Mending Families

TW: The topic of conversation can be hard for some to hear. Kelsea shares her personal story which includes neglect, drugs/alcohol, rape, and suicidal ideations. In this conversation, Kelsea Koenreich shares about the importance of self-care, healing, and personal growth, while sharing her experiences with trauma and overcoming challenges. She emphasizes the need for self-reflection, accountabilit...

In this conversation, Kelly shares her personal experiences with the changing seasons and the benefits of incorporating short meditation practices into her daily routine. She also explored the physical and neurological benefits of meditation, its relation to spirituality, and the importance of self-regulation for parents and caregivers. Finally, she recommended resources for yoga and meditation pr...

On today’s episode, Melissa brings you a Mindful Monday with a guided meditation to help guide you through a body scan as you notice the sensations in your body, both as individual parts, and as a whole. Enjoy! A big THANK YOU to our new sponsor, ⁠West Plains Roasters⁠ ! If you have not stopped by to see them, pop in 7 days a week and get yourself some toast, coffee, or even cake on Fridays! Music...

In this conversation, Lauren discusses her professional background, focusing on her work with trauma-informed practices. She explores various aspects of trauma, including compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and the challenges of parenting children who have experienced trauma. The discussion concluded with strategies for managing stress and trauma, emphasizing the importance of self-care, underst...

Mending Families is hosted by Melissa Pemberton and she brings you weekly content that is a mix of trauma aware interviews, parenting tips for those caring for kids from adversity, and stories from people just like you as they share their beautiful messy moments. Melissa hopes that when you listen each week, you will feel encouraged, inspired and take a little something away to help you and your f...

On today’s episode, Michael discusses his experience as a parent of a child with autism, sharing insights on diagnosis, therapy, education, and daily challenges. He explored various strategies for supporting children with autism, including diet modifications, behavioral therapies, and educational accommodations. The conversation also touched on the importance of financial planning, self-care, and...

On today’s episode, Melissa brings you a Mindful Monday all about connection with nature through breathwork, mindfulness, and being outside. With Earth day just around the corner on April 22 (I was wrong in the episode…whoops!), now is the perfect time to reconnect with nature. Take a quick 5 minute break, step outside or open a window, and breath in this relaxing nature connection meditation.  A...

In this episode, Nicole shares about her journey into foster care and adoption, and her experiences as a foster parent and foster parent trainer. She also discussed the importance of self-care and trauma-informed practices for foster and adoptive parents, with Nicole emphasizing the need for parents to prioritize their well-being to better support their children.  Nicole Barlow is a mom to six kid...

On today’s episode, Melissa brings you a Mindful Monday all about grounding ourselves for just a few moments. In the spirit of grounding ourselves, today’s guided meditation is called “Grounding Breath”. Find a comfy, quiet place and 7 minutes while Melissa guides you through a grounding breath exercise.  A big THANK YOU to our new sponsor, ⁠West Plains Roasters⁠ ! If you have not stopped by to se...

In today’s episode, Kelly, a life coach for teens with ADHD, talks about ways to help teenagers boost their confidence and deals with common challenges they face, such as managing emotions, time, and schoolwork. She discusses how ADHD can be managed through diagnosis, medication, and other methods, highlighting the need for a supportive lifestyle that includes good sleep, nutrition, exercise, and...

On today’s episode, Melissa brings you a new monthly series, Mindful Mondays. Because it is the month of love, today’s guided mindful meditation is called “Loving Kindness”. Find a comfy, quiet place and 10 minutes while Melissa guides you through a loving kindness exercise. Where to find Mending Families: Instagram - @mendingfamilieswa TikTok - @mendingfamilieswa Facebook - @mendingfamilieswa You...

TW - Today we talk about abusive relationships and domestic violence so please know that if you are in a DV situation or know someone who is, there is help. Go to www.thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-7233 Mending Families is hosted by Melissa Pemberton and she brings you weekly content that is a mix of trauma aware interviews, parenting tips for those caring for kids from adversity, and stories fr...

In today’s episode, Angela talks about what brought her to find Reiki and energy healing and shares with the audience how she uses these tools to help others find healing. Angela opens up about her trauma history and how she continues to do her healing. She gives us some good insight into Reiki and helps direct the audience to find more tools for their journey. Angela Masciulli is a recovering ove...

On today’s episode, Melissa talks about the Polyvagal Theory and the Safe and Sound Protocol. She goes through a brief overview of each and gives you a quick glimpse of what it looks like to participate in the Safe and Sound Protocol. If you are someone who struggles with anxiety, worry, or is healing from trauma, secondary trauma, or compassion fatigue, the SSP might be for you! Listen!  A big TH...

On today’s episode, Allison shared about her journey into sleep consulting and the services she offers to families dealing with sleep issues. She talks about understanding sleep pressure and sleep onset associations as a crucial part of addressing sleep issues in children. Allison believes trauma-informed approaches are essential, as typical sleep training methods may not be effective for children...

On today’s episode, Erin opens up about mental health struggles within her immediate family and how this came to a head this past year. Erin’s three boys all have their diagnosis and with their permission, Erin shares some of the hard and good about raising her three boys. Listen in as Erin gives us good things to consider, including encouragement for those of us on similar journeys. Erin Peterson...

Today Melissa gives us an update on what's been happening in her life and business over the past month. With hard changes that are still good, Mending Families is ever-evolving to ensure you all get the most support in the best ways possible! A big THANK YOU to our new sponsor, ⁠West Plains Roasters⁠ ! If you have not stopped by to see them, pop in 7 days a week and get yourself some toast, coffee...

On today’s episode, Madison first talks about her foster and adoption journey and how she and her husband grew their family this way. She then shares her heart about helping families struggling with nutrition with their kids who have come from hard. Madison is an adoptive mom herself and she not only shares from her expertise, but also from her own experiences. Madison has been a pediatric dietiti...

On today’s episode, Melissa shares three tips to help our kids feel like they have some control over what goes on in their daily lives. We often see behaviors escalate when our kids feel like they have no power or control. Instead of getting frustrated, let’s take an approach of sharing power and giving them opportunities to have control. Enjoy! If you are looking for more support, check out the L...

In today’s episode, Tracey shares with us how creativity and using art helped her on her journey of healing. She also opens up about the hard parts of her story that led to her writing her first book with the hopes of inspiring others. Grief and loss, along with mental health conditions, are difficult to navigate and lead us to feel alone at times so Tracey’s memoir can lead to helping others find...

Welcome to the summer series top 8 most listened to episodes of this past year! This was a special one for me as I had the privilege of interviewing my oldest daughter, Haley. Her original episode was #7 and is still as good as when it first aired! On today’s episode, Haley shares her heart about the difficulties of growing up under some tough circumstances, how she felt when she first met Jon (my...

Welcome to the summer series top 8 most listened-to episodes of this past year! This episode was originally #28 and one of my favorites as we discussed the book I recommend the most, Parenting Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors, which you can now purchase anywhere books are sold! On today’s episode, Robyn walks us through the parts of the brain (Owl, Watchdog, Possum) and how we can view our kids’ b...

Welcome to the summer series top 8 most listened-to episodes this past year! Today we will hear Claire share her encouraging story of surviving cancer which was originally episode #9. On today’s episode, Claire shares with us about her journey of surviving cancer and how she learned so much about herself during that process.  She talks about the realization that she needed to truly slow down, ask...

Welcome to the summer series top 8 most listened to episodes of this past year! This week we get to hear from Melissa Corkum again as she shares about Blocked Care and the Safe and Sound Protocol. I am happy to tell you that since this episode originally aired (it was episode #15), I have gone through the training and become a Safe and Sound Protocol Practitioner myself! On today’s episode, Meliss...

Welcome to the summer series top 8 most listened to epsidoes of this past year! This episode is the only "Mondays with Melissa" to make it into the top 8 and it is an important one! On today’s episode, Melissa gives a brief explanation of what Trust Based Relational Interventions are.  She breaks down TBRI’s 3 principles for us (Connecting, Empowering and Correcting) and gives a few real...