Empowered to Connect Podcast

Where is the line!? That's the common question in LOTS of parenting relationships when trying to decipher how to teach your kids excellence and effort without becoming THAT over the top parent who pushes their kids too hard and breaks relationship. Well. We've found the line and we're going to share it this morning!

Actually, sorry, that is false advertising. We ARE, however, here to help guide you to finding that line for you and your family and giving a few practical tools to help you navigate teaching a really essential life skill (trying your best and striving for excellence). It's not easy, but we're here to help!

New episodes of Carpool Q&A drop every Thursday in the Empowered to Connect Podcast Network feed and are 15(ish) minute conversations about one topic to get you from point A to point B! You can find every episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

You've made it! Or so you thought - your kids have begun that final ascent into adulthood! Congratulations! No more parenting?? HA! Yeah Right! 

Hear Becca, Tona and JD Discuss the shifts that must inevetibally be made as we go from parenting children to parenting young adults - how do we handle independence? What can we do to ensure they're remaining connected and at the same time, finding their place in the world? Today's episode is aimed directly at that question! 

Each week, Carpool Q&A Tackles one question from JD Wilson, Becca McKay and Tona Ottinger discuss one topic in 15 minutes or less to help you get from point A to point B!

You can learn more about Empowered to Connect on our website, Instagram or YouTube!

Boundaries are talked about a LOT within relationships, particularly within the parenting realm. We all recognize that humans need boundaries - we can't do everything we want all the time without it costing us dearly...if you're a parent, OR you work with children, you see evidence of that on the daily! Boundaries can be hard to set and often the act of "setting boundaries" or "holding boundaries" can place us oppositionally from our children and create an unwanted "us vs. them" mentality which can jeopardize connection, so how do we navigate this? GLAD YOU ASKED!

We asked therapist Lauren Wantz that very question and she joined us recently to talk about how not to set "boundaries", but "loving limits" - hear Lauren explain how a simple mindset shift and some practical applications of that mindset can transform discipline in your home on today's episode!

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, you can visit us on our website or follow us on social media! You can also catch every episode of the Empowered to Connect Podcast and Carpool Q&A, as well as hundreds of hours of additional video content on our YouTube Channel!

Oh boy. Buckle up for this one, the question that we all ask as we cover our faces in shame. What about when it's not just a kid, it's ME losing it? Again!? Don't worry - it happens to all of us. Something triggers us again and before we can catch ourselves and regulate, there we go, flying off the handle again. What do we do in those circumstances and HOW DO WE DO IT!? Tona Ottinger, Becca McKay and JD Wilson from ETC have you covered. Buckle your seatbelt and come along for the ride with us on today's Carpool Q&A!

Carpool Q&A Episodes are one-topic episodes about 15 minutes long, designed to get you from point A to point B and drop every week right here on YouTube and in the Empowered to Connect Podcast feed.

You can learn more about Empowered to Connect at empoweredtoconnect.org!

Continuing our series on discipline this new year, we've got a good one for you! Today on the show we have Dr. Matt Smith from the Memphis Family Connection Center here to walk us through the 3 C's and 3 D's of discipline when connected parenting. I cannot stress enough how valuable this episode is in its' practicality - if you are struggling with discipline in your home, this is the episode to help you bounce back! Hear practical steps and advice for why connected parenting and discipline is so vital for our kids growing in healthy attachment and how you can help heal and give predictability to your kids and your home.

You can find every episode of the Empowered to Connect Podcast as well as Carpool Q&A, our 15 minute, one-topic episodes that drop weekly, here on youTube or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

Do your kids struggle with hearing "no"? Great, neither do ours!

Ok, but seriously: for all of us poor souls (aka nearly every parent ever) who DO have kids that struggle to hear us answer "no" to a question or request, we've got you covered! Tona, Becca and JD talk about how to help our kids (and ourselves) sit with disappointment and learn to work through it without exploding. 

Carpool Q&A episodes are around 15 minutes and center on ONE topic to get you from point A to point B. You can catch them each week on the Empowered to Connect Podcast feed!

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, check out our YouTube Channel, our website, or follow us on social media!

Happy New Year! We wanted to start off 2024 with a series on discipline. As the year begins and routines and rhythms kick back into place, it can be difficult for all of us. Holidays often bring less structure, more junk food, different sleeping habits and lots of excitement...which can mean a tougher return to regular life. Have no fear, though, our series on discipline kicks off with the brilliant Dr. Rachel Peterman walking us through the importance of understanding one of the most fundamental connected parenting principles: Connecting while Correcting. 

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, you can check us out on YouTube, follow us on social media or explore our website!

Sometimes family game night doesn't go as planned - a night that seems set up for success goes sideways in a heartbeat, but why!? Today Becca, JD and Tona join us to discuss why competition can be so difficult and how to give your kids the support they need to thrive! You can find every episode of the Empowered to Connect Podcast AND Carpool Q&A on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

On today's episode, Cultivate Connection Facilitator David Davault joins us to talk about how defining wins and losses changed for him when he started learning about attachment and connection. As the holidays approach, definitely take today's episode and soak it in - when we redefine our expectations for ourselves and those around us, it can lead to the best version of us as parents, friends, partners, spouses, etc.

Today's episode and all of our episodes can be found on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!