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Today’s episode is a rebroadcast of Kristen Pierce-Vreeke’s conversation with Virginia Williamson, LMFT. Williamson joined us on our very first episode to share her experience as a mother of a transgender child. She discussed motherhood in a blended family and offered advice on finding time for self-care as a mom. Williamson is also a panelist in our upcoming discussion: Pride Month and Mental Health: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Children and Youth on June 23rd.

Lead Psychologist at Austin Child Guidance Center, Dr. Laura Amoscato, shares her expertise in helping children and families heal from traumatic events. She discusses the importance of mental health counseling in the aftermath of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and offers thoughts on how parents can support children’s healing while also healing themselves. Dr. Amoscato touches on how to affirm child safety, validate a child's feelings, and how social-emotional learning can help during these times. 

Executive Director and Founder of Austin Justice Coalition, Chas Moore, shares his motivations behind starting the organization and discusses the need for safe spaces for people to come together to fight against systemic and institutional discrimination towards marginalized groups, without the fear of repercussion or harm. In his own words, Moore defines systemic racism, how it has evolved, and what it means to address the emotional fallout of communities and individuals who experience it.

Join us in this episode of THRIVE: Building Resilient Families with special guest, Anna Westbrook, to discuss how Anna created her program and musical ‘Isabel and the Runaway Train’. The program was created to help everyone of every age, talk about their feelings and past trauma in a healthy way. Anna talks about what led her to create ‘Isabel and the Runaway Train’ to advocate for social justice and mental health in the community.

In this new episode of THRIVE: Building Resilient Families, we talk with Hartlea Heath, a Social Work Intern at Austin Child Guidance Center. She discusses the difference between normal nervousness when it comes to testing vs test anxiety. Hartlea also shares with us how parents can be detectives to spot these signs in children, and the several strategies to help them with their testing anxiety.

On this new episode of THRIVE: Building Resilient Families, we talk with Trish Blackwell, a Confidence Coach with clients ranging from high-achieving entrepreneurs to Olympic and professional athletes. We dive deep with Trish and discuss ways to find the exit ramp on the hamster wheel of self-doubt and self-induced pressure. By parenting our thoughts and expanding our emotional vocabulary, we can shut out the negative noise while learning the art of self-validation.

On this new episode of THRIVE: Building Resilient Families, we talk with Charlotte Caples, racial equity strategist and owner of Charlotte Caples Consulting, about the anti-racism movement that is ongoing and how we as a society can become the embodiment of anti-racism in our everyday life. Host, Kristen Pierce-Vreeke also talks with Charlotte on how parents can discuss racism with their children while covering topics such as microaggression and code-switching.

A young, ambitious woman with music in her heart that brings rhythm to her hometown. Grace Sorensen is a 19-year-old R&B Artist, who learned how to stay true to herself by building resilience in the entertainment industry. Grace will be performing at ACGC Family Fest as part of Austin Originals this year on April 2nd. Learn more and buy tickets at Austin Originals Benefit Concert (austinchildguidance.org)!

Please be warned that this episode contains topics related to addiction, drug use, and suicide. Please use your discretion to decide whether to listen. Douglas Rhodes joins us today to share with us the story of his son, who he lost to suicide 10 years ago. He talks about his struggle with the stigma surrounding mental health issues. His family also had difficulty finding treatment due to a lack of awareness and availability of mental health resources. Douglas' mission is to raise awareness about mental health issues, especially in teenagers. His message to families is that help is available. 

In this episode, Dr. DeAnna Harris-McKoy, couple and family therapist, joined us to discuss different perspectives on the mental health needs of women of color, addressed ways to overcome mental health stigmas within marginalized communities, and normalized how to ask for help. We also discussed the importance of parents finding ways to engage and connect with their children, especially in these very difficult times.

Nikki Lofton joins us today to discuss her parenting experiences with her 5-year-old twin boys. She talks not only the about unique challenges of raising twins but also about her experience with having children at a later age. Touching upon navigating simultaneous virtual classes during a pandemic, discovering her parenting style, and more, Nikki shares with us her unique parenting journey.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Taylor Nichols, we will delve deeper into her experience as a parent, sharing what she learned from her children and her hopes for how they can grow and thrive. Taylor provides a reminder that children have autonomy over how they feel, and challenges parents to ask, engage and learn from children as individuals in their own right.