Category Connect
Parenting Adopted Children: Building Connection After Trauma | Ep. 272
Welcome back to our usual podcast rhythm, listeners! November is National Adoption Month, and many Connected Families listeners have grown their families through adoption and foster care. Adoption often brings unique parenting challenges that prompt families to seek creative, compassionate…
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Unconditional Love: 15 Reasons to Show Love-No-Matter-What to Your Kids
While parents assume their children know they’re loved, unconditional love must be actively demonstrated during misbehavior, not just good times. When Andy shifted from firm discipline to expressing love-no-matter-what during his son Mitch’s math struggles, it transformed their relationship. Ten…
I Lost My Temper With My Child; Can I Make It Better?
You know that sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize, “I did it again. I lost my temper with my child.”? We do too. The truth is, we’ve all had those moments. Parenting is all in…
Game-Changing Family Ministry Ideas for Churches of Any Size | Ep. 242
Hear how one Minnesota church partners with Connected Families for family ministry ideas that truly equip and support their families. In this episode about partnerships, Stacy Bellward (host) and Cindy Wilson (Connected Families Ministry Partnership & Research Program Manager) are…
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How to Be the Caring Father You’ve Always Hoped to Be | Ep 234
In honor of Father’s Day, Jim Jackson and Mike Tobie have a conversation about empathy. Mike Tobie shares his authentic journey in developing grace and empathy with his family. This powerful conversation explores how showing God’s grace and empathy can…
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The Emotionally Distant Marriage: Don’t Stay Stuck | Ep. 229
Do you feel like you are in an emotionally distant marriage? In this special episode, Jim and Lynne Jackson interview Ron and Nan Deal about their new book, The Mindful Marriage, which combines biblical foundations with brain science. The authors…
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Navigating Infertility & Loss: A Conversation with Julie Fowler | Ep. 228
Julie Fowler, speaker and bible curriculum writer, joins us for a meaningful conversation about her journey of infertility and the resources she’s created for other couples coping with infertility and loss. Julie shares how scripture helped her in her grief…
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Brain Science for Parents: How to Return to Joy When You Feel Like Yelling | Ep. 226
We chat with Chris Coursey from THRIVEtoday to discuss “return to joy,” a crucial skill for moving from reactive parenting to thoughtful responses. Chris explains the three-step process of feeling, sharing, and quieting emotions, while offering strategies to increase your…
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BONUS: Introducing The Table – A New Path to Transformative Parenting
In this bonus episode of the Connected Families podcast, host Stacy Bellward and Executive Director Anna Braasch announce the launch of The Table, a new monthly donor community aimed at providing sustaining support for Connected Families resources. Together they highlight…
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Why Little (And Not-So-Little) Kids With Big Emotions Benefit From Big Empathy
Got a child with big emotions? Toddlers and teens are known for their explosions of big feelings, but many kids simply “feel deeply” all their lives. Sometimes it seems those kids totally lose it at inopportune moments. It can even…