Empowered to Connect Podcast

That's right, it's a BONUS EPISODE of the ETC Podcast today! In light of Show Hope's Hope For the Journey Conference going live today, we at ETC wanted to share some stories of hope. Everyone on this connected parenting journey was inspired to begin parenting this way at some point - and at some point shortly after starting, probably failed miserably. That's the story at least for the 5 families w...

As the team from Show Hope makes their final preparations for the Hope for the Journey Conference Streaming this Friday (April 9th, 2021), we sat down with Show Hope's Executive Director, Emily Chapman Richards! We first heard about Emily as the 10 year old adoption advocate in the back of her parents' car. We learn today what happened in the rest of the story as Emily went on to become the Execut...

It happens to the best of us - we have everything laid out the way it's supposed to go and it completely falls apart. The family vacation ends in disaster, the Target run ends with someone on the floor melting down, we sit at night and wonder how we were so wrong about what life would look like by now. Expectations - we all have them and when they're unrealistic or misguided in their formation, th...

As anyone with Netflix has seen in the last week or two, there's a famous ETC Principle in the newest Jennifer Garner movie - The Yes Day. No, ETC didn't make a movie, but there is lots to learn from the movie! JD, Tona and Mo sit down to talk about one of the most foundational principles in the ETC world - the power of saying yes.  "Isn't that just permissive parenting!?" "If you give these kids...

We've all done it. We've lost our temper, checked out, popped off, said something we shouldn't have or didn't say something we should have in a moment of weakness. If you're like us, you've probably already had a moment (or several) moments like this today - it's ok. Take a deep breath and let Marriage and Family Therapist Carissa Woodwyk and ETC's Tona Ottinger walk you through how to repair when...

Our guest today is quite literally one of the most influential figures in the work we do at Empowered to Connect! Dr. Tina Payne Bryson is the Author of Bottom Line for Baby and 4 other co-authored books including two New York Times Bestselling works, The Whole Brain Child and No Drama Discipline. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Connection and the Play Strong Insti...

Our guests today have bios too long to fit in this section, but many of you know their work. Steven Curtis Chapman is the most decorated Christian Music Artist of all time. With over 11 million albums sold, 49 #1 hits and 5 Grammys, Steven's been making music successfully for the better part of 3 decades. His wife, Mary Beth Chapman is a New York Times Bestselling Author for her book Choosing to S...

We've spent a lot of time this year on the show talking about self - looking at adult attachment styles, considering what we need to offer ourselves as coregulators to our children, even talking about self-compassion as the true and better version of self care. Why, then, do we now look at self awareness!? We're glad you asked! Larissa Gregory is the head of LG Educational Consulting and works wit...

Self care is a hot topic these days - in fact, it's been a topic of conversation on our show several times. What happens, though, when your self care doesn't cut it? When you still find yourself empty and searching for what you need to care for your people well? Marriage and Family Therapist and longtime friend of ETC Carissa Woodwyk joins us to talk about how we have to move beyond self care to s...

Our guest today got our attention when she wrote a blog post entitled "Self Regulation Doesn't Exist" (you should definitely read it)! Robyn Gobbel is a therapist, speaker, podcast host, webinar creator and more and she joins us today to do a deep dive into the topic of self regulation and what is actually happening in the brain when we are distressed and then brought back in to regulation. You'll...

This week we continue our conversation with TCU's Dr. Casey Call about attachment by talking through attachment styles and cycles. If you missed our first episode with Dr. Call, you will definitely want to listen to it before listening to this one! Dr. Call walks us through attachment styles and cycles and discusses the healing potential of when attachment is disrupted. A huge thank you again to D...

2021 is here and it's not solved all of our problems (cue the sad horns). Have no fear though, because we are starting our new year with one of the leading experts in the field of Attachment Research and Theory, Dr. Casey Call from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD). In today's episode Dr. Call walks us through what we need to know as caregivers about how human beings attach a...

It's that time of year again - only this time - the 2020 version of 'that time of year' now involves Zoom, Covid Testing, quarantines and a whole host of other complications.  That's why we joined forces with ETC Parent Trainer Jesse Faris  and Tona Ottinger to talk about how to prepare for the holidays before, during and after your interactions with family. Have no idea how to prep for meltdowns?...

It's the Holiday Season - time for spending too much, eating too much and reaching our wit's end as we attempt to 'just survive' this season with our kids! Just me?  This year, let's change our mindset as we go into the home stretch of the holiday season and talk about how we can thrive as families (and individuals). We've got ETC Parent Trainer Jesse Faris and Mo and Tona Ottinger on to talk abou...

If you don't follow the YouTube channel 'Yes I'm Adopted, Don't Make it Weird'  you'll want to do that right away after hearing from our guests today. Brett Carleton and Dave Overholser join us to talk about the creation of their popular YouTube channel and Facebook page, a common bond as adult Asian adoptees, some of the things you should  never say to someone who's been adopted and some of the t...

This week we continue our series on transracial adoption with Psychologist and Adult Adoptee Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker. Dr. Wirta-Leiker is a Psychologist, Author, Speaker, Adoptee, Adoptive Parent and overall powerhouse voice in the conversation on transracial adoption worldwide. Her resource page, linked here , is one of the best collections you will find of research based resources on transracia...

As we continue our series on transracial adoption, we've got one of our favorite voices on the subject, Rhonda Mae Roorda! Rhonda is a fund manager for an educational advocacy organization in Lansing MI, and the co-author of four landmark books on transracial adoption:  In Their Own Voices ,  In Their Parents' Voices ,  In Their Siblings Voices , and  In Their Voices: Black Americans on Transracia...

November is National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM) - To read the history of NAAM, click here.   For those most impacted by adoption - adoptees - the month of November can be a time that brings up a wide array of emotions. So in staying true to our mission here at Empowered to Connect we are spending the month of November listening to the hearts and stories of adoptees who are part of transracial...

Last week we talked about Chasing the Why  - how to see the needs behind our kids' behavior and meet those needs in order to bring healing. This episode is the needed followup to last week. If the conversation about  Growth Mindsets vs Fixed Mindsets  sounds familiar, it's because this phrase has become a buzz word/buzz phrase in recent years - especially in the world of academics.  In this episod...

Lets face it…sometimes our kids' behavior is perplexing .  We have no idea why they are doing what they are doing. We have no idea how to make them stop and w e can walk away feeling confused, defeated and even like a failure. We have behavioral expectations and i f we're not careful we can allow our children's behavior to determine whether we see ourselves as a good parent or not. We can measure...

It's Part 2 of the conversation many of us dread. The sex talk, and for those of with kids who were adopted or are in foster care, the layers added into an already complicated conversation can feel like a bridge too far. Last week we aired Part 1 of our conversation with Dr. Katherine Blackney, a certified Clinical Sex Therapist who's been counseling for almost 20 years. She joined us and began wa...

It's the conversation many of us dread. For those of with kids who were adopted or are in foster care, the layers added into an already complicated conversation can feel like a bridge too far. It's the sex talk and it's not easy! That's why we asked Dr. Katherine Blackney, a certified Clinical Sex Therapist who's been counseling for almost 20 years to join us and walk us through the process. In pa...

Today we share the second half of our interview with Tom and Dawn Jordi, our ETC Parent Trainers in Johannesburg, South Africa! In this episode, Tom and Dawn walk through their experiences as a transracially adoptive family in a post-apartheid South Africa and the work toward racial reconciliation they've done in schools there. You don't want to miss it! If you missed last episode make sure to che...

Our first intercontinental guests come to us from Johannesburg, South Africa! Tom and Dawn Jordi  join us to talk about their family's adoption journey, Tom's work as a trauma certified counselor in schools and the power of asking why when we see concerning behavior in our kiddos. Tom and Dawn are two of the most likable human beings on the planet and you'll love hearing their story and the wisdom...

Britney Bryson is an LPC at the University of Memphis and at her private practice working with teens and young adults. Doing so in 2020 is no easy task and Britney joins us to talk about the challenges that come with it. We talk through navigating racial trauma, a heated election season and how we move forward building unity and relationships across natural dividing lines. Britney ends the show by...