Connected Families Podcast
A Christ-centered parenting community that is grace-filled, science-based, and trauma-informed. Welcome!
Recent Episodes
322
Oct. 4, 2026
Parenting Stress: New Research on What Actually Lowers It
For more than twenty years, Connected Families has heard countless stories: parenting stress decreased, the angry household that got gentler, the relationship that came back to life. Beautiful stories, all of them. But a problem remained: stories aren’t data. In this episode, Stacy Bellward welcomes back Dr. Cindy Wilson, Connected Families Director of Education, Equipping and Research, to share results from the ministry’s first official research study on the Connected Families Framework™ and t
321
Sept. 27, 2026
Screens On, Dishes Undone: A Grace-Based Parenting Role Play
In part two of our conversation, Jim and Lynne Jackson sit down with Stacy Bellward and Chad Hayenga to name what they hope remains true about the grace-based parenting ministry, Connected Families, for decades to come. Along the way, listen as they unpack why grace impacts a child’s heart, walk through a live role-play of a screens-and-chores moment most of us know too well, and show what it looks like to invite restoration. You don’t want to miss it! Key Takeaways: You’ll discover why grace
321
Sept. 20, 2026
Jim and Lynne Jackson: 24 Years of Christ-Centered Parenting Ministry
Join us at our Celebration honoring Jim and Lynne Jackson at 7 pm (CST) on Thursday, September 24th, 2026. We’d love to have you with us! An occupational therapist and a youth worker walked into a basement with a few ideas about parenting and three kids willing to run the camera. Twenty-four years later, the Connected Families Framework™ has reached homes in 22 countries. In this first episode of a two-part series, Stacy Bellward sits down with co-founders Jim and Lynne Jackson, along with Dir
295
Sept. 13, 2026
When Obedience Isn’t The Whole Answer for the Christian Parent
What happens when the parenting approach you were told God requires doesn’t match the child God gave you? It’s a question a lot of Christian parents inwardly carry, and it’s named out loud in this episode. Host Stacy Bellward sits down with Certified Parent Coaches Katie Johnson and Lyssa Stoyko to walk through the Connected Families Framework™ layer by layer. You’ll hear one family’s story of real change, plus two role-play scenarios that show what a different response sounds like in an ordina
318
Sept. 6, 2026
Changing for the Better: What 500 Parents Found
Three months, nearly 500 parents! One space where the questions get honest fast. In this 11-minute celebration episode, Stacy Bellward sits down with Certified Parent Coach and cf community moderator Katie Johnson to share what has happened since the cf community opened in June. They walk through what’s inside and read real comments from members seeing their interactions with their kids change. If you have been walking through Connected Families content on your own, join us inside the cf commun
317
Aug. 30, 2026
Your Angry Child Needs a Plan, Not a Perfect Parent
New Course Now Available: Find Confidence in Crisis Today! If you have an angry child whose aggressive behaviors keep surfacing, it can be hard to know how to respond with both steadiness and care. In part two of this conversation, guest host Chad Hayenga is joined again by Connected Families coaches Lydia Rex and Katie Wetsell to offer practical support for parents navigating these kinds of behaviors. They explore how a thoughtful plan can help you respond rather than react. This includes invi