Episodes

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

New Course Now Available: Find Confidence in Crisis Today! When a child’s aggressive behavior fills your home, it can stir up intense feelings in you, too. In this mini-episode, Stacy Bellward, and Certified Parent Coaches Katie Johnson and Amy Nyvall offer a grace-filled starting point for parents facing intense emotional moments at home. Hear a hopeful perspective on what may be happening beneath a child’s anger. You’ll also find practical ways to prepare your own heart and body so you can br...

New Course Now Available: Find Confidence in Crisis Today! When your child hits you, kicks you, or says something that takes your breath away, and a single thought takes over: I have to make this stop. In this honest conversation, host Chad Hayenga sits down with coaches Lydia Rex and Katie Wetsell to explore what’s really happening beneath a child’s aggressive behavior, and why the goal isn’t to fix it magically, but to become the steady, faith-filled presence your child needs in their hardest...

Ready to start a small group this Fall? Explore Connected Families small groups here. The best parenting support often comes from something simple: walking alongside one another instead of carrying the hard moments on our own. That’s the heart of today’s conversation, as host Stacy Bellward sits down with Dr. Cindy Wilson (Director of Education, Equipping, and Research) and Lori Menekheim (Ministry Partnership Manager) to explore why growing in community makes such a difference. Whether you’re ...

Have you ever felt like your child just doesn’t care about their bad grades on their report card, no matter how much you push, remind, or worry? In this audioblog, adapted from two of our blog posts, guest host Chad Hayenga closes out our four-week back-to-school series with one of the most freeing questions a parent can ask: “Whose problem is it, really?” Discover why pushing harder often backfires, how the 4 messages of the Connected Families Framework™ can break the anxiety-nagging cycle, and...

“I hate you!” When those words fly on the ride home after school, it’s easy to feel stuck. In this back-to-school season mini episode, host Stacy Bellward pulls back the curtain on a live cf community group coaching call, where Certified Parent Coaches Katie Johnson and Pam Bjerke work through one of the most common back-to-school challenges parents face. Get a taste of how walking a real parenting question through the Connected Families Framework™ can shift your whole perspective. Key Takeaway...

Those tearful drop-offs at preschool can leave any parent feeling shaken or unsure of what to do next. In this episode, host Stacy Bellward reads one of our most popular blog posts as an audioblog, exploring what’s really happening beneath the surface of separation anxiety. If you’ve ever navigated toddler separation anxiety, you’ll discover a new perspective on the hidden factors behind your child’s fears of drop-off, and how to help. Key Takeaways: Why crying at drop-off is often completely...

That sinking feeling when another teacher’s email arrives, listing everything your child did “wrong” again? If you’re parenting a neurodivergent child, you likely know this feeling well. In this replay episode, host Stacy Bellward talks with Connected Families parent coaches Marni Love and Taylor Irby, two moms who’ve walked this road themselves. Together they talk about what it looks like to advocate for your child with grace and confidence. Through their honest stories and practical wisdom, t...

Asking yourself, “Should I homeschool,” this school year? It’s a weighty question—and one you don’t have to answer on your own. In this episode, host Stacy Bellward is joined by two Connected Families Certified Parent Coaches and seasoned homeschooling moms, Marni Love and Amy Nyvall, who bring 16+ years of combined experience to this conversation. Rather than handing out a one-size-fits-all answer, Marni and Amy walk through the decision using the Connected Families Framework™. They tackle rea...

We were never meant to walk the parenting journey alone. In this heartwarming and eye-opening episode, host Cindy Wilson (Director of Education, Equipping, and Research at Connected Families) sits down with Crystal Wilson, the Director of Global Fundraising Strategy at Compassion International. Together, they explore the universal heartbeat of motherhood and the essential, life-giving power of Christian community. If lonely motherhood has been weighing on you, and you’re longing to build deeper...

As a self-described sensitive and intense mom raising two sensitive and intense daughters, Laura Way, Content Manager at Connected Families, wraps up our summertime conflict series with a powerful tool we use called Slow, Low, & Listen, which also applies easily when you have kids fighting in the next room! Drawing from Scripture, brain science, and her own kitchen-floor moments with her seven-year-old, Laura unpacks why our nervous systems get so easily hijacked by our children’s big emotions ...

Bickering. The escalating voices in the next room make you wonder whether to referee or run the other way. If sibling conflict has become the soundtrack of your home, you are so not alone, and this episode is for you! In week two of our Summertime Conflict series, host Stacy Bellward unpacks the heart of sibling squabbles and offers a refreshing reframe: those arguments happening between your kids right now? As a Christian parent, you have golden opportunities to raise lifelong peacemakers unde...

Bickering. The escalating voices in the next room make you wonder whether to referee or run the other way. If sibling conflict has become the soundtrack of your home, you are so not alone, and this episode is for you! In week two of our Summertime Conflict series, host Stacy Bellward unpacks the heart of sibling squabbles and offers a refreshing reframe: those arguments happening between your kids right now? As a Christian parent, you have golden opportunities to raise lifelong peacemakers unde...

What if the goal of your kids’ fighting wasn’t silence, but restored hearts? Most parents want the bickering to stop. But what if helping siblings make up after a fight was actually an invitation? An opportunity to show your kids a glimpse of the gospel itself, where broken relationships are made new, and joy is rediscovered on the other side of hard moments. In today’s replay episode, Jim and Lynne Jackson (Co-founders of Connected Families) join host Stacy Bellward for a rich, hope-filled co...

What if the goal of your kids’ fighting wasn’t silence, but restored hearts? Most parents want the bickering to stop. But what if helping siblings make up after a fight was actually an invitation? An opportunity to show your kids a glimpse of the gospel itself, where broken relationships are made new, and joy is rediscovered on the other side of hard moments. In today’s replay episode, Jim and Lynne Jackson (Co-founders of Connected Families) join host Stacy Bellward for a rich, hope-filled co...

Father’s Day can stir up a lot for dads. For some, it’s breakfast in bed and handmade cards. For others, it’s a quiet moment of reflection: Am I really the dad I want to be? In this special Father’s Day episode, guest host and Director of Development, Chad Hayenga, sits down with Connected Families Certified Parent Coaches David Cervenka and Joe Dewey for an honest, encouraging conversation about what it looks like to stay calm as dads, especially when things get challenging at home. Together, ...

Father’s Day can stir up a lot for dads. For some, it’s breakfast in bed and handmade cards. For others, it’s a quiet moment of reflection: Am I really the dad I want to be? In this special Father’s Day episode, guest host and Director of Development, Chad Hayenga, sits down with Connected Families Certified Parent Coaches David Cervenka and Joe Dewey for an honest, encouraging conversation about what it looks like to stay calm as dads, especially when things get challenging at home. Together, ...

Ever wished you could pull up a chair with seasoned parent coaches and ask your most pressing questions? Whether you’re in the midst of bedtime challenges or working through sibling competition, host Stacy Bellward invites listeners into a real taste of what’s happening inside the new cf community. Katie Johnson, a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach and dedicated cf community moderator, is joined by fellow certified coaches Jared Kingry and Bekah Idle for a conversation about two real qu...

Ever wished you could pull up a chair with seasoned parent coaches and ask your most pressing questions? Whether you’re in the midst of bedtime challenges or working through sibling competition, host Stacy Bellward invites listeners into a real taste of what’s happening inside the new cf community. Katie Johnson, a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach and dedicated cf community moderator, is joined by fellow certified coaches Jared Kingry and Bekah Idle for a conversation about two real qu...