Parenting Forward

Latest Episodes:

109: God is Grey w/ Brenda Marie Davies Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

All month in January, we’re talking about purity culture. I want to hold various discussions on sex to ramp up the Parenting After Purity Culture conference happening in February.

Today, I’m so excited to be talking to Brena Marie Davies about the topic. Brenda is the founder of the popular YouTube channel, God Is Grey, as well as the author of On Her Knees: Memoir of a Prayerful Jezebel.

Brenda’s book tells the story of her years growing up as a conservative Christian. Of course, with that upbringing came purity culture. In this episode, Brenda shares some of that story. She had done the amazing work of redeeming some of the toxicity from that purity culture upbringing and now helps others understand God. Tune in to hear all about her faith history, how she’s shifted in her faith, and detoxing from purity culture.

Show Highlights:

Brenda’s deconstruction journey.
How her view of God has changed and how that parallels her detox from purity culture.
How purity culture affects our health and wellbeing in every way.
Why the idea of our sexuality needs to be expanded.
Allowing ourselves to experience pleasure and increase our sensualities.
How purity culture still affects Brenda and how she overcomes those narratives that still creep up on her.
How to teach our kids to know how to check in with their bodies.
The danger of the purity culture stigma.
How to talk about sex out of love and a desire for health instead of out of fear.

Links (affiliates included):

Brenda’s website: https://www.godisgrey.com

On Her Knees: Memoir of a Prayerful Jezebel: https://amzn.to/359YljS

Parenting After Purity Culture Conference - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

108: Breaking Free from Purity Culture w/ Linda Kay Klein Jan 04, 2021

Show notes

All throughout the month of January, we’re going to be revisiting the topic of purity culture in preparation for our upcoming Parenting After Purity Culture conference. We’ll talk about what purity culture is and how it relates to parenting.

We’re also going to bring back some archived episodes on the topic, as well as new interviews with experts whose work centers around the recovery from purity culture and sex-positive parenting. My hope and purpose, as always, is to help you break toxic cycles and move toward health and wholeness for your kids and all kids of the coming generations.

In today’s episode, we’re revisiting an episode with Linda Kay Klein. She is the author of the book Pure: Inside The Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free. Linda is also going to be a featured speaker at the conference, so I can’t wait for you all to hear from her. Tune in to hear all about the damaging effects of purity culture and Linda’s personal experience with it.

Show Highlights:

Linda’s working definition of purity culture.
How purity culture affected every area of her life.
Why offering our children as many choices as possible is so important.
How evangelicalism twisted young women’s identity to be all about sex.
How to set our children up for healthier sexuality by offering actual sex conversations, not just purity conversations.
How to talk about sex without shame.
How purity culture has set young women up to be more vulnerable to sexual predators.
How the message of purity culture was delivered differently and equally to boys and girls.
Advice for those climbing out of the purity culture world but still partially in that space.

Links (affiliates included):

Parenting After Purity Culture Conference - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

107: You Can’t Say You Don’t Like Kids w/ Anna Skates Dec 28, 2020

Show notes

Many adults believe that kids don’t have much to contribute to society. It’s very common to brush them aside as “not quite people yet.” This is one of the biggest reasons I started this podcast. I want to push against this belief and advocate for the rights of children.

In this episode, I’m talking with a friend who wholeheartedly agrees. Anna Skates has a new endeavor called Otterly, whose mission aligns perfectly with our mission here at Parenting Forward. They also believe that kids have great things to contribute and that they are very important to this world. We are kindred spirits is our desire to advocate for kids to be treated as full human beings, just as they are.

Anna has worked with kids in various capacities. I’ve loved following her journey and have been so moved by her persistence to ensure children are treated with justice. Tune in to hear more about Otterly and how to treat kids as equals.

Show Highlights:

The story behind Anna’s passion to advocate for kids’ flourishing.
How she responds to people who argue that we must treat kids differently than adults.
Why say that you don’t like kids is wrong.
How understanding developmental stages helps us see children as full people.
Who Anna wants to serve with Otterly and how.

Links (affiliates included):

Anna’s Website - https://www.otter.ly

Early Learners Box - https://www.otter.ly/box

Parenting After Purity Culture Conference - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

106: Parenting Decolonized w/ Yolanda Williams Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is Yolanda Williams from Parenting Decolonized. Her mission is to help black parents raise emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually liberated kids. She does this by addressing parenting from a racial perspective, considering the trauma black parents hold within their DNA. She teaches them how that history plays into how they parent today.

Yolanda is also a single mom of a toddler, who may make a guest appearance on the show today. Everything Yolanda does and stands for is totally up our alley here at Parenting Forward. So tune in to hear the amazing message she has to share with all of us.

Show Highlights:

Why Yolanda has branded her work “Parenting Decolonized.”
What it means to raise kids with a liberated mindset.
How Yolanda deals with her own child leaving their conscious home and entering an unconscious world.
What the past summer was like for her and her family.
Why it’s so important to teach our kids emotional resilience and when we should start doing so.
How those of us who aren’t black can help support what Yolanda is doing.
What decolonizing has to do with spirituality.
All about Yolanda’s upcoming parenting conference.

Links (affiliates included):

Parenting After Purity Culture Conference - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com

Parenting Decolonized website - https://www.parentingdecolonized.com

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

105: Holidays with Religious Trauma w/ Brian Peck & Laura Anderson Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

We’re back with another special holiday episode of Parenting Forward! However, instead of doing something festive, we’re going to be talking about religious trauma again. I know that holidays are the worst when we have family issues to deal with. It’s only worse when we have religious family issues. That is why I brought on today’s guests, Brian Peck and Laura Anderson.

Brian and Laura are religious therapists with the Religious Trauma Institute. They have been on the show for multiple episodes in the past and I am so excited to get to bring them back on. In this episode, we are addressing some of the issues people and parents, in particular, have during the holiday season if they are survivors of religious trauma. If you struggle with this yourself or know someone who does, tune in to hear how to navigate the holidays well.

Show Highlights:

Why having a trauma response to religion is an issue especially during the holidays.
How to plan for and respond to being asked to pray.
How to make sure our kids feel free to be their authentic selves.
The religious trauma that can come with Santa.
How to celebrate and talk about Santa in a way that feels safe to you.
Christmas music and how to manage its triggers.
How to reinvent and reclaim holiday traditions for you and your family.

Links (affiliates included):

Parenting After Purity Culture Conference REGISTER FOR FREE - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com

Parenting After Religious Trauma Series - https://cindywangbrandt.com/podcast/episode-63-parenting-after-religious-trauma-series-part-1-w-brian-peck-laura-anderson/

Religious Trauma Institute – https://www.religioustraumainstitute.com

ReligiousTrama Institute Workshop – www.workshop.religioustramainstitute.com

Religious Trauma Institute Facebook Page –https://www.facebook.com/religioustraumainstitute/

Religious Trauma Institute Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/religioustraumainstitute/

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

104: Bloom Homie, Detoxing Masculinity w/ Eric Eztli Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

Many of us, particularly those of us who grew up in conservative religious spaces, were taught unhealthy stories about what it meant to be a man. Some of them were generally toxic while some had added religious flavors. While many of us have rejected these teachings in our heads, we still struggle with internalized misogyny and toxic masculinity. This matters because, if we aren’t intentional and conscious about breaking those cycles, we may pass them onto our children.

Eric Eztli is on a mission to reimagine masculinity. He created the Instagram account Bloom Homie with a few friends several years ago. They focus on studying the patriarchal norms of this age and how they impact both men and women.

Eric is also a father who is thinking about all the ways he wants to guide his son in developing his own manhood. In this episode, we’re talking more about Bloom Homie as well as how Eric is helping society reimagine what it means to be a man in 2020.

Show Highlights:

More about Eric and his work at Bloom Homie.
How boys are taught to externalize pain.
How we can all work together to have a healthier approach to pain in our lives.
How Eric combats the toxic masculinity instincts from his childhood.
His obstacles to forming friendships with other boys in childhood.
What it’s been like for him to form intimate relationships with other men.
Expanding the conversation around boundaries to all humans.
Eric’s definition of healthy masculinity.

Links (affiliates included):

Bloom Homie - https://www.instagram.com/bloomhomie/?hl=en

Eric Eztli - https://www.instagram.com/ericeztli/?hl=en

The Macho Paradox by Jackson Katz - https://amzn.to/3fZNpcZ

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

103: How to Teach Kids a Responsible Reading of the Bible w/ Pete Enns Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

You can tell a lot about people by their reaction to the Bible. That is what makes it so interesting as a sociological phenomenon. There are secular people who are largely ignorant of the Bible. Then there is the large spectrum of ways Christians engage with the Bible, from the literal inerrant folks to the infallible and liberal interpretations.

My guest today understands the varied kind of baggage that the Bible can carry for people. Pete Enns is a Bible scholar, a professor, the author of several amazing books about the Bible, and the host of the popular podcast The Bible for Normal People. I had the amazing honor of being a guest on that show back in August. In this episode, we are discussing how to teach about and discuss the Bible with our kids.

Show Highlights:

Pete’s personal relationship with the Bible.
Whether or not the Bible is appropriate for children.
How children were viewed in Bible times.
Age-appropriate ways to teach the context of Bible stories.
Irresponsible ways of sharing the Bible with children.
What needs to change in regards to our attitude about children.
How understanding that you want to give your children power changes your approach to the Bible.
Why biblical literacy is important even for secular people.
How to raise our kids with resilience to prepare them for those who will contradict the way they learn the Bible.

Links (affiliates included):

My episode on The Bible for Normal People - https://peteenns.com/interview-with-cindy-wang-brandt-raising-children-in-the-faith/

Pete Enns website - https://peteenns.com

Pete’s Bible Curriculum for kids - https://amzn.to/2J0QBbV

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team -https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

102: Unpacking the Privileges of Gentle Parenting w/ Michael Singletary Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

Voices of hate and bigotry have been amplified in our country. This proves that they exist to be amplified. They won’t be going away anytime soon. That’s why we need the voices of love and gentleness, voices that are beautiful and nurturing, to get louder.

That is what I aim to do with this podcast. I plan to host voices that speak love, truth, and gentleness into this world while being simultaneously strong and soft.

I’m excited to bring on one such voice today. Michael Singletary is the owner of the Instagram account Verde Lobos Project. He is also a dad of two. His goal is to use his page to help people see that they are loved and valued. Tune into this episode to hear more about what Michael does as well as his perspective on gentle parenting.

Show Highlights:

The idea of covenant relationships outside of your biological family.
How Joe lost his identity when he became a parent.
His relationship with whiteness as he talks about gentle parenting.
His Instagram post of one of his kids in a Killmonger costume.
How he has engaged with and counteracted the narrative of toxic masculinity in his parenting.
Why he says many people don’t have access to nature and how he sees nature as a part of his parenting.
Life-giving activities we can try today and implement in our families.
How he taps into his kids’ playful energy.

Links (affiliates included):

Michael Singletary - https://www.instagram.com/verdelobosproject/?hl=en

Nature & Justice Instagram accounts Michael recommends:

she_colorsnature - https://www.instagram.com/she_colorsnature/?hl=en

tcplaneteer - https://www.instagram.com/tcplaneteer/?hl=en

sophia_roe - https://www.instagram.com/sophia_roe/?hl=en

Melanin Base Camp - https://www.instagram.com/melaninbasecamp/?hl=en

greengirlleah - https://www.instagram.com/greengirlleah/?hl=en

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

101: How to Be Assertive During Thanksgiving Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

Today's episode will be a rapid-fire Q & A. My goal has always been and always will be to make sure I’m doing my very best here on the podcast to serve you and meet your needs. So, in order to do this, I run a poll every once in a while and ask all of you what you want me to address. I did this again recently and got some fantastic questions and suggestions.

Throughout the episode, I’m going to be tackling all of the questions and issues that were raised in response to my poll. Some of the things we’ll be discussing include how to be assertive as an adult with our fundamental families at Thanksgiving. Tune in to hear my insights on navigating the complex realities of relationships within the family and parenting well in a variety of situations.

Show Highlights:

What’s at the core of wanting to be assertive with family.
How to clearly state your boundaries.
How to know when to disengage.
How to create a Christian community with structure but without inflexible hierarchies.
How to stay calm and gentle throughout the holiday season.
How to set your child up to have a strong foundation of faith.
How to parent for an apocalypse.

Links (affiliates included):

Existential Happy Hour with Micah Murry - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/007-surviving-deconstruction-w-cindy-wang-brandt/id1532267287?i=1000494731827

Creating Brace Spaces with Colby Martin - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creating-brave-spaces-with-colby-martin/id1403686245?i=1000449118618

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

100: How to Raise Justice Seeking Kids Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

I don’t just believe our kids are going to change the world. I believe they have already changed the world. They don’t have to wait to grow up to change the world. They don’t have to achieve anything grandiose to change the world. They have changed the world just by being who they are and having a voice. Therefore, they deserve to have a say in how the world is operating.

I was recently invited by a community to share this truth with their parents. You all know me as an author and a podcaster, but I also have speaking engagements where I’m honored to inspire various communities around the world with the message of Parenting Forward. In this particular community, I spoke on the topic of how to raise justice-seeking kids. Today, I’m sharing that talk with all of you.

Show Highlights:

How to have high hopes for our kids without crushing them with our high parental expectations.
Why we don’t have to teach our kids about injustice.
The most important thing to instill in our kids.
How systemic change really happens.
How we can give our children a voice and dismantle the barriers that have been constructed to squash it.
A broader definition of activism.
How to pave the way for your kids to be revolutionaries.

Links (affiliates included):

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com