Empowered to Connect Podcast

Critics of connected parenting, attachment-based parenting, gentle parenting, trauma-informed parenting - whatever you want to label it - often attack this style of parenting as permissive and soft. The goal isn't to be your kid's friend, they remind you. That got one of our listeners thinking - well I know THAT, but...what IS the goal of connected parenting? What's the main point? What are we striving toward here and what can I lay down as a standard for my parenting partner and I to hold to?

Today Becca, JD and Tona talk through that exact question on another edition of Carpool Q&A!

You can learn more about Empowered to Connect on our website, by following us on social media or by checking out our YouTube Channel!

Today we welcome onto the show very dear friends of ours, whom you've met in separate iterations - Larissa Gregory has joined the pod several times to talk about her professional work and her husband Dee was a key contributor in our "Investing in Hope" video talking about his work as a mental health professional and school nurse. Today, they join us together to tell the story of their family. Walking through some of the most unimaginable tragedy as a family, Dee and Larissa talk about losing their third child, Houston Lamar, nurturing the relationships with their middle school and elementary aged boys Jackson and Lennox and how the journey they have been on as a family is one where they have learned to pull each other in close, give each other what they need and savor absolutely every moment together as a family. It is a powerful story you do NOT want to miss.

To learn more about the Gregory family you can follow their journey here - to learn more about Empowered to Connect, visit our website, follow us on social media or exlore the hundreds of video resources on our YouTube Channel!

We've all heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child - and no doubt if you've listened to this podcast for one episode or all 200+, you know, we advocate heavily for having community support on your parenting journey. Today's Carpool Q&A Question was "I hear you talking about finding your village - but what if I don't HAVE a village?" 

Join Tona, Becca and JD as they explore together how to create your village around you when one doesn't exist yet!

You can learn more about Empowered to Connect on our Website or on Social Media!

We've all heard talks of the terrible (insert toddler's age here) years. Insert trauma, adversity or loss into the equation and the challenge multiplies. Advice for this stage of parenting is all over the map, especially when it comes to connected/attachment-based/gentle parenting. So what's a parent to do to navigate this season? Have no fear, we've got two phenomenal Cultivate Connection Facilitators, Shane and Mindy, to talk you through it!

Shane and Mindy share their family story, how they came to Empowered to Connect and why they believe so deeply in this way of parenting (especially in the toddler years). Come for the wisdom shared, stay to hear JD start talking on mute at one point, it's all here in today's episode of the ETC Podcast!

You can learn more about Empowered to Connect on our website or by following us on social media! New episodes of the ETC Podcast drop every Tuesday and can be found on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

Am I a helicopter parent, or am I just involved in my children's lives? Helicopter parenting is a term for parents who are overly involved in their children's lives, trying to control and monitor every aspect. They might be well-intentioned, but it can lead to an environment where the kids feel smothered or have limited opportunities to learn from their own experiences. Today we talk about that fine line between being involved and supportive vs hovering - and how to set up some simple boundaries to ensure the lines don't blur!

New episodes of Carpool Q&A drop every Thursday! in 15 (ish) minutes, we cover one topic to get you from point A to point B. Short enough to listen during a carpool commute, you can find every episode of Carpool Q&A on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts!

You may have heard about infant massage before, but is it a real thing? And what part does infant massage and early intervention play in a baby's journey? Today Occupational Therapist and TBRI Practitioner Jodi Haugen joins us to talk all about it! Jodi has been in OT for 20 years, specializing in early intervention and helping parents and kiddos begin their healing journeys together. She explains the neurological side of infant massage, what so many parents of infants miss and one mind-blowing stat that will change how every infant parent views time with their baby!

One disclaimer from Jodi: Infant massage is good for babies…barring any medical condition that may preclude it (and there are some).  Premature babies or any baby/child who is medically unstable, for instance. Also be careful with children who may get easily overstimulated…you need to go slow. As with any method of early intervention, we advise walking into these practices hand in hand with a therapeutic professional who can guide this process!

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, you can follow us on social media or head to our YouTube Channel with hundreds of hours of content just like this!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where for one reason or another, you're stuck inside THE WHOLE TIME?? Maybe kids are out of school and there's inclement weather - maybe you live in the Southern US and it snows, sending the entire town into shutdown (too soon?)...no matter the circumstances, we're here to help! The team chats about practical ways to build connection, get everyone's needs met and even...find some time to read a book?? All that and more today on Carpool Q&A!

You can find EVERY episode of Carpool Q&A and the Empowered to Connect Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and wherever you get your favorite podcasts!

We have an incredible episode for you today! One of our favorite Therapists/Adoptee Voices, Cam Lee Small, joins us on the pod to talk about lots of things including his forthcoming book: The Adoptee's Journey: From Trauma and Loss to Healing and Empowerment. We talk with Cam about everything from how identities are formed in adoptees to things he wishes adoptive parents knew to his own experiences filled with pain and beauty. This is an episode every adoptee and adoptive parent NEED to hear.

You can find Cam's work and latest offerings at therapyredeemed.wordpress.com and you can find him on Instagram AND on YouTube  @therapyredeemed  .

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

One of the most common questions we get - what happens when my child from a connected home steps foot into the "real world"? It is a valid question and a completely rational deduction to make until you dive a little deeper into what connected parenting really entails - join us as we talk all about this question today on Carpool Q&A!

Carpool Q&A can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and everywhere you find your favorite podcasts!

Today we throw it way way back to one of our favorite episodes talking about the power of giving your 'yes' to your children.

As any parent with Netflix has probably seen, there's a famous ETC Principle in the newest Jennifer Garner movie "Yes Day." No, ETC didn't make a movie, but there is lots to learn from it! JD, Tona and Mo sit down to talk about one of the most foundational principles in the ETC world - the power of saying yes. 

"Isn't that just permissive parenting!?" "If you give these kids an inch, they're ALWAYS going to take a mile." "We aren't trying to spoil our kids." All very common responses to the principle of giving our kids 'yes' often. Yet research and experience from 15 years of ETC Parent Training will tell you otherwise. Join JD, Mo and Tona and learn why 'Yes' is a superpower in your parenting arsenal!

During the interview we reference several different resources on this topic - below we've linked those articles as well as some other resources from ETC on the Power of YES: 

https://empoweredtoconnect.org/the-privilege-of-saying-yes/
https://empoweredtoconnect.org/building-trust-by-saying-yes/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SF6GmV7zg0
https://www.mindful.org/dr-dan-siegel-hearing-yes-childs-brain/

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