Woo hoo! It’s guest time! We cozied up at the kitchen table with Ashley Rodriguez, pHD for a heartfelt conversation about what it means to grow, heal, and parent in multicultural families. Ashley is a licensed psychologist who supports parents during pregnancy and postpartum, and she brings her lived experience as a first-generation daughter into the way she walks with families.

In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about the invisible barriers first-gen kids often navigate on their own, how cultural stories and intergenerational trauma ripple through parenting, and what it looks like to choose which pieces of our family history we want to carry forward. Ashley offers gentle wisdom for new parents, reminding us that transitions are messy AND also full of possibility when we give ourselves permission to embrace the “gray.”

In this episode, we cover:

• How self-validation can be a powerful tool for multicultural and first-generation individuals struggling to navigate systems not built for them. 

• Using a family tree to map our family culture and the stories we tell in order to uncover our own values

• Why being in the “gray area” allows us to have compassion for ourselves as parents

• The “undigested” feelings that keep us stuck and how to move through them

• How reconnecting with your parenting “why” can create the shift you need to show up authentically as a new parent 

This episode is full of ah-ha moments and little nuggets that you will come back to over and over.  

Check out more from Dr. Ashley here:

Her 1:1 practice: Ashleyrodriguezphd.com

Coaching & Consulting: pathbreak.mykajabi.com

@pathbreakcoachingandconsulting

In this episode, we dive deep into the art of navigating difficult conversations—with family, friends, and especially in the midst of transitions. From back-to-school stress to parenting challenges, we explore how our nervous system shapes the way we listen, respond, and connect.

We share personal stories of what happens when we enter conversations unregulated—how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses can take over—and what changes when we pause to regulate first. Together, we reflect on how cultural layers, family history, and personal expectations can intensify conversations with loved ones, and how approaching them with a calmer nervous system creates space for creative solutions instead of conflict.

.

We offer 3 techniques to use when taking the first step towards a hard conversation:

1. Ask for time – Create the space you need to calm your body before engaging.

2. Notice your breath – Use slow, steady breathing to stay anchored in the moment.

3. Hold an anchor thought – A simple reminder like “I’m not in trouble” can shift your perspective.

• On-the-go reset – A 5-minute practice you can do in the car or between moments.

• At-home reset – An 8-minute practice using restorative postures to ground and restore balance.

This quick reset is designed for busy moments, on the go. Whether you’re sitting in the car, stepping into a meeting, or pausing before a hard conversation, in just five minutes, you’ll use simple breathwork and grounding techniques to settle your body, quiet your mind, and return to a more centered state. Think of it as a mini recharge for your nervous system—easy, portable, and always available when life feels overwhelming. 

Want more tools?

Go to Ep. 25 of Kitchen Table Conversations: Hard Conversations? Here’s Your First Step. for the full conversation

It’s the first day of school, folks! 🎒 We just dropped off our kids in a brand-new state after a cross-country move from Northern California to Savannah, Georgia—and yes, we’re feeling all the things.

In honor of back-to-school season, we’re diving into the culture of school and one of our favorite parenting topics: helping kids grow intrinsic motivation instead of chasing gold stars, grades, or grown-up approval.

Andre shares how Outkast and the Red Hot Chili Peppers gave him permission to follow his own compass as a teen, sparking a lifelong practice of intrinsic motivation. Together, we swap stories about salsa dancing, yoga ballet, and teenage music rebellions—each a little lesson in following your joy, even when it breaks cultural “rules.”

In this episode, we share strategies for:

• Modeling intrinsic motivation in everyday life

• Giving your kids permission to follow their own compass through your example

• Creating a multicultural mindset where kids can bring their whole selves

We’ll explore how to model curiosity, embrace multicultural identity, and turn everyday moments—like sprinting at the park or grabbing a “just because” book—into seeds for a lifelong love of learning.

If you’re riding the emotional rollercoaster of back-to-school season, we see you. Come join us inside the Multicultural Family Hub as we dive into this month’s theme: transitions.

Join at 👉 www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/community

We’re so excited to welcome our very first guest, Dr. Myrna Perez!

In this expansive and thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Dr. Perez—a scholar, mother, and bold truth-teller—to explore what it means to live, parent, and think across cultural and racial borders.

A HARVARD-educated professor (yes, the bold will make sense when you listen!), Dr. Perez leads courageous conversations about science, religion, gender, and sexuality at Ohio University. She speaks candidly about the many cultures that shaped her—from growing up in a San Diego border town surrounded by Filipino and Mexican influences, to navigating elite academic spaces, to raising a family in Appalachia.

We dive into how growing up with immigration as a backdrop formed her worldview, and how clarity often emerges when the unsaid finally gets spoken. Dr. Perez shares her experience designing a tarot deck that reimagines knowledge, and reflects on how colonialism shapes our desires in ways we don’t always see.

Together, we unpack how culture acts as the “third presence” in every room, what it means to raise children with honesty and humility about race and power, and how the tension of living in-between identities can become a wellspring of wisdom.

Dr. Perez's insight, warmth, and practical tools for listening will leave you thinking—and feeling—long after the episode ends.

📚 Check out her book: Criticizing Science: Stephen Jay Gould and the Struggle for American Democracy 🎧 Use code HTWN at https://press.jhu.edu/books/title/12930/criticizing-science for 30% off!

Let’s be real—everything costs more these days. Whether it’s groceries, gas, or after-school care, the pressure is on. And for parents, that financial tension isn’t just about bills. We make money about identity, safety, and whether we’re “doing enough” for our families.

In this episode, Kjessie and Andre open up about the invisible weight so many of us carry: the anxiety around money and what it means for our parenting. Western culture tells us that more money = better outcomes. So when things are tight? We feel like we’re failing.

But it goes deeper than dollars.

Kjessie shares her own journey—especially the way motherhood reshaped her relationship with money. She names something few people say out loud: our culture doesn’t place real value on caregiving. And that can leave mothers questioning their worth, especially if they’ve stepped away from paid work.

The labor of caregiving is invisible in our culture, and it’s no wonder so many women feel anxious about their value, whether at home or in the boardroom. 

Together, we explore:

• Why financial anxiety isn’t just about dollars and cents, it’s emotional, cultural, and deeply personal

• How inherited money stories shape our sense of value and enoughness

• Tools to identify and reframe those stories to reduce stress and create more peace

• How we’re reclaiming presence over perfection—especially when resources feel limited

This isn’t a budgeting talk. It’s a call to rethink the stories we’ve inherited about money and value—especially for parents, and especially for mothers.

We’re also sharing how this journey led us to lower the price of our Multicultural Family Hub to just $20/month—because support shouldn't be out of reach when you need it most.

Join now at www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/community

Pull up a chair. Let’s talk about money, motherhood, and how we rewrite the narrative—together.

Today we’re digging into something that shows up every day for us as parents—anxiety around our children’s safety. But we’re not just talking about locks on doors or helmets on bikes.This is the 3rd episode of our Parental Anxiety series and it’s a real humdinger. 

We're unpacking the deeper dimensions of safety: physical, emotional, and spiritual. So many of us are parenting under the weight of stories we inherited—about what it means to protect, to provide, and to prepare our kids for the world. And when we don’t slow down to examine those stories, fear can quietly take the wheel.

In this conversation, we explore:

• The difference between feeling anxious and parenting anxiously

• Why emotional safety can’t be outsourced to a “good school” or a quiet neighborhood

• How overprotectiveness might increase long-term risk

• Why creating emotionally safe spaces matters—for our kids and for us

•  Soil Science as a metaphor for creating a safe space (that’s right folks, we’ve got a farmer with us, and she’s bringin’ the plant metaphors)

We share personal stories from our own parenting journey, including how safety looks different when you're raising a multicultural family. We also reflect on how our own upbringings shaped our fears, and what it means to redefine safety as something that includes belonging, self-expression, and curiosity.

If you’ve ever found yourself spiraling about whether your child is truly “safe”—or wondering if your anxiety is running the show—this episode is an honest place to land.

This is the second episode in our Parental Anxiety series, and we’re talking about one of the most charged topics in parenting: “good behavior.”

But what is “good,” really—especially when it’s defined by rules we didn’t write, in spaces we’re still learning to trust?

After moving from Northern California to Savannah, we enrolled our kids in a diverse, city-run day camp. Day one brought unexpected feedback from our kids—cue parental anxiety. Kjessie felt the spiral coming on, and Andre stepped in with a powerful model for having hard conversations rooted in love.

We unpack:

• 🧠 The anxiety we feel when our kids “misbehave” in public

• 🌍 How culture shapes our ideas of a “good kid”

• 💬 Why talking about emotions helps kids navigate unfamiliar systems

• 💸 The cost of “niceness” and why discomfort can be a growth edge

• ❤️ The real work of parenting: listening, reflecting, and leading with love

Andre also shares tools for:

• Having hard conversations with love

• Moving beyond “niceness” into clear, loving boundaries

• Building connection through honesty and discomfort

This episode is for anyone who’s ever left drop-off questioning everything—or who wants to raise kids who show up fully in diverse spaces.

🎉 Don’t forget: Our Launch Event THIS SUNDAY July 20th! Register NOW and receive a FREE month in our community

 🧡 RSVP now at www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/kick-off

We’re kicking off a new series! 🎉 In this powerful first episode of our Parental Anxiety series, we’re diving into one of the biggest emotional decision points for parents: school choice.

From social pressure and safety concerns to academic expectations and cultural identity, we’re unpacking the hidden layers of anxiety that surround choosing “the right” school.

As a multicultural family recently relocated from Northern California to Savannah, Georgia, we share our own experience navigating this process—seeking a school that reflected our values: social-emotional learning, cultural connection, and community care.

This episode invites you to pause and ask: Are your choices rooted in fear and other people’s stories—or in your family’s truth?

We explore:

• How to recognize and work with school-related anxiety

• How your personal school stories may be shaping your current decisions

• A multicultural lens on education—and why it matters

• Creating calm space to clarify your family’s values around learning

• Differentiating between real-time concerns and inherited fears

Whether you're deep into school tours or just starting to consider what education could look like for your family, this conversation is a gentle place to land—and a reminder that you're not alone.

🎉 Join us at our Launch Event on July 20th! Register today and get a FREE MONTH in our community!

Come connect with other multicultural families and learn more about the vision behind the Multicultural Family Hub.

🧡 RSVP now at www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/kick-off

In this episode, we’re talking about the emotional messiness and the glimmers of magic that come with making a big move—literally and emotionally. This episode is the last in our moving series, so buckle up!

As we settle into Savannah (hello, salsa dancing and big hair humidity!), we’re realizing this season is full of stretch and surrender. People warned us about the bugs and the heat—but what we’ve found is joy, gratitude, and moments of coming home to ourselves.

We talk about:

🧡 Letting big feelings be part of the process—and how we coach each other through them with grace, clarity, and snacks

✨ Celebrating glimmers and wins as tiny boosts of gratitude and momentum

🔄 Doing the next right thing—even if it’s imperfect—and modeling trial & error as a powerful way to grow

Plus, a quick travel hack: how kids’ audiobooks have become our secret productivity weapon while running around.

This is a love letter to trial and error, to starting fresh, and to letting your family see how growth actually happens—in the real, messy, joy-filled moments.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Audiobooks for kids we love

The Wild Robot-Peter Brown

Elf Dog & Owl Head-M.T. Anderson

The Land of Roar-  Jenny McLachlan

🎉 Join us at our Launch Event on July 20th!

Come connect with other multicultural families and learn more about the vision behind the Multicultural Family Hub.

🧡 RSVP now at www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/kick-off