Connected Families Podcast

Those tearful drop-offs at preschool can leave any parent feeling shaken or unsure of what to do next. In this episode, host Stacy Bellward reads one of our most popular blog posts as an audioblog, exploring what’s really happening beneath the surface of separation anxiety. 

If you’ve ever navigated toddler separation anxiety, you’ll discover a new perspective on the hidden factors behind your child’s fears of drop-off, and how to help.

Key Takeaways:

Why crying at drop-off is often completely normal and can actually reflect healthy, solid attachment.

Learn how several hidden factors can feed your child’s fear of separation, and understanding them changes how you respond.

How a shift in your goal at drop-off can make all the difference

Discover how your child’s sensitivities can become a source of confidence, joy, and compassion.

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Blog Post – Help! My Anxious Child Cries When Dropped Off At Daycare

Healthy Rhythms for Daily Life Online Course (also included in the cf community!) 

Ep. 310 – Parenting a Neurodivergent Child: How to Advocate at School

The Table Monthly Giving Program

James 1:5

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Want to keep this conversation going?

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👉 Join the cf community today

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This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

That sinking feeling when another teacher’s email arrives, listing everything your child did “wrong” again? If you’re parenting a neurodivergent child, you likely know this feeling well. 

In this replay episode, host Stacy Bellward talks with Connected Families parent coaches Marni Love and Taylor Irby, two moms who’ve walked this road themselves. Together they talk about what it looks like to advocate for your child with grace and confidence. Through their honest stories and practical wisdom, they explore how a diagnosis can open doors to help, how to partner genuinely with teachers, and how connection can carry families through the hard parts. 

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Why releasing the family you imagined and embracing the child in front of you changes everything

Practical strategies for setting your kids up to thrive at school

What to include on a one-page advocacy sheet that helps teachers truly see your child

How to build the support that your child needs, without doing it alone

Whether you’re new to advocacy or years into the journey, this conversation offers wisdom, peace, and real confidence for the road ahead.

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Focus is Fertilizer

Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart Online Course

Grace & Truth for Moms Online Course

Sensitive & Intense Kids Online Course

Parent Coaching

ABC’s of Affirmation

Meet My Child Template

Episode 309 – Should I Homeschool? Discerning What’s Best For Your Family

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Marni Love is a former public school teacher who has been a home educator for 16 years. She is a Homeschool Mentor, a Certified Connected Families Parent Coach, and an instructor for CF coaches-in-training. Marni enjoys spending time with her husband, Eric, and their three sons in the beautiful mountains and beaches of Northern California. Marni is available for coaching and speaking. You can connect with her through her website, marnilove.com. 

Taylor Irby is a mother to 5 kids, and she understands the struggles parents face. Every day she faces ADHD, autism, anxiety, developmental delays, and adoption trauma. She, too, has sat in the midst of challenges and searched the world for answers. Taylor read book after book and got excited over short-lived methods. That is when she hit the wall of desperation and sought parent coaching through Connected Families. Taylor ultimately became a coach through their training program to help others like her. She has seen transformation in her home by working with a framework that has changed not only her children’s behavior but their hearts as well. You are not alone on this parenting journey. There is hope, and you can enjoy your children, build that relationship you have wanted, and see behavior change. You can learn more about Taylor on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/taylor.irby.5 and Instagram @taylorirbycoaching 

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

Asking yourself, “Should I homeschool,” this school year? It’s a weighty question—and one you don’t have to answer on your own. In this episode, host Stacy Bellward is joined by two Connected Families Certified Parent Coaches and seasoned homeschooling moms, Marni Love and Amy Nyvall, who bring 16+ years of combined experience to this conversation.

Rather than handing out a one-size-fits-all answer, Marni and Amy walk through the decision using the Connected Families Framework™. They tackle real questions submitted by the cf community and help you discern what’s best for your family!  

Key Takeaways:

The decision starts with you, not the curriculum. 

Your educational gaps aren’t a disqualifier. Every parent (and every school) has them. 

Motivation is built, not demanded. 

Your child isn’t your report card. Homeschooling doesn’t make you a better parent, and a hard day doesn’t define you 

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Romans 8:39

The Connected Families Framework

Sensitive & Intense Kids Online Course

cf community

Homeschool Discipline Online Course

Connected Families Certified Parent Coaches

The Table Monthly Giving Program

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Marni Love is a former public school teacher who has been a home educator for 16 years. She is a Homeschool Mentor, a Certified Connected Families Parent Coach, and an instructor for CF coaches-in-training. Marni enjoys spending time with her husband, Eric, and their three sons in the beautiful mountains and beaches of Northern California. Marni is available for coaching and speaking. You can connect with her through her website, marnilove.com. 

Amy Nyvall is a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach who lives near Portland, Oregon, where she homeschools her kids ages 14,11, and 9 and leads a vibrant Charlotte Mason Education Community and Co-op. Contact Amy at amynyvall@gmail.com or learn more about her here. Amy is available for coaching and speaking on the Connected Families Framework. You can even find her contributing to events on the CF Community in Mighty so you can interact with here there too.

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

We were never meant to walk the parenting journey alone. In this heartwarming and eye-opening episode, host Cindy Wilson (Director of Education, Equipping, and Research at Connected Families) sits down with Crystal Wilson, the Director of Global Fundraising Strategy at Compassion International. Together, they explore the universal heartbeat of motherhood and the essential, life-giving power of Christian community. 

If lonely motherhood has been weighing on you, and you’re longing to build deeper, more authentic relationships right where you are, this conversation offers a beautiful reminder of how God wired us for connection, grace, and mutual support. 

Key Takeaways:

Discover the universal heart of parenthood from mothers around the world

Learn practical steps to overcome isolation

Discover powerful stories of how local churches worldwide are partnering with organizations to bring joy

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Acts 2

Galatians 6:2

Matthew 16:18

Compassion International

Compassion’s Survival Program

Connected Families Ministry Partnership Program

The Table Monthly Giving Program

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Guest Bio:

Crystal Wilson is a dynamic leader whose life purpose is to serve the world’s most vulnerable by connecting them with life-changing resources. She currently serves as Director of Global Fundraising Strategy at Compassion International, leading global and multicultural fundraising strategies fueled by her faith, entrepreneurial mindset, and passion for Christ. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Crystal spent 15 years in the automotive industry leading high-performing PR and marketing teams for major brands including Cadillac, Lincoln, and Nissan. Licensed to preach the gospel at age 24, she launched and led a young adult ministry for over five years under her father, Rev. Dr. David L. Roberson, Senior Pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, and also served as Director of Children’s Church at Life Changers International Church. She is a co-founder of THRIVE!, Compassion’s Employee Resource Group that supports and empowers working mothers. Above all, Crystal’s most treasured roles are wife to Cameron Wilson and mom to Cameron Ray (14) and Christian David (11).

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families

As a self-described sensitive and intense mom raising two sensitive and intense daughters, Laura Way, Content Manager at Connected Families, wraps up our summertime conflict series with a powerful tool we use called Slow, Low, & Listen, which also applies easily when you have kids fighting in the next room!

Drawing from Scripture, brain science, and her own kitchen-floor moments with her seven-year-old, Laura unpacks why our nervous systems get so easily hijacked by our children’s big emotions and offers a practical, grace-filled path forward. You’ll learn how slowing down, getting low, and listening can transform the way you enter into your kids’ hard moments.

Whether you’re navigating sibling conflict, meltdowns, or daily chaos, this episode offers wisdom and tools to help you respond with the grace-filled presence you long to bring to your parenting.

Key Takeaways:

Why your calm has to come first—and how to find it when your child’s emotions feel overwhelming

The brain science behind why a screaming child can trigger the same response as real danger

 What “Slow, Low, Listen” actually looks like in real life (with Laura’s honest, in-the-moment examples)

How to move from reacting at your child to responding with your child

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Blog Post – How to Break Habits of Harshness: Try Slow, Low, & Listen

James 1:19–20 

John 8:1-11

Sibling Conflict Online Course

cf community

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Want to keep this conversation going?

Join us inside the cf community — a faith-anchored, coach-supported space where parents grow together. Reflect on episodes like this one, ask hard questions, and celebrate the small wins alongside parents from around the world.

👉 Join the cf community today

Love the podcast? Leave a review to help other parents find shows like this one.

This podcast was made possible by members of The Table, whose monthly support creates a ripple effect of change for generations to come. We’d love to have you take a seat at The Table!

© 2026 Connected Families