Parenting the Whole Child

By Janelle Lopez, Dr. Belle Tan, Dr. Felicia Singleton

Welcome to Season 2 of the “Parenting the Whole Child” podcast!

Join hosts Janelle Lopez, Dr. Belle Tan, and Dr. Felicia Singleton from the San Diego County Office of Education as we explore real sto... more

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FAQs about Parenting the Whole Child:

How many episodes does Parenting the Whole Child have?

The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.

Parenting the Whole Child episodes:

August 04, 2025 Season 2 Episode 1: Pauses & Personal Growth
Introducing the start of Season 2 ! Felicia, Janelle, and Belle share where they are on their journeys and updates on life. Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is Edutopia’s Back-to-School Resources for Parents where you can find information on easing transition jitters, managing kids’ tech use, getting involved in the school, 15 other questions to replace How Was School Today?, and more. https://www.edutopia.org/article/back... If you are interested in Dr. Felicia’s books: Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili Taylor ___________Be a guest on our podcast: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...
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30min
May 01, 2025 Episode 10: Parenting the Whole Child Real Talk: Listener Edition!
We collected all your questions throughout the season and discussed it in our final episode for Season 1 with our very own Director Melissa Spadin. Tune in to hear about our best parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting with grief, and be a supportive community.

Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!

Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is our Instagram Page! Follow us at @parentingthewholechildpodcast.
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48min
April 01, 2025 Episode 9: Understanding and Celebrating Neurodiversity
In this episode, expert Coach AJ from Brightline discusses the importance of understanding neurodiversity and how it can help parents/caregivers better support and celebrate their neurodivergent children. We explore key strategies for emotional regulation, advocacy, and self-care, offering practical insights for families navigating ADHD and other neurodivergent experiences.

Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!

Resource of the Month: BrightLife Kids - A CalHope Program by Brightline

Other resources:
Scattered Minds - Dr. Gabor Maté
Data and Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder
Data and Statistics on ADHD | Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) | CDC

Dyslexia Basics
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36min
March 01, 2025 Episode 8: New Beginnings: Embracing the Strengths of Immigrant Families
This episode explores the immigrant experience, featuring personal stories of resilience, cultural identity, and acculturation. Dr. Rhonda Beasley and Dr. Belle Tan shares their journeys to the U.S., the challenges they faced, and the strengths immigrant families bring, offering insights and advice for parents/caregivers navigating this transition with their children.
Book of the Month: Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
Resource of the Month: SDCOE Immigration Resources
Other resources:
Key findings about U.S. immigrants | Pew Research Center
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58min
January 31, 2025Episode 7: Finding Your Rhythm/Parents Self Care
We have Transformational Leader, Author, TEDx Speaker and Edupreneur Meena Srinivasan as our guest this month and Janelle, Belle, and Felicia did not know that this was what they needed to remind ourselves to pause, breathe deeply, and connect our hearts and mind. This is an episode you do not want to miss. We know you will save it and replay it over and over again!

Book of the Month: Fierce Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff
Resource of the Month: Five Strategies to Care for Yourself So You Can Care for Others written by Meena Srinivasan and A Model of Mindful Parenting: Implications for Parent–Child Relationships and Prevention Research - PMC
Resources mentioned in the podcast episode:
The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance by Robin Wall Kimmerer
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44min
December 31, 2024 Episode 6: Sibling Relationships/Rivalry
This month, Marcus Jackson and Jen Vermillion generously share their time and expertise, guiding us in exploring each child’s unique strengths and needs when navigating sibling rivalry.
Book of the Month: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Dr. Lisa Damour the psychiatrist behind Inside Out 2.
Resource of the Month: Free Mental Health Webinar Series for Parents and Caregivers to Support the Youth in Their Lives with SDCOE and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.
Click here for flyer in English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TzP5hRhdBAsAQGmqa1nKSjw3FXXEezPe/view?usp=drive_link
Click here for flyer in Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IVk_4adt4A_MuWQp9qslYp6NF2n-9Snp/view?usp=drive_link
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31min
November 27, 2024Episode 5: Teens Unmasked: Uncovering the truth behind anxiety, self-esteem, and confidence
In this episode, we learn from Coach Brando from Brightlife Kids about supporting our teens. We hope you enjoy this episode as we enjoyed learning from Coach Brando.
To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share:
Your best parenting strategies

Any parenting questions you have

Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed

Cherished memories with your fathers or mothers and how those moments impacted you.
If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode and you get to win the book of the month. You can reach us by email at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599.
Resource of the month: Brightlife.kids - Personalized support for California families. Kids ages 0–12 get free, expert coaching for sleep issues, worry, social skills, and more. Live, 1:1 video sessions, secure chat, on-demand content, and more.
Book of the month: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Dr. Lisa Damour
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36min
November 01, 2024Episode 4: Early Childhood Development
In this episode, we explore effective parenting strategies, how to find quality care, and step into the topic of postpartum depression. We hope you gain valuable insights from this discussion focused on Early Childhood Development
To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share:
Your best parenting strategies

Any parenting questions you have

Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed

Cherished memories with your fathers and how those moments impacted you.
If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode. You can reach us by email at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599.
Resource of the Month: San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative website: https://www.sdqpi.org/
The “Families” tab has a lot of helpful information, including questions to ask when searching for child care. There is also a “Guide for Selecting Quality Child Care” in English and Spanish
Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel in English or Spanish.
Other Resources:
Postpartum Depression - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

MIHA Data Brief, Symptoms of depression during and after pregnancy

United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents, highlighting the urgent need to better support parents, caregivers, and families to help our communities thrive. Check out the full press release here.
Additionally, there are these free resources to share with families & caregivers:
Maternal Mental Health in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

CalHOPE Mental Health resources

Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind, from the Governor’s Advisory Council

Mental Health resources from the CA Surgeon General’s Office
All About Young Children website: https://allaboutyoungchildren.org/english/
A helpful resource on what development looks like across age ranges, and videos from families. Available in many languages.

CA Teaching Pyramid - Family resources: https://cainclusion.org/teachingpyramid/materials/family/
An approach to social emotional learning utilized in many SD County early education programs. This page includes a number of resources for families, including one-page guides for specific challenges (e.g., bedtime, transitions)
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39min
September 30, 2024Episode 3: Raising Children to Be Emotionally Intelligent
In this episode, we have the pleasure of hearing from Janelle's daughter, Genevieve, and Felicia's daughter, Temple, as they share how they cultivate healthy relationships with their emotions. Through the guidance and example set by their parents, they’ve learned to embrace their feelings and understand that it's okay to make mistakes knowing that their parents are always home base. We hope you enjoy this insightful conversation.
To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share:
Your best parenting strategies

Any parenting questions you have

Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed

Cherished memories with your fathers and how those moments impacted you.
If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode. You can reach us by email at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599.
Resource of the Month: SanDiegoFamily.com
Book of the Month: Where Are You From? Or De Donde Eres? by Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim in English or Spanish!
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34min
August 31, 2024 Episode 2: Family Dynamics & Self-Worth
Our special guest this week is Anthony Ceja. Join the four of us as we go deep and discuss navigating blended, co-parenting, biological, and single parenting journeys.
Anthony Ceja’s Biography
Living Arrangements of Children: 2019
This month’s giveaway: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel in English or Spanish. In order to receive this month’s giveaway, call us at (858) 292-3599 or email at [email protected] in English or Spanish with your topics or questions that you would like us to talk about.
This month’s resource: Soluna, a CalHOPE program by Kooth, is an innovative virtual behavioral health
program developed by the California Department of Health Care Services in collaboration with Kooth. The Soluna app provides California’s youth and young adults (ages 13 – 25) with immediate access to a comprehensive mental health toolkit in English and Spanish, community support, resources, journaling, and personal coaching in 19 different language– all at no cost to the user, their parents, or their school. Be sure to check it out at SolunaApp.com

Restorative Parenting YouTube Video
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47min

FAQs about Parenting the Whole Child:

How many episodes does Parenting the Whole Child have?

The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.