When your child comes out or shares something vulnerable do you freeze, fumble, or fear saying the wrong thing?

Whether it’s about gender, sexuality, faith, or mental health, what your child is really asking in that moment is, “Can I trust you?” In this essential episode, Heather Hester shares the neuroscience, parenting wisdom, and personal stories behind why believing your child, even without full understanding, can literally save lives.

✔️ Learn 8 powerful tools to communicate belief, safety, and love even when you’re still learning

✔️ Discover how trauma-informed parenting strengthens your child's mental health and self-worth

✔️ Hear why “I believe you” is more powerful than any answer you could give

✔️ Let go of the myth that support requires full comprehension

Identity doesn't need your permission to exist

Press play now to learn how to meet your child’s truth with trust, not fear, and why your belief may be the very bridge that keeps your connection (and their well-being) alive.

Key Takeaways

• Belief doesn’t require full understanding, it requires trust and presence.
• LGBTQ+ youth with one accepting adult are 40% less likely to attempt suicide.
• Pause before reacting: Your calm nervous system is the safety signal your child needs.
• Curiosity over correction is key: Replace “Are you sure?” with “Tell me more.”
• Repair matters more than perfection; own your mistakes with grace and keep growing.
• Every affirming act, like using their name or pronouns, tells your child: “You are safe with me.”

Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!

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At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ+ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and foster courageous, compassionate connection.

If you’re in the thick of parenting, allyship, or pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heart-warming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.

Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in—I see you. And I’m so glad you’re part of this journey.

More Human. More Kind. formerly Just Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen is a safe and supportive podcast and space where a mom and mental health advocate offers guidance on parenting with empathy, inclusion, and open-minded allyship, fostering growth, healing, and empowerment within the LGBTQ community—including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—while addressing grief, boundaries, education, diversity, human rights, gender identity, sexual orientation, social justice, and the power of human kindness through a lens of ally support and community engagement.

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