The Parent Pivot Podcast

This week on The Parent Pivot Podcast, we’re going back to one of our favorite conversations with our long-time friends, Jon and Cherie Talbert on Multi-Generational Family Living. What happens when adult children, aging parents, grandparents, and grandkids begin sharing more than just holidays together? Jon and Cherie help us think through the beauty, challenges, boundaries, and blessings of mult...

Grandbaby #7 is arriving and Steve and Julia will be back next week with new content. Please enjoy this "Best of" episode. It's bound to happen.  Your adult child is hurt by something they see their grandparents do for their sibling and not for them.  Do you get involved? Ignore it? Take sides? Explain it away? In yet another "real time" episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia walk th...

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a disagreement with your adult child? Maybe it's about parenting, career choices, relationships, faith, or simply how they're living their life. The disagreement itself may seem small—but over time, it can create distance neither of you intended. In this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia explore how unresolved disagreements can slowly become...

What happens when you stop holding on and start trusting God with your adult child? In this special episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia sit down with their daughter, Jamilyn, to hear her side of the story—from mission trips as a teenager, to the World Race, to discovering her identity, hearing God's voice, and finding her calling. Along the way, she shares one powerful truth every...

What happens when parents stop trying to protect their adult children from every risk and start trusting God with their future? This week on The Parent Pivot Podcast, we sit down with Seth Barnes, founder of Adventures in Missions and The World Race , to talk about launching adult children into purpose, faith, and real-world responsibility. We discuss fear-based parenting, why young adults need ch...

There comes a time when you have to take a step back from life for a bit and take a deep breath.  Life gets crazy fast, doesn't it?  It's all about balance. Summer break is finally here—and for many pivoting parents, that brings a mix of excitement, opportunity, and maybe a little anxiety too. In this "Best of" The Parent Pivot Podcast re-air, Steve and Julia talk about how to make the most of the...

What if the young man you’re worried about is still becoming who he was created to be? In this deeply personal episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia talk honestly about boys, brain development, unmet expectations, parenting fear, and why so many parents panic too soon. From the science behind the prefrontal cortex developing around age 26… to the emotional impact parents can unknowi...

Pivoting is not easy.  It never is.  You have to be intentional to change your trajectory.  When it comes to pivoting from being a parent to a partner, we need to start with us - Mom and Dad. What's the key to pivoting and becoming the healthy partner to your adult child? On this "Best of " The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia walk us through ways we can achieve a healthier balance in life wh...

Mother’s Day can bring up a lot more than flowers and brunch reservations. For many moms of adult children… it brings disappointment, loneliness, fear, and the painful question:  “Am I still needed?” In this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia talk honestly about the struggle of releasing your adult children without losing your identity in the process. From unmet expectations arou...

What do you do when your relationship with your adult child isn’t what you hoped it would be? In this powerful episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Kathy Koch to talk about the real struggles parents face—grief, distance, conflict, and conversations that don’t have easy answers. You’ll hear how to love your adult children without controlling them… how to hold onto truth withou...

What do you do when you look back on your parenting and wish you had done something differently? In this deeply honest episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia share a powerful conversation sparked by a true story film—and the emotions it brought to the surface. Together, they explore the weight of regret, the reality that “you didn’t know what you didn’t know,” and how shame can quiet...

What if the way you’re trying to help is actually hurting your relationship with your adult child? In this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia say something that’s hard to hear—but incredibly freeing: you might not be helping. They talk about the tension every parent feels—wanting to step in, fix it, protect them and why that instinct, if left unchecked, can actually get in the wa...

What do you do when your adult child is already carrying something heavy… and everything in you wants to correct, fix, or pile on? In this episode of the "Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast, we’re talking about a trap so many parents fall into—adding pressure when our kids are already overwhelmed. There’s a better way. A way to stay connected… to lead with wisdom instead of reaction… and to become t...

Your child just got engaged. You’re excited… maybe emotional… maybe even a little anxious. Because suddenly—you’re not in control anymore. There are new voices. New opinions. New dynamics. And if you’re not careful, this season meant to bring joy… can quietly create distance. So how do you stay close to your son or daughter…without overstepping, controlling, or damaging the relationship? In this e...

Most parents don’t lose connection with their adult children because they stopped loving them. They lose connection because they won’t stop trying to control them. In this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, we sit down with Miriam Groom, Founder & CEO of Mindful Career , to unpack one of the biggest tensions parents face: How do you let go without losing your relationship? We talk about what...

Being an empty nester doesn't have to be a sad season of life. It CAN be a hoot! Just ask comedian Jeff Allen. On this "Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast," Steve and Julia Cummings interview Jeff as get his life experiences of being an empty nester. You'll also get a chance to see the personal side of Jeff as he shares about his new book, "Are We There Yet?" (Available on Amazon). It's an inspirati...

What happens when grandparents want to help… but they’re running out of energy? In today’s episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, we tackle a real-life tension so many families face— grandparents stepping in to help with the kids… and parents who don’t want any screen time. It sounds simple… until real life hits. Aches. Fatigue. Rainy days. And a toddler who never stops moving. So how do you honor y...

The season of becoming a new empty nester is finally here.  As author and speaker, Jill Savage says, "It can be either a time of 'boo-hoo' or "WOO-HOO!"   You might find yourself caught between grief and delight and full of questions, hopes and regrets.  How can we make sense of it all? On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia interview Jill and get her wisdom, encouragement an...

What if the “difficult” daughter-in-law in your family… isn’t angry at all? What if she’s just alone? In this week’s episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, we unpack a powerful reflection called the “Angry Daughter-in-Law Theory.” We talk about what really happens when someone marries into an established family system — the inside jokes, the unspoken rules, the old loyalties — and how easy it is to...

What do you do when your adult child costs you a boatload of money? A wrecked car. A bailout. Another “can you help me just this once?” As parents, we want to be generous. But what happens when generosity turns into enabling? And how do you pivot when your adult child needs more than grace — they need growth? In this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, we talk about a powerful moment from a recen...

What do you do when your adult child starts parenting in ways you completely disagree with? Maybe it’s gentle parenting. Maybe it’s food rules. Bedtime. Discipline. Screen time. And you’re sitting there thinking… “We would never have done it that way.” Here’s the harder question: Do you want to be right… or do you want a relationship? In this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia ta...

Let's face it . . . not only is there NOT instructions handed to new parents by the doctor explaining "what to do" when you leave the hospital and take your baby home. The same can also be said when your adult kids leave home. Where's the "partner manual"? Where do you go to find out how to make the pivot from parent to partner? We got you on this one! On this "Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast," S...

Looking back at raising your kids brings both joys and sorrows.  Often times we see how we could have done things better - or maybe how we messed up. On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia give us some practical counsel on how we can do some repair work to strengthen our relationship with our adult kids.   Resources mentioned on today's podcast: 1. "I Know a Guy" podcast with...

On the next Parent Pivot Podcast, Dr. James Banks joins us with a story every parent needs to hear. He opens up about his son Geoff — a bright, likable kid who spiraled into addiction and walked far from faith… and the raw, hard years his family lived through as they prayed without giving up. Dr. Banks shares what it really looked like to trust God through fear, anger, shame, and unanswered prayer...

One of the pains of our hearts is when we hear from our listeners that their is a broken relationship with an adult child.  Maybe they have cut-off all communication and Mom & Dad are left wondering, "What can we do?" On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia welcome Dr. Ken Canfield and his wife Dr. Michelle Watson-Canfield to the podcast to dive deeper into this subject an...