In this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy and Terry explore how honesty, humility, and radical responsibility give parents the power to create real change at home.

They share why breaking generational patterns starts with looking at our own reactions, not blaming kids, and how compassionate discipline builds trust, safety, and lasting connection. Through honest stories and practical insight, they show how becoming a calm, accountable leader helps your child feel safe coming to you when it matters most.

A grounding listen for parents who want less reactivity and more peace, connection, and confidence.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/306 for more info and links.

🌟 Save your seat for the Empowered Parenting Reset workshop happening Jan 28th!

📕Grab my FREE Quick Start Learning Bundle & discover 3 secrets to empower, connect, and build true collaboration with your strong-willed child! Head here to learn more! 👉⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/thrive

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

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In this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy invites parents into a powerful reset, one that goes far beyond New Year’s resolutions. She explores how fresh starts are created through intention, nervous system safety, and the courage to imagine something better for your family.

Wendy unpacks why misbehavior is often a signal, not a problem, and how breaking generational cycles begins with understanding what’s happening beneath the surface, for both parents and kids. You’ll hear how collective energy, community support, and regulation-first parenting can help you move from reactive patterns into more peace, joy, and connection at home.

This episode is a grounding, hopeful reminder that it’s never too late to rewire old habits, rebuild trust, and create family dynamics that truly feel good. If you’re ready to reset your parenting approach and start the year with clarity and confidence, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/305  for more info and guest links.

📆 Save the date for my FREE workshop - The Empowered Parenting Reset - happening January 28. Mark your calendar bc you're not going to want to miss this...

📕Grab my FREE Quick Start Learning Bundle & discover 3 secrets to empower, connect, and build true collaboration with your strong-willed child! Head here to learn more! 👉https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/thrive

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

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Wendy and Terry kick off the new year with an honest, heart-led reflection on 2025, the moments that stretched them, shaped their family, and changed them in ways they didn’t fully recognize at the time.

From navigating grief and faith to watching their kids step into confidence, leadership, and generosity, they share what this past year taught them about trust, commitment, and listening to intuition, even when outcomes weren’t guaranteed. They talk candidly about what it really takes to stay all-in through uncertainty, in parenting, marriage, and everyday life.

They also share their Word of the Year for 2026, inviting listeners into a simpler, more trusting way of moving forward and choosing what truly matters next.

This episode is reflective, real, and deeply encouraging, perfect for parents who want to begin the year feeling connected, clear, and anchored in what matters most. Perfect for parents reflecting on the past year and stepping into a more intentional new year of family life.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/304 for more info and guest links.

📕Grab my FREE Quick Start Learning Bundle & discover 3 secrets to empower, connect, and build true collaboration with your strong-willed child! Head here to learn more! 👉https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/thrive

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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What if your cycle wasn’t something to “get through”—but a secret superpower?

In this empowering episode, Wendy sits down with hormone health practitioner Kate Nguy to explore how syncing with your hormonal rhythm can transform the way you parent, work, and care for yourself.

Kate shares her personal story of healing infertility, the surprising truth about cortisol and stress, and how understanding the four seasons of your cycle—spring, summer, fall, and winter—can help you regulate your nervous system, communicate with more ease, and parent with greater patience and presence.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

How your cycle impacts mood, energy, communication, and parenting capacity

Simple ways to align your life with your hormonal phases

Nervous system support through hormone awareness

Real-life parenting hacks for each “season” of your cycle

Whether you’ve felt unstoppable one week and overwhelmed the next—this conversation will help it all make sense. You’ll walk away feeling seen, validated, and equipped to stop fighting your body and start honoring it.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/303  for more info and guest links.

⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Want to help your child build real emotional resilience—without power struggles or shame?

In this heart-centered and science-backed episode, Wendy sits down with educator, content creator, and former Sesame Street director Anna Housley Juster, Ph.D., LICSW to explore how play, brain science, and emotional literacy help kids build true self-regulation.

Anna explains how the amygdala works, why threat responses show up so fast, and how connection, storytelling, and simple co-regulation tools can help both kids (and parents) feel safe and calm during big emotional moments.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

How to spot real vs perceived threats in kids' behavior

Why emotional literacy is key to nervous system regulation

Playful, brain-aware tools that soothe big feelings

How to model co-regulation without being perfect

This is a grounded, hopeful conversation filled with practical strategies to build emotional safety, resilience, and lifelong mental health—starting right where you are.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/302 for more info and guest links.

⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Raising Kids with a Faith Rooted in Love—not Fear

In this tender and hope-filled episode, Wendy talks with author Mariko Clark and illustrator Rachel Eleanor, creators of The Book of Belonging—a reimagined children’s Bible centered on original goodness, emotional literacy, inclusive imagery, and a deeply compassionate view of God.

Together, they explore what it means to raise kids with a faith rooted in love, equity, and belonging—especially when you’re navigating your own journey of healing from high-control theology or rethinking inherited beliefs.

💛 What You’ll Learn:

How to introduce Scripture without fear, shame, or pressure

Why representation in spiritual spaces matters deeply for kids

How embodied, relational practices help children feel safe with God

The story behind The Book of Belonging and its gentle theology

Whether you’re deconstructing, rebuilding, or somewhere in the beautifully messy middle—this conversation will remind you: you’re not alone.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/301  for more info and guest links.

⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Feeling overwhelmed by the pace of modern life? You’re not alone.

In this episode, Wendy sits down with the inspiring Sarah Boyd, author of Turn Down the Noise, to talk about staying grounded, calm, and connected in a world that rarely slows down.

Sarah shares her journey from aggressive cancer at 27 to motherhood, and how that season reshaped everything she teaches about resilience. Together, they break down simple brain science, why parents feel so overstimulated today, and small shifts that help kids and adults reset.

You’ll learn:

• How stress affects the prefrontal cortex

• Daily habits that help you regulate through overwhelm

• Ways to slow family life so kids build resilience

• How to trust your intuition instead of parenting by comparison

A warm, hopeful conversation that helps you breathe again.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/300 for more info and guest links.

⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Didn’t start out as a gentle parent? You’re not alone — and the best time to begin again is today.

Psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Vanessa LaPointe joins Wendy to explore how to parent right from the start—and what to do if you didn’t. From inner-child healing and nervous system safety to practical, firm-and-kind boundaries, Dr. Vanessa offers a compassionate roadmap for raising kids without shame or fear.

You’ll hear why “we parent as we were parented,” how to spot (and soothe) your own age-regressed reactions, and what Dr. Vanessa calls parental swagger—the calm, confident presence kids lean into at every age. If you’re parenting tweens or teens, don’t miss her reframe: it’s not too late—it’s prime time.

Perfect for parents of strong-willed kids, caregivers rethinking punishment, and anyone ready to trade compliance for connection.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/299  for more info and guest links.

⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!!

👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more!

👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Is step-parenting feeling harder than you expected? You’re not alone — and you’re not doing it wrong.

In this heartfelt and practical episode, Wendy talks with Cameron Normand, founder of Step Family Solutions and host of The Stepmom Diaries, about the five most common mistakes stepparents make — and what to do instead.

Drawing from her own experience as a stepmom of four (including one with special needs) and years of coaching stepfamilies, Cameron shares real-world tools for building connection, setting boundaries, and finding peace in the beautiful chaos of blended family life.

You’ll learn:

✨ Why striving for perfect only fuels burnout (and how to shift to “present & good enough”)

✨ How to practice connection before correction and redefine discipline in stepfamilies

✨ Why kind boundaries are essential self-care for every stepparent

✨ The “circle of control” reframe that protects your energy and confidence

✨ How to stop comparing your stepfamily to a “first family” and build your own positive memory bank

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/298  for more info and guest links.

⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!!

👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline

🌱 Head to ⁠http://freshstartfamilyonline.com/kidsoils⁠ to get your hands on the kids essential oils kit that helps fill your home with peace one deep breath at a time.

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more!

👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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When one in three births in the U.S. is a C-section, why aren’t we talking more openly about what those experiences feel like?

In this heartfelt conversation, journalist and author Rachel Somerstein joins Wendy to discuss the hidden trauma many parents carry after surgical birth — and how awareness, preparation, and compassion can change everything. 

Together they explore:

• What a “gentle C-section” really means

• How language like “failure to progress” fuels shame

• Ways to prepare emotionally and physically for surgical birth

• Tools for healing afterward — from EMDR to somatic movement

This episode offers validation, hope, and practical ways to advocate for yourself and others — whether you’re preparing for birth or still making peace with the one you already had.

Kind note: This episode includes discussion of surgical birth, emergency procedures, and difficult postpartum experiences. Please listen with care.Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/297  for more info and guest links.

⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline

🗺The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠

🌱 Head to http://freshstartfamilyonline.com/kidsoils to get your hands on the kids essential oils kit that helps fill your home with peace one deep breath at a time.

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices