Fresh Start Family Show

Latest Episodes:

Calm Can be Cultivated - a Conversation About Building Emotional Literacy and Self-Regulation Skills Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, join Wendy and her community coach and podcast manager Amy to discuss how ALL of us are capable of becoming a calm parent.

It might seem some people have it and others don’t. With some intention, tools and time, we can all begin to calm our nervous systems, access responsiveness and influence our families to do the same. We can cultivate the calm we want to see in our lives!

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/168.

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5 Mistakes (Even the Most Well Meaning) Parents are Making When It Comes to Keeping Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse - with Rosalia Rivera Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

This episode of The Fresh Start Family Show welcomes back a cherished guest Rosalia Rivera. Rosalia is the founder of Consent Parenting, a consent educator and child sexual abuse prevention specialist, sexual literacy advocate and the host of the About Consent Podcast. She is also a child sexual abuse survivor, turned thriver.

You’ll learn how to avoid the pitfalls that many well meaning parents make when it comes to educating ourselves and our children on these topics. This conversation is often uncomfortable or even taboo, but it doesn’t need to be and it’s absolutely essential that every parent listens since the stats are staggering when it comes to how common sexual abuse with kids is. The more literate we are ourselves, the easier it is to address our own family, friends and others in our children’s lives so they stay SAFE!

Tune in to learn 5 mistakes parents often make when it comes to keeping kids safe from sexual abuse:

1. Not knowing the stats

2. Thinking that your child will recognize red flag behavior/grooming

3. Not being proactive because you believe your neighborhood/school/religious institution/family circle are all safe

4. Allowing sleepovers without fully vetting where your child will be staying

5. Telling your child that no one should touch their private parts and not telling them what to do IF someone does touch them (and it's not go, run, yell, tell)

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/167.

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Healing Through the Mirror: How our Children Can Reflect the Changes WE Need to Make Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy is showing up in her most vulnerable episode yet. During an intense healing season, she’s found some truths and discoveries that had been hidden for 3 decades. There is SO much healing that comes through not hiding away from it, but rather facing it head on and letting go of shame that is felt.

This episode will help us see how we also can:

Use our children’s misbehavior to ask ourselves - what life skill are they developing that we also need help with, but are scared to admit it?
Focus on ourselves, which actually helps us to be able to teach them better & influence their behavior more easily
Confront any shame or fear of shame we may have buried down deep that we were using as an excuse to think we’re not enough, or something’s wrong with us, or we’re not capable, etc.

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/166.

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Modeling and Teaching Self-Control to Kids Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy and Terry discuss self-control – how to strengthen our own while also teaching our children to build theirs. They discuss the importance of modeling self-control as the best way to teach our kids this important life skill.

Since self-control is something that continues to grow and develop as we age, it’s beautiful to be able to learn and practice this skill together with our children.

Practicing with our kids what we actually want them to do to have better self-control is key to helping them to strengthen their self-control skills.

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/165.

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3 Steps to Getting out of a Funk with Elizabeth Andreyevskiy Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

This episode of the Fresh Start Family Show is one we can all relate to as parents. There are times when we just feel off our parenting game and in a major funk amidst whatever season of life we’re in. Wendy chats with Eliazabeth Andreyevskiy about 3 Ways We Can Get Out of a Funk.

Elizabeth is a mother of 4 kiddos, a stress coach for moms, and the host of the Emotionally Healthy Legacy Podcast. She works with moms to help identify patterns that are not serving them and replace them with more effective routines, and teaches them stress management and self-regulation strategies.

So many things in our lives can bring out our funk, leaving us feeling heavy and not sure how to snap out of it. Living this way is not how we were designed to be in connection with our family.

Tune in now to hear us elaborate on these 3 Steps:

1. Find & create clarity around what feels heavy

2. Slow down to define what needs are not being met for yourself

3. Do something that will raise your vibration (we give lots of examples in the episode!)

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/164.

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Turning Video Game Time into Learning Time with Randy Kulman, PhD Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family show, Wendy chats with Randy Kulman, Ph.D., who is an author and the founder of LearningWorks for Kids, an educational technology company that specializes in using video games to teach executive-functioning and academic skills.

Our kids love video games. Many of us see them as a waste of time, and they can be very addictive when not part of a balanced Play Diet of physical, social, creative, unstructured, and digital play. In this episode, we learn how we can use a platform like Minecraft, for example, for building relationships with us and their friends, and to help teach our kids some pretty amazing Executive Function Skills, including:

Planning
Time Management
Organization
Flexibility
Social Awareness
Self-control
and Persistence

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/163.

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Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Self, Sex & Speaking Up with Sheila Wray Gregoire of Bare Marriage & Rebecca Lindenbach Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, we are getting real with some sex talk. Our guests are none other than incredible mom and daughter Christian sexpert duo Sheila Wray Gregoire and Rebecca Lindenbach of Bare Marriage. Terry and I chat with them about the powerful topics of their upcoming book She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Self, Sex & Speaking Up.

Whether we grew up in the church that used a shaming purity culture or even a home that didn’t have open and honest conversations around dating, consent, and our value beyond our virginity, this episode will inspire and empower us as we navigate introducing these concepts to our own kids on their journey through puberty and beyond.

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/162.

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The Life-Changing Magic of Creative Writing for Mothers Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy sits down with Jackie Leonard, founder of Motherscope and host of The Motherscope Podcast to talk about the Life Changing Magic of Creative Writing in motherhood. Jackie’s early experiences of motherhood acted as a catalyst for the birth of Motherscope - a community of moms who inspire and uplift one another by writing and sharing their own stories.

When we look back at the legacy we are leaving behind for our children and generations to come, we can start to see how using writing to tell our stories is a beautiful form of connection and way to honor all the ups and downs of this wild parenting journey we’re on.

Tune in to hear Wendy and Jackie chat about:

Preserving your legacy by writing it down. Your story matters.
A little goes a long way. Even 5 minutes creates magic and memories.
Ways to get started on your creative writing journey.

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/161.

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Time Outs Vs Self-Calming Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the Fresh Start Family Show, we are re-visiting an OG fan favorite episode where Wendy & Terry discuss the why & the how behind taking a break from using time-outs in our households, and instead, teaching & modeling how to implement self-calming breaks.

Time-outs are a forced isolation that do not actually teach a child how to calm themselves down. Self calming breaks give kids practical tools to take care of their needs in healthy & appropriate ways. They’re all about coaching our kiddos to feel their emotions and deal with them from a place of integrity.

Tune in to learn more about:

The difference between external control vs. intrinsic motivation
How to implement self-calming breaks in our homes & take a break from time-outs
The importance of modeling

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/160.

Grab your free Quick Start Learning Bundle on Raising Strong Willed Kids with Integrity!

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How We Can Solidify Unconditional Love in Our Homes and Our Parenting Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, we are taking a closer look at one culture’s form of hand-me-down autocratic parenting: Tiger Parenting. It's a parenting style that stresses success and achievement at any cost so that the child fulfills the parent’s definition of "good enough".

Wendy is joined by her Asian-American cousin, Midori, to chat with today’s guest Iris Chen about growing up in Tiger Parenting families. Iris is the author of the book Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent, and the founder of the Untigering Movement. Her mission is to inspire generational and cultural transformation, especially among Asian communities.

There's no question that we love our kids, AND there are many things we do as parents that are born out of the idea that parents need to be in control of their children by any means necessary and define what success should look like for them. This episode lays the groundwork for rethinking the cultural influences many parents adhere to in parenting vs what we are at choice to do.

Tune in to learn 3 Ways to Solidify Unconditional Love in Your Home & Parenting (& why it works so well to help kids behave better!)

1. Focus on connection over correction (talk about how mistakes are opportunities to learn & don't require us to be so harsh on our kids)

2. Mentor your children on how to be happy & healthy vs. drive performance (take a break from making your child "do their best / do more / be better / etc.)

3. Let go of image striving (appearing we or our kids have it all together - we are raising humans, not robots & we all have messy moments / imperfections).

For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/159.

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