Empowered to Connect Podcast

In this episode Becca, Jesse, and Tona walk us through what it looked like for them at the beginning of their parenting journey. Starting foster care, adoption, or any new parenting role can feel disorienting and overwhelming. It won’t always feel natural or easy, and you may not feel an instant connection. That’s normal! There will be stress, uncertainty, and moments where you question yourself, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. What matters most is showing up consistently, being willing to learn, and creating a sense of felt safety over time. You don’t have to be perfect to make a real difference. Your steadiness and presence is what builds trust.

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, check out our website, follow us on social media and YouTube!

Let’s talk about the “Wall Between Us”, the invisible, protective bricks we build from past hurt that quietly block connection with the people we love most. Our snapping, withdrawing, overreacting, and people-pleasing once protected us. But what if they’re now keeping us stuck? Healing doesn’t start with fixing our kids. It starts with noticing our own “shark music;” noticing what is keeping us from connection.

This conversation is about compassion over shame. Curiosity over judgment. And small, daily shifts that break generational cycles. Every brick you take down builds something better for the next generation.

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, check out our website, follow us on social media and YouTube!

What if connection is one of the most powerful tools in the classroom?

In this episode, Marti Smith and Amie Huggins join us to share about their new book The Connected Classroom and what they’ve learned working with educators inside real school systems. They talk about why building trust with students matters so much—and how connection creates the safety kids need to engage, learn, and grow.

If you’re a teacher, caregiver, or anyone who cares about helping kids thrive at school, this conversation offers practical encouragement and hope for creating classrooms where students feel safe, seen, and ready to learn.

To learn more about Empowered to Connect, check out our website, follow us on social media and YouTube!

Suppoort Amie and Marti by ordering their book.  https://a.co/d/098ZnA1F

To reach Amie, check out the information below.

Website:  www.amiehugginsconsulting.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: teacher_amie49

To reach out to Marti, check out the information below.

Website: www.creativetherapies.com

Does your nervous system feel like it’s been in survival mode for a long time?

This episode is for you.

We sat down in person with Melissa Corkum to talk about burnout, blocked care, and why connection can start to feel like a shock instead of a reward.

A few takeaways:

✨ Emotional pain and physical pain activate the same parts of the brain.
✨ Blocked care isn’t a character flaw — it’s a protective response.
✨ You don’t heal it by trying harder. You start by caring for your own nervous system.

If you’ve felt resentful, numb, exhausted, or ashamed for not feeling the joy you “should,” you are not alone.

It won’t always feel this way.
Keep hope. Carry on. We’re with you.

For the Blocked Care Assessment, click here.

On this next part of our mini-series “When You’re Tired”, we reflect on being emotionally tired. It is the quiet exhaustion that comes from caring deeply, showing up consistently, and holding space for others. Dr. Archandria Owens and Jesse discuss naming and expressing emotions, unmet expectations, and explore gentle ways to care for ourselves when we are exhausted in this particular way.