Raising Boys & Girls
The Raising Boys and Girls Podcast, hosted by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan, offers insights from their work at Daystar Counseling Ministries. Each episode aims to help parents understand and support the children in their lives with practical advice and hope. The podcast covers topics related to raising boys and girls, drawing from the hosts' daily experiences with kids and families.
Episodes
Episode 418: Growing Perseverance in Capable Kids with David and Sissy
In this episode, Sissy and David explore how kids build perseverance by sticking with hard things, and how parents can stay close without stepping in to rescue them. David tells the story of a freshman cross-country runner who finished her first meet long after everyone else, cheered in by teammates who ran back onto the course for her. They share practical ideas: let kids be beginners, look for s
Episode 417: Helping Families with Disabilities Experience Their Capability with Amy Juila Becker
Amy Julia Becker explains why measuring kids against developmental milestones makes children with disabilities look incapable, and why asking "what's the next small step toward growth?" shows how capable they really are. She describes letting love "wrap around" fear and helping kids feel wanted, valued, and needed. She also shares how person-centered goal-setting turned 12-year-old Penny's dream o
Episode 416: Growing Flexibility in Capable Kids with David and Sissy
Sissy and David open with a "How Flexible Are You Really?" quiz and explain that flexibility is what happens after disappointment. They say they've never seen kids, or parents, struggle with it this much, and they connect rigidity to anxiety's need for certainty and to the "control monster." They share four ways to build flexibility: name it, make it fun with low-stakes practice like a flexibility
Episode 415: Raising Conscious Sons and Daughters with Dr. Shefali
Dr. Shefali Tsabary, author of Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons, explains how technology targets boys through their drive for achievement and girls through their need for approval. She describes girls struggling with perfectionism beneath polished exteriors, and boys caught between a culture that treats masculinity as a bad word and a manosphere that turns it into a cartoon.
Episode 414: Growing Competence In Capable Kids with David and Sissy
Kicking off a new stretch of their Capable series, Sissy Goff and David Thomas explore the strength of competence, distinguishing it from confidence: confidence says "I think I can," competence says "I've done hard things before," and it's built by practicing through real, manageable struggles rather than being rescued from them. They introduce "the capable pause" — asking whether a situation is t
Episode 413: A Practical Way of Creating Your Family Legacy with Blake Brewer
Blake Brewer joins Sissy and David to tell the story of watching his father drown in Hawaii when he was 19, and how a letter his dad had written him, discovered in his briefcase hours later, anchored him through grief and inspired the Legacy Letter Challenge. He shares what helped him grieve well, from adults who gave him space rather than pressure to still letting himself cry decades later,
Episode 412: Remembering and Hoping Together with David and Sissy
Closing out their series on grief, Sissy Goff and David Thomas focus on remembering, living, and hoping. They encourage parents to follow a child's lead on keepsakes and conversations, try tangible practices like memory boxes and collecting stories from relatives, and mark anniversaries without a script for doing it "correctly." They also address the guilt that can come with living fully again, ho
Episode 411: Prayer as a Family with Tyler Staton
Pastor and author Tyler Staton joins David Thomas for an honest conversation about prayer, parenting, and his journey through advanced-stage cancer. Tyler shares creative ways families can help children engage with prayer, including prayer jars and prayer trees, while reminding parents that prayer is not only about the words spoken between “Dear God” and “Amen,” but about who we become afterward.
Episode 410: What Kids Need From Us with David and Sissy
Sissy Goff and David Thomas share four things grieving children need most: conversation, community, consistency, and coping. They explain how honest, age-appropriate conversations can help children feel grounded, why safe adults and peers are essential, and how familiar routines and boundaries create security during seasons of change. They also offer practical coping strategies for navigating big
Episode 409: Creating Community for Kids in Time of Grief with Toni Collier
Sissy and David are joined by author and speaker Toni Collier for an honest and hope-filled conversation about the power of community in helping kids and families navigate grief and hardship. Drawing from her family’s experience with divorce, Toni shares how accepting support from safe people strengthened both her and her children. Together, they discuss why resilience is built over time, how to h
Episode 408: What Grief Looks Like at Different Ages with David and Sissy
Grief looks different at every age, and understanding a child’s developmental stage can help parents recognize what they need most. Sissy Goff and David Thomas explore how grief may appear in babies and toddlers, preschoolers, elementary-age children, middle schoolers, and teenagers—from regression and separation anxiety to withdrawal, risk-taking, and unexpected emotional reactions. They offer pr
Episode 407: Joyful Anyway with Kate Bowler
In this episode of Raising Boys and Girls, it features Sissy Goff and David Thomas in an in-person conversation with author and Duke professor Kate Bowler about her newest book, Joyful Anyway. Kate unpacks the difference between happiness (built from luck and circumstance) and joy (a surprising, embodied experience that can coexist with grief and hardship), drawing on her own journey through stage
Episode 406: What Grief Looks Like in Kids with David and Sissy
Grief can look very different in children than it does in adults. In this episode, Sissy Goff and David Thomas share five important ways kids process loss: in small doses, in the middle of everyday life, through emotions connected to secondary losses, through play, and in new ways as they grow and develop. They encourage parents to follow their child’s lead, offer language when grief unexpectedly
Episode 405: Where Getting Outside and Homeschooling Meet Capability with Ginny Yurich
Ginny Yurich, founder of 1000 Hours Outside, joins Sissy and David to explore how outdoor play, movement, and hands-on experiences prepare children to learn and grow. She shares how homeschooling has shaped her understanding of education, emphasizing that children learn constantly through their interests, relationships, everyday responsibilities, and time in nature. Ginny also explains how outdoor
Episode 404: Our 5 Favorite Tips for Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences can feel stressful for parents, but Sissy Goff and David Thomas encourage families to approach them as opportunities to build a supportive team around their child. They share practical ways to create a spirit of partnership with teachers, receive honest feedback without becoming defensive, and look beyond grades to understand how a child is growing academically, emotiona
Episode 403: The Importance of a Family Devotion with Michael and Melissa Kruger
In this episode, Sissy and David sit down with Michael and Melissa Kruger to talk about helping families build meaningful spiritual rhythms together. The Krugers share the heart behind their new book, The Good News Family Devotional: Fifty-Two Weeks Through the Gospel of Mark, and encourage parents that family discipleship doesn’t have to be perfect or complicated to make a lasting impact. They di
Episode 402: Our 5 Favorite Tips for Navigating Emotions in the School Year with David and Sissy
As kids head back to school, Sissy Goff and David Thomas share five practical ways parents can help them navigate the big emotions that often come with transition. They encourage parents to expect heightened feelings, lend kids their confidence, let feelings “ride but not drive,” protect margin for rest, and help kids collect evidence of their own capability. With simple scripts and questions pare
Episode 401: Making Peace with What We Can’t Control with Lysa TerKeurst
Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with Lysa TerKeurst for a meaningful conversation about making peace with what we can’t control—especially as parents. Lysa shares what she’s learned through raising five children, walking through divorce, and now becoming a grandmother, including the importance of keeping kids talking, releasing the need to control outcomes, and allowing children to experience
Episode 400: Our 5 Favorite Tips for Navigating Friendships in the School Year with David and Sissy
As kids head back to school, friendships can bring just as much anxiety as academics. In this episode, Sissy Goff and David Thomas share five practical ways parents can help kids build social confidence: practice the first few minutes of the day, teach kids to notice others, give them simple conversation starters, allow friendships time to grow, and celebrate courage instead of popularity. They re
Episode 399: The Back to School Break We All Need with Melanie Shankle and Sophie Hudson
Melanie Shankle and Sophie Hudson join David and Sissy for a funny, honest conversation about raising capable kids without giving in to pressure, perfectionism, or the urge to rescue them from every hard moment. Drawing from their friendship and experiences parenting young adults, they discuss the importance of allowing kids to fail, advocate for themselves, handle responsibilities, and develop co
Episode 398: Our 5 Tips for Back to School Transition with David and Sissy
As the new school year approaches, Sissy Goff and David Thomas help parents understand why transitions can bring big feelings, physical symptoms, and anxious thoughts for both kids and adults. They share an easy-to-remember “A+ Anxiety Plan”: anticipate anxiety, create an action plan, avoid avoidance, act it out through practice, and affirm courage. With practical scripts and strategies for naviga
Episode 397: Navigating Complicated Family Relationships with Dr. Dale Atkins
Dr. Dale Atkins joins David and Sissy to explore how speed, chronic stress, digital distraction, and intensive parenting are reshaping family relationships and contributing to a crisis of capability in kids. She shares practical wisdom for building stronger connections across generations, including listening without becoming defensive, respecting adult children as independent people, offering guid
Episode 396: Capable Connections: Friendships with David and Sissy
Friendships are where kids practice being human, but social anxiety, screens, group dynamics, and “rollercoaster” relationships are making connection harder than ever. Sissy and David offer practical ways parents can help kids recognize healthy friendships, develop realistic expectations, practice conversation and initiation, understand reciprocity, set kind boundaries, and navigate awkward moment
Episode 395: The Two Biggest Questions Parents Ask the Most About Siblings with Hunter and Katty Connelly
Katty and Hunter Connelly join Sissy and David to share what they have learned while raising four very different children. They discuss building capability through honesty, responsibility, hard work, and allowing kids to experience the consequences of their choices rather than constantly stepping in to fix things. They also offer encouragement for navigating sibling conflict, treating children fai
Episode 394: Capable Connections: Siblings with David and Sissy
Sibling relationships can be some of the longest and most meaningful relationships in a person’s life, helping kids develop empathy, resilience, social skills, and healthy conflict resolution. Sissy and David encourage parents to see sibling comparison, fairness battles, and everyday arguments as opportunities to build lifelong skills rather than problems to eliminate. They share practical ways to
Episode 393: Capable in the Classroom with Dan Carpenter (High School Teacher) and Wheat Teller (Elementary School Teacher)
David and Sissy talk with two beloved educators, kindergarten teacher Wheat Teller and high school history teacher Dan Carpenter, about what capability looks like in the classroom from the earliest years through high school. Together, they discuss the importance of letting kids struggle in age-appropriate ways, resist the urge to rescue, build emotional regulation, develop independence, and learn
Episode 392: Capable Connections: Teachers and Coaches with David and Sissy
Sissy and David celebrate the powerful role teachers, coaches, mentors, and other trusted adults play in helping kids grow into capable, resilient people. They reflect on the teachers and mentors who made them feel seen, believed in, challenged, and loved, and they remind listeners that one steady, caring adult can change the trajectory of a child’s life. They also talk about the practical ways ed
Episode 391: Family Dinners and the One Question Grandparents Need to Ask with Babs Costello
Sissy and David talk with Barbara “Babs” Costello, beloved social media creator, former preschool founder, mom of four, and grandmother of nine, about the lasting impact of words, the gift of intentional grandparenting, and creating a home that feels peaceful rather than perfect. Babs shares wisdom from her new children’s book, Did Your Mother Ever Tell You?, encouraging parents to make space for
Episode 390: The Power of Family Through Generations with Carole and John Ferguson, Julie Trapp, Ashley Waltemath, & Amy Pipes
In this conversation, John and Carole Ferguson and their daughters reflect on the rhythms that built a close, capable, faith-filled family across generations. They share how clear expectations, consistent family meals, chores, service, hospitality, gentle correction, and intentional time with extended family gave their children both security and responsibility. As grandparents, John and Carole emp
Episode 389: Capable Connections: Grandparents with David and Sissy
In this conversation, David and Sissy explore the important role grandparents play in helping children grow into capable, resilient adults. They discuss how grandparents provide a unique source of wisdom, encouragement, and unconditional love while reinforcing the values parents are teaching at home. The episode also highlights the power of family stories, meaningful traditions, and intentional co
Episode 388: Raising Capable and Mighty Kids in Today's Cultural Landscape with Sharon McMahon
Sissy and David sit down with Sharon McMahon to discuss how parents can help children become informed, resilient, and capable in a complicated world. Sharon shares her journey from classroom teacher to becoming “America’s Government Teacher,” and talks about the importance of balancing protection and preparation as kids grow. Together, they explore how children can handle difficult topics when gui
Episode 387: An Honest Conversation about Fathers and Daughters with Doug Durr, Allye Gray and Analise Glover
Builder and longtime Daystar friend Doug Durr joins his daughters, Allye Gray and Analise Glover, to reflect on the unique bond between fathers and daughters. They share stories of growing up on job sites, farms, and adventures with their dad while learning lessons about grit, resilience, service, and character. Doug discusses the importance of hard work, staying present through every season of li
Episode 386: Capable Connections: Fathers and Daughters
David and Sissy explore the unique role fathers play in helping daughters develop confidence, resilience, and capability. Through personal stories, research, and counseling insights, they discuss how dads build capability by spending time with their daughters, teaching practical skills, staying emotionally engaged, and continuing to pursue connection even during the challenging adolescent years. T
Episode 385: Mothers, Sons, and Playing in the NFL with Hunter and Jenny Henry
In this Capable Connections conversation, Hunter Henry and his mom, Jenny Henry, reflect on the values and experiences that shaped Hunter from childhood to adulthood. They discuss the importance of faith, grace, character, perseverance, family dinners, and meaningful connection, as well as the challenges of giving kids increasing independence as they grow. Through stories about sports, family life
Episode 384: Capable Connections: Mothers and Sons with David and Sissy
David and Sissy explore the powerful relationship between moms and sons, emphasizing that moms are often a boy’s emotional home base and play a key role in shaping his confidence, emotional health, and future relationships. They discuss how boys often express their biggest emotions where they feel safest and encourage moms to respond with warmth, steadiness, and clear boundaries. The conversation
Episode 383: An Honest Conversation about Fathers and Sons with Scott and Randy Hearon
Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with father and son Randy and Scott Hearon for a deeply honest conversation about the father-son relationship. Through stories spanning childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, they explore the messages boys receive about identity, capability, performance, faith, and belonging. Randy reflects on his growth as a father, including the impact of addiction, sports cu
Episode 382: Capable Connections: Fathers and Sons
In episode 382, Sissy Goff and David Thomas continue their Capable Connections series by exploring the unique relationship between fathers and sons. They discuss how fatherhood shapes both men and children, while highlighting challenges boys face around performance, emotional expression, and isolation. Through research, personal stories, and practical advice, they encourage dads to help sons build
Episode 381: Where Commitment Meets Capability with Shawn Johnson and Andrew East
In this episode, Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East discuss the importance of commitment, resilience, and raising capable kids. Drawing from their experiences as elite athletes and parents, they share how supportive parents helped them build confidence through challenges rather than rescuing them from discomfort. The conversation highlights the value of letting children develop independence, disco
Episode 380: An Honest Conversation about Mothers and Daughters with Haven Weits and Lisa Whelchel
Lisa Whelchel and Haven Weits share a rich and honest conversation about raising capable kids, cultivating independence, and building a strong mother-daughter relationship that lasts into adulthood. Through stories of entrepreneurship, trust, conflict, and repair, they explore how secure boundaries, meaningful connection, and a willingness to keep showing up for one another can shape both families
Episode 379: Capable Connections: Mothers and Daughters with David and Sissy
This Episode explores the powerful and often complicated relationship between mothers and daughters, highlighting how deeply girls are shaped by their moms’ words, reactions, and emotional health. Sissy Goff and David Thomas discuss the importance of modeling grace, resisting the urge to rescue or overcorrect, and helping daughters grow through hard things with support instead of protection. They
Episode 378: Learning to Fail, Trusting God and Trick Shots with Dude Perfect
This episode features an engaging conversation with Dude Perfect members Cory Cotton and Garrett Hilbert about friendship, faith, perseverance, and raising resilient kids. Joined by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Sissy’s nephews Henry and Whit, the group talks about how Dude Perfect started from simple backyard competitions in college and grew into a global platform focused on family-friendly enter
Episode 377: The Power of Family and Staying Connected Through Adulthood with Dr. Kathy Koch
Dr. Kathy Koch joins Sissy Goff and David Thomas to discuss the growing challenges facing today’s young adults and families, especially around resilience, identity, technology, and relationships between parents and adult children. Dr. Kathy explains how overparenting, screen dependence, fear of failure, and endless choices have contributed to anxiety, lack of perseverance, and “failure to launch”
Episode 376: Helping Teenagers and Young Adults Find Their True Identity and Capabilities with Alena Pitts Franklin
In this episode, Alena Pitts Franklin shares how grief, faith, and family shaped her understanding of capability and identity. She reflects on her early acting role in War Room, the loss of her mother Winter Pitts, and how God’s steadiness carried her through seasons of fear, insecurity, and growth. Throughout the episode, Alena encourages parents to lead with peace, encouragement, and authentic f
Episode 375: Capable the Young Adult Years with David and Sissy
In this episode, Sissy Goff and David Thomas discuss the growing challenges many young adults face, including entitlement, emotional fragility, difficulty handling feedback, and struggles with responsibility and relationships. They explain how capability is built through real-life experiences like disappointment, inconvenience, accountability, conflict resolution, and service to others. The conver
Episode 374: The Cornerstone of Resilience and Capability with Dr. Ken Ginsburg
In this episode of the Raising Boys and Girls podcast, Dr. Ken Ginsburg explains that resilience is built through strong, loving relationships and introduces his “7 Cs” of resilience: confidence, competence, character, connection, contribution, coping, and control. Drawing from his work with adolescents, he encourages parents to guide rather than control their children so they can develop confiden
Episode 373: Capable the High School Years with David and Sissy
This conversation highlights a growing “capability gap” in teens, where some, often girls, are overwhelmed by pressure and perfectionism while others, often boys, are disengaged and avoidant. David and Sissy connect this to factors like digital communication, lowered relationship standards, and increased screen use, all of which can hinder resilience and healthy development. They emphasize that tr
Episode 372: When to Push and When to Pull Back in the Middle School Years with Dr. Lisa Damour
Dr. Lisa Damour explains that resilience comes from learning to handle discomfort, not avoiding it, and reminds parents that mental health isn’t about always feeling happy. Especially in the middle school years, kids face rapid changes and self-doubt, making it crucial for parents to support rather than rescue. By allowing kids to work through hard moments while staying gently connected, we help t
Episode 371: Capable the Middle School Years with David and Sissy
Middle school is a crucial but often overlooked stage where kids need practice, not perfection, as they navigate social disconnection, increased screen use, and deep self-consciousness. By creating opportunities for real-life interaction, responsibility, healthy voices, and manageable discomfort, parents can help kids build the resilience and capability they’ll need for what’s ahead.
Resources
Episode 370: From Trauma to Regulation to Resilience with Neurobiologist Dr. Bruce Perry
Dr. Bruce Perry unpacks the difference between stress, adversity, and trauma, helping parents shift from asking “what’s wrong with you?” to “what happened to you?” He explains how moderate, predictable stress actually builds resilience, while overprotection can limit a child’s growth. He also highlights the powerful role of relationships—especially how a regulated parent can calm a dysregulated ch
Episode 369: Capable the Elementary Years with David and Sissy
Elementary school is a critical window where kids begin asking, “Am I capable?” and moments of struggle, not success, are what build that belief. Anxiety, anger, lack of regulation, and low agency are showing up more than ever, but they’re also opportunities. When parents pause before rescuing, hold steady boundaries, and give kids space to problem-solve, they’re actually building resilience and m
Episode 368: Building Independence and Resilience in Toddlers with Zee Pendleton and Angela Rice
Zee Pendleton and Angela Rice talk about how kids today are dealing with more anxiety, screen time, and big emotions, and remind us that raising capable, confident kids really comes back to the basics. Staying present, setting clear boundaries, and giving kids chances to try, fail, and grow in everyday moments makes all the difference.
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Episode 367: Capable the Toddler Years with David and Sissy
Toddlers’ “I do it myself” moments aren’t defiance, they’re signs of healthy development and a deep drive for autonomy. When parents pause before stepping in, allow struggle, and offer both empathy and boundaries, they create space for confidence and capability to grow. David and Sissy talk about how separation, independence, and small responsibilities all play a key role in helping toddlers build
Episode 366: Helping Boys Become Capable Men with Sherman Bucher
Sherman Bucher shares that while boys today are more open to getting help, many are also more anxious, less confident, and unsure how to take their next steps. He highlights the impact of online messages shaping boys’ views of strength and encourages parents to redefine it through emotional awareness and resilience. The conversation emphasizes helping boys take healthy risks, build real-world frie
Episode 365: Boys' Challenges to Capability with David and Sissy
This episode highlights how boys develop true capability by practicing risk, emotional regulation, and perseverance in everyday moments. David and Sissy explain that modern life often removes these growth opportunities, and encourage parents to allow healthy struggle, teach regulation tools, and step back from rescuing—so boys can grow into resilient men whose strength becomes safety.
Resources
Episode 364: Helping Girls Feel Ready and Capable in Today’s World with Kari Kampakis
Kari Kampakis shares why today’s girls need both grace and grit—the ability to stay kind while also developing strength and resilience. She encourages parents to help their daughters build discernment, confidence, and identity, while preparing them for challenges like comparison, friendship struggles, and fear of failure. Ultimately, Kari emphasizes raising kids who are willing to take risks, trus
Episode 363: Girls' Challenges To Capability with David and Sissy
This episode explores how to raise capable girls by addressing three key challenges—feelings, failings, and fear. Sissy Goff shares how girls often feel deeply, internalize failure, and face increasing anxiety, but reminds parents that these struggles don’t define them. By helping girls understand their emotions, practice kinder self-talk, and face fears with courage, we can guide them toward livi
Episode 362: The Key Ingredients to Finding Happiness as a Family with Dr. Arthur Brooks
Dr. Arthur Brooks shares that happiness isn’t a feeling to chase, but a direction shaped by habits—cultivating enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning. He highlights the importance of investing in faith, family, friendships, and meaningful work, while cautioning against the impact of screens and constant distraction. With practical insight, he encourages parents to prioritize time together, model lov
Episode 361: The 5 Principles of Parenting with Dr. Aliza Pressman
Dr. Aliza Pressman shares five research-based principles—relationship, reflection, regulation, rules, and repair—that empower parents to raise resilient, capable kids, emphasizing that growth comes not from perfection but from consistent connection, healthy boundaries, and allowing kids to experience manageable challenges.
Resources mentioned:
The 5 Principles of Parenting: Your Essential
Episode 360: The Crisis of Capability in Parents with David and Sissy
David and Sissy explore how modern parenting has shifted toward anxiety, over-helping, and outsourcing wisdom to experts—often at the cost of building real capability in kids. They encourage parents to move from relief-driven reactions to resilience-building practices by combining empathy with clear boundaries, trusting their instincts, and giving kids space to struggle and grow. Ultimately, capab
Episode 359: A Roadmap to Technology (and Fun) for Families with Catherine Price
Catherine Price explores how technology is shaping kids’ attention, mood, relationships, and development, while offering a hopeful path forward for families. She emphasizes that the goal isn’t just reducing screen time, but helping kids build fuller lives through real friendship, freedom, and fun. Catherine encourages parents to delay smartphones, create phone-free rhythms, model healthy habits, a
Episode 358: The Crisis of Capability in Kids
Sissy Goff and David Thomas explore what they call a growing “crisis of capability” among kids today. Drawing from what they see in their counseling offices, they discuss cultural shifts that have contributed to kids feeling less able to handle normal challenges—including the rise of smartphones, the loss of play-based childhood, “language inflation” around mental health, and increasing avoidance
Episode 357: Increasing Kids Capacity and Capability with Jay and Katherine Wolf
Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with Jay and Catherine Wolf to talk about resilience, suffering, and what it really means to raise capable kids. After Catherine survived a catastrophic brainstem stroke shortly after the birth of their first son, their family’s life was forever changed. Through their journey of disability, grief, faith, and hope, the Wolfs share how suffering can actually expa
Episode 356: Raising Capable Kids with David and Sissy
Sissy Goff and David Thomas introduce the idea behind their book Capable and discuss the growing mental health struggles they are seeing in kids today—anxiety, isolation, and a lack of confidence in handling challenges. They explain that being “capable” doesn’t mean being fearless or perfect, but having practiced coping with emotions, developing real-life competence, and learning through challenge
Capable Kids Series Coming Soon!
Sissy Goff and David Thomas introduce the Capable series—a conversation about the growing “crisis of capability” they’re seeing in kids today. Drawing from decades of counseling experience, they share why many kids feel anxious about growing up and how parents can intentionally build resilience, confidence, and emotional strength through everyday moments.
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Episode 355: How to Help Kids Understand, Love and Engage with God’s Word with Tara-Leigh Cobble
In this conversation with Tara-Leigh Cobble, founder of D-Group and host of The Bible Recap, Tara shares how moving from “Bible exposure” to true “Bible engagement” transformed her faith and led to the creation of The Bible Recap for Kids and its companion podcast. She encourages parents to model a genuine love for Scripture, invite kids into conversations about who God is (not just behavior modif
Episode 354: Helping Kids (And Grown-Ups) Grow in Friendship with Jesus with Sally Lloyd-Jones
In this deeply moving conversation, Sissy and David sit down with beloved children’s author Sally Lloyd-Jones to talk about her newest book, Jesus, Our True Friend. Sally shares how her own childhood—being sent to boarding school at eight and clinging to Jesus as her best friend—inspired her lifelong desire to help children know they are never alone. The conversation weaves through themes of perfe
Episode 353: Helping Your Kids Move From Feeling to Fact with Dr. Lee Warren
This episode features a powerful conversation with neurosurgeon Dr. Lee Warren about trauma, faith, and the science of hope. Drawing from his experience serving in Iraq, battling PTSD, and losing his teenage son, Dr. Warren shares how we can’t always control what happens to us—but we can influence how we experience it. Through the lens of his book, The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery, he e
Episode 352: Five Things Kids Need Now Spiritually with Melissa Trevathan
In this deeply grounding conversation, Sissy and David sit down with longtime mentor and educator Melissa Trevathan to talk about what kids need spiritually right now. Melissa shares that while children’s core longings—to feel safe, loved, and significant—haven’t changed, the intensity of anxiety and pressure has. She emphasizes that spiritual formation happens primarily through relationship, not
Episode 351: AI and the Tech Wise Family with Andy Crouch
Sissy and David sit down with Andy Crouch to talk about what kids need in a tech-saturated world—and why their deepest needs haven’t changed. Andy explores how today’s screens foster “parasocial” connection, how AI companions could become adolescents’ most trusted voices, and why frictionless digital relationships can keep kids from growing through real-life conflict and disappointment. He encoura
Episode 350: Porn Proofing Your Kids in a Technology and AI Driven World with Kristen Jenson
Kristen Jenson, founder of Defend Young Minds and author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures, talks with Sissy and David about why parents need to start conversations about pornography early—ideally as soon as kids have access to screens. She explains how porn often finds kids through friends’ devices, social media, apps, and even AI, and why proactive, calm conversations help build an “internal filter”
Episode 349: Talking with Kids about Faith, Sexuality and Gender with Dr. Preston Sprinkle
Sissy Goff and David Thomas talk with Dr. Preston Sprinkle about how parents and the church can help kids navigate identity, gender, and sexuality with both clarity and compassion. Preston emphasizes being a non-anxious presence, starting age-appropriate, Jesus-centered conversations early, and building strong relationships that keep hard conversations open. Together, they explore how conviction a
Episode 348: Protecting Kids Online, In the Real World and All the Awkward Conversations with Mary Flo Ridley and Megan Michelson from Birds and Bees
Sissy and David are joined by Megan Michelson and Mary Flo Ridley from Birds & Bees for a practical, hope-filled conversation about protecting kids in today’s fast-moving, tech-saturated culture. Together, they share how resilience, discernment, and safety are built through connection, calm parental leadership, and ongoing age-appropriate conversations—rather than one big “talk.” From body boundar
Episode 347: Helping Kids Have Conviction and Compassion In These Tumultuous Times with Justin Giboney
In this episode, Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with Justin Giboney for a timely, thoughtful conversation about what kids need right now in an increasingly polarized world. Justin weaves together faith, history, and parenting wisdom to explore how compassion and conviction are not opposites but essential partners in forming resilient, grounded kids. Drawing from the Civil Rights Movement, pe
Episode 346: Five Things Kids Need Now Culturally with David and Sissy
Sissy and David unpack five things kids need culturally right now: conversation (parents as the calm, safe first source), protection in the real world (body-safety skills and wise supervision), online protection (tools + ongoing check-ins), critical thinking (helping kids evaluate what they see and hear), and a spiritual foundation (identity, hope, and guidance). Their main point: culture will sha
Episode 345: Parenting Without a Roadmap: Not Carrying Your Childhood Trauma into Theirs with Dr. Juli Fraga
Dr. Juli Fraga invites parents into the often-overlooked work of tending to their own emotions as a foundation for raising emotionally healthy kids. Drawing from her book Parents Have Feelings Too, she explains how parenting can activate old wounds, how to tell when a big reaction belongs to us rather than our child, and why calm, repair, and self-compassion matter more than getting it “right.” Ju
Episode 344: How To Raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids with Dr. Marc Brackett
Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, to talk about helping kids—and parents—understand, express, and regulate emotions with wisdom and compassion. Drawing from his own story and decades of research, Marc unpacks why all emotions are information, explains the RULER framework in a practical, parent-friendly way,
Episode 343: Transforming Toddlerhood with Devon Kuntzman
Sissy Goff and David Thomas welcome Devon Kuntzman, founder of Transforming Toddlerhood, for a practical conversation about what toddlers need most right now. Devon reframes challenging toddler behavior as communication—not defiance—explaining how immature brain development, limited language, and sensory overload shape big emotions. She encourages parents to focus on co-regulation, connection, and
Episode 342: Five Things Kids Need Right Now Emotionally
This episode emphasizes that kids grow emotionally strong through five key needs: healthy boredom that creates space for creativity and self-direction, agency that helps them feel capable and in control within boundaries, opportunities to experience discomfort so they learn they can handle hard feelings, fortitude built by sticking with challenges over time, and parents who trust their own instinc
Episode 341: Why Your Kids Need You To Play at Every Age and How To Do That with Whitney and Alex Kimerling
Sissy Goff and David Thomas explore the powerful, research-backed role of play in reducing anxiety, building resilience, and strengthening family connection. They unpack why unstructured play has declined, how play shapes kids’ brains and emotional health, and why adults need play just as much as kids do. The conversation offers five practical ways to bring play back into everyday family life—with
Episode 340: A Story of Autism and Hope with Leland Vittert
Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with journalist and author Leland Vittert to talk about his memoir Born Lucky and the profound impact his father had on his life growing up with autism. Leland shares candid stories of adversity, resilience, and learning to navigate a world that wasn’t built for him—highlighting how character, hard work, and perseverance are formed not by removing hardship, but
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