The nextTalk Parent Podcast with Mandy Majors

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when the parenting season you thought would never end suddenly does? 

Mandy sits down with her husband, Matt Majors, for an honest conversation about becoming empty nesters and the surprising grief that comes when the noise, interruptions, and everyday needs of raising kids disappear.

Looking back over more than two decades of parenting, Mandy and Matt talk candidly about career decisions, finances, marriage, sacrifice, and learning to put their family ahead of personal ambitions. Matt shares how fatherhood gradually shifted his purpose from living for himself to finding joy in serving others, while Mandy reflects on the hard conversations and Biblical priorities that helped create stability in their home.

For parents still in the exhausting years, this episode is an encouragement to keep going. The interruptions won't last forever, and the small choices you're making today to prioritize God, your marriage, and your kids can bear fruit long after they leave home.

Guest Bio:

Matt Majors is Mandy Majors' husband of 27 years and the father of their two young adult children, ages 22 and 19. Unlike Mandy, Matt's professional career has been in the secular business world, but his Christian faith and love of theology have deeply influenced the way he approaches marriage, fatherhood, and family priorities.

In this episode, Matt offers a dad's perspective on the transition into empty nesting and reflects on how more than two decades of parenting changed him. He shares honestly about sacrificing career opportunities and hobbies, learning to prioritize his wife and children, and discovering that some of the moments he once found exhausting are now the ones he misses most.

Resources:

- We Read the Comments on our Viral Parenting Post - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/we-read-the-comments-on-our-viral-parenting-post/

- Avoid Crazy-Parent Mode - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/avoid-crazy-parent-mode/

- Why Kids Stop Talking to their Parents: A Son's Honest Advice - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/why-kids-stop-talking-to-their-parents-a-sons-honest-advice/

- My 18-year-old Son’s Honest Take on My Parenting - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/18-year-old-son-honest-take-parenting/ 

- Marriage Talk: From Fighting to Talking w/Matt and Mandy Majors - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/marriage-talk-from-fighting-to-talking-w-matt-and-mandy-majors/

- 3 things NOT to do if you want to stay married. - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/three-things-not-to-do-if-you-want-to-stay-married/

- How do we talk to our kids about Money? - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/how-do-we-talk-to-our-kids-about-money/

Connect with The nextTalk Parent Podcast:

Website:https://nextTalk.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextTalkorg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextTalkorg

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

Matt Riviere never imagined that one decision would take both of his sons, Andrew and Stephen. At 21 and 19, the brothers purchased what they believed was oxycodone through Snapchat. The pills were counterfeit and contained fentanyl, and both young men died. Matt joins Mandy to share their story and help parents understand how quickly counterfeit pills, social media, and experimentation can become deadly.

Matt also shares what he wishes he had known about fentanyl, the progression he saw from vaping and other substances to greater experimentation, and why parents cannot assume their kids understand the risks of pills purchased outside a legitimate pharmacy. His message is urgent: educate yourself, talk about fentanyl before your child encounters it, and make sure they know that a pill that looks legitimate may not be what it appears to be.

Through unimaginable loss, Matt has turned his pain into advocacy, working alongside other parents to push for greater accountability and protections for kids. His encouragement to parents reflects the heart of nextTalk: rules and technology controls matter, but they cannot replace open communication. Create a relationship where your kids can tell you about their mistakes, questions, and struggles—even when the conversation is uncomfortable.

Guest Bio:

Matt Riviere is a Colorado father and advocate who lost his two sons, Andrew and Stephen, after they unknowingly took counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. Since their deaths, Matt has dedicated himself to educating parents and students about the dangers of fentanyl, counterfeit prescription drugs, substance experimentation, and drug activity facilitated through social media.

Matt has worked with other families on fentanyl-related legislation in Colorado and advocates for greater social media accountability and online protections for children, including work connected to the Kids Online Safety Act. By courageously sharing his family's story, Matt hopes other parents will have conversations he wishes he had known to have with his own sons.

Resources:

• Fentanyl (Special Guest: Tall Cop) - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/fentanyl-special-guest-tall-cop/
• Tall Cop: The Normalization of Alcohol & Marijuana - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/tall-cop-the-normalization-of-alcohol-marijuana/
• Tall Cop: Vaping and Drug Culture - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/tall-cop-vaping-and-drug-culture/
• Phone-Free Schools: Mom on a Mission - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/phone-free-schools-mom-on-a-mission/
• Legislative Work to Keep Kids Safe Online - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/legislative-work-to-keep-kids-safe-online/
• Parents Were Right About Social Media - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/parents-were-right-about-social-media/
• Guardrails to Protect Kids Online - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/guardrails-to-protect-kids-online/
• 16 Year Old’s Suicide from Sextortion. How do we protect our kids? - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/16-year-olds-suicide-from-sextortion-how-do-we-protect-our-kids/
• Brian Montgomery on Walker’s Sextortion Case: Justice, Anger, and Surrender - nextTalk 
• Colorado’s 72-hour social media warrant law takes effect Aug. 12 - Denver Gazette
• DEA “One Pill Can Kill” Campaign:  https://www.dea.gov/onepill
• Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA): https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1748/text
• Colorado Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb22-1326

Connect with The nextTalk Parent Podcast:

Website: https://nextTalk.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextTalkorg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextTalkorg

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when the parenting principles you learned when your kids were little are finally put to the test in the teenage years? 

Mandy welcomes longtime friend and former nextTalk co-host Kim Elerick back to the podcast to talk honestly about what she has learned after stepping away from the organization and focusing more intentionally on her family.

Kim shares how creating margin helped her move from projecting fear onto her kids to being more present with them. Together, Mandy and Kim revisit practical principles that have shaped their families: keeping devices out of bedrooms and bathrooms, telling kids “I love you the same” when they mess up, getting curious instead of immediately lecturing, introducing technology based on readiness rather than age, and reminding kids they can always wake you up. Through mistakes, apologies, hard conversations, and plenty of “crazy parent mode,” they’ve seen how consistently building a safe place can create relationships where kids actually want to come to their parents when something goes wrong.

Guest Bio:

 Kim Elerick helped build nextTalk alongside Mandy Majors from its earliest days as a moms group through its growth into a nonprofit organization. With a background in radio, Kim also helped Mandy learn the world of radio and podcasting while contributing to many of the parenting principles and conversations that became foundational to nextTalk.

After stepping away from her day-to-day role at nextTalk to prioritize her family, Kim gained a new perspective on putting those principles into practice while raising her three children. Now returning as an occasional guest contributor, she brings honest, firsthand insight about parenting teens, navigating technology, creating healthy boundaries, and building the kind of relationship where kids know their parents are a safe place.

Resources:

• Look in the Mirror: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/look-in-the-mirror/ 
• Crazy Parent Mode: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/avoid-crazy-parent-mode/
• Four reasons I kept screens out of my kid’s bedroom and bathroom: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/four-reasons-i-kept-screens-out-of-my-kids-bedroom-and-bathroom/ 
• Walker’s Promise - https://nexttalk.org/walkers-promise/ 
• 16 Year Old’s Suicide from Sextortion.How do we protect our kids? - nextTalk 
• Build a safe place: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/build-a-safe-place/
• Is my kid ready for a phone? - nextTalk
• My child is ready for social media. Where should I start? - nextTalk 
• Influenced: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/influenced/ 
• Questioning Kids Wrap-Up: Understanding my child instead of trying to “fix” them - nextTalk 
• Author Kristen Jenson - nextTalk 
• “Good Pictures, Bad Pictures” book: https://www.defendyoungminds.com/books 

Connect with The nextTalk Parent Podcast:

Website:https://nextTalk.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextTalkorg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextTalkorg

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

After more than three years of waiting, advocacy, prayer, and perseverance, Brian Montgomery returns to the nextTalk Parent Podcast with a major update in the fight for justice for his son, Walker.

In December 2022, Walker became the victim of an online sextortion scheme. An online predator posing as a young girl manipulated Walker into a compromising situation and then threatened to expose him. Within hours, Walker died by suicide.

Since then, Brian and his family have courageously shared Walker’s story to warn other families, advocate for stronger protections for children, and help parents understand how quickly online predators can enter a child’s world.

In this conversation with Mandy, Brian shares the years-long journey that led from local law enforcement to the FBI, an arrest in Nigeria, and ultimately the extradition of the alleged perpetrator to the United States. He also shares the unexpected doors that opened through his advocacy—including a conversation with President Donald Trump—and how Brian believes God was working throughout the years of waiting.

But this episode is about more than justice. Brian reflects on how grief, anger, waiting, and advocacy changed his faith and taught him to surrender an outcome he desperately wanted to control.

Mandy and Brian also bring the conversation back home: What can parents do right now to protect their kids? 

Guest Bio:

Brian Montgomery is a Mississippi father, farmer, agricultural risk-management professional, and nationally recognized advocate for online child safety.

A Greenville native who now lives with his family in the Starkville area, Montgomery earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural pest management and a master’s in forestry (with an emphasis in remote sensing) from Mississippi State University. He is co-founder of Alliance Ag Risk Management and has spent more than a decade helping Mississippi producers navigate crop insurance and farm risk.

In December 2022 his 16-year-old son, Walker—a Starkville Academy student, athlete, and avid outdoorsman—died by suicide after an overnight Instagram sextortion scheme. That loss became the catalyst for Montgomery’s public work. He has spoken to parents, schools, and lawmakers about how quickly social-media platforms can be used to exploit minors, the tactics predators use, and the practical steps families can take.

Montgomery helped advance two Mississippi laws named for his son: legislation that criminalizes sextortion and the Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act, which requires platforms to take reasonable steps to keep harmful content from minors and to give parents greater tools. With the nonprofit nextTalk he launched Walker’s Promise, a simple parental pledge to keep phones and devices out of children’s bedrooms and bathrooms. He has appeared on national and local media, parent-focused podcasts, and school events to share Walker’s story and press for both personal vigilance and platform accountability.

Montgomery speaks from the dual perspective of a parent who lived the worst-case outcome and a professional who understands rural families, technology, and policy. His message is direct: the internet is not a playground, predators operate at industrial scale, and adults—not algorithms—must set the boundaries that keep children safe.

Resources:

• 16 Year Old’s Suicide from Sextortion.How do we protect our kids? - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/16-year-olds-suicide-from-sextortion-how-do-we-protect-our-kids/
• Walker’s Promise: https://nexttalk.org/walkers-promise/
• Talking to Kids about 16yo’s Suicide from Sextortion - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/talking-to-kids-about-16yos-suicide-from-sextortion/ 
• Guardrails to Protect Kids Online - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/guardrails-to-protect-kids-online/
• Parenting through Grief - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/parenting-through-grief/  
• My child was a victim of sextortion. What should I do? - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/my-child-was-a-victim-of-sextortion-what-should-i-do/
• Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA): https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1748/text
• nextTalk Resources: https://nexttalk.org/help/
• Sextortion Awareness: https://nexttalk.org/?s=Sextortion+Awareness&id=6928

Connect with The nextTalk Parent Podcast:
Website: https://nextTalk.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextTalk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextTalkorg/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextTalkorg

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

What should you do if you discover your child has an AI boyfriend or companion?

In this episode, Mandy Majors sits down with nextTalk Operations Manager Merideth Zingelmann to discuss why children are turning to AI for friendship, affirmation, and romantic connection, and how parents can respond without panic or shame.

Instead of dismissing a child’s desire for connection, Mandy and Merideth encourage parents to look beneath the technology and get curious about what their child may be seeking. They explain how AI companions mimic human relationships, provide constant validation, and can gradually earn a child’s trust despite lacking lived experience, genuine love, and spiritual discernment.

Mandy and Merideth also share practical ways to establish healthy boundaries with AI, recognize concerning behavior, and help children understand the difference between artificial validation and authentic relationships. 

Guest Bio:

Merideth Zingelmann is the Operations Manager at nextTalk, where she has helped keep the organization’s work moving forward since 2023. A registered nurse and mother of three young adult children, Merideth brings both professional experience and years of practical parenting wisdom to conversations about technology, faith, and family relationships. Before joining nextTalk, she helped operate a small business and served in numerous volunteer and leadership roles with schools, churches, nonprofit organizations, and boards. As a longtime friend and trusted “heads-up mom” to Mandy Majors, Merideth offers thoughtful, experience-based encouragement that helps parents prepare for what may be coming next.

Resources:

• nextTalk Parent Newsletter Sign-Up: nextTalk 
• Submit a Question to nextTalk: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/6tF2TMSckiBWUXmBqaipig
• Contact nextTalk: [email protected]
• AI, Deepfakes & Nudes - nextTalk 
• AI and your Kid - nextTalk 
• How To Help Kids Navigate Risky Friendships - nextTalk 
• Build a Safe Place - nextTalk 
• Support nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/donate/

Connect with The nextTalk Parent Podcast:

Website: https://nextTalk.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextTalkorg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextTalkorg

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

What helps kids keep talking to their parents—even when the subject is awkward, uncomfortable, or potentially alarming?

Mandy welcomes her son Carter back to the podcast just days before he leaves for college. Carter gives parents an honest look at the digital and cultural pressures young people are facing today, including sports gambling, online gaming, sexualized content, locker room culture, explicit music, and the pressure boys feel to hide their emotions in a world with so many competing definitions of what it means to be “masculine.” 

Together, Mandy and Carter reflect on the choices that helped build trust in their relationship—from introducing gaming privileges in stages to listening calmly when Carter brought them something concerning. They also discuss the importance of teaching children to protect their hearts and minds, helping them find a strong Christian community, and guiding them without trying to control every decision.

Parents cannot remove every harmful influence their children will encounter, but they can become a safe place where their children process those experiences.

Connect with The nextTalk Parent Podcast:

• Website: https://nextTalk.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextTalk
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextTalkorg/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextTalkorg

Free Guides Here: For Churches & Christian Families - nextTalk 

Additional Episodes:

• Protect Heart & Mind - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/protect-heart-mind/
• Teach Red Flag Reporting - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/teach-red-flag-reporting/
• Online Gambling and Teens: A Parent Conversation - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/online-gambling-teens/
• Parent Question: I hate my kid’s music. What should I do? - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/parent-question-i-hate-my-kids-music-what-should-i-do/
• 16 Year Old’s Suicide from Sextortion.How do we protect our kids? - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/16-year-olds-suicide-from-sextortion-how-do-we-protect-our-kids/
• Sex Abuse: Boys are Victims Too - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/sex-abuse-boys-are-victims-too/
• Brian Montgomery: A Candid Conversation about Porn - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/brian-montgomery-a-candid-conversation-about-porn/
• Parent Question: This world is so sexualized. How do I approach these conversations with my son? - nextTalk: https://nexttalk.org/podcast_episode/parent-question-this-world-is-so-sexualized-how-do-i-approach-these-conversations-with-my-son/

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

Our kids are growing up in a digital world we can’t completely control, but we can build relationships that keep the conversation open. The nextTalk Parent Podcast is here to help parents navigate tech, faith, and culture together.

#nextTalkParentPodcast #ChristianParenting #DigitalParenting #ParentingTeens #FaithAndFamily

Connect with The nextTalk Parent Podcast:

Website: https://nextTalk.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextTalk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextTalkorg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextTalkorg

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

What actually helps teens talk openly with their parents? 

In this special episode, Mandy sits down with her 18-year-old son, Carter, before he leaves for college to hear his honest perspective on parenting, communication, phones, boundaries, and growing up in a digital world. 

Together, they reflect on what helped build trust in their relationship, why creating a safe space matters, and how parents can balance rules, accountability, and connection with their kids. 

They also discuss: 
• Why rewarding honesty helped communication early on 
• The downside of overthinking and constantly asking “what if” 
• Why parents apologizing matters more than we realize 
• Phones, social media, and earning trust gradually 
• Why short conversations often work better with teen boys 
• Family traditions, games, and staying connected 
• Why parents should stay curious about their child’s world 

This episode is honest, funny, practical, and encouraging for parents navigating the teen years. 

RESOURCES

What my parents got right … and wrong - nextTalk 

The first nextTalk kid: an interview with Mandy’s 20-year-old daughter - nextTalk 

Teach Red Flag Reporting - nextTalk 

Avoid Crazy-Parent Mode - nextTalk 

Four reasons I kept screens out of my kid’s bedroom and bathroom - nextTalk 

Parent Question: This world is so sexualized. How do I approach these conversations with my son? - nextTalk 

Free Guide: Red Flag Reporting (Faith-Based) - nextTalk 

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

What should parents do when a child’s friend starts making unhealthy choices? 

When kids open up about what their friends are watching, saying, or experimenting with, many parents instinctively want to immediately end the friendship. But reacting too quickly can shut down communication and teach a harsh kind of “cutoff culture” instead of wisdom, discernment, and healthy boundaries. 

In this episode, we share five practical ways to help kids navigate risky friendships with both love and truth. We talk about how to respond when friends introduce inappropriate language, pornography, vaping, hookup culture, and other unhealthy influences—and how to help your child process those situations without fear-based parenting. 

You’ll also learn: 

• Why there is no perfect friend  
• How to avoid “level four” reactions to “level one” problems  
• Biblical conflict resolution from Matthew 18  
• The difference between inner-circle and outer-circle friends  
• One-way vs. two-way friendships  
• How your own friendships model relationship habits for your kids  

This episode will give parents practical language and biblical tools to help kids build healthy relationships, set wise boundaries, and navigate friendships in today’s culture. 

RESOURCES

Teach Red Flag Reporting - nextTalk 

Develop Moral Compass and Default to Love - nextTalk 

Look in the Mirror - nextTalk 

Build a Safe Place - nextTalk 

Adopt a No-Secrets Family Policy - nextTalk 

Your family is the most important team you will ever lead. - nextTalk 

Parenting Advice with Pastor Robert Emmitt - nextTalk 

A kid is confiding in me. Do I tell the parent? - nextTalk 

Is this Gossip? - nextTalk 

My kid is telling me everything. Do I speak up? - nextTalk 

FOMO is real. How do I parent it? - nextTalk 

TALK: A Practical Approach to Cyberparenting and Open Communication 

Free Guide: Red Flag Reporting (Faith-Based) - nextTalk 

Free Guide: Family Pact Teen Version (13+) - nextTalk 

Free Guide: nextTalk10 - nextTalk 

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280

Send us Fan Mail

A mom asked a question at one of our live events that sparked a conversation on our team. 

She created a phone contract with her kids that included mutual phone checks—meaning she could look at their phones, and they could look at hers. Then she asked: “Is that ok?” 

In the moment, Mandy said yes—affirming the mom’s desire to build trust and model openness. But afterward, our team kept talking. Should phone rules go both ways? Are there situations where that might not be the best approach? 

In this episode, Mandy and Merideth unpack both perspectives—exploring the balance between trust and leadership. They discuss real-life considerations like privacy, spouse conversations, work-related information, and the kind of content that can unexpectedly show up on a parent’s phone. 

They also zoom out to digital safety—why “deleted” doesn’t always mean gone, the risks tied to sharing images, and how AI is changing the conversation for families. 

You’ll walk away with practical guidance on creating a phone contract,  involving your kids in the process, and adjusting boundaries as they grow. 

Create Guidelines - nextTalk 

Random Phone Checks? - nextTalk 

Free Guide: Phone Contract (Faith-Based) - nextTalk 

Is my kid ready for a phone? - nextTalk 

Free Guide: Family Pact Kid Version (5+) - nextTalk 

Free Guide: Family Pact Teen Version (13+) - nextTalk 

My kid has a phone with no guidelines. How do I go back? - nextTalk 

Something Is Off with My Teen—Now What? - nextTalk 

Build a Safe Place - nextTalk 

Support the show

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
[email protected]
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280