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Do you feel overwhelmed or out of control when trying to support your autistic child? Maybe you continually try new ways to connect, but you find yourself being drained while your child struggles.

Dr. Jonathan Chism, father and president of the Autism Dad Social Club, walks us through how to actually build connection and help autistic children thrive, without losing ourselves in the process.

As they continue their conversation, Benoit Harpey and Jonathan discuss everyday activities that help families bond and how communities can adapt to the needs of autistic children. They also discuss the importance of parents slowing down and caring for themselves, because you can’t pour from an empty cup. Jonathan wraps up with an encouraging message for parents, reminding them that this journey is meant to be walked one step at a time.

In This Episode:

• How to find activities your child enjoys and use them to build connection
• Ways to make time for personal growth and self-care
• Why support networks matter for parents and children
• How schools, churches, and community organizations can become more inclusive
• Creating a home where your child feels safe and supported
• Why taking parenting one day at a time helps you move forward

You don't have to have the whole journey figured out. Start with what you can do: building connection, support, and deeper care today. It takes a village, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Connect with Dr. Chiz:
🌐 https://autismdadssocialclub.org/
📷 Instagram: @autismdadshtown
📷 Facebook: Autism Dads Social Club

Resources & Support:
📩 parents@speakupforkidspbc.org
📷 @speakupforkidspbc
🌐 speakupforkidspbc.org/steady-ground-parenting
📅 Local to Palm Beach? See our events: speakupforkidspbc.org/events

Want to be featured?
🎙️ parents@speakupforkidspbc.org

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It can often be difficult to know what your autistic child really needs, or how to respond when their behavior becomes challenging.

Dr. Jonathan Chism, co-founder of the Autism Dad Social Club, has experienced that firsthand. When his son was diagnosed with autism, Jonathan struggled with denial and tried to push his son toward what he thought was “normal.” Over time, learning from autistic voices and paying closer attention to his son's unique ways of communicating changed the way he parented.

In this episode, Benoit Harpey sits down with Jonathan to explore what it means to listen to an autistic child. They discuss why meltdowns aren't simply misbehavior, how processing time can affect communication, and how parents can learn to recognize the cues their children use to express their needs.

Jonathan also shares why parents need community and time to recharge, how the Autism Dad Social Club helps fathers feel less isolated, and what he has learned about accepting and embracing his son for who he is.

In This Episode:

• Why accepting your child's neurodiversity can change the way you parent
• How to listen for communication beyond words
• Why meltdowns can be communication under stress rather than misbehavior
• How giving your child more processing time can improve communication
• Resources and voices that help parents deepen connection
• Why parents need community, support, and time to recharge

Parenting a neurodivergent child can be tough, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. As you learn to understand your child's unique needs and ways of communicating, you can build a deeper connection and, like Jonathan and his son, become best buds.

Connect with Dr. Chiz:
🌐 https://autismdadssocialclub.org/
📷 Instagram: @autismdadshtown
📷 Facebook: Autism Dads Social Club

Resources & Support:
📩 parents@speakupforkidspbc.org
📷 @speakupforkidspbc
🌐 speakupforkidspbc.org/steady-ground-parenting
📅 Local to Palm Beach? See our events: speakupforkidspbc.org/events

Want to be featured?
🎙️ parents@speakupforkidspbc.org

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When your teenager says, “I don’t care,” it can be easy to hear disrespect or assume they simply don’t care about what happened. But sometimes, there’s more underneath the words.

In this Groundwork episode, we hear one parent’s experience with her daughter after a difficult situation at school. What initially sounded like indifference turned out to be hurt, embarrassment, and frustration that her daughter didn’t know how to express.

This story offers a simple reminder for parents: pause before you react, listen before you assume, and try to understand the full situation.

We also learn why giving your teenager grace doesn’t mean ignoring accountability. You can acknowledge their feelings while still helping them learn how to handle conflict and communicate more appropriately.

“I don’t care” isn’t the end of the conversation, but where the real one begins.

Resources & Support:
📩 parents@speakupforkidspbc.org
📷 @speakupforkidspbc
🌐 speakupforkidspbc.org/steady-ground-parenting
📅 Local to Palm Beach? See our events: speakupforkidspbc.org/events

Have a story to share?
🎙️ parents@speakupforkidspbc.org

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What does it mean to be the steady ground a child needs when life gets hard?

After nearly five years of Healing Hearts, we're beginning a new chapter as Steady Ground Parenting—a podcast for parents raising children through hard seasons. But this rebrand goes beyond a new name. Rooted in the same belief that drives Speak Up For Kids, it's a deeper reflection of the work we've been doing all along: helping children and families impacted by foster care, trauma, adoption, and family disruption find the support, connection, and stability they need to grow. When we speak up and show up for children, we change lives.

In this episode, we hear from two people whose lives have been shaped by foster care. Trish Zenczak, Director of Training and Impact at Speak Up for Kids, shares her story of growing up in foster care and how that experience shaped her work advocating for children, becoming a foster parent, and eventually adopting. She also explains the programs and community efforts through which Speak Up for Kids is mitigating trauma and cultivating self-worth in the lives of kids living in foster care.

Then, Maddie Harris shares what it was like to experience foster care as a child, move through multiple homes, and eventually find stability with the family who adopted her. Her story shows what children in foster care need from the adults around them, and how consistency, encouragement, and simply refusing to walk away can change a child's life.

These stories show that being steady ground doesn't mean always having everything figured out. It means showing up, listening, believing in a child, and finding practical ways to remind them that they matter. That’s what it means to be the steady ground your child needs to grow.

In This Episode:

• Why we're becoming Steady Ground Parenting
• Trish's experience growing up in foster care and how it shaped her life's work
• What foster care can feel like for a child experiencing uncertainty and change
• Why children impacted by foster care should be seen for who they are, not what they’ve gone through
• How consistency and stability can help children learn to trust again
• What Maddie's experience can teach parents about showing up for kids in their lives
• The programs Speak Up for Kids uses to support children and families
• The impact volunteers, students, and communities have on kids living in foster care
• Why small moments of encouragement can build confidence, belonging, and hope
• What it really means to become the steady ground a child can depend on

This is the beginning of Steady Ground Parenting. If you've been with us through Healing Hearts, thank you for continuing with us. If you're new here, welcome. We're here to help parents and caregivers feel more prepared to support children through hard seasons, giving them practical tools, tips, and strategies to become steady ground.

Resources & Support:
📩 parents@speakupforkidspbc.org
📷 @speakupforkidspbc
🌐 speakupforkidspbc.org/steady-ground-parenting
📅 Local to Palm Beach? See our events: speakupforkidspbc.org/events

Want to be featured?
🎙️ parents@speakupforkidspbc.org

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Healing Hearts is now Steady Ground Parenting!

Welcome to the next chapter of the Speak Up For Kids podcast for parents raising children through hard seasons. We’re continuing the conversations you know and love, but with a deeper focus on the practical tools, honest stories, and encouragement parents and caregivers need as they navigate foster care, adoption, trauma, and family disruption.

New name, but the same team, heart, and purpose.

We're here to strengthen your roots so you can be the steady ground they need.

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When family life, work, relationships, and a million other things are all competing for your attention, it's easy to react instead of responding the way you want to.

Christina Brown is a Catholic life coach, speaker, podcaster, and mother of six who helps people move from feeling stuck and overwhelmed toward living intentionally. She’s navigated serious mental health challenges in her family and spent years balancing motherhood, marriage, work, and coaching. Her lived experience has changed the way she approaches everyday decision-making and overcomes stress.

In this episode, Kayla Richerson sits down with Christina to talk about what it looks like to parent more intentionally amidst the chaos. Christina shares practical ways to slow down, recognize when stress is influencing your reactions, and ask yourself how you want to show up in difficult moments. Drawing from her experience, she talks about how her Catholic faith has shaped the way she parents, the importance of having a supportive community, and why growth doesn't require having everything figured out.

In This Episode:

• How to slow down before reacting to stressful parenting situations
• The simple question that can help you respond the way you want to
• Why stress can make it harder to think clearly and respond intentionally
• How to recognize when you're stuck in a reactionary state
• Practical ways to build more intentional habits into everyday life
• Why parents need community and support instead of trying to do everything alone
• How to balance motherhood, work, and relationships, among everything else
• Why you don't have to have everything figured out to keep moving forward
• How small pauses can create space for meaningful change

Parenting and family life will never be perfectly calm. But learning to pause, even if just for a few seconds, can create the space to choose how you want to show up.

Connect with Christina Brown:
🌐 www.christinambrow.com
📷 Social Media: @christina__m__brown

Resources & Support:
📩 parents@speakupforkidspbc.org
📷 @speakupforkidspbc
🌐 speakupforkidspbc.org/healing-hearts
📅 Local to Palm Beach? See our events: speakupforkidspbc.org/events

Want to be featured?
🎙️ parents@speakupforkidspbc.org

Send us Fan Mail

Is your teen struggling with anxiety, but every step you take to help only seems to push them further away?

Supporting an anxious teenager can be exhausting and overwhelming, leaving you unsure whether you’re saying the right thing. Licensed clinical social worker Sophia Vale Galano has spent more than a decade helping teenagers and their families navigate anxiety, and she's learned that one of the most powerful ways parents can support their teens isn't by becoming perfect, but by being present.

As Benoit Harpey continues his conversation with her, Sophia explains the crucial role parents play in building an environment where teens grow. She shares practical strategies that strengthen relationships without adding more pressure; from managing your own stress to modeling healthy boundaries, choosing the right therapist, and building empathy.

In This Episode:

• Why your own stress may be influencing your teenager
• How modeling healthy boundaries and self-care helps anxious teens
• The difference between supporting your teen and trying to rescue them
• What to look for when choosing a therapist or mental health professional
• Why shared interests and trust matter when finding the right therapist
• How everyday moments can create natural, meaningful conversations
• Why parents don't need to be perfect, but present
• The simple mindset shift that helps families break unhealthy cycles

Whether your teenager struggles with anxiety or you're simply trying to build a healthier relationship, this conversation offers practical encouragement to help you support your teen while caring for yourself along the way.

Connect with Sophia Vale Galano:
🌐 www.sophiagalano.com
📚 Book: Calming Teenage Anxiety
📷 Instagram: @sophiavale_galano

Resources & Support:
📩 parents@speakupforkidspbc.org
📷 @speakupforkidspbc
🌐 Website: speakupforkidspbc.org/healing-hearts
📅 Local to Palm Beach? See our events: speakupforkidspbc.org/events

Want to be featured?
🎙️ parents@speakupforkidspbc.org

Send us Fan Mail

Maybe your teenager has opened up about feeling anxious, but the conversation seems to end in frustration every time you try to help. Or, maybe they don't talk about it at all, which keeps you up at night worrying about their wellbeing.

Sophia Vale Galano has spent more than a decade helping teenagers and their families navigate anxiety in school, hospital, and private settings. Through her work, she's learned that helping an anxious teenager isn't about caring more, but about approaching the conversation differently. In this episode, Sophia shares the real insights her experience has revealed.

In the first half of our conversation with Sophia, she and Benoit Harpey explore why teens often struggle to communicate their anxiety, how parents can recognize hidden signs, and what it takes to build the kind of trust that encourages honest conversations. Instead of immediately trying to fix the problem, Sophia explains how curiosity, validation, and patience can help parents become a safe place for their teenagers.

In This Episode:

• Why many caring parents accidentally push anxious teens away
• How anxiety often shows up as irritability, avoidance, or isolation
• Why listening is often more helpful than immediately trying to “fix” your teen
• Practical ways to build trust so your teen feels safe opening up
• How to know when your teen needs more support, and when they need space to grow
• Why organic, everyday conversations are often more effective than formal “talks”
• The difference between helping your teen and rescuing them

Whether your teen struggles with anxiety or you're simply trying to strengthen your relationship, this conversation provides practical guidance to help you become someone your teen feels safe turning to.

Connect with Sophia Vale Galano:
🌐 www.sophiagalano.com
📚 Book: Calming Teenage Anxiety
📷 Instagram: @sophiavale_galano

Resources & Support:
📩 parents@speakupforkidspbc.org
📷 @speakupforkidspbc
🌐 Website: speakupforkidspbc.org/healing-hearts
📅 Local to Palm Beach? See our events: speakupforkidspbc.org/events

Want to be featured?
🎙️ parents@speakupforkidspbc.org