Empowered to Connect Podcast

It's a problem. My child is constantly using manipulation and control to get whatever they want and I don't know how to stop it. In our most watched YouTube video in our channel's HISTORY, Dr. Karyn Purvis reminds us that this narrative is WRONG. What if your child is not a 'bad kid' who is manipulative and controlling? What if your child has endured some early trauma, stress and adversity and these strategies are survival strategies, not problematic patterns? Join Tona Ottinger, Becca McKay and host JD Wilson as we take a deep dive into Dr. Purvis' framework for how to handle manipulation and control. You'll leave with some practical philosophies and practices to transform your view of your child and help them negotiate their needs in a healthy, connected way!

Also - WE HAVE SOME BIG NEWS! 

As you know if you're a regular listener, we empower Facilitators to take our parenting course, Cultivate Connection to their local communities. We are so grateful and proud of the work our Facilitators are doing to provide life on life support for parents near them.

Over the years, MANY of you have reached out asking for a course online, especially those of you who do not have a Facilitator near you. First, a reminder: We've currently got an opportunity to sign up to become a Cultivate Connection Facilitator, so check our website for those details if YOU want to become part of our growing network! We'd love to consider your application! If you are wanting to take the class, however, and for whatever reason the opportunities available haven't worked out for you - WE ARE OFFERING CULTIVATE CONNECTION ONLINE for the first time ever!!!!! 

As a special limited time offer, YOU as an ETC Podcast Listener get 20% off with the Code ETCPOD-23 . SIGN UP FOR OUR ONLINE COURSE TODAY if the dates and times line up with your schedule! This class will be LIVE not recorded, and it starts Sunday, March 12th! Again, that's ETCPOD-23 for 20% off the parenting course! We'd love to see you there! 

It's time to talk about sleep issues. Admittedly, this is one of the toughest aspects of parenting to tackle. There are SO many variables and SO few universal practices, it can be hard to know where to start when you or a kiddo are struggling to sleep. We brought in speech therapist Annie Cornell and occupational therapist Luz Wolf for just that reason today! Annie is a single foster mama and Speech Therapist at the Memphis Family Connection Center and Luz Wolf is an Occupational Therapist with 20+ years of experience. They talk with us about why sleep can be so difficult to tackle and what may be happening emotionally and in the body at bedtime, preventing sleep. Tona Ottinger also joins us to talk about the complications that enter the picture when your babies have experienced trauma, adversity and early stress in life. 

The CDC Sleep Stage Chart that Luz references can be found here and the American Academy of Pediatrics Resource page she listed can be found here. 

Lastly - Big News! Applications to become a Cultivate Connection Facilitator are open now! We are taking applications now for our May - July Facilitator training and we'd love for YOU to be a part of it. We deeply believe that this content, taught peer-to-peer, in communities, transforms those communities. Want to help nurture and build a supportive community of trauma-informed parents? Here is your chance. Head to empoweredtoconnect.org and apply NOW for our next round of Facilitator training. Training begins online in May and wraps up with 3 incredible days in Memphis, Tennessee with the ETC Team. If you, or someone you know, needs to be bringing this content to your community, apply now on our website!

Part of the late Dr. Karyn Purvis' brilliance was teaching people to see beyond what was right in front of them. What's going on behind these behaviors? Today, we take a deep dive into one of our most watched teaching clips on our YouTube Channel from Dr. Purvis. In this video, she asks 'How Do I Handle Lying?' and with the help of ETC Co-Founder Michael Monroe, helps us to understand the issue while giving some practical supports as we address lying in our homes. Tona Ottinger and Becca McKay join us to do some group therapy and go beyond the video to unpack the strategies and supports given by Dr. Purvis and Michael.

Want more on the topic? Check out our episode with Robyn Gobbel on lying here: https://youtu.be/5Mx2Ye7J508

Lastly - Big News! Applications to become a Cultivate Connection Facilitator are open now! We are taking applications now for our May - July Facilitator training and we'd love for YOU to be a part of it. We deeply believe that this content, taught peer-to-peer, in communities, transforms those communities. Want to help nurture and build a supportive community of trauma-informed parents? Here is your chance. Head to empoweredtoconnect.org and apply NOW for our next round of Facilitator training. Training begins online in May and wraps up with 3 incredible days in Memphis, Tennessee with the ETC Team. If you, or someone you know, needs to be bringing this content to your community, apply now on our website!

Anxiety is a hot button issue these days - but what is it, really? Glad you asked - we brought two amazing therapists, Jill Stockburger and Teressa Davis, to dive into all things anxiety and share how you can support your kids, your peers and yourself when you feel anxiety creeping in. We talk about when to think about professional help, practical tools for battling anxiety and so much more in today's episode!

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, visit us on our website, find us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram or check out all of our podcast episodes and video resources on YouTube!

ADHD has been a hot button topic in the parenting world for years - what is it? How do we support our kids living with ADHD and how do I know if we should use medication? Are there ways I can support my kids with ADHD outside of medication? All of these questions are hard to navigate as parents. That's why we decided to bring in Dr. Matt Smith, Clinical Director of Counseling at Memphis Family Connection Center to help us walk through all of these questions. 

Check out one of the resources Matt mentioned here: https://www.additudemag.com/

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, visit us on our website, find us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram or check out all of our podcast episodes and video resources on YouTube!

Occupational Therapist Marti Smith didn't set out to be what she is today. In fact, all she was trying to do was help kids - but mentors Bruce Perry and Karyn Purvis had other plans! In today's episode hear how Marti's professional work and personal passions collided and formed an opportunity she wouldn't have dreamed of. Marti is an occupational therapist, author, speaker and so much more! She joins us to tell the story of first getting connected to Bruce Perry and Karyn Purvis, how her work with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development has transformed her private practice and what she's working on now to help therapists everywhere collaborate in trauma informed work.

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, visit us on our website, find us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram or check out all of our podcast episodes and video resources on YouTube!

In case you didn't know, for nearly all of us reading this, the holiday season is in full swing. For those of you who feel the fearful holiday twitch coming on, don't worry - we're here to help you out! Mo and Tona Ottinger join us today to talk about the imporance of making memories and the role the brain and our sensory systems have to play in that process. It is a fascinating conversation and one that is a necessity for all parents!

To read the article that Mo referenced in the podcast, click here!

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, visit us on our website, find us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram or check out all of our podcast episodes and video resources on YouTube!

Well it's THAT time of year again - traveling, decorating, celebrating and freaking out because you're not sure how Aunt so and so will do when one of your kids needs a minute to calm down. Fear not! We've talked about this before and are replaying one of our most helpful holiday episodes to help you navigate this season!

Today we joined forces with ETC Parent Trainer Jesse Faris and Tona Ottinger to talk about how to prepare for the holidays before, during and after your interactions with family. Have no idea how to prep for meltdowns? Wondering how your kids are processing their time together? We've got you covered.

We've also linked a blog here below that was written a few years ago (pre-Covid) that could be some help as well - check it out! 

https://empoweredtoconnect.org/tis-the-season/

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, visit us on our website, find us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram or check out all of our podcast episodes and video resources on YouTube!

We have a special gift for you today as we head into December - our first ever ETC Podcast Mini-Series!

A surprising connection to ETC's own Tona Ottinger led us to booking Brad Ewell as a podcast guest. When we sat down to talk, his story was so unbelievable, we decided the only way to capture it all was in the form of a five-part series.

A Texas Police Officer minding his own business, Brad got a Facebook message at age 48 that completely changed his life. As he pulled the threads of his own life story, even he couldn't have predicted the twists and turns that emerged.

This Episode is the finale, Part 5: Life Without Parole?

Wanna talk more about this series and all things parenting? Want to find a community of likeminded peers with no judgment or shame? Join our new, free online ETC Podcast Community here!

#family #familysecrets #adoption #podcast #empoweredtoconnect #latediscoveryadoptee #nonpaternityevent #mpe #npe #ancestrydna #domesticadoption #adoptionjourney

We have a special gift for you today as we head into December - our first ever ETC Podcast Mini-Series!

A surprising connection to ETC's own Tona Ottinger led us to booking Brad Ewell as a podcast guest. When we sat down to talk, his story was so unbelievable, we decided the only way to capture it all was in the form of a five-part series.

A Texas Police Officer minding his own business, Brad got a Facebook message at age 48 that completely changed his life. As he pulled the threads of his own life story, even he couldn't have predicted the twists and turns that emerged.

This Episode is Part 4: Pop

Wanna talk more about this series and all things parenting? Want to find a community of likeminded peers with no judgment or shame? Join our new, free online ETC Podcast Community here!

#family #familysecrets #adoption #podcast #empoweredtoconnect #latediscoveryadoptee #nonpaternityevent #mpe #npe #ancestrydna #domesticadoption #adoptionjourney