How Are You Feeling Today?

Today we jump into a game called "Asher’s Banana Stand." Each banana holds a “gift” a kid can bring to the gathering pool, and we explore what those gifts actually do for a group. It’s a gentle way to build confidence and understand more about how you matter in your family!

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode of How Are You Feeling Today?, we return to the Gathering Pool to learn about the need of mattering. Asher the monkey is fast, funny, and full of energy, but he begins to wonder if he only matters when he is performing, winning, or making everyone laugh. When Asher arrives quietly at the Gathering Pool, his friends help him discover that he matters not because of what he does, but because of who he is and what only he can bring. 

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, we practice the “Belong or Pretend” game, built for kids and parents to do together. 

Belonging means I have a place to say what I feel and people still want to be with me. Pretending is when I act loud, perfect, or agreeable to keep approval. We walk through real-life situations like telling a safe person “I feel sad,” being invited to sit with a friend even when you’re quiet, asking a grown-up for help when you feel left out, and handling anger with honest words.

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

Belonging isn’t about being the fastest, funniest, smartest, or strongest. Belonging means I have a place to say what I feel, and people still want to be with me. Through a gentle jungle story, Kai the tiger wrestles with comparison at home, and Mack the turtle wonders if he belongs at the gathering pool because he can’t do what other animals do. What happens next is the heart of the lesson: Mack’s friends aren’t asking him to be someone else. They’re glad he’s there because he’s Mack.

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

Glad isn’t just a smile. Sometimes it shows up right next to lonely, sad, or even hurt, and that “mixed up” feeling can be confusing for kids and adults alike. I sit down with Dakota for a warm, funny, and surprisingly deep conversation that helps kids build real emotional vocabulary and helps parents practice emotional coaching without turning it into a lecture.

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

Glad can feel like cheering after a hard-earned win, but it can also feel like a quiet warmth in your chest when you realize you belong. 

Today's story steps back into a jungle story where the gathering pool holds memories of fear, sadness, shame, courage, and truth. We also break down a key social emotional learning idea: glad is not always the same as happy. Gladness can be joyful, hopeful, and secure, and it can include tears when something meaningful changes or ends. 

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode of How Are You Feeling Today?, Alex is joined by six-year-old Sloan, a curious, brave, and imaginative guest who helps us understand the feeling of guilt. Through the story of Theo and the heart-shaped stone at the Gathering Pool, Sloan explores what it feels like when a child does something wrong, wants to hide, and needs help telling the truth. Together, Alex and Sloan talk about forgiveness, repair, and the comfort children need after saying “I’m sorry” — reminding kids and parents that guilt is not here to shame us, but to help us come back into connection.

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, Theo learns that guilt is not just about feeling bad, but about knowing when we have done something wrong and needing to tell the truth. As Theo admits his lie about the heart-shaped stone and experiences repair with his friends at the Gathering Pool, kids and parents are invited to explore how guilt can lead us toward honesty, forgiveness, and restored connection. 

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

Alex has his son Reed back on the podcast! This time for an interview about anger. When anger is handled safely, it can help children stand up for what matters, set boundaries, include someone who’s left out, and say the hard thing with honesty. We also talk about what kids often need most from parents in those moments: calm company and support so they can speak for themselves.

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

This episode is another jungle story where Bin the leopard storms up to a peaceful gathering pool and announces, “This is mine now.” The whole jungle goes still, and you can feel what fear does to each friend. Then Kai feels something different rising in his chest: anger, not to hurt anyone, but to protect a place and a community that matters.

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com