Empowered to Connect Podcast

Today we bring you a throwback episode! Our whole ETC team is in the process of packing up to move into an amazing new space (that we can't wait to show you) here in Memphis, Tennessee, so we thought it'd be helpful to re-share one of our favorite episodes in case you missed it.

One of our favorite humans, Robyn Gobbel, joined us a few months back to talk about a blog post she wrote entitled "Self Regulation Doesn't Exist" (you should definitely read it)! Robyn Gobbel is a therapist, speaker, podcast host, webinar creator and more and she joins us today to do a deep dive into the topic of self regulation and what is actually happening in the brain when we are distressed and then brought back in to regulation. You'll also hear Robyn call this phrase by a different name that helps bring clarity to what is actually happening when we help our kids (or our grownups) learn to regulate.

To learn more about Robyn's work and to check out her podcast as well as the amazing collection of resources she's compiled, visit her website here and don't miss out on signing up for Parenting after Trauma: Minding the Heart and Brain. Registration opens on the 16th for this powerful online, self-paced course www.robyngobbel.com/parentcourse

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! Also, stay tuned to ETC social media in the coming month as we begin to unveil some exciting news about our new space!

Our Family Spotlight Series continues this week with ETC Parent Trainers Matthew and Anteelah Love! Matthew and Anteelah both work in education and have the unique viewpoints of having fostered, adopted and had biological kids. 

They share personal testimony on how shifting their paradigm has not only impacted their nuclear family but also the perspective of their close community.  

Listen in for their powerful insight on why it's vital for us to understand our surroundings and who is watching us as we parent our kiddos!

To learn more about Empowered to Connect or to find more of ETC's resources, check us out on our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Today we start a new series on the ETC Podcast that we're calling our 'Family Spotlights' series! We'll talk to parents on the connected parenting journey and hear what they've learned, what they wish they'd known and any advice they've got for others on this journey!

Today we start off with two of our favorite people on earth, Dan and Terri Coley! You may know Dan and Terri from their time hosting the Empowered to Connect Conferences or you may have listened to Dan's episode of the ETC Podcast - whether you know Dan and Terri or not, by the end of the interview you will absolutely love them. Dan and Terri talk about the challenges they faced early on in their parenting journey, what it means to be reflective and to consider your past and what advice they've got for those parenting now. 

The importance of their call for us to examine our hearts and always be willing to learn from your kids cannot be understated, please make time to listen now to Dan and Terri Coley!

To learn more about Empowered to Connect or to find more of ETC's resources, check us out on our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Last week Amanda Purvis introduced us to the brain, body and behavior connection. This week, OT Mistie Hanks joins us as we take a deeper dive into why understanding sensory processing is an absolute game changer! Mistie walks us through everything from understanding ours and our kids' sensory systems to some practical ways you can support growth in these areas.

We also take a look at how trauma affects the senses and then what every parent needs to know if they're seeing perplexing behavior. Don't miss it! 

For more on the brain, body and behavior connection and to read about hundreds of practical tips on a complete sensory diet for your kids, check out the book Amanda recommended in the interview: The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz

To learn more about Empowered to Connect or to find more of ETC's resources, check us out on our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Have you ever experienced behavior from your child that doesn't make any sense? Yeah, neither have we...but for everyone ELSE out there who has experienced perplexing behavior or tried to figure out why the same 'willfully disobedient' actions keep on happening - this episode is for you. 

An immense amount of research has been published showing the connection between the body, the brain and behavior. Luckily for us, we've got Amanda Purvis from TCU's Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD) here to explain those connections and to help us explore what could actually be happening in situations where kids seem bent on disobedience. Amanda walks us through some very practical ways to see the connections between nutrition, hydration and our other senses and behaviors. We explore what it means to have a sensory profile and what that could mean for interactions between you and your kiddo. 

For more on the brain, body and behavior connection and to read about hundreds of practical tips on a complete sensory diet for your kids, check out the book Amanda recommended in the interview: The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz

To learn more about Empowered to Connect or to find more of ETC's resources, check us out on our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Dr. Michele Borba is an Educational Psychologist who has spent the last 4 decades studying resilience. In her latest book, "Thrivers", she shares the results of compiling years of resilience research from across the globe - resilience is built, not born. In the midst of so much stress, uncertainty and unplanned disruption to our everyday lives, we couldn't think of a better time to have Michele on to talk to us about building resilient kids. 

We discuss the fascinating research from different people groups, historical time periods and geographical locations that led her to this discovery and what happened when she sat down to work with Navy SEALS that blew her mind. 

She was generous enough to share lots of resources with us - before downloading these resources, be sure to buy Michele's book!

- To download the Parent Guide to Thrivers, click here!

- To download the child Character Strengths Assessment, click here and

- To download the 7 Essential Character Traits of Thrivers pdf, click here!

- To learn more about Empowered to Connect or to find more of ETC's resources, check us out on our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Are you struggling with challenging behaviors from your kiddos? The late Dr. Karyn Purvis developed the 'IDEAL Response' as an acronym to help parents remember how to connect with your kids while correcting inappropriate behavior.

In today's episode, Mo and Tona Ottinger join JD to take a deeper dive into the IDEAL Response and break down each component of the principle. The episode starts with audio from Dr. Purvis teaching the content - the original video she teaches in, as well as lots more connected parenting video content can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Learn what it means to be: Immediate, Direct, Efficient, Action-Based and Leveled at the Behavior with content from Dr. Karyn Purvis and analysis from JD and The Ottingers!

In the show, we mention the potential need for families/individuals dealing with level 4 behavior consistently to walk through deescalation training of some kind - to begin familiarizing yourself with that level of training, check out these resources below: 

https://www.crisisprevention.com/Our-Programs

https://handlewithcare.com/who-we-train/parents/

To learn more about Empowered to Connect or to find more of ETC's resources, check us out at Empoweredtoconnect.org or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

If you attended Show Hope's 'Hope for the Journey' Conference, you were introduced to Dan and Terri Coley. Longtime friends of Empowered to Connect, Dan and Terri have built a legacy of parenting wisdom and mentorship in the connected parenting world. Episode 5 of the ETC Podcast featured Dan, Mo Ottinger and our host, JD Wilson talking about the power of being present and it still today is one of our most listened to episodes ever. 

We thought it would be fitting today to throw back to that episode - if you've not yet listened, we're so excited for you to do so! Dan, Mo and JD discuss why it's often so difficult for dads to be present and their own stories of doing the heart work necessary to be able to really engage the hearts of the people they love.

Please enjoy this conversation with one of our favorite humans on earth, Dan Coley.

To learn more about Empowered to Connect or to find more of ETC's resources, check us out at Empoweredtoconnect.org or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

That's right, it's a BONUS EPISODE of the ETC Podcast today! In light of Show Hope's Hope For the Journey Conference going live today, we at ETC wanted to share some stories of hope. Everyone on this connected parenting journey was inspired to begin parenting this way at some point - and at some point shortly after starting, probably failed miserably. That's the story at least for the 5 families who came together to discuss their connection based parenting journeys on the show today. Join our host JD Wilson and his wife Elizabeth, Mo and Tona Ottinger from ETC, Matthew and Anteelah Love, Chris and Paula Powell as well as Matt and Grace Terhune as they discuss how it started and how it's going.

If your parenting soul is struggling today and could use some stories of solidarity in the struggle, this episode is for you!

To learn more about ETC, check out empoweredtoconnect.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube!

As the team from Show Hope makes their final preparations for the Hope for the Journey Conference Streaming this Friday (April 9th, 2021), we sat down with Show Hope's Executive Director, Emily Chapman Richards! We first heard about Emily as the 10 year old adoption advocate in the back of her parents' car. We learn today what happened in the rest of the story as Emily went on to become the Executive Director of an organization advocating for and assisting in the care of vulnerable children literally around the world. Emily is a great interview and you'll want to hear her talk about everything from those early moments through the exciting work that Show Hope is doing now as well as an inside peek at the Hope for the Journey Conference!

If you've not yet registered for the Hope for the Journey Conference you can do so at showhope.org!

To learn more about ETC, check out empoweredtoconnect.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube!