Parenting the Whole Child

Feedback Survey Be Our Guest on our Podcast Form Book of the Month: We have 20 books to giveaway! Please fill out our feedback survey to be in raffle to get one of these books: The Book List: How to Talk So Kids will Listen and Listen So Kids will TalkHunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little HumansEmpower Yourself Against Racial and Cultural Stress: Using Skills from the REACH Program to Cope, Heal, and Thrive, by Ryan C.T. DeLappTalk to Your Boys: 16 Conversations to Help Tweens and Teens Grow into Confident, Caring Young Men, by Joanna Schroeder and Christopher PepperBe Unapologetically Impatient: The Mindset Required to Change the Way We Do Things, by Christina CiprianoRaising Awe Seekers: How the Science of Wonder Helps Our Kids Thrive, by Deborah Farmer KrisThe Way of Play: Using Little Moments of Big Connection to Raise Calm and Confident Kids, by Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent Parents Have Feelings, Too: A Guide to Navigating Your Emotions So You And Your Family Can Thrive, by Hilary Jacobs Hendel and Juli FragaHow to Carry What Can't be FixedIts Okay That You are Not OkaySeek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the WorldTurning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of NoticingBe a Triangle: How I Went from Being Lost to Getting My Life into ShapeParenting from the Inside Out

This episode highlights the power of parenting through connection and community. Featuring WishWell founder Verenice Hernandez-Herrera, we dive into practical ways families can build support systems, strengthen mental health, and foster meaningful connections at home and beyond. Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina BrysonResource of the Month: WishWell provides free and low-cost counseling, empowerment coaching, family workshops, and school-based programs to underserved communities across San Diego County. Their services are designed to strengthen mental health, build resilience, and create connection — one family at a time. https://www.wishwellcc.com Free Events from Wishwell:April 16, 2026 - Time, Energy, & Choice - A Peer Mediator Led Workshop - This interactive workshop is led by Olympian High School Advanced Peer Mediators, student leaders from a local high school trained to support teen mental health and connection. Participants will explore how they spend their time, build awareness around their priorities, and practice discernment in choosing who and what they give their energy to.May 21, 2026 -  Olivewood Cooking Demo Workshop -A hands-on Cooking Demo, that explores the connection between cooking and mental health. Designed for kids and teens, this workshop will show how preparing and enjoying meals together can reduce stress, improve mood, and foster a sense of accomplishment.Other resources:  The US Surgeon General's Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents 

This episode explores the emotional heartbeat of military family life—from long deployments and solo parenting to building a village far from home. Our guests open up about raising young children through repeated separations, navigating reintegration, leaning on ombudsmen and military resources, and finding support in the community. Together we unpack the unspoken realities, the resilience it takes to thrive, and the ways families stay connected, grounded, and whole through every transition.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and SpanishResource of the Month: SAY San Diego offers a vast range of assistance programs in Southern California to help veterans and active military of all ages in their times of need. The Military Family Resource Center (MFRC) serves active duty, transitioning, and veteran military personnel and their families. https://www.saysandiego.org/who-we-serve/military-families/ 

This episode dives into the realities of fostering and adoption—what it takes to begin, how to navigate challenges, and how to create lasting belonging. Hear one mother’s inspiring journey and gain insights and encouragement for your own path.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish.Resource of the Month: This web page provides information on public and private foster and adoption agency services, a list of training resources for current foster and adoptive parents, and a link to county information about adoption and becoming a foster parent.https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/cs/child_welfare_services.html

In this episode, we explore what it means to care across generations, "The Sandwich Generation," balancing family, distance, and the emotional weight of caregiving. Maryam shares her story of supporting aging parents from afar, reflecting on guilt, resilience, and the power of collective caregiving. Together, we discuss self-compassion, community care, and how we can redefine what it means to truly support one another.Book of the Month:  The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and SpanishResource of the Month: Naming Your Emotions | Practice | Greater Good in Action Other resources: More than half of Americans in their 40s are ‘sandwiched’ between an aging parent and their own children  Seven Tips for Talking With Your Kids About Terminal Illness Eight Tips For Talking With Your Kids About Death Feeling Supported | Practice | Greater Good in Action

In this heartfelt episode, Jodie opens up about navigating grief, parenting through loss, and finding grace in the midst of pain. She shares how faith, community, and cultural traditions have guided her healing journey—and reminds us why compassion and understanding are essential when supporting those who grieve.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and SpanishResource of the Month: The Elizabeth Hospice, a nonprofit hospice and healthcare leader, has been providing medical and emotional support to patients and families facing the challenges associated with an advanced life-limiting illness and restoring hope to grieving children and adults who are feeling lost and alone. Since 1978, they have touched the lives of more than 125,000 people in the communities we serve, offering medical and emotional support, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay: https://elizabethhospice.org .Additional resources: https://www.dougy.org/grief-support-resources 

Today’s conversation is all about the beautifully complex, emotional, and often misunderstood journey of raising twins. We’re joined by parents who’ve navigated everything from surprise pregnancies and identity struggles to bedtime chaos and double the love. Whether you're a twin parent, a twin yourself, or just curious—this episode is packed with honesty, humor, and heart.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and SpanishResource of the Month: Our resource for this month is the San Diego Twins Club Facebook group affiliated with Multiples of America. It used to be a paid group but is now transitioning more to a free social group where parents can connect with other local twin parents. The club regularly hosts events including seasonal parties, playgroups, parents’ night out, and more. At these events parents are able to find camaraderie with an understanding of the unique challenges and joys of raising multiples.

In this extended bonus episode, we continue the heartfelt conversation with grandparents who courageously share their journeys of raising their grandchildren—navigating court challenges, financial hardships, and fractured family ties—while offering unwavering love, stability, and hope. Their stories shine a light on resilience, sacrifice, and the profound importance of keeping families together.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and SpanishResource of the Month: https://thegrandparentsconnection.org/ "The Grandparents Connection" website: Support group offering support to Grandparents and relatives in raising children UNDER the age of 18.https://211sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Handbook-for-Grandparents-Raising-Grandchildren-and-Other-Relative-Caregivers-2023-ENG.pdf "Handbook for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren & Other Relative Caregivers" is intended as a general guide to help you understand and better navigate your caregiver role related to your grandchildren or other children in your care and to help you find and access services.

Today's guests are Grandparents who share their powerful journeys of raising their grandchildren —navigating courts, financial struggles, and fractured family ties —while offering love, stability, and hope. Their stories highlight resilience, sacrifice, and the importance of keeping families together.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and SpanishResource of the Month: The Grandparents Connection : Support group offering support to Grandparents and relatives in raising children UNDER the age of 18. Handbook for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is intended as a general guide to help you understand and better navigate your caregiver role related to your grandchildren or other children in your care and to help you find and access services

On this episode of Parenting the Whole Child, Jennie shares how parents can nurture their child’s academic and social-emotional development by asking the kinds of open-ended, curiosity-driven questions that turn everyday moments into opportunities for play, discovery, and higher-level thinking.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish.Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is Project Zero’s Thinking Routines Toolbox. This toolbox highlights thinking routines developed across a number of research projects at PZ. A thinking routine is a set of questions or a brief sequence of steps used to scaffold and support student thinking https://pz.harvard.edu/thinking-routines. Additionally, Dr. Goldstone created these prompts to engage with kids about school, relationships, hobbies, and everyday life, and to practice our own curiosity - and remember, it’s about learning, growth, and connection--not getting it right--for us, too! https://www.learningunbound.org/resources/supporting-kids-thinking  Creative, critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving are the focus of state education standards, because they’re the skills employers value the most in today’s knowledge economy. They also happen to be key to an empowered, fulfilling adulthood. Curiosity is foundational to these skills: The motivation to investigate, understand, and learn. Using intentional communication prompts like the ones in this guide, we can support kids to not only be successful in school and work, but to be rational, expansive thinkers who respect others’ ideas, seek out diverse perspectives, make informed decisions, and value learning, growth, and connection over having the right answer.You can learn more about Dr. Jennie Goldstone practices at learningunbound.org. Other resources: Book to add to your library- “Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World” by Scott Shigeoka

Introducing the start of Season 2 ! Felicia, Janelle, and Belle share where they are on their journeys and updates on life. Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is Edutopia’s Back-to-School Resources for Parents where you can find information on easing transition jitters, managing kids’ tech use, getting involved in the school, 15 other questions to replace How Was School Today?, and more. https://www.edutopia.org/article/back... If you are interested in Dr. Felicia’s books: Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili Taylor ___________Be a guest on our podcast: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

We collected all your questions throughout the season and discussed it in our final episode for Season 1 with our very own Director Melissa Spadin. Tune in to hear about our best parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting with grief, and be a supportive community. Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is our Instagram Page! Follow us at @parentingthewholechildpodcast.

In this episode, expert Coach AJ from Brightline discusses the importance of understanding neurodiversity and how it can help parents/caregivers better support and celebrate their neurodivergent children. We explore key strategies for emotional regulation, advocacy, and self-care, offering practical insights for families navigating ADHD and other neurodivergent experiences.Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!Resource of the Month: BrightLife Kids - A CalHope Program by Brightline Other resources:Scattered Minds - Dr. Gabor Maté Data and Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder Data and Statistics on ADHD | Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) | CDC Dyslexia Basics

This episode explores the immigrant experience, featuring personal stories of resilience, cultural identity, and acculturation. Dr. Rhonda Beasley and Dr. Belle Tan shares their journeys to the U.S., the challenges they faced, and the strengths immigrant families bring, offering insights and advice for parents/caregivers navigating this transition with their children.Book of the Month: Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-NealResource of the Month: SDCOE Immigration Resources Other resources:Key findings about U.S. immigrants | Pew Research Center

We have Transformational Leader, Author, TEDx Speaker and Edupreneur Meena Srinivasan as our guest this month and Janelle, Belle, and Felicia did not know that this was what they needed to remind ourselves to pause, breathe deeply, and connect our hearts and mind. This is an episode you do not want to miss. We know you will save it and replay it over and over again! Book of the Month: Fierce Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff Resource of the Month: Five Strategies to Care for Yourself So You Can Care for Others written by Meena Srinivasan and A Model of Mindful Parenting: Implications for Parent–Child Relationships and Prevention Research - PMC  Resources mentioned in the podcast episode:  The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance by Robin Wall Kimmerer

This month, Marcus Jackson and Jen Vermillion generously share their time and expertise, guiding us in exploring each child’s unique strengths and needs when navigating sibling rivalry. Book of the Month: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Dr. Lisa Damour the psychiatrist behind Inside Out 2. Resource of the Month: Free Mental Health Webinar Series for Parents and Caregivers to Support the Youth in Their Lives with SDCOE and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. Click here for flyer in English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TzP5hRhdBAsAQGmqa1nKSjw3FXXEezPe/view?usp=drive_link Click here for flyer in Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IVk_4adt4A_MuWQp9qslYp6NF2n-9Snp/view?usp=drive_link

In this episode, we learn from Coach Brando from Brightlife Kids about supporting our teens. We hope you enjoy this episode as we enjoyed learning from Coach Brando.  To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share: Your best parenting strategies Any parenting questions you have Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed Cherished memories with your fathers or mothers and how those moments impacted you. If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode and you get to win the book of the month. You can reach us by email at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599. Resource of the month: Brightlife.kids - Personalized support for California families. Kids ages 0–12 get free, expert coaching for sleep issues, worry, social skills, and more. Live, 1:1 video sessions, secure chat, on-demand content, and more. Book of the month: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Dr. Lisa Damour

In this episode, we explore effective parenting strategies, how to find quality care, and step into the topic of postpartum depression. We hope you gain valuable insights from this discussion focused on Early Childhood Development To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share: Your best parenting strategies Any parenting questions you have Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed Cherished memories with your fathers and how those moments impacted you. If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode. You can reach us by email at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599. Resource of the Month: San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative website: https://www.sdqpi.org/  The “Families” tab has a lot of helpful information, including questions to ask when searching for child care.  There is also a “Guide for Selecting Quality Child Care” in English and Spanish Book of the Month:  The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by  Dr. Daniel J. Siegel in English or Spanish. Other Resources: Postpartum Depression - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf  MIHA Data Brief, Symptoms of depression during and after pregnancy  United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents, highlighting the urgent need to better support parents, caregivers, and families to help our communities thrive. Check out the full press release here. Additionally, there are these free resources to share with families & caregivers: Maternal Mental Health in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. CalHOPE Mental Health resources Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind, from the Governor’s Advisory Council Mental Health resources from the CA Surgeon General’s Office  All About Young Children website: https://allaboutyoungchildren.org/english/  A helpful resource on what development looks like across age ranges, and videos from families.  Available in many languages. CA Teaching Pyramid - Family resources: https://cainclusion.org/teachingpyramid/materials/family/  An approach to social emotional learning utilized in many SD County early education programs.  This page includes a number of resources for families, including one-page guides for specific challenges (e.g., bedtime, transitions)

In this episode, we have the pleasure of hearing from Janelle's daughter, Genevieve, and Felicia's daughter, Temple, as they share how they cultivate healthy relationships with their emotions. Through the guidance and example set by their parents, they’ve learned to embrace their feelings and understand that it's okay to make mistakes knowing that their parents are always home base. We hope you enjoy this insightful conversation. To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share: Your best parenting strategies Any parenting questions you have Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed Cherished memories with your fathers and how those moments impacted you. If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode. You can reach us by email at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599. Resource of the Month: SanDiegoFamily.com  Book of the Month: Where Are You From? Or De Donde Eres? by Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim in English or Spanish!

Our special guest this week is Anthony Ceja. Join the four of us as we go deep and discuss navigating blended, co-parenting, biological, and single parenting journeys.  Anthony Ceja’s Biography Living Arrangements of Children: 2019  This month’s giveaway: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by  Dr. Daniel J. Siegel in English or Spanish. In order to receive this month’s giveaway, call us at (858) 292-3599 or email at [email protected] in English or Spanish with your topics or questions that you would like us to talk about. This month’s resource: Soluna, a CalHOPE program by Kooth, is an innovative virtual behavioral health program developed by the California Department of Health Care Services in collaboration with Kooth. The Soluna app provides California’s youth and young adults (ages 13 – 25) with immediate access to a comprehensive mental health toolkit in English and Spanish, community support, resources, journaling, and personal coaching in 19 different language– all at no cost to the user, their parents, or their school. Be sure to check it out at SolunaApp.com Restorative Parenting YouTube Video

Introducing Parenting the Whole Child podcast with Janelle Lopez, Dr. Belle Tan, and Dr. Felicia Singleton. Join us as we journey through parenting together! In this episode, Janelle, Belle and Felicia answer these four questions: What made you the parent you are today? What’s your favorite memory from your own childhood? What are you the most proud of your kids? What is a parenting move you thought you would never do when your parents did it to you? So that you get a chance to know who we are as we kick off this podcast to create a supportive community for parents/guardians.  This month’s giveaway: "The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children" by Dr. Shefali Tsabary This month’s resource: Check out Brightlife for personalized behavioral health support for California parents with kids ages 0-12. Get free, expert coaching for sleep issues, worry, social skills, and more. Coaches receive professional inclusivity and cultural competency training, and many speak both English and Spanish, come from diverse backgrounds, and have experience with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. No cost or insurance needed. Visit hellobrightline.com for more information. In order to receive this month’s giveaway, call us at (858) 292-3599 or email at [email protected] in English or Spanish with your topics or questions that you would like us to talk about OR answer these month’s questions:  What made you the parent you are today? What’s your favorite memory from your own childhood? What are you the most proud of your kids? What is a parenting move you thought you would never do when your parents did it to you? We are so looking forward to hearing from you and journeying with you!