Are you a grandparent stepping into the role of raising grandchildren, questioning how to build a sanctuary out of chaos—especially when trauma lingers in your family’s story? Do legal barriers, relentless exhaustion, or the stigma of addiction leave you feeling stranded, yearning for guidance grounded in real science rather than…
This video especially focuses on rural kinship care.
This video is about therapeutic storytelling for kinship caregivers.
storytelling for kinship caregivers
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Athena makes Banana Cream pie
Illinois kinship care resources
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Have you ever wondered whether your grandchild’s emotional outbursts, hyperactivity, or inability to focus are really the result of past trauma—or if something deeper might be at play in their bodies? Are you overwhelmed trying to balance household expenses, legal paperwork, and your own health, all while struggling to understand…
Is the Glitch in the Mind or the Hardware? Cellular Healing with Dr. Jeffrey Knight "What if your grandchild isn't 'misbehaving'—what if they are just burdened by the toxicity of the present?" When we face ADHD, autism, or emotional outbursts in the "Second Cradle," our first instinct is to call…
Have you ever been told that your golden years should be about rest, only to find yourself back in the world of school runs, sports practices, and sleepless nights? Are you a grandparent raising your grandchildren, wrestling with exhaustion and identity loss, while quietly wondering if you’ll ever reclaim a…
"We often hear the narrative that grandparents raising grandchildren have been robbed of their golden years. But today, we’re flipping the script." In this high-energy episode, host Laura Brazan sits down with TEDx speaker and developmental psychologist Dr. Deborah Heiser to explore the science of generativity. While the world sees…
Are you a grandparent shouldering the daily stress of raising your grandchildren while quietly navigating your own chronic pain or health challenges? Have you found yourself getting up at 3am to manage family needs, only to realize your own body is running on empty? Do you feel guilty for putting…
"In the life of a kinship CEO, the body is often the first asset to be sacrificed. But if the CEO goes down, the organization follows." In this sobering and deeply personal episode, host Laura Brazan shares a "heavy confession" about her own recent health warning. When the "hustle of…
Learn a step-by-step path to finding peace raising grandchildren and discover how to heal from intergenerational trauma. Have you been told to “just forgive” but found that advice hollow, leaving you alone with pain that keeps resurfacing? Does your anger feel like a protective shield—yet you secretly yearn for true…
"Being angry is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies." In this transformative episode, host Laura Brazan is joined by transformation mentor and forgiveness expert Katharine Giovanni. We discuss forgiveness for grandparents. For many "Invisible CEOs" in the kinship community, anger feels like a protective shield—a lead fog…
Are you struggling managing emotional exhaustion as a grandparent? Feeling the relentless drizzle of exhaustion and emotional burnout, even as you keep your grand family afloat? Do you sometimes find yourself trapped in a loop of irritation or resentment, questioning if joy is even possible on this journey? You are…
"I have to do the dishes. I have to drive to practice. I have to raise these kids." Family, have you noticed how those "I have to" thoughts feel like a lead weight in your chest? 🎒 It's called, "caregiver burnout". Today on the podcast, Matt O’Neill, author of Good…
Does bedtime feel less like a cozy ritual and more like crossing a battlefield filled with tears, anxiety, and wakeful shadows? Did you know that there are real tools for addressing sleep training for children trauma? Real tools to foster resilience? Perhaps you recognize yourself in those moments—the digital quick…
"Bedtime isn't just a routine in the second cradle; it’s often a battlefield where abandonment anxiety and night terrors meet the biological alarm." In this episode, host Laura Brazan is joined by sleep expert Allison Egidi to audit the nighttime environment of kinship homes. For many "Invisible CEOs," the tablet…
Navigating parenting teens in kinship care? Discover expert strategies to build deep trust, reduce daily conflict, and get kinship care teen advice.
Are you connecting with traumatized teens? What do you do when the child you fought so hard to protect starts pushing you away? When "I love you" is met with a door slam? Many of us parent out of fear—fear that the generational cycle of trauma is repeating itself. But…
When your retirement story shifts overnight into raising grandchildren, it can feel like your personal story has ended. But what if this isn’t the end, but the start of a brand-new mission? In this powerful episode, Laura Brazan sits down with pastor and founder of Swagability, Stephen Wagstaff, to discuss…
Episode 114 | Mixtape and Memoir: A Grandchild’s Journey from Trauma to Reciprocal Love "What happens when the person who is your first example of love is also, at times, a source of your pain?" Today, the boardroom welcomes Johnzelle Anderson, LPC—a therapist, author, and most importantly, a grandson raised…
