On today's episode, one of our faorite guests is BACK to talk about her incredible new book. It's our friend Robyn Gobbel and her book, Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain, Body, Sensory Strategies that Really Work, is one of our favorite parenting books ever. Robyn talks about why she wrote this book, the thought behind her creative approach of weaving narrative and instruction together and why she felt so strongly to approach the book in a non-traditional way. We also dive deep into some of the strategies and practical advice in the book including what an Owl Brain is and why we need to grow it!

You will love this episode and you should go buy Robyn's book immediately - IF YOU DON'T WIN ONE FROM US FIRST! To find out how to win a FREE copy of Robyn's book, listen to the whole episode - we're giving away two copies this week!

You can learn more about Empowered to Connect on our website or from following us on social media and don't forget to check out our YouTube Channel for more content!

Surprise!! We have a brand new show launching today! 

We're calling it Carpool Q&A - a one-topic show to get you from point A to point B with practical tips and advice to help you parent today. New Episodes drop on Fridays where JD, Becca and Tona will take turns throwing out a topic and discussing it. These will be shorter, more direct episodes than our long form Tuesday episodes and we'd love to know what you think!

Today Tona throws out Homework as the topic of the day - tune in to hear Becca, JD and Tona discuss how to support your kiddos through the homework struggles and successes in today's episode of Carpool Q&A!

You can learn more about Empowered to Connect on our website or by following us on social media!

Happy Tuesday and I hope you're ready for an uplifting episode today! We've got a special guest, Dr. Maureen Michele with us today and she's going to talk about how to reclaim your life. Dr. Maureen Michele is a mom,  Pediatrician, author, life coach and more - she's here today to talk about how parenting a daughter through a cancer diagnosis changed her life - and how she nearly missed the opportunity to reclaim a life that had become filled with bitterness and frustration. 

You will not want to miss this episode! After you've listened, please go buy her book here! You can learn more about Dr. Maureen Michele and all of the offerings she has right here. 

If you've been following along with ETC for a while now, you have no doubt heard about our upcoming fundraising event with Grammy-Nominated Comedian and this past week's Saturday Night Live Host, Nate Bargatze! We are UNDER 2 WEEKS AWAY from our event and would LOVE to have you join! There are a handful of tickets still available, so if you want to join us, act now before they're all gone!

In this episode of the Empowered to Connect podcast, our ETCI Program Manager, Becca McKay, joins host JD Wilson to delve into the challenging topic of "How to Talk to Your Kids About Tragedy."

With the horrific news coming out of the middle east right now as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, we thought it pertinent to have an episode where we talk about how to talk about hard things. We will say off of the jump - this isn't an episode explaining how to make this task easy. It isn't an episode to take the guesswork out of a hard conversation like this. Talking to our kids about tragedy is hard. "Tragedy" is a subjective term - some of the topics that may fall into a tragic category for one family are not as uniquely challenging to others and vice versa - that's why we wanted to talk through a simple framework for how to have these conversations in as healthy of a manner as possible.

On a lighter note, we are less than a month away from our first ever global connection event here in Memphis, TN with Grammy-Nominated Comedian and this week's Saturday Night Live Host, Nate Bargatze! Join us November 12th in Memphis for a night to remember as ETC hosts our first ever fundraising event to share about the incredibly dire need for our work right now and the exciting future ahead of us! To purchase tickets or have your company sponsor the event, just head to empoweredtoconnect.org/investinginhope TODAY!

Today's the day to hear from the dads! We've been talking lately at ETC about how important it is to get on the same parenting page as your spouse. It's difficult - it can be contentious - but it's necessary. We had Cultivate Connection Facilitator dads Evan Dyson and recurring guest Todd Baumann join us to talk through that important process - how did they do it? What were the challenges and hurdles and how can YOU avoid those same challenges as you and your spouse work to get on the same parenting page? Glad you asked! Todd, Evan and JD talk through all of it on a special Dads-only episode of the ETC Podcast!

Also, don't miss the opportunity to see world renowned, Grammy Nominated comedian Nate Bargatze at the first annual Investing in Hope event this November! Sunday night, November 12th in Memphis, Tennessee, come hear a brand new hour of Nate Bargatze stand up comedy, have dinner and drinks on us and support the global impact of Empowered to Connect all in one night! Details can be found at empoweredtoconnect.org/investinginhope - but hurry, a limited number of tickets are available! 

In today's episode of the Empowered to Connect Podcast, we're joined by a recurring guest, the wonderful Rhonda Roorda. Rhonda joined us early in our show's history, if you never listened to that episode, you can (and should) find it right here!

She's not only an award-winning author but also a transracial adoptee, bringing a unique perspective to the table. Apart from her work as an author, Rhonda has been a contributor and consultant in a litany of settings from CNN to People Magazine and the Emmy Award Winning NBC TV Series "This is Us". You're going to love hearing from her!

Rhonda dives into the real, sometimes tough, and always important aspects of transracial adoption. From identity to embracing cultural diversity, this chat is a down-to-earth conversation about the sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly, but always messy nuances of transracial adoption.

Rhonda shares practical tips for adoptive families and parents. Her experiences and insights are a roadmap for navigating the unique challenges and and opportunities that come with transracial adoption.

Don't miss this eye-opening conversation that goes straight to the heart of transracial adoption. 

Also, don't miss the opportunity to see world renowned, Grammy Nominated comedian Nate Bargatze at the first annual Investing in Hope event this November! Sunday night, November 12th in Memphis, Tennessee, come hear a brand new hour of Nate Bargatze stand up comedy, have dinner and drinks on us and support the global impact of Empowered to Connect all in one night! Details can be found at empoweredtoconnect.org/investinginhope - but hurry, a limited number of tickets are available! 

In today's episode of the Empowered to Connect Podcast, we're joined by ETC Training Specialist Jesse Faris, along with host JD Wilson and ETC Institute Program Manager Becca McKay, to explore the complex world of parenting in the digital age. As technology continues to play an integral role in our lives, it's crucial to strike a balance between maintaining a strong connection with our children and ensuring their safety online.

Jesse, JD and becca bring their expertise to the forefront, guiding us through practical strategies for approaching technology with our kids. Whether you're a seasoned parent or just beginning to navigate the digital landscape, you'll find valuable insights on fostering healthy digital habits, open communication, and setting boundaries that empower both parents and children.

Also - BREAKING NEWS - Today we announce the mystery guest we've been hinting at for the last several weeks. Joining us at our first ever global connection event is none other than Grammy-Nominated comedian Nate Bargatze! 

You heard right, November 12 in Memphis, Tennessee at Investing in Hope, our first ever global connection event fundraiser, catch the one and only Nate Bargatze live and in person! Seats are going fast, so if you want to join us for a night of laughter and hope, head to empoweredtoconnect.org/investinginhope to reserve your seat now and invest in hope for the next generation of world-changing work happening here at Empowered to Connect!

If you are or have been a part of a church, you know childcare can be a minefield for parents whose children have experienced early trauma, adversity or loss. Well-meaning volunteers can become frazzled not knowing how to help, kids become unsure of what to expect and parents wonder "Is it safe for my child to be here the whole service?" 

Obviously this isn't everyone's experience, but for those who have or might experience some of these factors, we want everyone to be equipped to know how to make church a safe environment for your kids where you can know they're being taken care of well. That's why we brought Anteelah Love into the mix today to help us learn how to advocate for our kids at church! Anteelah talks through everything from an ideal setup, some ideas of how to help your church get started thinking through these issues, ideas to scaffold care as your church becomes equipped - all of this and more is in today's episode with Becca McKay, JD Wilson and our guest, Anteelah Love!

Also - to find out who our HILARIOUS special guest is at our upcoming Global Connection Event: Investing in Hope, to find out how to get tickets and learn all the details about this incredible night, check out our website here! 

Today Josh and Ava Conley join us to discuss the intersection of youth sports and parenting. When choosing to parent through lenses of attachment and connection, sports can be one of the toughest activities to figure out. How should you approach a coach when there's a complaint or a request to serve your child in a different way? How do we prepare our kids for these environments, how do we prepare coaches and those teams to embrace families whose skin colors or ethnic backgrounds don't match? We're glad you asked! 

As you can imagine, because this world is so broad with so many different nuances based on sport, age, etc, we tried to fly above the clouds on this episode! Josh has an extensive sports background, having played and coached at nearly every level of sport from pee wee leagues to collegiate athletics - combine that with Ava's black belt martial arts background and you've got a recipe for great conversation!

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**!!

We would like to extend a special invitation for you to join us at our FIRST EVER Global Connection Event in Memphis Tennessee Sunday night, November 12th from 6-8:30pm at the historic Peabody Hotel! Join our special Grammy Nominated guest (whose name we cannot reveal in this promo, but CAN reveal on the event page right here) for a night of laughter and hope! For more information and to buy tickets for what is sure to be an unforgettable night, click here!

Today we've got a very special guest - Dr. Lauren Chipman, a Pediatrician in Memphis, TN joins us to help us learn how to navigate the tricky world of advocating for your kids in the medical sector. Lauren joins Tona Ottinger and host JD Wilson and brings hear years of experience as a Physician and as a Mom to the table to help us understand how to navigate the world of Pediatricians/hospitals/medical care and you do not want to miss it! Lauren shares everything from a powerful story of her connection to the Ottinger family to the encouragement EVERY parent needs to know, to her own story of realizing how much information about trauma, the brain, attachment and behaviors she DIDN'T learn through Med School, but DID learn about through Empowered to Connect Parenting courses. 

You can learn more about Empowered to Connect here!

We also make reference in the intro and outro to a special event coming up that you'll want to know about - and we are confident you do want to know more about this one - to learn more about that event, check it out on our website here!

Also, to snag one of the 15 remaining spots in our beta test group for individualized parent coaching from ETC, send an email to [email protected] and let them know you'd like to join the beta test group - make sure to mention that you heard about it on the podcast to get 25% off of the cost of this course!