Connected Families Podcast

As a self-described sensitive and intense mom raising two sensitive and intense daughters, Laura Way, Content Manager at Connected Families, wraps up our summertime conflict series with a powerful tool we use called Slow, Low, & Listen , which also applies easily when you have kids fighting in the next room! Drawing from Scripture, brain science, and her own kitchen-floor moments with her seve...

Bickering. The escalating voices in the next room make you wonder whether to referee or run the other way. If sibling conflict has become the soundtrack of your home, you are  so  not alone, and this episode is for you! In week two of our Summertime Conflict series, host Stacy Bellward unpacks the heart of sibling squabbles and offers a refreshing reframe: those arguments happening betwe...

What if the goal of your kids’ fighting wasn’t  silence , but  restored hearts ? Most parents want the bickering to stop. But what if helping siblings make up after a fight was actually an invitation? An opportunity to show your kids a glimpse of the gospel itself, where broken relationships are made new, and joy is rediscovered on the other side of hard moments. In today’s replay episod...

Father’s Day can stir up a lot for dads. For some, it’s breakfast in bed and handmade cards. For others, it’s a quiet moment of reflection:  Am I really the dad I want to be?  In this special Father’s Day episode, guest host and Director of Development, Chad Hayenga, sits down with Connected Families Certified Parent Coaches David Cervenka and Joe Dewey for an honest, encouraging convers...

Ever wished you could pull up a chair with seasoned parent coaches and ask your most pressing questions? Whether you’re in the midst of bedtime challenges or working through sibling competition, host Stacy Bellward invites listeners into a real taste of what’s happening inside the new cf community. Katie Johnson, a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach and dedicated cf community moderator, is...

In this special episode, host Stacy Bellward sits down with Katie Johnson, Connected Families’ new Community Engagement Manager, Certified Parent Coach, and former educator, to unveil something brand new: the cf community ! A place where you’re not parenting alone. After years of watching the Connected Families Framework™ transform households, the team noticed one consistent truth...

What if your church’s parent ministry became the place families pointed to and said, “That’s where everything changed for us”? In this eye-opening episode, host Stacy Bellward sits down with Dr. Cindy Wilson, Connected Families Director of Education, Equipping, and Research, and Joe Dewey, Connected Families Director of Operations, two people who are also living out our Min...

You crawl into bed exhausted, but your brain won’t stop spinning. The to-do list. The moment you wish you’d handled differently. The worry you can’t quite name. There’s a term for what you’re carrying: the mental load of motherhood , and you weren’t meant to carry it alone. In this conversation, host Stacy Bellward sits down with licensed marriage and family the...

May is National Foster Care Month! For today’s episode, we’ve invited author Jamie Finn to help us discover how faith and foster care are deeply connected. Jamie Finn opens up about the surprising realities that reshaped her family’s mission. You’ll hear what truly sustains foster families through their hardest seasons. Listen in for practical wisdom that applies whether you foster you...

Does your child often wake up with a grumpy morning attitude — cranky, overwhelmed, or melting down before the day even begins? You’re in the right place. In this audioblog episode, the final installment in our Sensitive & Intense Kids series, you’ll hear practical, sensory-smart strategies rooted in the Connected Families Framework™  for turning a grumpy morning into a calmer start...

Ever feel stuck when your child’s big emotions take over, and nothing seems to help? In this audioblog episode, host Stacy Bellward adapts one of our most-downloaded blogs for listeners: 50 Self-Regulation Activities to Empower Your Child to Calm . She’ll walk you through the essential difference between self-regulation and emotional regulation for kids. Learn practical sensory strategies, h...

Does your child melt down over clothing tags, loud noises, or unexpected changes? You’re not alone, and you’re not failing as a parent. In this audioblog episode, Stacy continues our four-week series on sensitive and intense kids with a compassionate, research-informed look at what’s really happening beneath the surface of your highly sensitive kids and their big reactions. Learn...

In this episode, we unpack the surprising reasons why some children experience the world more intensely than others, and why their big emotions are rarely about what they seem to be about. You’ll discover a reframe that just might change the way you see your child’s most challenging moments, including a simple but powerful analogy that explains why your child can hold it together all d...

If you’ve ever wondered, “Why is parenting so hard?” this episode is for you. In this deeply personal and practical episode, Connected Families co-founder Lynne Jackson opens up about her own journey from organized perfectionist to overwhelmed mom of three. Lynne introduces the foundational layer of the Connected Families Framework, exploring three mental habits that quietly set parents up for tox...

What we believe about ourselves shapes how we parent, for better or worse. In this opening episode of the Grace and Truth for Every Parent series, host Stacy Bellward talks with Connected Families’ Content Manager, Laura Way, about the beliefs that quietly keep parents stuck. Laura shares her own journey, including a pivotal moment with CF co-founder Lynne Jackson that helped her trade a cru...

What if family meetings for kids can be as simple as a weekly gathering with snacks and a game? In this warm and practical episode of the Connected Families podcast, host Stacy Bellward sits down with Certified Parent Coaches Corrie and Alan Thetford to unpack the transformative power of intentional family meetings. Spoiler: no gavel required. Key Takeaways: Nagging builds dependence; meetings bui...

Every parent knows the feeling: you need the dishes done, the toys picked up, or the laundry folded… and your child is nowhere near motivated to help. What if the key to raising genuinely responsible kids isn’t about enforcing compliance, but about understanding what actually drives motivation from the inside out? In this mini-episode, host Stacy Bellward chats with Katie Wetsell, pediatric...

Join Connected Families’ Director of Education & Equipping, Chad Hayenga, in this audioblog about Family Meetings . These are two words that might make you cringe or add to your mental “should-do” list. But what if they could actually become the highlight of your week? In this episode, explore how family meetings can be transformed from dreaded obligations into enjoyable, meaningfu...

Why are chores such a struggle in families? Join Connected Families Certified Parent Coaches, Katie Johnson and Marni Love, to unpack why it’s hard, and what to do about it. They discuss the biblical foundation for meaningful work and offer practical strategies for turning daily tasks into opportunities for connection and growth. You’ll be encouraged by their own personal stories as they share gra...

In this special announcement episode, host Stacy Bellward welcomes Chad Hayenga, Connected Families’ Director of Education and Equipping, to introduce an exciting new program: The CF Intensive ! This new parent training program is a six-session, small-group experience! It’s designed for parents, caregivers, and ministry leaders who want to move from head knowledge to heart transformation usi...

We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Communio! Tune in to hear how Communio is strengthening families through data-informed strategies for local churches. In this episode, host Stacy Bellward and Cindy Wilson, the Ministry Partnership & Research Program Manager at Connected Families, sit down with J.P. DeGance, founder and president of Communio and author of Endgame: The Church&#...

Today’s audioblog explores what’s really happening beneath the surface when kids laugh when in trouble or get silly during correction. Learn practical ways to use the Connected Families Framework™ to build wisdom instead of shame when kids seem to avoid accountability through humor. Key Takeaways: Silliness is often an escape hatch, not disrespect Check your own heart first Connect before yo...

In this thoughtful conversation, host Stacy Bellward sits down with Certified Parent Coach Katie Wetsell and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Jody Goldie to explore how parents can help their children navigate fear and find security when the world feels uncertain and scary. Drawing from Katie’s personal experience supporting her family through a Nashville school shooting and Jody&#8217...

Strong on correction but struggling to connect? In this third episode of the “Don’t Stay Stuck” series, host Stacy Bellward and Certified Parent Coach Katie Wetsell take on a challenge many who value strict parenting face: how to soften without losing structure? If you value obedience but want warmer relationships with your kids, this episode offers hope and practical next steps....

In this second week of our Don’t Stay Stuck series, we’re shifting our focus to parents who are “stuck” at the bottom of the Connected Families Framework™. Being naturally bent toward compassion is a God-given superpower, but what happens when parents are consistently overly permissive? Setting boundaries with kids can be challenging at times. Listen in as Stacy chats with Katie Wetsell, a Connect...