Parents & Professors Podcast

Dating After Divorce: What I Actually Want in a Partner Two Years Later | Episode 77 Dating after divorce in your 30s or 40s? Two years ago, Marjorie made a list of everything she wanted in a partner. Now she and Michael audit it, and what changed might surprise you.  The list included respect, chemistry, culture, a passport, and even traditional masculine representation. In this retrospective, sh...

On May 28, 2023, 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack Belton walked into a store in Columbia, South Carolina. Minutes later, he was running for his life down the street. Two grown men chased him. One shot him in the back. The sheriff confirmed he stole nothing. The coroner confirmed the fatal wound was to his lower back — consistent with someone running away. On June 1, 2026, a jury found the man who killed...

It is about what happens after the divorce papers are signed, when you are trying to build something new, when you are afraid to be vulnerable again, when you have been hurt, and you are wondering if you can trust someone with your whole heart. This is Part 3. In Episode 73, they covered institutional trust. In Episode 74, the parent-child relationship. Now they go to the most intimate place of al...

A student died by suicide. A freshman. Neither his parents nor teachers knew he was struggling. Not even his friends. It is the question that haunts every parent of teenagers and the foundation of teen mental health: Do my kids actually trust me? Would they come to me if they were in crisis?  Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of youth suicide and mental health crises. If you or som...

When a White House shooting is met with memes and NBA highlights, it signals a historic collapse of the social contract. As trust in government hits a record low in 2025, we analyze Pew Research data and apply Gottman Institute relationship repair techniques to understand the rise of American apathy. Someone shot at the White House. The public reaction? Jokes. Memes. A quick scroll, then back to t...

Someone threw a fit at family game night last week. Multiple someones, actually. What started as a parenting moment nobody planned for became the conversation we didn’t know we needed: What to do when you make decisions while angry and what happens when your emotions are running the show in your home, your divorce, and even your politics?  [Content Warning: This episode discusses murder-suicide, d...

Coming out of the Lenten season, Dr. Marjorie and Dr. Michael dive into the conversation we usually ignore until it’s too late: faith, identity, and the massive cost of religious incompatibility in partnership and parenting. Dr. Marjorie describes the isolation of Easter Mass, feeling like a "fly in the milk" as a divorced Haitian Catholic in a sea of traditional families, while Dr. Mich...

You know how everybody says, " Don't feed the trolls "? But what if they materialize IRL, from a digital ghost to the person sitting across from you at Sunday dinner?  In this episode of Parents and Professors , Dr. Marjorie and Dr. Michael decapitate this cliche befitting these real-life trolls who, if blocked, would make that dinner even more awkward. This is not your regular discu...

In this episode, we explore why we often date the wrong people first and how that is actually part of discovering who we are. What begins as a light conversation about spring break quickly evolves into a deeper discussion about identity, relationships, and the psychology behind the choices we make in love. We start with the cultural evolution of spring break. From the early days of MTV Spring Brea...

In this episode, we tackle one of the biggest challenges modern families face: raising financially responsible kids in a world where everything feels more expensive. From rising gas prices and grocery bills to increasing tuition costs, we break down how today’s global economy directly impacts your household budget—and what that means for the next generation. We begin by connecting the dots between...

In this episode, we explore why conflict resolution may be the most important life skill nobody ever teaches. We start with a firsthand story from Mexico, where cartel violence turned an ordinary day into a moment of fear and chaos. From there, we zoom out to global tensions, including the Iran–U.S. conflict, tariffs, and political theater, and ask a simple question: why do so many conflicts begin...

The algorithm is getting fatter while our children pay the price. Dr. Michael and Dr. Marjorie reveal how manufactured outrage is engineered to bypass your boundaries and why you must protect your kids from the dark side of social media. In Episode 66 of the Parents and Professors Podcast, we move beyond the headlines to expose the social media algorithm's predatory nature. We discuss the &quo...

Is Big Tech actually helping our kids learn, or is it a trap? Dr. Michael and Dr. Marjorie expose how social media addiction and AI tools are fundamentally changing student brain development. In Episode 65 of the Parents and Professors Podcast, we dive into the massive lawsuits against Meta, ByteDance, and Google. While families fight for accountability, these same platforms are being pushed into...

Does the government lie about what we see with our own eyes? Dr. Marjorie breaks down the reality of ICE raids in Minneapolis and why community resistance is the only way forward. In this heavy but necessary episode of the Parents and Professors Podcast, we move beyond the headlines to discuss the state-sanctioned violence currently impacting our neighbors. We dive deep into the Black survival str...

Built by Snubs: What Being Overlooked Actually Teaches You | Episode 63In this episode, we talk about what it really means to be overlooked and why being snubbed often teaches lessons recognition never does. We start with Ryan Coogler’s Golden Globes snub and connect it to familiar experiences like academic rejection, professional gatekeeping, and doing excellent work without acknowledgment. We ex...

In this episode, we break down the ICE shooting in Minneapolis and talk about what it reveals about state violence in America today. We start with the story of Mexican Spider-Man, a real-life hero who saved people during a mall shooting, and then shift into a much heavier conversation about how police brutality and federal force are handled when violence comes from the state. We talk about the ICE...

In this episode, we reflect on our five-year podcast journey and talk honestly about how this podcast has shaped us as parents, professors, and people. As we mark our Parenting Podcast Anniversary, we look back at the conversations that mattered most, the lessons that challenged us, and the moments that confirmed why this work was necessary. We talk about what it means to build a podcast with inte...

In this episode, we break down the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal and talk about what really happened behind the headlines. We walk through the timeline of the Michigan football scandal, how it escalated, and why this situation became bigger than football. We focus on leadership accountability and institutional failure, asking who is actually responsible when systems fail, and individuals...

In this episode, we talk about what parenting actually looks like in 2025. We unpack the pressure to parent the “right way” while technology, social media, and AI keep changing the rules faster than we can keep up. We discuss kids and smartphones, social media influence, and why elementary school kids suddenly believe they need adult skincare routines. We also explore the differences between gentl...

In this episode, we talk about why the holidays bring out stress, guilt, and pressure like no other time of year. We break down what happens when co-parenting schedules, family expectations, money, and emotions all collide in December. We share real stories about last-minute schedule changes, family pressure, gift-giving stress, and the feeling of being pulled in too many directions at once. We ex...

Who’s Custody Time Is This Anyway? Navigating Holiday Travel and Break SchedulesIn this episode, we talk about one of the hardest parts of co-parenting: holiday schedules, school breaks, and travel plans. We walk through the real-life challenges that come up when Thanksgiving, winter break, or spring break arrives, and the custody calendar suddenly takes over the entire plan. We break down the dif...

In this episode, Dr. Marjorie Dorimé-Williams and Dr. Michael Steven Williams talk about why dating after divorce can feel harder for people who are good co-parents. They explain how having a healthy relationship with an ex can make you look stable and attractive, but also make new partners nervous or jealous. The conversation covers dating boundaries, trust issues, emotional triggers, and why som...

Can you truly find love again after divorce? ❤️‍🩹In Episode 55, we uncover the raw, honest, and often overlooked realities of dating, partnership, and co-parenting after divorce. Dr. Michael Steven Williams and Dr. Marjorie Dorimé-Williams open up about navigating new relationships while raising children, rebuilding identity, and healing from the past — all while challenging societal expectations...

💰 Episode 54 - Money Talks: Drama-Free Co-Parenting Financial Conversations | Parents & Professors PodcastIn this powerful new episode of the Parents & Professors Podcast, Dr. Marjorie Dorime-Williams and Dr. Michael Steven Williams open up about one of the most common yet complicated parts of family life — money. Whether you’re co-parenting, married, or managing separate households, fina...

In the latest episode of Parents & Professors Podcast, Dr. Marjorie Dorime-Williams and Dr. Michael Steven Williams dive deep into one of the most sensitive yet essential topics in co-parenting: finances. 💰 Whether you’re married, divorced, or co-parenting after separation, money can often become a source of tension. This episode is your ultimate parenting guide on how to communicate about fi...