Mending Families Podcast
Mending Families Podcast
Mending Families is hosted by Melissa Pemberton and she brings you weekly content that is a mix of trauma aware interviews, parenting tips for those caring for kids from adversity, and stories from people just like you as they share their beautiful messy moments.
Melissa hopes that when you listen each week, you will feel encouraged, inspired and take a little something away to help you and your family move from broken to mended.
To help keep the podcast going, consider becoming a monthly donor to help cover the costs!
Introducing Mending Families - Trailer
Are you in the trenches of parenting kids from adversity and trauma? Do you find yourself wondering why the "typical parenting strategies" are not working for your family? That those strategies seem to make matters worse? Are you a friend or family member of someone parenting kids from hard and you just don't know how to help? In fact, maybe you don't even fully understand why the struggle is so real for them? Are you a professional, teacher, therapist, social worker, or advocate that wants to better understand how trauma is effecting the kids you are working with? Then this podcast is for you...for all of you!
We all have kids in our lives who have (or are going to) experienced trauma and the reality is, trauma does affect child development, emotional regulation, brain development and so much more. So let's dig in to better understanding trauma. Let's have real talk about how hard it is to parent kids who have experienced trauma, especially if we are still doing our own healing of trauma. Let's not be afraid to talk about trauma, parenting and the healing journey we are all on! Remember, trauma awareness is important for our future generations and it starts with you!
Episode 38 - Hannah LaBolle
On today’s episode, Hannah shares their journey to adopting their son and all that they learned along the way. We also talk about invisible disabilities and Hannah gives some great things for us to think about whether as a supporter/friend or a parent in the thick of parenting a kid from hard. Stay until the end because she gives us some resources that you are going to want to check out!
Episode 37 - Taffee Adams
On today’s episode, Taffee shares how her family changed their mindset around foster parenting, and although they did adopt their four girls through the foster care system, Taffee talks about how they hold birth family relationships in a different light now. Taffee also shares the struggles of parenting kids from trauma, as well as the ways that they have learned to do new and better for their kids. She also gives us some good things to think about with how best to help our kids.
Episode 36 - Meaghan Flowers
On today’s episode, Meaghan starts out by talking about how she became the “book lady”, or more commonly known as a Story Maker. We talk about books that can help with social/emotional development and mindfulness. Meaghan then shares about what led her and her husband into becoming foster parents, which ultimately led to adoption. We discuss adopting out of birth order, adopting from the foster care system, open adoptions and continued contact with birth families, including sibling connections. What an amazing start to National Adoption Month!
Episode 35 - Mondays with Melissa
On today’s episode, Melissa interviews three of her children about Halloween. They talk about the likes and dislikes of Halloween, things to think about whether decorating your home or dressing up to trick or treat, and just plain fun! This is an episode that you might want to watch on YouTube because kids can just be extra entertaining! :)
Episode 34 - Mondays with Melissa
On today’s episode, Melissa shares her story of surviving a domestic violence relationship. DV is so complicated and Melissa wants you all to hear her own story to get a better idea of how complicated it can be. It’s all about awareness! This is the final episode in the National Domestic Violence Awareness series for the month of October.
Episode 33 - Teresa Eggleston
On today’s episode, Teresa talks about how she got into the field of therapy and where it has taken her. She shares her thoughts on trauma and how we can move towards a place of healing from the trauma we have experienced. Teresa focuses on somatic healing and gives us good things to think about in regards to healing the whole self. We also talk quite a bit about Domestic Violence and how to help ourselves or someone around us. Another good episode to bring more awareness to DV!
Episode 32 - Mondays with Melissa
On today’s episode, Melissa provides some insight into domestic violence relationships by going through 13 power/control games that people play in unhealthy relationships. She breaks down each game and provides examples of each to help you better understand what victims in these relationships are experiencing. As part of Domestic Violence Awareness month, Melissa hopes to bring more information about DV so more people are aware of what is going on in those relationships that stops victims from leaving.
Episode 31 - Ashlee Hoelck
On today’s episode, Ashlee starts by sharing about homeschooling her two boys before jumping into her story of healing her body from trauma she experienced in an abusive relationship many years ago. She talks about how she discovered that her chronic pain was connected to the abuse she endured and where she sought out healing. Ashlee was so brave to tell her story and I am so thankful that she found our community a safe place to share!
Episode 30 - Dr. Laura Anderson
On today’s episode, Laura helps us understand what religious trauma is, how to move forward when we’ve experienced harm from religious organizations, the difference between “church hurt” and “church harm” and what exactly are Adverse Religious Experiences. Our discussion leads us back to parenting often and for that reason, this episode truly is for anyone who finds themselves caring for vulnerable children. Enjoy!
Episode 29 - Mondays with Melissa
On today’s episode, Melissa gives you 4 steps to repairing with your child after a rupture. She also shares why rupture and repair is so important and that we do not need to be “perfect parents” for our children. This episode might challenge how you think about apologies, so come to the conversation ready to stretch your mindset!