautiful stories, all of them. But a problem remained: stories aren’t data.

In this episode, Stacy Bellward welcomes back Dr. Cindy Wilson, Connected Families Director of Education, Equipping and Research, to share results from the ministry’s first official research study on the Connected Families Framework™ and the Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart online course. Partnering with an independent research team at Florida State University, Cindy’s team asked 50 parents questions to uncover what actually changed in their homes.

If you’re in a hard parenting season and wondering whether the inward-first work is worth it, this conversation offers both encouragement and evidence.

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Cindy Wilson is a CF-Certified Parent Coach and a Certified Family Life Educator with 20+ years in children & family ministry and academia. As Director of Education, Equipping, and Research for CF, she helps churches, schools, and other organizations use CF resources to equip and support families in their community. She is also helping collect data to show the impact of CF resources on parents and families. Cindy lives in Florida with her husband of over 30 years. She has three adult children, one son-in-law, four grandchildren, and a farm full of animals. 

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

Many parents begin with Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart, a course that introduces the Connected Families Framework and the foundation for everything that follows.

In part two of our conversation, Jim and Lynne Jackson sit down with Stacy Bellward and Chad Hayenga to name what they hope remains true about the grace-based parenting ministry, Connected Families, for decades to come.

Along the way, listen as they unpack why grace impacts a child’s heart, walk through a live role-play of a screens-and-chores moment most of us know too well, and show what it looks like to invite restoration. You don’t want to miss it!

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Jim and Lynne Jackson are the Co-Founders of Connected Families in Plymouth, MN. With over 50 combined years of professionally helping families and a love for working in the church, Jim and Lynne have brought reliable, God-centered, research-based parenting resources to families since 2002. 

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

Many parents begin with Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart, a course that introduces the Connected Families Framework and the foundation for everything that follows.

Join us at our Celebration honoring Jim and Lynne Jackson at 7 pm (CST) on Thursday, September 24th, 2026. We’d love to have you with us!

An occupational therapist and a youth worker walked into a basement with a few ideas about parenting and three kids willing to run the camera. Twenty-four years later, the Connected Families Framework™ has reached homes in 22 countries.

In this first episode of a two-part series, Stacy Bellward sits down with co-founders Jim and Lynne Jackson, along with Director of Development Chad Hayenga, to mark a significant season for Connected Families. After more than two years of prayerful succession planning, Jim and Lynne are stepping back from day-to-day responsibilities and moving into the role of founders emeritus. It is a handing off to the next generation, done with care.

They speak candidly about what it takes to release something you have poured your life into, share an honest update on Lynne’s health journey, and trace how a message born in a Minnesota basement started translating across cultures no one expected. You’ll also hear the essence of the Framework, in their own words.

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Jim and Lynne Jackson are the Co-Founders of Connected Families in Plymouth, MN. With over 50 combined years of professionally helping families and a love for working in the church, Jim and Lynne have brought reliable, God-centered, research-based parenting resources to families since 2002. 

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

What happens when the parenting approach you were told God requires doesn’t match the child God gave you? 

It’s a question a lot of Christian parents inwardly carry, and it’s named out loud in this episode.  Host Stacy Bellward sits down with Certified Parent Coaches Katie Johnson and Lyssa Stoyko to walk through the Connected Families Framework™ layer by layer. You’ll hear one family’s story of real change, plus two role-play scenarios that show what a different response sounds like in an ordinary moment at home. 

Stay to the end. This episode closes with a tribute to Jim and Lynne Jackson as they step into their new roles as Founders Emeritus.

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Lyssa Stoyko – As a foster and adoptive mom, Bible teacher, and Connected Families Certified Parent Coach, Lyssa Stoyko understands the beauty and complexity of raising children from hard places. She helps parents use a gospel-centered, brain and trauma-informed approach to strengthen connection and grow in grace-filled parenting. Lyssa also hosts the “Moms Take Ten”  podcast, encouraging moms to know God more deeply in the midst of motherhood. She is passionate about helping moms discover that parenting is less about knowing it all and more about knowing Jesus. She lives in Illinois with her husband, three children, and puppy.

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

Many parents begin with Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart, a course that introduces the Connected Families Framework and the foundation for everything that follows.

Three months, nearly 500 parents! One space where the questions get honest fast. In this 11-minute celebration episode, Stacy Bellward sits down with Certified Parent Coach and cf community moderator Katie Johnson to share what has happened since the cf community opened in June. They walk through what’s inside and read real comments from members seeing their interactions with their kids change.

If you have been walking through Connected Families content on your own, join us inside the cf community. God grows people in community, and this is what that looks like in 2026.

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

As a former teacher-turned-homeschool mom with a sensitive & intense child, Katie Johnson came to Connected Families at the end of her rope. As a CF coach and cf community moderator, she now helps struggling families adopt a whole-Bible, whole-brain approach for Christ-centered transformation. She loves providing practical tools to help families apply the CF framework to their unique situations. Katie lives in Madison, WI, with her husband, three young kids, a dog, and three chickens. Katie holds a Master’s in Education and has a special passion for supporting families with toddlers. 

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

New Course Now Available: Find Confidence in Crisis Today!

If you have an angry child whose aggressive behaviors keep surfacing, it can be hard to know how to respond with both steadiness and care. In part two of this conversation, guest host Chad Hayenga is joined again by Connected Families coaches Lydia Rex and Katie Wetsell to offer practical support for parents navigating these kinds of behaviors.

They explore how a thoughtful plan can help you respond rather than react. This includes inviting trusted supporters into your family’s care, recognizing early signs of stress, and adjusting for the right level of engagement. You’ll hear why calming your child’s nervous system comes before teaching, why practicing skills during low-stress moments matters, and how celebrating small signs of growth builds hope over time.

If aggression is a frequent challenge in your home, the new Confidence in Crisis: Navigating Aggressive Behaviors mini-course was created to support you. For $28, Lydia and Katie guide you through a practical, faith-filled process that integrates the Connected Families Framework™, Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, and Nonviolent Resistance. You’ll create a personalized safety plan, learn research-informed strategies for difficult moments, and gain confidence that God can meet your family with grace and wisdom through hard things.

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Lydia Rex is the Director of Family Support for Bien Aimé (bee-ehn eh-MAY) Farm, where she works with families who have adopted children. She is a registered nurse, Connected Families certified parent coach, Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner, and co-hosted the Sensitive and Intense Kids online course with Lynne Jackson. No stranger to the challenges of the parenting journey, Lydia offers empathy, encouragement, and a deep commitment to walking alongside parents through the Connected Families Framework. It’s her joy to see God’s grace healing the hearts of parents and children. Lydia, her husband Kyle, and their two kids live in Minnesota, where they enjoy homeschooling, outdoor activities, and reading lots of books. You can learn more about Lydia’s work at Bien Aimé Farm and get in touch at bienaimefarm.org. 

Katie Wetsell has always had a calling on her heart to care for children. She has worked as a pediatric oncology nurse and pediatric nurse practitioner. After experiencing the benefits of parent coaching through Connected Families, Katie later resigned from nursing and became a Certified Parent Coach. She and her husband have four children (three boys and a girl) through birth and adoption. Katie is also trained in SPACE, an adaptation of Nonviolent Resistance, that helps parents learn how to support their children struggling with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. You can learn more about Katie at parentwithhope.org, and on Facebook @parentwithhopecoach and Instagram @parentwithhopecoach.

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

In this mini-course, you’ll be equipped to handle aggressive behaviors with grace, confidence, and wisdom.

Using practical, evidence-based tools alongside the Connected Families Framework™, you’ll come away with a personalized safety plan and the deep reassurance that God has equipped you for this.

New Course Now Available: Find Confidence in Crisis Today!

When a child’s aggressive behavior fills your home, it can stir up intense feelings in you, too. In this mini-episode, Stacy Bellward, and Certified Parent Coaches Katie Johnson and Amy Nyvall offer a grace-filled starting point for parents facing intense emotional moments at home.

Hear a hopeful perspective on what may be happening beneath a child’s anger. You’ll also find practical ways to prepare your own heart and body so you can bring greater calm, connection, and wisdom into difficult moments. Listen for practical encouragement rooted in God’s grace and the Connected Families Framework™.

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Amy Nyvall is a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach who lives near Portland, Oregon, where she homeschools her kids ages 14,11, and 9 and leads a vibrant Charlotte Mason Education Community and Co-op. Contact Amy at [email protected] or learn more about her here. Amy is available for coaching and speaking on the Connected Families Framework. You can even find her contributing to events on the CF Community in Mighty so you can interact with her there too. 

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

In this mini-course, you’ll be equipped to handle aggressive behaviors with grace, confidence, and wisdom.

Using practical, evidence-based tools alongside the Connected Families Framework™, you’ll come away with a personalized safety plan and the deep reassurance that God has equipped you for this.

New Course Now Available: Find Confidence in Crisis Today!

When your child hits you, kicks you, or says something that takes your breath away, and a single thought takes over: I have to make this stop. In this honest conversation, host Chad Hayenga sits down with coaches Lydia Rex and Katie Wetsell to explore what’s really happening beneath a child’s aggressive behavior, and why the goal isn’t to fix it magically, but to become the steady, faith-filled presence your child needs in their hardest moments. What they share might just change the way you show up on the car ride home. 

If this conversation hits home for you, there’s a next step made for exactly this.

Lydia and Katie built a brand-new mini course, Confidence in the Crisis: Navigating Aggressive Behaviors, for parents who feel shaken by their child’s big behaviors. For just $28, they walk alongside you, weaving the Connected Families Framework™  together with Trust-Based Relational Intervention® and Nonviolent Resistance into one practical, faith-filled experience. You’ll leave with a personalized safety plan for your family, evidence-based strategies you can use right away, and deeper trust that God has equipped you for this very moment. With a plan, what once felt unsettling can become an opportunity to anchor your family in faith and grow closer through the hard things.

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Lydia Rex is the Director of Family Support for Bien Aimé (bee-ehn eh-MAY) Farm, where she works with families who have adopted children. She is a registered nurse, Connected Families certified parent coach, Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner, and co-hosted the Sensitive and Intense Kids online course with Lynne Jackson. No stranger to the challenges of the parenting journey, Lydia offers empathy, encouragement, and a deep commitment to walking alongside parents through the Connected Families Framework. It’s her joy to see God’s grace healing the hearts of parents and children. Lydia, her husband Kyle, and their two kids live in Minnesota, where they enjoy homeschooling, outdoor activities, and reading lots of books. You can learn more about Lydia’s work at Bien Aimé Farm and get in touch at bienaimefarm.org. 

Katie Wetsell has always had a calling on her heart to care for children. She has worked as a pediatric oncology nurse and pediatric nurse practitioner. After experiencing the benefits of parent coaching through Connected Families, Katie later resigned from nursing and became a Certified Parent Coach. She and her husband have four children (three boys and a girl) through birth and adoption. Katie is also trained in SPACE, an adaptation of Non Violent Resistance, that helps parents learn how to support their children struggling with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. You can learn more about Katie at parentwithhope.org, and on Facebook @parentwithhopecoach and Instagram @parentwithhopecoach.

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

In this mini-course, you’ll be equipped to handle aggressive behaviors with grace, confidence, and wisdom.

Using practical, evidence-based tools alongside the Connected Families Framework™, you’ll come away with a personalized safety plan and the deep reassurance that God has equipped you for this.

Ready to start a small group this Fall? Explore Connected Families small groups here.

The best parenting support often comes from something simple: walking alongside one another instead of carrying the hard moments on our own.

That’s the heart of today’s conversation, as host Stacy Bellward sits down with Dr. Cindy Wilson (Director of Education, Equipping, and Research) and Lori Menekheim (Ministry Partnership Manager) to explore why growing in community makes such a difference. Whether you’re a parent craving encouragement, a friend wanting to gather a few neighbors, or a church leader hoping to support families well, there’s something here for you.

Much of that community can grow through Connected Families small groups, and Cindy and Lori make the case for why this Fall is the time to start one. Along the way, they share their own journeys, share a story of one group’s transformation, and practical answers about the courses, registration, and the support leaders receive. 

And if the thought of leading makes you nervous, they have good news: perfection isn’t the point. Transparency and a willingness to grow together are. As Fall approaches, consider whether God might be nudging you to gather a few parents and grow in grace, wisdom, and confidence together. Listen to the full episode for the encouragement and next steps to get started.

Key Takeaways:

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Cindy Wilson is a CF-Certified Parent Coach and a Certified Family Life Educator with 20+ years in children & family ministry and academia. As Director of Education, Equipping, and Research for CF, she helps churches, schools, and other organizations use CF resources to equip and support families in their community. She is also helping collect data to show the impact of CF resources on parents and families. Cindy lives in Florida with her husband of over 30 years. She has three adult children, one son-in-law, four grandchildren, and a farm full of animals.

Lori Menikheim is a wife, mom of two strong-willed teenage girls, and Kids Ministry leader with over 15 years of experience. She is CF’s new Ministry Partnership Program Director, where she helps churches, schools, and other Christian organizations use CF resources to equip and support parents in their communities. When she discovered Connected Families, she finally found the language, tools, and hope to parent well and lead ministry well. Now she loves connecting with parents and ministry leaders who want to partner with God in reaching the next generation. 

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

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