Send us a text

• I’m trying to support my child, but I don’t know if I’m doing enough?/How do I support my child without dragging them along too quickly?
• What advice do you offer to people who have family members who are not able to be affirming to their children? 
• “My child just told me that they are ______ and I’m afraid they were molested or assaulted?
• We know that LGBTQ people are hit with things like microaggressions and major aggressions every day. Do you have ideas or thoughts that might help them prepare kids to handle these things in ways that are healthy for them?

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

Eating disorders occur at dramatically higher rates within the LGBTQ community than heterosexual/cisgender populations.  In this week’s episode of In the Den, Jen talks with Caden Jones about different eating disorders and the intersection of those disorders with queer identities. They discuss the challenges of recognizing an eating disorder and ways to find the best treatment for our LGBTQ child’s disordered eating once we become aware of the problem. 

Special Guest: Caden Jones

Caden has a Masters in Counseling Psychology, and is a fourth year PsyD student pursuing a doctorate in counseling psychology at Northwest University. Currently, Caden is a pre-intern for Dr. Monique Lowe, PhD, engaging in neuropsychological evaluation for ADHD, ASD, TBI's and learning disorders. Caden Jones is also an associate mental health counselor at Center for Discovery, offering therapeutic services at Residential, Intensive Outpatient, and Partial Hospitalization levels of care for adults and children of all genders who are pursuing eating disorder recovery. He also runs a private practice in Bellevue offering trauma informed care for individuals and couples. Caden has been in recovery from an eating disorder for over ten years, and seeks to aid others in their healing journey from eating disorders. He is especially passionate about the intricate experience of transness and eating disorders, as the two are often comorbid and compounding. 

Links from the Show: 

Center for Discovery: https://centerfordiscovery.com/

LGBTQ Eating Disorders: https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/eating-disorder-discrimination-lgbt-community/

Join Mama Dragons today at www.mamadragons.org 

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at mamadragons.org. 

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

In this week’s insightful episode of In the Den, Jen sits down with award-winning writer, director, and producer Jay Randall to discuss a wide range of topics from Jay’s experiences growing up as a gay kid in a highly religious family in the South in the 90’s to his time working on the massively popular Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Jay and Jen discuss the importance of seeing queer representation in the media and the complexities of rainbow capitalism. 

Special Guest: Jay Randall 

Jay began his career working on both the original and digital programming teams at LOGO, where he contributed to the 27-time Emmy Award winning RuPaul’s Drag Race, or as he likes to call it: the best show on television. 

Currently, he is an associate creative director at Paramount Brand Studio, where he makes work for ad partners across Paramount Global’s vast library of channels and platforms. Jay also serves on the board of Proud, Paramount’s employee resource group that provides support for LGBTQ+ employees and shapes content across the company through a queer lens.

Jay grew up in Mississippi, but now lives in Harlem, NYC. He is a theatre fanatic, laughs all the time and is known amongst his friends for his legendary fried chicken.

Jay is happiest when he is creating.

Links from the show:

Find Jay here: http://jay-randall.squarespace.com/about

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

Raising LGBTQ children comes with a whole set of unique parenting challenges and opportunities. In this week’s episode of In the Den, Jen talks with parent and author Tammy Plunkett about parenting queer children. From advocacy at school to coming out to extended family and friends to setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, Jen and Tammy cover a variety of topics that impact parents of LGBTQ children in this information packed episode. 

Special Guest: 

Tammy Plunkett is, first and foremost, the mom of four amazing kids. All four identify within the LGBTQIA+ acronym. Her children are a huge reason that she is an advocate in the community. Tammy is a certified life coach, author of the book Beyond Pronouns: The Essential Guide for Parents of Trans Children, and a speaker who began her career as a registered nurse. She has volunteered on the board of directors with Airdrie Pride for over five years, where she launched a peer-led support group. Her freelance work has appeared in Today’s Parent, HuffPost and LGBTQ Nation, and she’s appeared on national television on The Doctors, The Social and The Marilyn Denis Show, Global Radio, CBC Radio, local television and press, and The Spectator UK podcast.

Links from the show:

• Tammy’s website: https://www.tammyplunkett.com/ 
• Tammy’s book https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-pronouns-the-essential-guide-for-parents-of-trans-children/18938492?ean=9781839971143&next=t
• Find Tammy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammyplunkett/ 
• Join Mama Dragons today: www.mamadragons.org 

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at mamadragons.org.

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions:

Asexual (Ace) shared by Marie Mulling from Texas

Aromantic (Aro) shared by Roxana Reguera from California

Allosexual shared by Tracey Anne from Scotland

Demisexual shared by Amy Hutchisson

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at mamadragons.org.

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

Many conversations assume that LGBTQ people and religious people are two separate identity groups. There is a heteronormative religious culture that falsely claims that queer people can’t be religious or spiritual. Some queer people absolutely need to walk away from religion in order to heal and become whole, but others are seeking a spiritual path that is different from what they grew up with. Dr. Nick Literski joins Jen on today’s episode of In the Den to talk about how to rediscover a personal spirituality that is unique, expansive, and LGBTQ inclusive.

Special Guest: 

Nicholas S. Literski, JD, PhD, is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a professional spiritual guide. Nick holds a doctorate in Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Jungian and Archetypal Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute, as well as a master’s in Spiritual Guidance from Sofia University. Their research interests include in depth psychological reflections on spirituality, Paleolithic cave art, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Nick’s work has been published in the FARMS Review of Books on The Book of Mormon; Psychological Perspectives: A Quarterly Journal of Jungian Thought; Immanence: The Journal of Applied Mythology, Legend, and Folklore; Somatics Magazine-Journal of the Mind-Body Arts and Sciences; and the recent compilation, The Reality of Fragmentation and the Yearning for Healing: Jungian Perspectives on Democracy, Power, and Illusion in Contemporary Politics.  Their recent book, Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration, was published by Greg Kofford Books in 2022.

Links from the show:

• Five Steps to Rediscovering Spirituality as an LGBT Person: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/five-steps-to-rediscoveri_b_8373220 
• Dr. Literski’s website: https://www.dancingancestors.com/ 
• Join MamaDragons today at www.mamadragons.org 

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at mamadragons.org.

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

• Marty on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@martymcguydragking 
• Marty on IG: https://www.instagram.com/martymcguydragking/?hl=en 
• Kings n Things: https://www.tiktok.com/@colakingsnthings 
• Devida on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingdevidaloca/ 
• Devida on FB: https://www.facebook.com/livingdevidaloca 
• Devida on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livingdevidaloca
• The Cardboard Castle: https://thecardboardcastle.net/ 
• Join MamaDr

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

Finding out your child is LGBTQ can bring up different emotions for different parents. For many, expectations have to change, beliefs may be challenged, and what you thought you knew about your child may have to evolve. In this week’s episode of In the Den, Jen visits with therapist Liz Landry about some of the challenges of parenting and how to move from tolerating to celebrating your LGBTQ child. 

Special Guest:

Liz Landry has a master's degree in clinical social work and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. She worked in community mental health for six years, and she now works in private practice psychotherapy. Liz believes everyone is deserving of a fulfilling life through mental and emotional freedom. As part of the LGBTQ+ community, she is committed to creating a space that is safe and affirming to help dismantle beliefs that have caused shame, anxiety, guilt, or distress. She grew up in the “Bible Belt” of the South, and she has multiple family members still active in the LDS church. Liz knows firsthand how damaging and stifling oppressive systems can be. Therefore, she is also committed to dismantling white supremacy, misogyny, misogynoir, and hetero-normative culture, both in her therapeutic work and her personal activism.

Links from the Show:

Episode on Ring Theory and finding parental support: https://inthedenwithmamadragons.buzzsprout.com/2082774/12088608-ring-theory-and-finding-parental-support

Find Liz here: https://optimismcounseling.com/liz-landry 

Join MamaDragons today at www.mamadragons.org 

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at mamadragons.org.

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

Over the years we’ve heard LGBTQ people say that they didn’t know what life might look like for them as an adult. Many haven’t had LGBTQ role models that provide examples of a potential future, and a lot of fear that parents of LGBTQ children experience comes from the unknown as well. We thought it might be helpful for parents to get to know some of the amazing members of the LGBTQ community, just a few at a time, so that they can provide a realistic view of what life could look like for our children. Today, Jen joins guests Melissa Soper, Whittney Chilcote, and Valerie Green in this episode of World of Possibility. 

Special Guests: 

Melissa Soper (she/her) is a mom to four wonderful kids. She has an amazingly awesome wife, Whitt, who she is excited to adventure with together in life. Soper loves the mountains and trail running. She loves to take on a challenge and has completed multiple ultra-marathons. Soper currently works with adolescents and young adults at a residential treatment center and is venturing to earn her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with the prospects of being a therapist for LGBTQ teens.

Whittney Chilcote (she/her) is a mom to three incredible souls that she got lucky to have as kids. She recently got married to her crazy beautiful, adventure seeking wife Soper, and she cannot imagine all the crazy and amazing things she is going to have them do together. Whitt has always loved traveling and seeing all that this crazy world has to offer. Born and raised in Utah, she absolutely loves the mountains and lakes and all the seasons they get every year! Whitt has spent the last 8 years of her life working with youth in West Valley, where she has learned so much about trauma, resilience, and what unconditional love means. 

Valerie Green (she/her) is a transgender woman who is active in her ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Missouri. Before transitioning, she was married for 34 years and is now widowed. She is a parent to five children and grandparent to six grandchildren. After five decades of waiting, she has been fully socially transitioned since January 1, 2019. She loves tennis and pickles (and her family when they're behaving).

Links From the Show:

• Join Mama Dragons at www.mamadragons.org 

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at mamadragons.org. 

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast

Send us a text

Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions:

Gender Identity shared by Julie Turnbull from Washington

Gender Dysphoria shared by Arlo Dennis from Florida

Gender Presentation shared by Pannay Guigley from Wisconsin

Stealth/Passing  shared by Lisa Renaud from Ontario, Canada

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at mamadragons.org.

Support the show

Connect with Mama Dragons:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Donate to this podcast