Multicultural Family Hub

We are sooo excited to share this episode with you. We had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Jennifer Noble, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Free to Be Collective. Dr. Jenn shares her personal journey growing up as a mixed-race individual, and offers clear, compassionate guidance to help parents support their mixed-race and multicultural children with confidence.

You'll hear insights on:

• Regional differences in racial identity across the US (we're looking at you, GA and CA)

• How children process looking different from their parents, and some amazing scripts on how to have that conversation with your 5-year-old.

• Tools for talking about phenotype, monoracism, and microaggressions in age-appropriate ways

• Why a strong sense of belonging is foundational for learning, identity, and confidence.

• The power of helping children embrace their full cultural heritage and self

We all reflect on the beauty of multicultural identity and what we can learn from leaders who show up whole and authentic, like President Obama. This conversation is filled with practical language, grounding stories, and wisdom for any family raising mixed-race kids. Don't miss it and please share it with someone who needs this conversation; it is so, so powerful.

Want to learn more from Dr. Jenn?

Follow her on Instagram @drjennpsych

And sign up for her newsletter for weekly tools, insights, community building, and coaching! https://freetobecollective.com/sign-up-for-the-mixed-life-newsletter

Wanna learn more about André?

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This week is a real treat. You get to hear the back story of one you know and love, Andre! This week Andre shares his journey being a third-generation multicultural individual navigating life in the American South with deep Caribbean and East Indian roots. And ya'll, it is SO POWERFUL.

Andre shares his family's powerful lineage, including his grandmother's Maroon heritage in Jamaica, a story of strength, rebellion, and survival, and reflects on how colonialism, colorism, and migration shaped his family's story across generations.

Through candid storytelling, Andre opens up about what it felt like to not be "Black enough" in the South or "Jamaican enough," and how those labels created confusion around belonging and identity. Yet, within that tension, he discovered an unexpected gift, the ability to see life from multiple perspectives, to question binaries, and to navigate complex spaces with empathy and insight.

Together, we unpack the cultural and emotional layers of growing up multicultural — from the unspoken survival rules around dress and behavior, to the ways colonial legacies still echo through our families. This conversation is for anyone who has felt caught in-between and doesn't quite have the language to express it. Andre is the most vulnerable he's ever been, and this episode is truly extraordinary.

Wanna learn more about André?

Check out:

Understory

What does it mean to live between cultures, languages, and identities, and still feel whole?

In this incredible conversation with Nora Alwah we explore the beauty and complexity of being an n'betweener: someone who moves through the world carrying many identities that don't fit neatly into one box. Not only is Nora a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and somatic psychotherapist, but a TEDx Speaker and powerful storyteller.

She shares powerful stories of navigating belonging; from always needing to prove that she "belonged" with her Danish mother, to finding belonging in the streets of Brooklyn. Together, we talk about chronic shame, community, queerness, and the deep desire to be seen as whole rather than split.

We also unpack the 4 I's of oppression, the difference between explaining and sharing who we are, and the powerful healing that happens when parents believe their child's experience without question.

"You get to be rainbow" is a story that will stick for a lifetime.

This episode is a reminder that our multiplicity is not a problem to fix, it's a gift to celebrate.

Love Nora as much as we do?

Subscribe to her newsletter, it's full of insight, helpful tools, and frankly one that we love to see in our inbox. https://noraalwah.com/newsletter

Learn more about being an n'betweener here: nbetweener.com

Wanna learn more about André?

Check out:

Understory

Our 8-year old can go through an entire box of tissues in a few hours. How do we know? We're in cold season. We've been hearing from so many parents how challenging this time period is. We're feeling the weight of sniffles, missed plans, and long nights

Surprisingly, how we are sick differs so much from culture to culture, and can stir up a lot of conflict.

This week, we're not changing systems to better support parents, or making a miracle cure to wipe out the common cold, but we are sharing a few mindset shifts that can help ease the tension of cold season. We also share a story of when we REALLY didn't listen to our own advice and let FOMO get the best of us.

If you've got a kiddo under the weather, this episode is your reminder:

• You don't have to earn rest

• Whatever you miss, it will come back around (FOMO is real, I like to tell myself, there's always more)

• You didn't do anything wrong

• Colds are part of parenting—acceptance makes it easier

Share this with a parent who needs a little encouragement (and maybe a fresh box of tissues).

Wanna learn more about André?

Check out:

Understory

Screen time struggles are real - For kids and adults.

This week we're introducing how we use a multicultural mindset to tackle the challenge that is screen time. Too often, screens get labeled as "good" or "bad," leaving parents feeling like they're winning or failing. In this episode Kjessie & Andre use the question: "How is this mutually beneficial?" to help us explore the gray area of screen time.

This episode offers practical, reflective questions to help you navigate screen time with more balance, less guilt, and more connection.

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.

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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.

  Wanna learn more about André?

  Check out:

  Understory

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

Wanna learn more about André?

Check out:

Understory

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!

Wanna learn more about André?

Check out:

Understory