Fresh Start Family Show

Latest Episodes:

When Your Kid Acts Out, They’re Actually Speaking Up (All Misbehavior Is Communication) Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

What if misbehavior isn’t defiance, manipulation, or disrespect, but communication?

In this honest, reflective conversation, Wendy and Terry invite us to upgrade our parenting lenses and see our kids, and ourselves, more clearly. Using a powerful “lens” metaphor, they unpack how much of our reactivity is shaped by old conditioning, inherited beliefs, and unconscious power struggles, and how different everything feels when we remove the glare.

Together, they explore why kids act out when needs go unmet, how power struggles form, and what happens when we stop trying to control behavior and start responding with curiosity, leadership, and connection. With real stories from their own family and 15+ years of lived experience, Wendy and Terry show how shifting our paradigm doesn’t just change our parenting, it changes our relationships, our nervous systems, and the legacy we’re building.

If you’ve ever felt triggered, stuck, or unsure how to respond when emotions run high, this episode will help you slow down, see differently, and lead with confidence and compassion.

Head to ⁠⁠https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/308⁠⁠ for more info and links.

🌟The Fresh Start Experience membership is open for a limited time! Learn more about this full support parenting program at https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/jointoday

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🗺 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 ⁠⁠

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My #1 Favorite Tool to Replace Threats That Teaches Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Control Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

Threats might feel like they work in the moment, but they quietly erode trust, connection, and long-term cooperation.

In this episode, Wendy and Terry break down why threats, bribes, and countdowns keep families stuck in power struggles, and what to do instead. They explore the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, why so many of us default to control without realizing it, and how a simple shift in language and leadership can completely change the tone of your home.

You’ll learn Wendy’s favorite strategy for replacing threats with firm, kind guidance that actually teaches self-control, builds respect, and supports your child’s inner motivation, without fear, shame, or endless battles. A must-listen for parents who want calmer days now and stronger relationships long-term.

Head to ⁠https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/307⁠ for more info and links.

🌟 Save your seat for the⁠ Empowered Parenting Reset workshop⁠happening Jan 28th!

🗺 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 ⁠⁠

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Honesty, Humility & Radical Responsibility (The Power to Change) Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy and Terry explore how honesty, humility, and radical responsibility give parents the power to create real change at home.

They share why breaking generational patterns starts with looking at our own reactions, not blaming kids, and how compassionate discipline builds trust, safety, and lasting connection. Through honest stories and practical insight, they show how becoming a calm, accountable leader helps your child feel safe coming to you when it matters most.

A grounding listen for parents who want less reactivity and more peace, connection, and confidence.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/306 for more info and links.

🌟 Save your seat for the Empowered Parenting Reset workshophappening Jan 28th!

📕Grab my FREE Quick Start Learning Bundle & discover 3 secrets to empower, connect, and build true collaboration with your strong-willed child! Head here to learn more! 👉⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/thrive

🗺 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 ⁠⁠

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The Fresh Start Your Family Has Been Waiting For: Starting 2026 with a Strong Vision & Community Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy invites parents into a powerful reset, one that goes far beyond New Year’s resolutions. She explores how fresh starts are created through intention, nervous system safety, and the courage to imagine something better for your family.

Wendy unpacks why misbehavior is often a signal, not a problem, and how breaking generational cycles begins with understanding what’s happening beneath the surface, for both parents and kids. You’ll hear how collective energy, community support, and regulation-first parenting can help you move from reactive patterns into more peace, joy, and connection at home.

This episode is a grounding, hopeful reminder that it’s never too late to rewire old habits, rebuild trust, and create family dynamics that truly feel good. If you’re ready to reset your parenting approach and start the year with clarity and confidence, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/305 for more info and guest links.

📆 Save the date for my FREE workshop - The Empowered Parenting Reset - happening January 28. Mark your calendar bc you're not going to want to miss this...

📕Grab my FREE Quick Start Learning Bundle & discover 3 secrets to empower, connect, and build true collaboration with your strong-willed child! Head here to learn more! 👉https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/thrive

🗺 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 ⁠⁠

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Real Life, Real Lessons: Our 2025 Takeaways + 2026 Words of Intention Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

Wendy and Terry kick off the new year with an honest, heart-led reflection on 2025, the moments that stretched them, shaped their family, and changed them in ways they didn’t fully recognize at the time.

From navigating grief and faith to watching their kids step into confidence, leadership, and generosity, they share what this past year taught them about trust, commitment, and listening to intuition, even when outcomes weren’t guaranteed. They talk candidly about what it really takes to stay all-in through uncertainty, in parenting, marriage, and everyday life.

They also share their Word of the Year for 2026, inviting listeners into a simpler, more trusting way of moving forward and choosing what truly matters next.

This episode is reflective, real, and deeply encouraging, perfect for parents who want to begin the year feeling connected, clear, and anchored in what matters most. Perfect for parents reflecting on the past year and stepping into a more intentional new year of family life.

Head to https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/304 for more info and guest links.

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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What Is Cycle Syncing for Moms? A 4-Week Plan to Easier Parenting with Kate Nguy Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

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

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Parenting with Brain Science: How to Teach Kids Self-Regulation & Calm the Amygdala Through Play with Anna Housley Juster Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

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.

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Believing in the Good: Faith-Based Parenting Through the Lens of Belonging with Mariko Clark and Rachel Eleanor Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

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.

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Quieting the World So You Can Hear Your Own Voice Again with Sarah Boyd Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

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

🔔 Don't forget to check us out over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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How to Parent Right From the Start (and What to Do if We Didn’t) with Dr. Vanessa Lapointe Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

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!

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