Fresh Start Family Show

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy chats with the funny and insightful Kirk Martin, founder of Celebrate Calm and host of the Calm Parenting podcast.  They explore 3 tools we can use to help de-escalate situations with our strong-willed kids when they’re upset that are effective and actually create closeness when parenting a strong-willed kiddo: Self-Regulation: We must control...

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy sits down with one of her absolute favorite inspirational authors, Rachel Macy Stafford. Rachel is the bestselling author of multiple books, including Only Love Today and the founder of Hands Free Revolution, a website and community that supports and encourages parents to slow down and live life to the fullest by being present and full of love...

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy and Terry welcome back their incredible friend and mentor Pam Dunn of Your Infinite Life Training and Coaching Company. They are tackling the important topic of Emotional Literacy. Of all the areas we can increase our understanding, this is one topic that really will help us find success in all areas of our lives.  Emotional literacy means we a...

On this episode of the Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy chats with Janine Halloran about coping skills. Janine is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, author, and host of the Calm & Connected Podcast.  Having a full toolbox of strategies we can call on to help us through challenging times is so important to help ourselves, and also to help us support our kiddos as they learn to do the same.  In this...

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy and Terry sit down with the incredible David Hayward - aka the Naked Pastor - to chat about breaking down fears and scarcity thinking that often comes when we challenge our faith (and the church) on issues we don't agree on - when we begin to embrace deconstruction. David has a B.A. in Bible and Theology, a Masters in Theological Studies in New...

On this episode of the Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy paints a beautiful picture of what a long term gift it is to build a relationship with our kids that is built on unconditional love and trust. Traditional punishment might seem like it works or that it’s easier, but it really doesn’t “work” in the long run. Compassionate discipline may take some practice and a little more effort, and it really...

This week on the Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy sits down with Dr. Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco, a Clinical Psychologist with a specialty in CBT - cognitive behavioral therapy to talk about how to prevent & avoid holiday overwhelm and anxiety. Dr. Dobrow Dimarco is also the author of Mom Brain: Proven Strategies to Fight the Anxiety, Guilt, and Overwhelming Emotions of Motherhood. Her science-based strate...

In this episode of the Fresh Start Family Show, we are re-visiting an OG fan favorite episode on lying and learning how to handle it with integrity. It’s easy to react out of fear or anger when our kids lie to us. We can choose to use it as an opportunity to grow even closer to them and show them that we are a safe place where they can be honest and trust that we will show them unconditional love,...

On this episode of the Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy takes us on a journey through the power of making amends when we make mistakes. We all make mistakes, and how we choose to repair them can make or break our relationships, especially with our kiddos. By showing up with vulnerability and humility when we lost our cool and acted in a way that was reactive, we can help leave a new imprint on our k...

Many of us have experienced emotional eating at some point of our lives. While we often label it as “good” or “bad”, (and usually assign shame and guilt to it), our guest today has some new thoughts to challenge us with on this topic. In this episode, Wendy chats with Unyime Oguta, a life and nutrition coach, to unpack the emotional component to food, how we can escape the guilt and shame cycle an...

Technology is both a blessing and a curse. As parents, we have new challenges that our parents didn’t face when it comes to deciding when to put screens in the hands of our children. More and more research is backing the importance of waiting to support the healthy development of our kids.  In this episode, Wendy is talking with author, speaker and podcast host Arlene Pellicane about how to make t...

In this episode of the Fresh Start Family, we are kicking off a month that focuses on gratitude here in the U.S. as Wendy teaches on the importance of finding a way to be grateful even for the not so great moments. All the moments in our lives can be learning opportunities, and we don’t need to look at mistakes as something shameful.  Tune in to Learn How the Bad Days: Often Serve as a Turning Poi...

In this episode of the Fresh Start Family Show, we’re joined by Dr. David and Amanda Erickson of Flourishing Homes and Families to learn more about how scripture and science align to explain the effects of punishment vs discipline, and how we can support our kiddos' messiness while they are still learning and “under construction”. There is so much to learn about in this one, so tune in now to soak...

In this episode, we are learning how to set boundaries by saying ‘No’ from a conscious parenting perspective. Our guest is Michelle Manning-Osborn - the Conscious Hippie Mama - and she is enlightening us with so much beautiful wisdom around this important topic. Michelle is a conscious parenting advocate who shares relatable educational content on the struggle of parenthood, especially when breaki...

In this episode of the Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy walks us through her journey of taking the phrase “I’m Sorry” out of her vocab. She encourages us to replace it with a more impactful message, which is thanking the person for their patience or for their grace amid our mistakes, and how doing a make-up can help repair any damage done to the relationship. This idea is definitely countercultural,...

This week on the Fresh Start Family Show, we are going back to school! Wendy interviews PTO/PTA expert and founder of PTO Answers Christina Hidek to find out more about what parent teacher organization/association is, how we can get involved, and why our voice matters. This episode is sure to inspire you to find your voice and get involved at your kiddos’ schools! Tune in to learn more about being...

Helping our children be emotionally prepared in this world is one of the biggest gifts we can give them. Empowering them to be self-reliant when they’re out in the world - when we’re not looking & around to solve their problems … is such an important part of parenting. It is possible to help them learn to advocate for themselves and have high levels of emotional literacy and this starts with us be...

Join Wendy Snyder & Mary Van Geffen to discuss all things "Spicy Kids" ... (aka kids you may describe as strong willed or power kids!) You'll learn 3 Important Steps to Setting Boundaries with Spicy Kids (With Calm, Firmness, & Repetition) & also how to identify unique strengths in your spicy kiddos ... so you can stick with strong boundaries in your home - even when your spicy kiddo seem to chall...

This week on the Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy’s guest is Christina Dronen, mom of 3, founder and Executive Director of Finally Family Homes, a nonprofit helping kids aging out of foster care … as well as the author of the Parenting in Christ bible study series and creator of GentleChristianParenting.com. Wendy and Christina find so much connection as they discuss their passion for helping famili...

In this episode, we are looking at finding our empowerment as parents through connection, community and reliable sources of information. It is full of inspiration on ways we can become empowered parents, including finding our village (physically and digitally!), equipping ourselves with tools, becoming confident in processing our feelings, and letting go of things that drain our ability to parent...

In this episode, we are diving into something we all have found ourselves doing from time to time (and even been on the receiving end of): complaining & blaming!  You’ll learn so much in this one, including what complaining (aka blame) looks like, subtle ways we blame / complain (& our tendencies to vent), why complaints are not a way to ask for what you want or set a boundary & how complaining is...

As the world continues to face hardship and chaos amidst a crisis of mass shootings, Wendy and Terry come together with a unifying and empowering message on how individual action can make major community, national, and even global change.  In a time of such great violence and fear, there is a need – now more than ever – to stand up, speak boldly and guide our children with examples of love and cou...

On this episode of the Fresh Start Family Show - Terry and Wendy have an insightful conversation with a long-time friend and founder of Dad University, Jason Kreidman.  Jason discusses his journey through parenthood, which paved his way to founding an educational company dedicated to helping other dads gain confidence in their parenting.  The focus of this conversation is the #1 tool for parents t...

On the Fresh Start Family Show this week - Wendy has writer, illustrator, and speaker, Sara Olsher as a guest to discuss how to help children better handle change, anxiety, and all of life’s uncertainties. Sara walks through her own unexpected and uncomfortable life events such as divorce and battling cancer, to help other families prepare for the unexpected. She has spent her life working hard to...

Today on the Fresh Start Family Show Wendy has a conversation on mindfulness and curiosity with mindful mama mentor, Hunter Clarke-Fields, MSAE, RYT.   Hunter has made it her mission to help families break reactive cycles to create a peaceful and positive home and raise confident and kind kiddos as a result. In this episode Hunter shares the new path to changing generational patterns and raising c...