Fresh Start Family Show

What if yoga could help kids build resilience, emotional regulation, and confidence, without needing perfection, pressure, or performance? In this episode, Wendy sits down with Lauren Chaitoff, founder of Yogi Beans, to talk about how yoga practices can support kids through big feelings, hard moments, and the everyday challenges of growing up. Lauren shares how yoga helps children connect with the...

What if joy isn’t something we wait for, but something we practice? In this episode, Wendy sits down with marriage and family therapist and author Nicole Zasowski to talk about why celebration matters, especially in seasons when fear, grief, disappointment, or cynicism feel easier to reach for. Nicole shares how her book What If It’s Wonderful? was born out of a long season of loss, infertility, a...

What we teach kids about history shapes how they see the world, and themselves. In this meaningful and eye-opening conversation, Wendy sits down with Brooke Knight, co-founder of Honest History, to talk about why truthful history matters and how we can teach kids about the past in a way that builds empathy, curiosity, and confidence. Brooke shares the heart behind Honest History, a beautifully des...

What if your reactivity isn’t a character flaw… but a program you can actually rewrite? In this fascinating and deeply hopeful conversation, Wendy sits down with board-certified hypnotist Penny Chiasson to explore how hypnosis can help parents break painful generational cycles and finally respond the way they want to, not just react on autopilot. Penny shares her powerful personal story, from a hi...

What if the key to breaking generational cycles isn’t just learning new tools… but healing your nervous system at the root? In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Wendy sits down with Rev. Jemie Sae Koo, founder of Psychable, to explore new pathways to healing, including breathwork, nervous system regulation, and the emerging world of plant medicine. Jemie shares her own story of growi...

What if the strongest kind of power isn’t force, but attunement? In this inspiring conversation, Wendy sits down with Miki Agrawal, entrepreneur, author, and founder of HIRO Technologies, to talk about why soft power beats force in business, parenting, and the way we care for the planet. Miki shares how motherhood shifted her from an “individual consciousness” into an “ecosystem consciousness,” an...

What if the best proof that compassionate discipline works… is 15 years of real life? In this special celebration episode, Wendy and Terry mark two huge milestones: the official release of Fresh Start Your Family and 15 years of no punishment in their home. Together, they reflect on what it has really looked like to raise kids without hurting, harming, or shaming them, and why compassionate discip...

What if the frustration so many parents feel about politics could actually become influence? In this deeply meaningful conversation, Wendy sits down with Sharon McMahon, author of The Small and the Mighty and founder of Sharon Says So, to talk about why civics matters for parents, how history gives us hope, and what it looks like to stay grounded when the world feels heavy. Together, they explore...

In this grounding episode, Wendy sits down with her husband Terry for a conversation about the why behind Powerful Parenting. Together, they reset the table and walk through the four core pillars of the Fresh Start Family approach: paradigm shifting, healthy communication, understanding root causes, and compassionate discipline. They also share what they’ve seen after 15 years of using these tools...

What if raising kids who feel safe around money starts with healing your own story first? In this powerful conversation, Wendy sits down with Patrice Washington, author, speaker, and host of the Redefining Wealth podcast, to talk about what it really means to raise kids with peace, confidence, and trust around money. Patrice shares her incredible journey from building a seven-figure business in he...

What if your reactivity isn’t a failure… but a pattern your nervous system learned to keep you safe? In this powerful conversation, Wendy sits down with applied neurology and somatic practitioner, Elisabeth Kristof, to unpack why so many parents keep reacting in ways they don’t want to, and why it’s not their fault. They explore how trauma lives in the body as patterns, not just past events, and h...

What if the most powerful parenting tool you had… was a pause? In this episode, Wendy dives into one of the most life-changing skills a parent can learn, how to interrupt reactive patterns in the moment and choose a different way forward. If you’ve ever felt yourself snap, yell, or say something you wish you could take back, this conversation will meet you with both honesty and hope. Because react...

Is your strong-willed child really “difficult”… or are they wired to lead? In this episode, Wendy and Terry continue walking through her upcoming book Fresh Start Your Family and unpack one of the most powerful paradigm shifts in parenting: seeing strong-willed kids as leaders in the making, not problems to fix. They talk about: Why culture praises “meek and mild” kids The difference between a tru...

What if the story you were told about sin… isn’t the whole story? In this deeply freeing conversation, Wendy sits down with author and faith leader Meredith Miller to explore one of the most tender, loaded questions many parents carry… Are kids born bad? Together, they unpack how traditional teachings around original sin and total depravity have shaped generations of parenting… and how we can choo...

In this powerful conversation, Wendy sits down with Allison Rose to talk about what it really looks like to break generational cycles, heal from fear-based parenting, and create a more connected home. Allison shares how Fresh Start Family helped her move out of reactivity, pressure, and survival mode, especially while navigating chronic illness, financial stress, and parenting three young kids. To...

In this heartfelt solo episode, Wendy shares what she’s been releasing in this Easter season, especially the lifelong pull of people-pleasing, shame, and trying to make everyone happy. She opens up about the deeper growth work that’s come with writing her new book, Fresh Start Your Family, and why this season has invited her to care more about what God thinks, what her own heart knows, and less ab...

What if one of the most powerful things we can give our kids is freedom from pressure? In this episode, Wendy sits down with veteran educator and homeschool mentor Julie Ross to talk about how to opt out of pressure-filled schooling, whether your kids are in homeschool, public school, private school, or somewhere in between. Together, they explore how fear, performance, and constant pressure can s...

What if one of the most important things we teach our kids is how to handle hurt...without hurting back? In this episode, Wendy and Terry unpack revenge misbehavior, one of the four mistaken goals of behavior taught inside Fresh Start Family and featured in Chapter 12 of Fresh Start Your Family. They explore what revenge behavior looks like in everyday family life, hitting, biting, attitude, eye r...

What if the reason you keep reacting in parenting isn’t a mindset problem… but a nervous system one? In this powerful conversation, Wendy sits down with nervous system specialist Carrie Montgomery to talk about how rewiring your brain and regulating your body can completely change the way you love, lead, and parent. They unpack: Why willpower isn’t enough when you’re in an emotional hijack What’s...

You want to grow. You’re reading the books. You’re learning new tools. And your spouse? Not so much. If you’ve ever felt like you’re parenting from two different playbooks under the same roof, this episode is for you. Wendy and Terry share their real-life journey of getting on the same page, what it looked like when one partner led the way, and how connection-based parenting transformed not just t...

Parenting a strong-willed child can feel intense, exhausting, and isolating, especially when your kid has big emotions, strong opinions, and a “justice-seeking” spirit that won’t quit. In this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy sits down with parenting coach and author Mary Van Geffen to talk about how to parent a “spicy one”, without losing your mind, your confidence, or their spark. Y...

What if nurturing a healthy, shame-free sex life could actually help us become calmer, more patient parents? In this heartfelt and honest conversation, Wendy Snyder is joined by Christian sex educator Carlie Palmer-Webb to explore the powerful connection between intimacy, nervous system regulation, and the way we show up for our families. Together, they unpack how harmful purity culture messages h...

What if misbehavior isn’t defiance, manipulation, or disrespect, but communication? In this honest, reflective conversation, Wendy and Terry invite us to upgrade our parenting lenses and see our kids, and ourselves, more clearly. Using a powerful “lens” metaphor, they unpack how much of our reactivity is shaped by old conditioning, inherited beliefs, and unconscious power struggles, and how differ...

Threats might feel like they work in the moment, but they quietly erode trust, connection, and long-term cooperation. In this episode, Wendy and Terry break down why threats, bribes, and countdowns keep families stuck in power struggles, and what to do instead. They explore the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, why so many of us default to control without realizing it, and how...

In this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy and Terry explore how honesty, humility, and radical responsibility give parents the power to create real change at home. They share why breaking generational patterns starts with looking at our own reactions, not blaming kids, and how compassionate discipline builds trust, safety, and lasting connection. Through honest stories and practical in...