How Are You Feeling Today?

Join us for another Gathering Pool game! Today, you'll become a Comfort Detectives and practice spotting what someone's heart might need. Listen for the clues, think about how you could show comforting care, and discover how healthy touch can help people feel safe, comforted, and cared for.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

Ellie is excited for her family's annual picnic day, but when things don't go as planned, she learns that sometimes the greatest comfort isn't in the perfect words; it's in someone staying close. A heartwarming story about the need for healthy touch and the comforting care of people we know and trust.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this game episode, kids will play along with Ivy as they learn about the need for security. Security means, “I have a place to go when I feel lonely, scared, or uncertain.”After hearing Ivy’s story in Ivy and the Great Kapok Tree, kids will practice listening to their hearts through a simple movement game called Move Ahead or Head Home. When a situation feels safe enough to keep going, they can move ahead toward the Gathering Pool. When their hearts need help, comfort, or a safe grown-up, they can head home to the Great Kapok Tree.This episode helps kids and parents talk about safe places, safe people, and how security gives children courage to move toward hard things.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, we learn about security: having a place to go when we feel lonely, scared, or uncertain. Ivy lives beneath the Great Kapok Tree, where her hiss and her heart are always welcome. But when Ellie flies away after hearing Ivy’s hiss, Ivy begins to wonder if her friends are afraid of her. Ivy’s story helps kids and parents see how security gives our hearts a safe place to tell the truth.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

Today we jump into a game called "Asher’s Banana Stand." Each banana holds a “gift” a kid can bring to the gathering pool, and we explore what those gifts actually do for a group. It’s a gentle way to build confidence and understand more about how you matter in your family!Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode of How Are You Feeling Today?, we return to the Gathering Pool to learn about the need of mattering. Asher the monkey is fast, funny, and full of energy, but he begins to wonder if he only matters when he is performing, winning, or making everyone laugh. When Asher arrives quietly at the Gathering Pool, his friends help him discover that he matters not because of what he does, but because of who he is and what only he can bring. Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, we practice the “Belong or Pretend” game, built for kids and parents to do together. Belonging means I have a place to say what I feel and people still want to be with me. Pretending is when I act loud, perfect, or agreeable to keep approval. We walk through real-life situations like telling a safe person “I feel sad,” being invited to sit with a friend even when you’re quiet, asking a grown-up for help when you feel left out, and handling anger with honest words.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

Belonging isn’t about being the fastest, funniest, smartest, or strongest. Belonging means I have a place to say what I feel, and people still want to be with me. Through a gentle jungle story, Kai the tiger wrestles with comparison at home, and Mack the turtle wonders if he belongs at the gathering pool because he can’t do what other animals do. What happens next is the heart of the lesson: Mack’s friends aren’t asking him to be someone else. They’re glad he’s there because he’s Mack.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

Glad isn’t just a smile. Sometimes it shows up right next to lonely, sad, or even hurt, and that “mixed up” feeling can be confusing for kids and adults alike. I sit down with Dakota for a warm, funny, and surprisingly deep conversation that helps kids build real emotional vocabulary and helps parents practice emotional coaching without turning it into a lecture.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

Glad can feel like cheering after a hard-earned win, but it can also feel like a quiet warmth in your chest when you realize you belong. Today's story steps back into a jungle story where the gathering pool holds memories of fear, sadness, shame, courage, and truth. We also break down a key social emotional learning idea: glad is not always the same as happy. Gladness can be joyful, hopeful, and secure, and it can include tears when something meaningful changes or ends. Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode of How Are You Feeling Today?, Alex is joined by six-year-old Sloan, a curious, brave, and imaginative guest who helps us understand the feeling of guilt. Through the story of Theo and the heart-shaped stone at the Gathering Pool, Sloan explores what it feels like when a child does something wrong, wants to hide, and needs help telling the truth. Together, Alex and Sloan talk about forgiveness, repair, and the comfort children need after saying “I’m sorry” — reminding kids and parents that guilt is not here to shame us, but to help us come back into connection.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, Theo learns that guilt is not just about feeling bad, but about knowing when we have done something wrong and needing to tell the truth. As Theo admits his lie about the heart-shaped stone and experiences repair with his friends at the Gathering Pool, kids and parents are invited to explore how guilt can lead us toward honesty, forgiveness, and restored connection. Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

Alex has his son Reed back on the podcast! This time for an interview about anger. When anger is handled safely, it can help children stand up for what matters, set boundaries, include someone who’s left out, and say the hard thing with honesty. We also talk about what kids often need most from parents in those moments: calm company and support so they can speak for themselves.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

This episode is another jungle story where Bin the leopard storms up to a peaceful gathering pool and announces, “This is mine now.” The whole jungle goes still, and you can feel what fear does to each friend. Then Kai feels something different rising in his chest: anger, not to hurt anyone, but to protect a place and a community that matters.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

A four-year-old can teach us a lot about feelings when we actually slow down and listen. We’re joined by Griffin, who loves baseball, team chants, and superheroes like Hulk and Captain America.From there, we step into the “gathering pool” story world with characters like Kai, Liam, and Theo and use play to talk about real emotional skills. When Liam struggles, we unpack what kids often feel in those moments: the mix of relief and sadness when someone helps. That’s where we introduce a powerful idea for parents and caregivers: healthy shame. Not the crushing kind, but the healthy signal that says, “I’ve hit a limit. I need help.”We also dig into a parenting truth that can change how you respond to hard moments: kids don’t always ask for help with words. Sometimes they show it with their bodies, faces, and behavior. Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, Theo, Kai, and Liam the chameleon discover that shame is not always something bad, but can be the feeling that reminds us we need help and cannot do life alone. As Liam uses his gift to hide when he feels limited, kids and parents are invited to explore how healthy shame can lead us out of hiding and back toward support, belonging, and connection. Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, Alex sits down with 12-year-old Hannah to talk about hurt. They talk about what hurt feels like, when it shows up, and what actually helps.This conversation invites parents to consider how home can become a place where kids feel seen, known, and not alone. That by telling the truth about hurt, children and parents can find the healing that they need. Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, Ellie the toucan discover that hurt is not just about what happened on the outside, but about the pain we carry in our hearts when words or laughter wound us. As Theo helps Ellie tell the truth about her hurt and return to the Gathering Pool, kids and parents are invited to explore how sharing hurt can lead to healing, courage, and connection. Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, Alex sits down with 9-year-old Meryl to talk about loneliness. They talk about what loneliness feels like, when it shows up, and what actually helps.Through her honesty, we’re reminded that loneliness isn’t just about being alone… it’s about wondering if we’re the only one. And sometimes, what helps most is simply realizing that everyone is a little “clumsy” at times.This conversation invites parents to consider how home can become a place where kids feel seen, known, and not alone.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode, Theo the eagle and Kai the tiger discover that loneliness is not just about being by yourself, but about longing to be known. As they share their struggles and find connection at the Gathering Pool, kids and parents are invited to explore how telling the truth about lonely can help us feel seen, loved, and connected.Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

In this episode of How Are You Feeling Today?, Alex is joined by a very special guest and feelings expert - his son, Baylor.Together they talk about what it’s like for kids to notice, name, and share their feelings. Alex and Baylor talk specifically about fear and what children need when they feel fear. This episode offers a child’s perspective on feelings and reminds us that learning to talk about feelings doesn’t have to be complicated and can begin with simple honest conversations at home. This episode is a great opportunity for kids and parents to listen together and practice asking one important question:How are you feeling today?Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

A strong tiger named Kai wakes to a foggy jungle and learns how to listen to fear, ground in safety, and find support with friends. We guide families through naming fear and trying a playful “fear check” to build courage together.You can find resources for today's podcast like 2 children's activities and a family reflection on today's feeling at howareyoufeelingtoday.netIf you'd like to share with me or get in touch with me, you can email me at [email protected] can find more information about The Voice of the Heart Center at vothcenter.com

In this episode of How Are You Feeling Today?, Alex is joined by a very special guest and feelings expert - his son, Reed.Together they talk about what it’s like for kids to notice, name, and share their feelings. Alex and Reed talk specifically about sadness and what children need when they feel sad. This episode offers a child’s perspective on feelings and reminds us that learning to talk about feelings doesn’t have to be complicated and can begin with simple honest conversations at home. This episode is a great opportunity for kids and parents to listen together and practice asking one important question:How are you feeling today?Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at: 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.netLearn more about counseling and family resources at: 🌿 vothcenter.com

Thank you for listening to episode 1 of the How Are You Feeling Today? Podcast.Download a free coloring sheet and discussion guide for today's episode by going to > 🌿 www.howareyoufeelingtoday.netIf you would like to share your child’s drawing of a time they felt sad, send me an email at this address:📩  [email protected] here to learn more about counseling services and other resources at the Voice of the Heart Center! 

In this short introduction, you’ll learn what How Are You Feeling Today? is all about, how to listen as a family, and why naming our feelings helps us grow in courage and connection. This is a gentle beginning for kids and parents who want to be human together.