Fresh Start Family Show

What if your cycle wasn’t something to “get through”—but a secret superpower? In this empowering episode, Wendy sits down with hormone health practitioner Kate Nguy to explore how syncing with your hormonal rhythm can transform the way you parent, work, and care for yourself. Kate shares her personal story of healing infertility, the surprising truth about cortisol and stress, and how understanding the four seasons of your cycle—spring, summer, fall, and winter—can help you regulate your nervous system, communicate with more ease, and parent with greater patience and presence. 🔍 What You’ll Learn: How your cycle impacts mood, energy, communication, and parenting capacity Simple ways to align your life with your hormonal phases Nervous system support through hormone awareness Real-life parenting hacks for each “season” of your cycle Whether you’ve felt unstoppable one week and overwhelmed the next—this conversation will help it all make sense. You’ll walk away feeling seen, validated, and equipped to stop fighting your body and start honoring it. Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/303  for more info and guest links. ⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline 🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠ 🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Want to help your child build real emotional resilience—without power struggles or shame? In this heart-centered and science-backed episode, Wendy sits down with educator, content creator, and former Sesame Street director Anna Housley Juster, Ph.D., LICSW to explore how play, brain science, and emotional literacy help kids build true self-regulation. Anna explains how the amygdala works, why threat responses show up so fast, and how connection, storytelling, and simple co-regulation tools can help both kids (and parents) feel safe and calm during big emotional moments. 🧠 What You’ll Learn: How to spot real vs perceived threats in kids' behavior Why emotional literacy is key to nervous system regulation Playful, brain-aware tools that soothe big feelings How to model co-regulation without being perfect This is a grounded, hopeful conversation filled with practical strategies to build emotional safety, resilience, and lifelong mental health—starting right where you are. Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/302 for more info and guest links. ⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline 🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠ 🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Raising Kids with a Faith Rooted in Love—not Fear In this tender and hope-filled episode, Wendy talks with author Mariko Clark and illustrator Rachel Eleanor, creators of The Book of Belonging—a reimagined children’s Bible centered on original goodness, emotional literacy, inclusive imagery, and a deeply compassionate view of God. Together, they explore what it means to raise kids with a faith rooted in love, equity, and belonging—especially when you’re navigating your own journey of healing from high-control theology or rethinking inherited beliefs. 💛 What You’ll Learn: How to introduce Scripture without fear, shame, or pressure Why representation in spiritual spaces matters deeply for kids How embodied, relational practices help children feel safe with God The story behind The Book of Belonging and its gentle theology Whether you’re deconstructing, rebuilding, or somewhere in the beautifully messy middle—this conversation will remind you: you’re not alone. Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/301  for more info and guest links. ⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline 🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠ 🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feeling overwhelmed by the pace of modern life? You’re not alone. In this episode, Wendy sits down with the inspiring Sarah Boyd, author of Turn Down the Noise, to talk about staying grounded, calm, and connected in a world that rarely slows down. Sarah shares her journey from aggressive cancer at 27 to motherhood, and how that season reshaped everything she teaches about resilience. Together, they break down simple brain science, why parents feel so overstimulated today, and small shifts that help kids and adults reset. You’ll learn: • How stress affects the prefrontal cortex • Daily habits that help you regulate through overwhelm • Ways to slow family life so kids build resilience • How to trust your intuition instead of parenting by comparison A warm, hopeful conversation that helps you breathe again. Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/300 for more info and guest links. ⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline 🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠ 🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Didn’t start out as a gentle parent? You’re not alone — and the best time to begin again is today. Psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Vanessa LaPointe joins Wendy to explore how to parent right from the start—and what to do if you didn’t. From inner-child healing and nervous system safety to practical, firm-and-kind boundaries, Dr. Vanessa offers a compassionate roadmap for raising kids without shame or fear. You’ll hear why “we parent as we were parented,” how to spot (and soothe) your own age-regressed reactions, and what Dr. Vanessa calls parental swagger—the calm, confident presence kids lean into at every age. If you’re parenting tweens or teens, don’t miss her reframe: it’s not too late—it’s prime time. Perfect for parents of strong-willed kids, caregivers rethinking punishment, and anyone ready to trade compliance for connection. Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/299  for more info and guest links. ⭐️​Grab my FREE Quick Start Compassionate Discipline Learning Bundle today and discover how to build a strong, compassionate, FIRM & effective discipline toolkit that works with kids of ALL ages!! 👉 https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/discipline 🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠ 🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices