Raising Boys & Girls

Episode 348: Protecting Kids Online, In the Real World and All the Awkward Conversations with Mary Flo Ridley and Megan Michelson from Birds and Bees

Sissy and David are joined by Megan Michelson and Mary Flo Ridley from Birds & Bees for a practical, hope-filled conversation about protecting kids in today’s fast-moving, tech-saturated culture. Together, they share how resilience, discernment, and safety are built through connection, calm parental leadership, and ongoing age-appropriate conversations—rather than one big “talk.” From body boundaries and screen safety to helping kids trust their intuition, the key message is clear: connection equals protection, and starting early helps kids grow up informed, confident, and unafraid to come to their parents. Resources mentioned: The Chronicles of Narnia The Harry Potter series Anne of Green Gables . . . . . .  Sign up to receive the⁠ bi-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠monthly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to keep up to date with where David and Sissy are speaking, where they are taco'ing, PLUS conversation starters for you and your family to share! Pre-order our new book, Capable and grab tickets for Capable - The Book Tour here! See our speaking dates, purchase books and check out our courses here.. . . . . .  If you would like to partner with Raising Boys and Girls as a podcast sponsor, fill out our⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form. QUINCE: Go to ⁠Quince.com/rbg⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five day returns. BOLL & BRANCH: Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/rbg⁠. Exclusions apply. COOK UNITY: Go to cookunity.com/RBG or enter code RBG before checkout to get 50% off your first order. OUR PLACE: Visit fromourplace.com/RBG and use code RBG for 10% off sitewide. HIYA HEALTH: Visit hiyahealth.com/RBG to get 50% off your first order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 347: Helping Kids Have Conviction and Compassion In These Tumultuous Times with Justin Giboney

In this episode, Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with Justin Giboney for a timely, thoughtful conversation about what kids need right now in an increasingly polarized world. Justin weaves together faith, history, and parenting wisdom to explore how compassion and conviction are not opposites but essential partners in forming resilient, grounded kids. Drawing from the Civil Rights Movement, personal stories, and his own parenting, he encourages parents to focus on formation over reaction, to model humility and fortitude, and to help kids build an identity rooted first in who God says they are. Resources mentioned: Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement by Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, Chris Butler, & Barbara Williams-Skinner Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church's Public Witness Leads Us out of the Culture War by Justin Giboney . . . . . .  Sign up to receive the⁠ bi-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠monthly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to keep up to date with where David and Sissy are speaking, where they are taco'ing, PLUS conversation starters for you and your family to share! Access Raising Boys and Girls courses here! Connect with David, Sissy, and Melissa at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠raisingboysandgirls.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Owen Learns He Has What it Takes: A Lesson in Resilience⁠ ⁠Lucy Learns to Be Brave: A Lesson in Courage⁠⁠ . . . . . .  If you would like to partner with Raising Boys and Girls as a podcast sponsor, fill out our⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form. QUINCE: Go to ⁠Quince.com/rbg⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five day returns. BOLL & BRANCH: Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/rbg⁠. Exclusions apply. COOK UNITY: Go to cookunity.com/RBG or enter code RBG before checkout to get 50% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 346: Five Things Kids Need Now Culturally with David and Sissy

Sissy and David unpack five things kids need culturally right now: conversation (parents as the calm, safe first source), protection in the real world (body-safety skills and wise supervision), online protection (tools + ongoing check-ins), critical thinking (helping kids evaluate what they see and hear), and a spiritual foundation (identity, hope, and guidance). Their main point: culture will shape kids—but intentional parents can shape them more. Resources mentioned: Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan God Made All of Me by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones My First Message by Eugene Peterson The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt . . . . . .  Sign up to receive the⁠ bi-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠monthly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to keep up to date with where David and Sissy are speaking, where they are taco'ing, PLUS conversation starters for you and your family to share! Access Raising Boys and Girls courses here! Connect with David, Sissy, and Melissa at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠raisingboysandgirls.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Owen Learns He Has What it Takes: A Lesson in Resilience⁠ ⁠Lucy Learns to Be Brave: A Lesson in Courage⁠⁠ . . . . . .  If you would like to partner with Raising Boys and Girls as a podcast sponsor, fill out our⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form. QUINCE: Go to ⁠Quince.com/rbg⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. BOLL & BRANCH: Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/rbg⁠. Exclusions apply. ATHLETIC GREENS: Go to DRINKAG1.com/RBG to get their best offer… For a limited time only, get a FREE AG1 duffel bag and FREE AG1 Welcome Kit with your first subscription order! Only while supplies last. COOK UNITY: Go to cookunity.com/RBG or enter code RBG before checkout to get 50% off your first order. SETH AND THE VERY SCARY STORM: Go to https://tinyurl.com/RBGSethStorm to check out this Lifeway book.YARA THE BRAVE: Go to https://tinyurl.com/RBGYara to check out this Lifeway book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 345: Parenting Without a Roadmap: Not Carrying Your Childhood Trauma into Theirs with Dr. Juli Fraga

Dr. Juli Fraga invites parents into the often-overlooked work of tending to their own emotions as a foundation for raising emotionally healthy kids. Drawing from her book Parents Have Feelings Too, she explains how parenting can activate old wounds, how to tell when a big reaction belongs to us rather than our child, and why calm, repair, and self-compassion matter more than getting it “right.” Julie offers practical tools—like the Change Triangle—to help parents name emotions, avoid shame spirals, and model healthy emotional expression, all while reminding listeners that asking for support and doing inner work is not weakness, but a gift to the whole family. Resources mentioned: Parents Have Feelings Too by Dr. Juli Fraga Mothering Without a Map by Kathryn Black . . . . . .  Sign up to receive the⁠ bi-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠monthly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to keep up to date with where David and Sissy are speaking, where they are taco'ing, PLUS conversation starters for you and your family to share! Access Raising Boys and Girls courses here! Connect with David, Sissy, and Melissa at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠raisingboysandgirls.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Owen Learns He Has What it Takes: A Lesson in Resilience⁠ ⁠Lucy Learns to Be Brave: A Lesson in Courage⁠⁠ . . . . . .  If you would like to partner with Raising Boys and Girls as a podcast sponsor, fill out our⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form. QUINCE: Go to ⁠Quince.com/rbg⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. BOLL & BRANCH: Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/rbg⁠. Exclusions apply. ATHLETIC GREENS: Go to DRINKAG1.com/RBG to get their best offer… For a limited time only, get a FREE AG1 duffel bag and FREE AG1 Welcome Kit with your first subscription order! Only while supplies last. COOK UNITY: Go to cookunity.com/RBG or enter code RBG before checkout to get 50% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 344: How To Raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids with Dr. Marc Brackett

Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, to talk about helping kids—and parents—understand, express, and regulate emotions with wisdom and compassion. Drawing from his own story and decades of research, Marc unpacks why all emotions are information, explains the RULER framework in a practical, parent-friendly way, and offers concrete tools for navigating big feelings at home. From being an “emotion scientist” instead of a judge to learning how to observe rather than absorb our kids’ overwhelm, this episode is full of hopeful, actionable insights for raising emotionally healthy kids in today’s world. Resources mentioned: Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett Dealing with Feeling: Use Your Emotions to Create the Life You Want by Marc Brackett . . . . . .  Sign up to receive the⁠ bi-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠monthly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to keep up to date with where David and Sissy are speaking, where they are taco'ing, PLUS conversation starters for you and your family to share! Access Raising Boys and Girls courses here! Connect with David, Sissy, and Melissa at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠raisingboysandgirls.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Owen Learns He Has What it Takes: A Lesson in Resilience⁠ ⁠Lucy Learns to Be Brave: A Lesson in Courage⁠⁠ . . . . . .  If you would like to partner with Raising Boys and Girls as a podcast sponsor, fill out our⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form. QUINCE: Go to ⁠Quince.com/rbg⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. BOLL & BRANCH: Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/rbg⁠. Exclusions apply. ATHLETIC GREENS: Go to DRINKAG1.com/RBG to get their best offer… For a limited time only, get a FREE AG1 duffel bag and FREE AG1 Welcome Kit with your first subscription order! Only while supplies last. COOK UNITY: Go to cookunity.com/RBG or enter code RBG before checkout to get 50% off your first order. OUR PLACE: Stop cooking with toxic cookware, and upgrade to Our Place today. Visit fromourplace.com/RBG and use code RBG for 10% off sitewide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices