Emerging Minds Families

In this episode, guest host Nicole Rollbusch talks to Arianne, a parent of six. While supporting her child through coming out and transitioning, Arianne and her daughter found their social and family supports significantly challenged. She shares her family’s experience of supporting their daughter and sister, navigating support services and the benefits of creating strong support networks around t...

Navigating through separation and divorce can understandably be one of the hardest and most stressful experiences for a family. As a parent it can be hard to know how to talk to your children about what is going on. In this episode host Nadia Rossi speaks with family law counsellor Alesha Akintoye about how we can best support our children and ourselves during this difficult time.

In this episode host Alicia Ranford talks with Neil Davis from the Sammy D Foundation. Neil and his wife Nat Cook started the foundation after their teenage son Sam fell victim to a one punch attack. Neil shares their story and how the Sammy D Foundation works tirelessly to build confidence in children to speak up for themselves and each other, with the message that using violence can have consequ...

Many parents struggle to navigate gender and sexual diversity with their children and young people. They might feel unsure of how to best support their family in what can seem like a rapidly changing landscape. In this episode, host Nadia Rossi welcomes back Jason Tyndale to share his experience of supporting his child on their journey.

In this episode host Alicia Ranford welcomes back youth advocate and educator Daniel Principe. They discuss some of the issues that young people are sharing with Daniel, including ideas about masculinity. He also talks about how to raise boys to be good men and ways that the adults in young people's lives can be there for them.

This episode is the first in a two part series where host Alicia Ranford is joined by youth advocate and educator, Daniel Principe. In this first episode, Daniel talks with Alicia about the effects that watching pornography and sexualised content can have on young people. He talks about how we can encourage boys to recognise and resist distorted attitudes towards bodies, relationships, and sex and...

In this episode host Nadia Rossi talks with Jason Tyndale about his journey as a transgender parent. Jason shares how he navigated his transition with his family and friends, and the unique strengths that come with being a transgender parent.

In this episode, host Nadia Rossi talks with Anna Ritan, an accredited paediatric dietitian-nutritionist and the founder of Nourish Little Lives, where her role includes providing online nutrition resources and support for nourishing infants, toddlers and children. Anna talks with Nadia about how we can manage expectations at family mealtimes to make them enjoyable for everyone. Anna shares ways t...

In this episode host Nadia Rossi welcomes back Kirsty, Schools Coordinator at Shine SA, to talk about the differences between consent and sexual consent. Kirsty shares how and why it is important to talk to children and young people about consent, how adults can model consent to children and how it supports a child’s wellbeing to be informed about consent.

In this episode, host Nadia Rossi talks with Kirsty, Schools coordinator at SHINE SA. Kirsty offers tips for parents on talking to their children about sex and their bodies, and how to respond to the inevitable ‘Where do babies come from?’ question in age-appropriate ways. Kirsty also shares how equipping children with the right information […]

This episode is the second in a two-part series on supporting the mental health of children who stutter. Host Nicole Rollbusch is joined by Rich Stephens, President of SAY:Australia (the Stuttering Association for the Young – Australia), and Mitchell, who originally became involved with SAY:Australia as a participant and is now a mentor to other children and young people who stutter. In this episo...

This episode is the first in a two-part series on supporting the mental health of children who stutter. Host Nicole Rollbusch is joined by Rich Stephens, President of SAY:Australia (the Stuttering Association for the Young – Australia), and Mitchell, who originally became involved with SAY:Australia as a participant and is now a mentor to other children and young people who stutter. In this episod...

The Pear is more than a coffee house – it’s a neighbourhood meeting place that hosts community-driven events. In this episode we talk with Carol, Leonie and Annemijin from The Pear about how they found connection, The Pear and a sense of community.

Christmas and the end of year holiday season can hold different meanings for different families. Some families revel in the joy of gift-giving, transforming their homes with decorations and festive cheer. However, for many the holidays can also evoke stress, feelings of loneliness or financial pressure. In this episode we talk with psychologist Dr Angie Willcocks about navigating this Christmas ho...

It might surprise you to know there are nearly four hundred thousand young people (under 25 years) in Australia who provide unpaid care and support to a loved one. In this episode host Nadia Rossi talks with Isabella Hassall, Young Carer Coordinator at Carer Gateway for the Benevolent Society. Isabella shares how carers are often hidden figures in our community. She also discusses the challenges o...

When it comes to suicidal ideation, we are unlikely to think of children as having such distressing thoughts. But recent research by Wesley Mission Queensland has found that some children under 12 years have negative thoughts which may be the first sign of suicidal ideation. In this episode host Alicia talks with Emma and Chloe from Wesley Mission Queensland. They help us to understand the signs o...

In this episode host Alicia Ranford talks with social worker, parent educator, author, founder of Connected Parenting and mother to four boys, Gen Muir. Gen shares ways parents can support their children when they experience big feelings and emotions, especially when they don’t have the words to tell us what they need.

This episode is the fourth in a series where we talk to families who have experienced disasters. In this episode host Nadia Rossi talks with Willow who was 20 years old when her family experienced severe storms in the Dandenong Ranges in 2021. Willow shares her perspectives as a young person experiencing such a major event. Willow also offers some advice on how adults can help support the mental h...

In this episode, host Alicia talks with Sam and Kathy from Centacare’s Unify reunification service. They discuss what it can be like for children and parents to be separated from each other by the child protection system, and the shame and stigma that these families can experience. Sam and Kathy also offer insights into the reunification process and how they support families through it.

In this episode, host Alicia Ranford talks with Dr Zali Yager, an internationally recognised expert in body image with a background in health and physical education. She co-founded The Embrace Collective with 2023 Australian of the Year, Taryn Bromfield. In this episode, Dr Yager shares things families, educators and practitioners can do to help create safer body image environments for children an...

The term ‘global majority’, a collective term for non-white people, and people and groups who don't experience white privilege. It aims to the ‘flip the script’ on power as something that only white people can hold and help provide a sense of empowerment and belonging to those who are often excluded based on appearance, particularly skin colour. In this episode, guests Julie Ngwabi and Nancy Jeffr...

In this episode, host Nadia talks with Tegan and Shelly from the Finding Your Voice Choir, a community choir of women with lived experience of family and domestic violence. Together they share how the choir supports and empowers its members and helps them to form lifelong connections.

This episode is the third in a series about families who have experienced disasters. Disasters like floods, bushfires and drought are becoming more frequent and severe across Australia and can leave a lasting impact on the children who experience them. In this episode host Nadia speaks with Bron, who survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires alongside her husband and two young children. Bron shar...

In this episode, host Alicia Ranford talks with Sally Braddy. Sally is a mother of three children whose husband has to spend a lot of time away from home for work. Sally talks about finding family balance while her husband is away working and how they find moments of connection for their family.

This episode is the second in a series about families who have experienced disasters.  Disasters like floods, bushfires and drought are becoming more frequent and severe across Australia and can leave a lasting impact on the children who experience them.   In this episode, host Nadia Rossi speaks with Sarnia. A parent of three children, she lives with her family who have experienced flood, cyclone...