Building Pathways to Healthy Minds: A ChildBuilders Podcast

ChildBuilders
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Welcome to the Building Pathways to Healthy Minds Podcast where we share real world strategies to nurture children as they grow. This is a space to share insights, stories, and practical tools to help parents, educators, and caregivers nurture and empower the children in their lives. Join us for episodes on parenting with empathy and connection, keeping our kids safe in classrooms and at home, building resilience in kids, parenting with mindfulness and not anxiety, neurodivergent learning, and many more topics. Grab some coffee and join us!

  1. From Classroom to Home: Creating Emotional Safety

    5D AGO

    From Classroom to Home: Creating Emotional Safety

    In Season 2, episode 10 of Building Pathways to Healthy Minds, Priscilla Bagley chats with kindergarten teacher Meghan Gregory to talk about cultivating nurturing classrooms and how the same principles apply at home. Megan shares how emotional safety is just as important as academics, emphasizing love, trust, collaboration, and giving children space to take risks and make mistakes. They discuss practical strategies like classroom jobs to build responsibility and belonging, morning meetings to foster connection, songs to ease transitions, and creating cool-down spaces for big emotions. Megan highlights the power of simply sitting with a child during hard moments, that we should be listening instead of "fixing." Also, she reminds parents and teachers alike to give themselves grace. At the heart of the conversation is a simple but powerful message: when children feel safe, loved, and valued, they thrive — both in the classroom and at home. * Meghan is a devoted wife and mother of three whose life is marked by faith, joy, and a deep heart for serving others. For many years, she has poured her energy into shaping young lives as a kindergarten teacher, and she currently teaches at Christ Faith Academy where she blends compassion, creativity, and strong values in her classroom each day. With a natural love for adventure and the outdoors, she embraces life with enthusiasm and gratitude. Whether she’s exploring nature with her family or leading a room full of five-year-olds, her energy is contagious. She has a gift for lighting up a space, not just with her voice, but with her genuine warmth, encouragement, and zest for life. Above all, she is passionate about children, faith, and building meaningful connections.

    18 min
  2. Doing Hard Things Together: Cultivating Healthy Relationships

    FEB 13

    Doing Hard Things Together: Cultivating Healthy Relationships

    In this episode of Building Pathways to Healthy Minds, Priscilla Bagley talks with her husband Kris Bagley, about what it takes to cultivate healthy relationships. Drawing from years of pastoral counseling and personal experience, they explore empathy, unmet expectations, and why relationships aren’t about “winning” or going 50/50, but about carrying each other through hard seasons. The conversation highlights empathy as presence rather than fixing, the importance of clearly communicating expectations, and how shared struggles can deepen connection. Priscilla and Kris also discuss modeling healthy repair and reconciliation for children, reminding listeners that relationships are meant for hard things. As the Bagleys say, "we are capable of doing hard things together."

    32 min
  3. Building Confidence and Connection in Boys

    JAN 30

    Building Confidence and Connection in Boys

    Host Priscilla Bagley welcomes educational psychologist, author, and Raising Sons podcast host Dr. Richelle Whittaker for a thoughtful conversation about raising confident, emotionally healthy boys. Drawing from her professional work and personal experiences as a mom, Dr. Whitaker explores how boys develop emotionally, why their needs are often misunderstood in schools and society, and how stereotypes can lead boys to mask feelings as anger or withdrawal. Together, they discuss the importance of presence, positive language, healthy outlets for emotions, supportive school environments, appropriate risk-taking, and meaningful adult connections. She offers practical strategies for parents and educators to better understand boys, create safe spaces for emotional expression, and help them grow into emotionally whole individuals who feel seen, heard, and accepted. Learn more about Dr. Whittaker through her website, book, podcast, and social media: Website: https://www.richellewhittaker.com/ Book: https://bit.ly/strongmenstarthere Podcast:⁠ https://bit.ly/raisingsonpodcast⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_richelle/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/@drrichellewhittaker

    36 min
  4. Raising Confident Kids: The Power of Assertiveness

    JAN 16

    Raising Confident Kids: The Power of Assertiveness

    In this episode of Building Pathways to Healthy Minds, host Priscilla Bagley welcomes back Natalie Henderson to explore why assertiveness is a crucial life skill for children. Together, they break down what assertiveness really means and how it differs from passive or aggressive communication, sharing practical, real-life ways parents and educators can help children build confidence, express their needs, set healthy boundaries, and feel safe speaking up. Their conversation also highlights the importance of listening, emotional awareness, body language, and everyday choices in teaching assertiveness. Natalie shows how these skills support abuse prevention, strengthen relationships, and help children handle challenging social situations as they grow. Listen and you can learn simple, actionable insights for raising confident, resilient, and empowered children. Listen to Natalie's last episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7nuFAHbTHW9KYjE3k2Bmg1

    36 min
  5. Supporting Children Through Grief and Trauma

    11/14/2025

    Supporting Children Through Grief and Trauma

    In this episode of Building Pathways to Healthy Minds, our host Priscilla Bagley sits down with Dr. Julie Kaplow, an expert in childhood trauma and grief. They talk about how families and communities can support children through loss. Dr. Kaplow shares insights from her work with children affected by personal loss, natural disasters, and school tragedies, highlighting the power of connection, honesty, and compassion in healing. She reminds us that grief isn’t something to fix—it’s something we navigate together, with empathy and care. Learn more about Dr. Kaplow and her work here: https://mmhpi.org/staff/julie-kaplow-phd-abpp/https://mmhpi.org/

    34 min
  6. Belonging for Every Child

    10/31/2025

    Belonging for Every Child

    In Season 2, episode 5 of Building Pathways to Healthy Minds, host Priscilla talks with Mary Jane Williams, Executive Director of Family to Family Network, about empowering families of children with disabilities. Together, they explore how inclusion, advocacy, and community support can transform fear into hope. Mary Jane shares her personal journey as a parent, her vision for creating truly belonging-centered schools and communities, and practical ways families can navigate the “system fog” with confidence. Resources: Family to Family Network:  https://f2fn.org/getting-started/resources/Texas Project FIRST  https://texasprojectfirst.org/Partners Resource Network  https://prntexas.org/SPEDTex  https://www.spedtex.org/familiesTexas SPED Support  https://spedsupport.tea.texas.gov/TX Autism Resource Guide https://www.txautism.net/target

    37 min
  7. Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

    10/17/2025

    Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

    In this episode of Building Pathways to Healthy Minds, host Priscilla Bagley sits down with Dr. Natalie Fikac — an educator, counselor, and wellness consultant with more than 30 years of experience in teaching and school mental health. Dr. Fikac shares her inspiring journey from the classroom to her current work with the University of Texas and the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health. Together, Priscilla and Dr. Fikac dive into the heart of emotional intelligence—exploring how parents, educators, and caregivers can nurture empathy, self-awareness, and compassion in children. Listeners will learn: * How to help kids name and manage their emotions in healthy, constructive ways * Why modeling mindfulness and self-compassion matters * Simple, creative tools like vision boards and calm-down spaces that promote emotional wellness * How embracing our own imperfections helps children build resilience and connection Dr. Fikac reminds us that “we’re all doing the best we can”—and that true emotional growth begins with compassion for ourselves. Learn more about her work here: https://wellnessfirstconsulting.org/about

    41 min
  8. Protecting Children from Victimization & Trafficking

    10/03/2025

    Protecting Children from Victimization & Trafficking

    In Season 2, episode 3 of Building Pathways to Healthy Minds, host Priscilla Bagley speaks with Missie Hills—engineer, mom of two, ChildBuilders Board Member, and leader with RedM, a global, volunteer-led movement fighting human trafficking. Missie shares how her professional skills and personal experiences fuel her advocacy for children and families. Together, she and Priscilla explore how parents can protect kids from trafficking by teaching assertiveness, reinforcing body autonomy, and fostering open communication at home. They also discuss grooming tactics traffickers use, the warning signs to look for, and the importance of building trust so children feel safe speaking up. This eye-opening and hopeful conversation reminds us that every parent, caregiver, and community member has the power to help children grow up safe, confident, and resilient.

    31 min
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About

Welcome to the Building Pathways to Healthy Minds Podcast where we share real world strategies to nurture children as they grow. This is a space to share insights, stories, and practical tools to help parents, educators, and caregivers nurture and empower the children in their lives. Join us for episodes on parenting with empathy and connection, keeping our kids safe in classrooms and at home, building resilience in kids, parenting with mindfulness and not anxiety, neurodivergent learning, and many more topics. Grab some coffee and join us!

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