Let's Talk TCA Podcast

TCA's new student-created and student-run coffee shop, Grounded Coffee Co., is now open! Honors Entrepreneurship Teacher Nikki Stinson and students Delaney Borud, Cavanaugh Tripp, Caden Jobe and Caleb Kim join the podcast to talk about the new business they have created in the Upper School. In the Honors Entrepreneurship class and through the process of building a new business from scratch, the st...

TCA's new Executive Director of Athletics Beck Brydon joins the podcast to talk about his journey to TCA, his experiences as a coach and his goals for athletics. Coach Brydon is new to TCA, but he is already familiar with the school and community through its reputation and through being married to a TCA graduate, Trish (Kinkaid) Brydon '90. Coach Brydon shares about his heart for redeeming sports...

Chief Development Officer Henry Morris joins the podcast to talk about the TCA Foundation. Henry joined TCA last fall to lead the Foundation, which is a separate nonprofit wholly dedicated to supporting TCA through donations. The work of the TCA Foundation includes funding Student Tuition Aid (STA); providing professional development for faculty and staff; supporting academic initiatives and the o...

Unfortunately, we live in a world where bad things are often in the news — things ranging from natural disasters to wars to local tragic events. Such things can be emotionally difficult to process even for adults, and they can cause fear and sadness in kids. As parents, how can we shepherd our children when they hear news that might be scary to them? In this episode, Lower School Counselor Emily E...

Trinity Christian Academy's mission includes offering "a demanding, college preparatory curriculum." In this episode, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Fran Legband and our three school-level academic specialists — Stephanie Burgoon, Sherry Russ and Natalie Floyd — talk about what makes TCA stand out academically and how they work to continually improve the curriculum and instruction at the school. They...

Chief Innovation Officer Lisa Wong rejoins the podcast to talk about TCA's first-ever Discover Week, which will take place February 23-27, 2026. Some Middle School and Upper School students will be taking part in Discover Week travel experiences, which they already registered for last spring. Most MS and US students will get to take special Discover Week classes that cover a wide variety of intere...

A group of eighth-grade girls, led by MS Science Teacher CeCe Scott '00, met throughout the school year to read and discuss the book 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know by author Kari Kampakis. On this episode of the podcast, some of those TCA eighth-graders interview Kari and ask her questions about the book and about life. Kari shares some great advice that can be helpful not only for girls, bu...

In this episode, Upper School Bible Teacher and Community Time Coordinator Jeremy Gregory talks about Upper School Bible classes, Chapel, apologetics and spiritual formation. As part of the new academic schedule for the 2025-26 school year, TCA is adding stand-alone Bible classes for freshmen and sophomores to go along with the existing Bible classes in other grade levels. Mr. Gregory explains how...

Starting in February 2026, the week before spring break will be Discover Week—a week in which TCA Upper School and Middle School students can discover new passions, learn new skills and explore the world. Besides taking on-campus classes or having a local internship, one of the things that students can choose to do during Discover Week is to travel. In this episode of Let's Talk TCA , Zoe Ellen Az...

It may still officially be winter, but preparations for the upcoming summer are in full swing at TCA. In this episode, Director of Auxiliary Programs Justin Zappia joins host Cynthia Yanof to talk about the many different classes and camps available at TCA this summer. Listen to learn about the Summer@TCA options for 2025. From flying drones to flying discs, from playing board games to playing spo...

TCA's Lower School Counselor Emily Eyre joins host Cynthia Yanof to talk about how families can set their own holiday traditions. Christmas is a popular time for setting family traditions, but you can have traditions around any holiday, as well as having traditions that do not focus on any holiday at all. Emily and Cynthia talk about why we have traditions, the benefits of keeping traditions simpl...

TCA's varsity basketball coaches, Rodney Belcher and John Price, both join the podcast for this episode. This is Coach Belcher's first year at TCA after years spent coaching at both the high school and college levels. Coach Price is in his fourth year at TCA and 26 th year coaching overall. The coaches talk about their families, their faith and their coaching careers. Listen to hear how they lever...

TCA's Head of Middle School Cindi Di Iorio and Head of Upper School Craig Wilson join the podcast to talk about where they come from and what brought them to TCA. Get to know our new heads of schools better as they share about their families, their faith and their hearts for helping educate children.

This summer, Tom Landry Stadium had new state-of-the-art turf installed that is arguably the best playing surface at any school, anywhere. In this episode, Steve Hayes, TCA's football head coach and newly appointed athletic director, talks about the new playing field and other recent improvements to the athletics facilities. He is joined by TCA alum and former football player Jason Delph '07, the...

Are you addicted to your phone? As parents, how should we be thinking about smartphone use? In this episode, host Cynthia Yanof talks with Joey Odom, co-founder of technology company Aro, about how to build a healthy relationship with your smartphone. Many of us often find ourselves distracted by our phones, focused on social media or other apps instead of interacting with the people around us. Ph...

TCA is a college preparatory school, and that preparation begins long before college applications are filled out. In this episode, Tracy Bartholomew, part of TCA's college counseling team, discusses how parents can help their children start thinking about the future and taking their first steps towards college and career decisions. Tracy and host Cynthia Yanof talk about: How parents can help thei...

In this episode, host Cynthia Yanof talks with people all over TCA to get the scoop on some new things that have happened or will happen soon. This top 10 list includes: An increased emphasis and investment in biblical worldview The addition of a full-time athletics chaplain   Upgrades to the baseball and softball fields The addition of a new preK section and a new playground New dining options in...

In this episode of Let's Talk TCA , the tables are turned as our regular host, Cynthia Yanof, becomes a guest on the podcast. TCA student Ella Eubanks interviews Cynthia about her new book, " Life Is Messy, God Is Good ," and her experiences as a podcaster, a foster mom, and a TCA parent.   Life is hard, and it often goes "off script." Cynthia talks about having a theology that lines up with reali...

Dr. Tim Elmore joins the podcast to talk about cultivating leadership in our children and equipping them to be future leaders.  Dr. Elmore is the founder of the global nonprofit Growing Leaders and has written more than 35 books, including " Habititudes ," " Generation Z Unfiltered " and " 12 Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid. " An expert on leadership and the younger generations, he believes that t...

  Bob Goff, the bestselling author of " Love Does " and " Everybody Always ," joins the podcast to discuss loving people, dreaming big, and living an undistracted life.   Answering questions submitted by TCA students, Bob talks about: His work building schools in 13 countries The difference between teachers and educators How to love people who are difficult to love Using your platform or influence...

In this episode, host Cynthia Yanof talks all things athletics with Chief Administrative Officer Tonja King . Tonja and Cynthia cover a range of topics, including: The mission and philosophy of TCA athletics How TCA measures success in athletics Recent coaching hires The new position of athletic chaplain Athletic department leadership Changes in the strength and conditioning program TAPPS' and TCA...

In this episode, host Cynthia Yanof discusses AI (artificial intelligence) with TCA  Chief Academic Officer Fran Legband and Director of Technology and STEM Lisa Wong.   Love it or fear it, AI is a game-changer, and it's here to stay. Listen as Fran and Lisa explain the basics of how artificial intelligence works, including its potential benefits and its limitations. They talk about how AI can inf...

This week on Let's Talk TCA, we have the privilege of hearing from one of the leading voices of Christian worldview, Michael Craven. Mr. Craven is an author, speaker, and the Vice President of Equipping at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He's passionate about helping Christians align current-day cultural issues with biblical truth, a focus TCA is also highly committed to providing its s...

      We are so excited to have Sissy Goff joining us today on Let's Talk TCA. Sissy is a sought-after author, speaker, and Licensed Professional Counselor in Nashville, Tennessee.    More and more we're seeing anxiety become an epidemic in our culture, and that's especially true with our kids. Statistics show that one in four children deal with anxiety, with girls being twice as likely to suffer....

In today's episode, we talk with three of our graduating seniors: Caitlyn Hackney, Alana Soileau, and Max Merrifield. These students tell us about their experiences throughout their time at TCA including involvement in activities, how teachers have influenced them, school trips, preparing for college, and most importantly how TCA has impacted their faith. Their advice to their freshmen selves is p...