On today’s episode, Jon Pemberton guest-hosts the podcast as the tables are turned on Melissa. He interviews her on all things podcasting and what she has learned over the past year. Jon is one of the funniest people, so you won’t want to miss this one!

On today’s episode, Melissa shares how she got to the place of leaving her job in Child Welfare to start Mending Families. She also gives her thoughts on a few topics that came up in her conversation with Matt Anderson in last week's episode. Melissa believes that in order to do better, we have to be willing to listen and grow our compassion. Let’s start here!

On today’s episode, Matt shares about his journey from running a foster care agency to leaving with no plan in the Fall of 2022. We talk about values fatigue, learning through relationships, and reflecting on how choices we make can effect an entire family system. Matt shares specific situations and experiences that have shaped how he views the child welfare system and “right relationship” with others. This is a heavy conversation and I encourage you to listen with open hearts and minds. Enjoy!

On today’s episode, Melissa answers listener questions about how to co-regulate with their child. This is a common question and can be a hard one to answer because it is so specific to each child, so Melissa gives you several tools to try out with your kids! Sometimes parenting is trial and error so give these a try and see what helps!

On today’s episode, Melissa gives you a sneak peek of the monthly membership, Let’s Grow, and you can listen in on one of the monthly trainings! Each month, for a small fee, you can join a live monthly training, peer support and so many giveaways and freebies! If you are interested in learning more, go to https://www.mendingfamiliieswa.com/membership.

On today’s episode, Melissa and Steve talk about trauma informed parenting, where we can be more trauma aware, and how you start to see trauma everywhere once you start to experience growth. Steve also shared ways that we can make more space for queer kids that he believes can help them feel seen and loved. This is an important conversation that you won’t want to miss!

On today’s episode, Leslie shares with us about what the Childhood Cancer Coalition is and how they support families touched by childhood cancer. She breaks down the different ways that they offer support and give us ideas on how we can come alongside the organization to help them continue to give back. We also touch on grief and ways that we can come alongside those we know who are facing grief in their lives.

On today’s episode, Melissa gives three things for you to think about when you are faced with the challenges of sibling relationships. We can’t forget that siblings are unique individuals and need help navigating conflict, relationship, repair, and so much more with each other. I hope you enjoy!

On today’s episode, Eileen gives us more insight into Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, what they are and how we can support those in our lives living with FASD. She talks about Brain First Parenting and explains how she uses this approach in her private practice to help support families affected by FASD.