Ground Control Parenting with Carol Sutton Lewis

Madam C.J. Walker built a groundbreaking business and created opportunities for thousands of Black women. She also raised a daughter, A’Lelia Walker, whom she loved fiercely and tried hard to protect. Sometimes that protection felt like pressure.

In this GCP Book Talk, Carol talks with award-winning journalist A’Lelia Bundles about her book, Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, the story of her great-grandmother.  They explore the complicated bond between Madam Walker and her daughter, the difficulty of watching our children make choices we believe are wrong, and the challenge of growing up in the shadow of a powerful family legacy.

Come for a fascinating story of Black history, culture, and achievement. Stay for the unexpected parenting lessons about love, control, identity, and letting our children find their own way.

Follow Ground Control Parenting:
📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
📫Substack: @carolsuttonlewis

What happens when you throw a shower for parents? 

At the Ground Control Parenting Shower on Martha's Vineyard, parents at various stages of the journey spent an afternoon being informed, inspired, and celebrated.

In this special episode, Carol goes behind the scenes at the Shower, describing how the afternoon was built around four issues that matter deeply to GCP families, and sharing some of the best advice and resources that parents took home courtesy of sponsors Morgan Stanley, Meta, The College Board, and DonorsChoose.

The episode also takes us back inside Carol’s live conversation with Abby Phillip and Courtney B. Vance about raising children who are grounded and confident. Courtney shares how he and Angela Bassett created a strong “rhythm of the household” for their twins, and how they worked to keep their privilege from becoming their children’s definition of normal. Abby talks about the high expectations of her immigrant parents, the role of grace in her life and career, and how she is teaching her daughter to find her sense of worth within herself, rather than in other people’s praise or criticism.

Come inside the GCP Shower and discover what happens when parents get some of the attention, encouragement, and support they truly deserve. 

Follow Ground Control Parenting:

📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: @Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
📫Substack: @carolsuttonlewis

How do you raise children who are confident in who they are, especially when they are growing up in a world very different from the one you grew up in?

Recorded live at the Ground Control Parenting Shower on Martha’s Vineyard, Carol sits down with CNN anchor and author Abby Phillip and Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor and author Courtney B. Vance for an intergenerational conversation about the values we carry from our own childhoods and the ones we choose to pass on.

Abby and Courtney talk with Carol about resilience, high expectations, raising Black children in predominantly white spaces, and why showing up at your child’s school matters. They also wrestle with a challenge many parents face as they become more successful: how do you give your children opportunities you didn’t have without taking away their hunger and drive?

From Courtney’s determination to keep his twins grounded despite growing up with famous parents to Abby’s powerful belief that no one else can give you your value—and therefore no one else can take it away—this is a candid conversation about raising children who know who they are, wherever they find themselves.

Follow Ground Control Parenting:
📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com 
📫Substack: @carolsuttonlewis

Periods. Sex. Fertility. Perimenopause. Menopause. There’s a lot we wish someone had told us about sooner. How do we do better with the next generation? 

Carol welcomes back Dr. Sharon Malone, acclaimed OB-GYN and author of Grown Woman Talk, for a frank and funny conversation about women’s hormonal health from puberty through menopause. Dr. Sharon shares what we need to tell our daughters and what we should be telling our sons.  Dr. Sharon clears up persistent misconceptions about perimenopause and hormone therapy and reminds us that suffering through symptoms should never simply be accepted as part of life.

Follow Ground Control Parenting:
📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
📫Substack: @carolsuttonlewis

The "Life on the Hormonal Highway" Playlist--Enjoy!!

10 songs, tracking the episode's journey from puberty through menopause:

"Life Is a Highway" — Rascal Flatts (the episode's theme, set at the top of the conversation)
"Can We Talk" — Tevin Campbell (talking with daughters about puberty and periods)
"Let's Talk About Sex" — Salt-N-Pepa (the sex talk, and the pleasure gap)
"Shots" — LMFAO ft. Lil Jon (the three-shot HPV vaccine series)
"(You're) Having My Baby" — Paul Anka (egg freezing and the fertility window)
"Roller Coaster" — Ohio Players (perimenopause and menopause, "because it is truly a roller coaster")
"Get Ready" — The Temptations (perimenopause and menopause)
"How Will I Know" — Whitney Houston (perimenopause and menopause)
"Hot Hot Hot" — Arrow (hot flashes)
"Hot in Herre" — Nelly (hot flashes)

Every parent has had the moment. Your child seems permanently attached to their phone, and you wonder how to balance protecting them, trusting them, and preparing them for a world that is becoming more digital by the day.

In this episode of GCP On the Ground, Carol Sutton Lewis is joined by panelists Jen Hayes Lee and Keisha Sutton-James for an honest conversation about raising children in the age of screens. Together, these three moms represent three generations of parenting, each putting their own spin on the opportunities and challenges technology presents for today's families.

Their conversation moves beyond the familiar debate about how many hours kids spend on devices to explore the harder questions. Should parents track their children's location? Is the content our kids consume more important than the amount of time they spend online? When every other family seems to have different rules, how do you decide what is right for yours?

Carol, Keisha and Jen offer a practical framework for navigating a world our own parents never had to imagine. Whether your child is asking for their first device or already carries one everywhere, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about screen time, trust, family expectations, and the values that should guide every parenting decision long after today's technology becomes tomorrow's history.

Follow Ground Control Parenting:

📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
📫Substack: @carolsuttonlewis