You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re talking about something I think so many of us are feeling right now: life is hard.

And not in a “just think positive” kind of way-- In a real, full, sometimes overwhelming kind of way.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Rachel, and we’re diving into how we can acknowledge that reality without getting stuck there. We talk about the difference between toxic positivity and actually supporting ourselves through hard moments, how our thoughts shape how we feel and what we do next, and why you don’t have to overhaul your entire life to start feeling better.

This conversation is really about coming back to what’s actually in your control, building a toolbox that works for you, and taking one small, doable step at a time.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Dr. Rachel:

Instagram: @DrRachelNYC

Website: www.DrRachelNYC.com

Order the book: When Life Happens: The Mindset Shift You Need to Manage Stress, Build Confidence, and Break Free

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before we dive in: the breakdown of this episode includes a discussion of sexual assault. Please take care while listening.

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I’m joined by Rebecca Geshuri to talk about something that shows up in motherhood whether we realize it or not: all of our different parts.

We get into Internal Family Systems, or IFS, and how the different parts of us—like the anxious part, the perfectionist part, or the “I’m not good enough” part—can take over in parenting. We talk about why motherhood brings these parts to the surface so quickly, how social and internal pressures amplify them, and what it actually looks like to meet those parts with curiosity instead of trying to push them away.

This conversation is about understanding yourself in a deeper way so you can show up with more calm, more compassion, and more connection, both for your kids and for yourself.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Rebecca:

Instagram: @rebeccageshurilmft

Website: rebeccageshurilmft.com, secondstreetcollective.org

Order the book: When Good Moms Feel Bad: An Empowering Guide For Transforming Guilt, Anxiety, and Anger into Compassion, Confidence, and Connectedness

Postpartum Support International (PSI): https://postpartum.net

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I’m joined by Erin Walsh to talk about something so many of us are navigating in real time: kids, screens, and the social world they’re growing up in.

We get into what’s actually happening beneath the surface when kids feel left out, why social media raises the stakes during adolescence, and how tech can amplify the skill gaps that kids are still building. We also talk about what the research really says about online risks, from body image to unwanted contact, and how to stay connected with our kids without turning every conversation into a lecture.

This episode is a grounded, practical look at how to support kids through a digital world that wasn’t built with their development in mind, while still protecting connection along the way.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Erin:

Instagram: instagram.com/sparkandstitch

Website: sparkandstitchinstitute.com

Order the book: It's Their World

First Device Guide PDF: Here 

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I’m joined by Jon Gustin, aka The Tired Dad. In this conversation, we get into what it really looks like to grow into parenthood, not just step into it. We talk about emotional regulation, breaking generational patterns, navigating partnership, and what it takes to show up for your kids in ways many of us didn’t experience growing up. Jon shares openly about his journey, including finding sobriety, and redefining what it means to be an engaged, present parent.

This one is honest, grounding, and a reminder that we’re all learning as we go. Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Jon:

Instagram: @thetireddad

Website: https://tireddad.com/

Order the book: The Tired Dad: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re talking about something every parent and educator runs into: what do we actually do when kids have big feelings?

In this episode, I’m joined by Jon Fogel, and we’re digging into emotional regulation, what it really looks like to help kids move through disappointment, frustration, fear, and overwhelm, and why we can’t wait until a child is melting down to start teaching those skills.

We talk about songs, games, sensory tools, and the power of practicing regulation in calm moments so kids have something to reach for when things get hard. Jon also shares the story behind his new children’s book, Set My Feelings Free, and why giving kids simple, repeatable tools can make such a difference.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Jon:

Instagram: @wholeparent

Website: wholeparentacademy.com

Order the book: Set My Feelings Free

Podcast: Whole Parent Podcast

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I’m joined by Libby Ward—creator, author, and the voice behind Honest Motherhood—and this conversation is the kind that makes you feel a little less alone in your own brain.
We’re talking about the mental load of motherhood, the pressure to be productive, and how hard it can be to rest even when your body is asking for it. Libby shares openly about self-doubt, overwhelm, and what it’s looked like to move from doing what she should do to actually listening to what she needs.
We get into nervous system support, repair over perfection, and what it means to raise kids differently than we were raised—while still being human in the process.
Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Libby:

Instagram: @libbyward

Website: www.libbyward.com

Order the book: Honest Motherhood: On Losing My Mind and Finding Myself

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re getting into something that doesn’t get talked about enough in parenting:

What happens when our stuff shows up in how we raise our kids.

In this episode, I’m joined by Eli Harwood, and honestly, this one felt like part conversation, part therapy session. We’re talking about what it looks like when your child is wired differently than you… and how easy it is to project your own fears, needs, and past experiences onto them without even realizing it.

We get into mismatch, anxiety, and those moments where you find yourself thinking, “They need this,” when really… it’s something you needed.

Eli breaks down what it actually means to be a secure base for your kids. Not perfect, but steady. Being able to hold their emotions without needing to fix them. And how the real work of parenting is learning how to tolerate our own feelings so we don’t hand them off to our children.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I messing them up?” or felt that pull between wanting to protect your child and needing to let them be who they are… this episode is for you.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Eli:

Instagram: @attachmentnerd

Website: https://www.attachmentnerd.com/

Order the book: How to Deal with Your ____ So Your Kids Don't Have to: An Encyclopedia for Ditching Your Emotional Baggage

Podcast: How to Deal 

Secure Parent Program: Here

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re talking about the kids who often get missed. The ones who look fine on the outside, hold it together at school, and then unravel at home. The kids whose feeding struggles, big reactions, sensory needs, or shutdowns can get mistaken for defiance when what’s really happening is so much more nuanced.

In this episode, I’m joined by Polina Shkadron, and we’re digging into what it looks like to truly support neurodivergent kids through the lens of relationship, regulation, and trust. We talk about feeding challenges, masking, sensory differences, executive functioning, and why believing the child’s experience changes everything.

This conversation hit home for me as a parent, because so much of this is about shifting out of “How do I make this behavior stop?” and into “What is this child telling me about their experience?” And that shift matters at home, in classrooms, and in every relationship we have with kids.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Polina:

Instagram: @playtolearnconsulting

Website: playtolearnconsulting.com

Newsletter: https://playtolearnconsulting.com/resources/

PESI webinars mentioned:

The “Not So Picky” Picky Eater 

Executive Functioning in Children and Adolescents

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re talking about one of the hardest family transitions to navigate with kids: divorce.

In this episode, I’m joined by Michelle Dempsey-Multack, and we’re digging into what it really looks like to take a child-first approach when parents separate. We talk about how to tell kids about divorce in a way that is honest, clear, and age-appropriate, what kids actually need in those early conversations, and how to support them without putting them in the middle.

We also get into the long game of co-parenting: how to stay grounded when emotions are high, how to avoid making kids the messengers or collateral, and what it means to build a childhood your kids won’t have to recover from later.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Michelle:

Instagram:@michelledempsey, @michellemultack

Website: https://michelledempsey.com/

Order the book: Moms Moving On: Real-Life Advice on Conquering Divorce, Co-Parenting Through Conflict, and Becoming Your Best Self

Podcast: The Moving On Podcast

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before we dive in: this episode includes discussion of childhood mental health struggles and discusses suicidal ideation and self harm. Please take care while listening.

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re talking about something that so many autism parents know in their bones but don’t always hear said out loud: sometimes what looks like defiance, aggression, or “too much” is actually overwhelm, burnout, anxiety, and a nervous system that cannot keep carrying what the world is asking of it.

In this episode, I’m joined by Lisa Candera of The Autism Mom Coach, and we talk honestly about parenting an autistic child through anxiety, OCD, burnout, and big behaviors. We get into the difference between can’t and won’t, what it looks like when the strategies that used to work stop working, how our own nervous systems shape what happens next, and why support for the parent matters just as much as support for the child.

This conversation felt especially powerful to me as the mom of an autistic child, because there is so much nuance here. There is grief, love, exhaustion, advocacy, and so much invisible labor. Lisa brings both lived experience and deep compassion to this conversation, and I think so many parents are going to feel less alone in it.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Lisa:

Instagram: @theautismmomcoach

Website: https://theautismmomcoach.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-candera-949b3175/ 

Podcast:  The Autism Mom Coach

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re talking about screens, because my feed has been feeling so black-and-white lately. Screens are bad. Screens disconnect us. Avoid them at all costs. And I just don’t think that’s true, and I also don’t think it’s helpful.

So we’re having a real conversation about what it looks like to raise kids in the world we’re actually living in, not the one we miss from when we were growing up. Screens are morally neutral. The question is what we do with them, what our kids are getting from them, and how we can use them as a tool for connection, instead of a source of tension.

I’m joined by Ash Brandin, aka The Gamer Educator and author of Power On, and Brynn Putnam, the creator of Board, a face-to-face game console that blends the tactile pieces of board games with a digital screen so families can play together in a way that fuels connection. We talk about digital play being real play, why leisure doesn’t have to be productive, and how to build trust now so kids come to you later, when tech gets more complicated and has higher stakes.

Alright folks, let’s dive in.

Connect with Brynn:

Instagram: @board.fun

X: @brynnputnam

Website: https://board.fun/

Connect with Ash:

Instagram: @thegamereducator

Website: https://thegamereducator.com/

Order the book: Power On: Managing Screen Time to Benefit the Whole Family

Substack: https://thegamereducator.substack.com/

Connect with us:

Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew 

Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz

Order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now! 

Website: seedandsew.org

Credits:

Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell

Co-host: Rachel Lounder

Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh

Graphics: Kayla Kurland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig

Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices