Advertise on podcast: Let's Talk TCA Podcast

Trinity Christian Academy prepares students to solve the problems of the future, starting today. In this episode, TCA's Texas Grand Champion Future Problem Solving Team — Milena Berezhna, Sophie Huang, Caleb Kim and Grayson Tucker — join the podcast, along with the team's sponsor, Aileen Vidaud, and coach, Jae Kim. As part of the Future Problem Solving competition, the four TCA students founded a nonprofit organization, AI SMART, which stands for "Students Mastering AI Responsibly Together." Through AI SMART, they teach students and educators at schools throughout the region how to use artificial intelligence ethically and effectively, so that it can serve as a tool to enhance learning, not replace it. The students talk about their experiences winning the state competition and meeting people from around the world at the international conference this summer. They also provide tips on how to use AI properly, including their ABLE framework (Audience, Boundaries, Layout and Ethics) for writing AI prompts. You can learn more at their website, learnaismart.org. Podcast episode produced by Sound of a Rose.

John O'Leary, inspirational author, speaker and subject of the movie "Soul on Fire," joins Let's Talk TCA to discuss lessons from his life. When he was 9 years old, John was severely burned in a gasoline explosion and was given almost no chance to live. But his story is not one of suffering, but of love. John has spoken at different TCA events, including sharing his story at the Pursuing Victory Gala and in Upper School chapel. Listen to be encouraged that your life matters, to be challenged to say "yes" to being used for good and to gain parenting advice from someone with a unique perspective. You can learn more about John at johnolearyinspires.com. Podcast episode produced by Sound of a Rose.

TCA's new student-created and student-run coffee shop, Grounded Coffee Co., is now open! Honors Entrepreneurship Teacher Nikki Stinson and students Delaney Borud, Cavanaugh Tripp, Caden Jobe and Caleb Kim join the podcast to talk about the new business they have created in the Upper School. In the Honors Entrepreneurship class and through the process of building a new business from scratch, the students have developed resilience, grit and problem-solving skills. The mission of the coffee shop and its name, Grounded Coffee Co. both come from Ephesians 3:17-19, which talks about "rooted and grounded in love." At Grounded, students serve up "Big Brew" coffee, which is a unique blend they selected for use only at TCA. The coffee shop is already contributing to an increased sense of community at the school as people gather together and connect over a shared love of coffee. Podcast episode produced by Sound of a Rose.

TCA's new Executive Director of Athletics Beck Brydon joins the podcast to talk about his journey to TCA, his experiences as a coach and his goals for athletics. Coach Brydon is new to TCA, but he is already familiar with the school and community through its reputation and through being married to a TCA graduate, Trish (Kinkaid) Brydon '90. Coach Brydon shares about his heart for redeeming sports for Christ and instilling a Christian worldview through athletics. He also talks about his favorite "coach speak" terminology and shares some advice for students and parents.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where bad things are often in the news — things ranging from natural disasters to wars to local tragic events. Such things can be emotionally difficult to process even for adults, and they can cause fear and sadness in kids. As parents, how can we shepherd our children when they hear news that might be scary to them? In this episode, Lower School Counselor Emily Eyre, Middle School Counselor Shawn Ledebur and Upper School Counselor Linda McDonough discuss how to talk with kids of different ages when they are concerned about events in the world around them. They share tips on how much information to share with kids, what questions to ask, how your approach can change as your children grow older and how to manage your own emotions as a parent when faced with such news. This pre-recorded episode is not in response to any particular event, but it is designed to be a resource parents can turn to whenever any such events happen.

Trinity Christian Academy's mission includes offering "a demanding, college preparatory curriculum." In this episode, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Fran Legband and our three school-level academic specialists — Stephanie Burgoon, Sherry Russ and Natalie Floyd — talk about what makes TCA stand out academically and how they work to continually improve the curriculum and instruction at the school. They discuss the new academic schedule and the new and innovative classes being offered. They also talk about how TCA ensures that the amount of homework is appropriate to the grade level of each student, and how those homework assignments are designed to be effective, worthwhile and foster a love of learning in students. In everything, TCA teaches with a biblical worldview; students don't merely acquire head knowledge, but are equipped to "grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and to become a faithful disciple of Him."

Chief Innovation Officer Lisa Wong rejoins the podcast to talk about TCA's first-ever Discover Week, which will take place February 23-27, 2026. Some Middle School and Upper School students will be taking part in Discover Week travel experiences, which they already registered for last spring. Most MS and US students will get to take special Discover Week classes that cover a wide variety of interests. Fifth-graders will have their own fifth-grade Discover Week experience, while students in grades 6-8 will choose from one of five themes for the week: Fitness and Health, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Creation and Craftsmanship, Performing and Literary Arts, or Food and Culture. Upper School students will have 36 Discover Week classes to choose from, where they can learn new subjects, life skills or hobbies. Most of these are half-day classes, so US students will get to take two classes that week. Juniors and seniors have the option to sign up for a Discover Week internship in fields of their choice; they will be paired with local businesses to gain hands-on experience and insights while being mentored by TCA parents or alumni.   TCA parents can download a full list of classes on the Discover Week resource board. Students will sign up for classes themselves during school the week of October 13-17, 2025. If you have any questions, you can email [email protected].

A group of eighth-grade girls, led by MS Science Teacher CeCe Scott '00, met throughout the school year to read and discuss the book 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know by author Kari Kampakis. On this episode of the podcast, some of those TCA eighth-graders interview Kari and ask her questions about the book and about life. Kari shares some great advice that can be helpful not only for girls, but for parents who are raising daughters. You can learn more about Kari and her books, including 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know, her new devotional Yours, Not Hers and the upcoming Is Your Daughter Ready? 10 Ways to Empower Your Girl for an Age of New Challenges, at KariKampakis.com.

In this episode, Upper School Bible Teacher and Community Time Coordinator Jeremy Gregory talks about Upper School Bible classes, Chapel, apologetics and spiritual formation. As part of the new academic schedule for the 2025-26 school year, TCA is adding stand-alone Bible classes for freshmen and sophomores to go along with the existing Bible classes in other grade levels. Mr. Gregory explains how the new class sequence will teach students the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, over the course of three years. For senior year, students will be prepared to engage with others in college and the future by learning about different worldviews and apologetics. Mr. Gregory also talks about Upper School Chapel and the changes that already been implemented during community time this school year. Finally, Mr. Gregory and host Cynthia Yanof discuss how parents can respond when kids ask hard questions about theology, faith or life in general.

Starting in February 2026, the week before spring break will be Discover Week—a week in which TCA Upper School and Middle School students can discover new passions, learn new skills and explore the world. Besides taking on-campus classes or having a local internship, one of the things that students can choose to do during Discover Week is to travel. In this episode of Let's Talk TCA, Zoe Ellen Azzi joins the podcast to talk about plans for Discover Week trips. Mrs. Azzi, who teaches Modern Humanities in the Upper School, has led multiple trips over the years for TCA students and serves as trip coordinator for Discover Week. Listen as Mrs. Azzi discusses the travel options for Discover Week, including trips to Europe, Latin America and U.S. cities. Mrs. Azzi also explains four reasons why kids should travel and shares some of her favorite stories from past TCA trips.

It may still officially be winter, but preparations for the upcoming summer are in full swing at TCA. In this episode, Director of Auxiliary Programs Justin Zappia joins host Cynthia Yanof to talk about the many different classes and camps available at TCA this summer. Listen to learn about the Summer@TCA options for 2025. From flying drones to flying discs, from playing board games to playing sports, and from taking classes for fun to classes for credit, there is something for every child from kindergarten through senior year. You can get all the details in our Summer@TCA catalog.

TCA's Lower School Counselor Emily Eyre joins host Cynthia Yanof to talk about how families can set their own holiday traditions. Christmas is a popular time for setting family traditions, but you can have traditions around any holiday, as well as having traditions that do not focus on any holiday at all. Emily and Cynthia talk about why we have traditions, the benefits of keeping traditions simple and the importance of emotional memories. They discuss how to think through the messages that you are communicating to your family through your traditions. Since holidays are not always happy times for everyone, they also talk about what to do if a holiday is hard for you and how to start new patterns for your family when old ones aren't working.

TCA's varsity basketball coaches, Rodney Belcher and John Price, both join the podcast for this episode. This is Coach Belcher's first year at TCA after years spent coaching at both the high school and college levels. Coach Price is in his fourth year at TCA and 26th year coaching overall. The coaches talk about their families, their faith and their coaching careers. Listen to hear how they leverage the lessons of winning and losing to prepare students for future successes and failures.

TCA's Head of Middle School Cindi Di Iorio and Head of Upper School Craig Wilson join the podcast to talk about where they come from and what brought them to TCA. Get to know our new heads of schools better as they share about their families, their faith and their hearts for helping educate children.

This summer, Tom Landry Stadium had new state-of-the-art turf installed that is arguably the best playing surface at any school, anywhere. In this episode, Steve Hayes, TCA's football head coach and newly appointed athletic director, talks about the new playing field and other recent improvements to the athletics facilities. He is joined by TCA alum and former football player Jason Delph '07, the co-founder (along with fellow '07 classmate Nick Pavey) of ForeverLawn Texas, as well as ForeverLawn's Director of Marketing Derek Taylor and Installation Support Team Leader Aaron Gressel. Together, they explain what makes the new field best-in-class. The new combination of padding and turf provides better safety and traction than other fields, reducing the potential for injuries and fatigue and helping our athletes perform better. It is approved by both the NFL and FIFA, and TCA is the first school in Texas to have this new turf.