The Whole Person Parenting Podcast

Valerie
  • 5.0 (4)
  • PARENTING

Parenting content focused on relational, spiritual, and psychological well-being for parents and children.  This podcast features a mother/daughter duo. Mom is a licensed mental health provider and parent-child relationship expert, hosted by her own daughter who's a young woman finding her way in the world with a passion for the next generation. Authentic, hilarious, heart-felt, and informative. We hope every parent who listens is reminded of how important they are in their child's life, and how important they are to God. 

  1. MAR 23

    Are We There Yet?: Inside the Elementary Years with Our Favorite Principal

    Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, we step into the elementary years—a season full of growth, curiosity, and deepening relationships—with someone who knows it from every angle. Joined by our very first guest, a veteran educator, and our favorite elementary school principal!  Listen in we bring both professional wisdom and personal insight to the table. Together, we explore the elementary years—how children are developing academically, relationally, and spiritually—and what they need most from the adults guiding them. From the classroom to the home, we talk about fostering confidence, navigating challenges, and building strong connections that support kids as they grow in independence. This conversation is rich with perspective, practical encouragement, and a shared heart for helping parents navigate this stage of development with their children. CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ Building Social-Emotional Skills at Home: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

    36 min

  2. MAR 10

    Are We There Yet?: The "Play with Me!" Years of Early Childhood

    Send us Fan Mail Between toddlerhood and becoming a "big kid", something remarkable starts happening. Kids ages 4 to 6 are stretching in every direction. This stage of early childhood is full of imagination, big questions, and even bigger feelings. Children are learning how to navigate friendships, manage frustration, test their abilities, and understand the world God placed them in. In this episode, we’re looking at what’s actually happening beneath the surface during these years including how development shapes behavior, why some struggles are completely normal, and how parents can guide their children in ways that nurture growth, relationship, and character along the way. We’ll also talk about what parents can learn during this stage. Early childhood invites us to slow down, enter their world of curiosity and imagination, and recognize how much growth happens through play, practice, and patience. As our children learn courage, empathy, and self-control, we often find God growing those same qualities in us too. Because when we understand what God designed children to be learning at this stage, it changes how we respond to what we see and how we grow right alongside them! CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ Building Social-Emotional Skills at Home: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

    33 min

  3. FEB 16

    Are We There Yet?: Why Exploration Needs Boundaries

    Send us Fan Mail Have you ever noticed that toddlers seem wired to explore everything… and also completely unaware of danger at the exact same time? In this episode of Are We There Yet?, Presley and Val continue their look at the toddler years by stepping into the tension many parents feel: how do we honor our child’s God-given drive for exploration while also setting boundaries that keep them safe and help them grow? Because as much as we might wish we could just say “yes” to everything… we can’t. And we shouldn’t. Boundaries aren’t the enemy of exploration—they’re what make exploration possible. Together, explore how toddlers learn through both freedom and limits, and why those limits are not interruptions to development, but a necessary part of it. They'll look at how young children come to understand safety, trust, and guidance through their relationship with us—and how the way we hold boundaries shapes not just behavior, but connection. They'll also go all the way back to the beginning, considering what we can learn from God’s design in the garden—where both freedom and boundaries existed side by side. What if boundaries were never meant to restrict us, but to protect us? What if they were always part of how we flourish? As parents, we’re invited into that same work: creating space for curiosity, while also providing the guidance our children aren’t yet able to give themselves. So, if you’ve ever wondered whether all those “no’s” really matter—this conversation might just change the way you see them. CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ Building Social-Emotional Skills at Home: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

    33 min

  4. FEB 2

    Are We There Yet?: Supporting Your Toddler's God-Given Drive to Explore

    Send us Fan Mail The toddler years are marked by curiosity, movement, and a relentless drive to explore—and Scripture gives us a surprisingly rich place to understand why. In this episode, Presley and Val discuss what it means to support exploration the way God supports us. By returning to the Garden of Eden, they consider how God created humans for curiosity, freedom, and discovery within relationship—and what that reveals about this season of parenting. This episode invites parents to see exploration as sacred developmental work.  Exploring how, "In the beginning..." the Bible offers insight into how God enjoys humanity and allows for exploration and expression. In toddlerhood, young children learn about their world, develop across domains, and expand their connections with the same type of support. This conversation reframes toddlerhood not as a phase to manage, but as a formative season where children are learning that the world is good, relationships are trustworthy, and growth happens best when curiosity is met with support. In a future episode, we’ll turn our attention to what it means when exploration begins to bump up against limits—how testing, boundaries, and guidance emerge developmentally, and how parents can respond with wisdom and care. Additional Resources:  CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ Building Social-Emotional Skills at Home: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

    39 min

  5. JAN 19

    Are We There Yet?: Formation Through Dependence

    Send us Fan Mail The earliest years of a child’s life are not just about milestones—they’re about relationship. In this episode, Presley and Val explore how God designed infancy and early childhood as a season for deep relational formation between parents and children. From crying and comfort to play, presence, and protection, these early interactions shape a child’s sense of safety, trust, and belonging. Through a developmental lens, we’ll talk about how babies and young children are learning who they are—and who God is—through the way they are responded to. We’ll unpack how early relational formation relates to early spiritual formation and how it's all part of God's perfect plan.  Whether you’re holding a newborn, chasing a toddler, or reflecting back on the early years, this episode offers encouragement, practical insight, and grace-filled perspective for parents who want to nurture strong relationships from the very beginning. Because before children can listen, obey, or understand, they are learning one essential truth: Can I depend on you? CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ Building Social-Emotional Skills at Home: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

    34 min

  6. JAN 5

    Are We There Yet?: Understanding Development as God's Design

    Send us Fan Mail Parenting often feels like a race toward the next milestone—or a desperate attempt to “fix” what isn’t working right now. In this introductory episode, we invite you to slow down and consider a different question: What if your child’s development is not a problem to solve, but a process God designed? In this episode, we lay the foundation for the entire "Are We There Yet?" series by introducing a developmental lens for parenting. In this episode, Presley and Val explore how children grow in predictable (but not always easy) ways, how unmet developmental needs often show up as relational struggles, and how faith invites us to trust the long, grace-filled journey rather than rush toward outcomes. Whether you’re parenting a baby, a teen, or somewhere in between, this episode sets the tone for a series about growth, grace, and trusting God with the journey—especially when you’re tempted to ask, “Are we there yet?” CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ Building Social-Emotional Skills at Home: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

    38 min

  7. 12/23/2025

    All is Calm, but Family is Complicated

    Send us Fan Mail The holidays don’t just bring twinkly lights and cocoa—they also bring opinions. In Part 2 of our Christmas series, Presley and Val are talking about navigating the beautiful, complicated reality of extended family gatherings while staying rooted in the differentiated life God has uniquely called your family to live. From well-meaning comments about your parenting choices to subtle pressure to fall back into old roles, we explore how to show up with grace without abandoning conviction. This episode unpacks what it looks like to honor parents and relatives, set healthy boundaries, and model faith-filled unity for your kids—all while keeping Jesus (not expectations, traditions, or Uncle Bob) at the center of it all. If you’ve ever whispered a prayer in the bathroom during a family gathering or wondered how to keep peace and integrity at the Christmas table, this conversation is for you. Expect biblical encouragement, practical tools, and reminders that faithfulness doesn’t require sameness—and that God is present even in the awkward moments around the tree. CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ Building Social-Emotional Skills at Home: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

    26 min

  8. 12/08/2025

    Fa-La-La-La-Lord-Help-Me: Choosing Joy This Season

    Send us Fan Mail If “joy to the world” feels more like “stress to the parents” at your house, this episode is your Christmas lifeline. This is the first of our 2 holiday episodes looking at how to choose joy for yourself and your family.  In this episode, Presley and Val remember holiday traditions and consider how holidays are not always the joyous occasions we'd hoped for - oftentimes they're stressful! So join in learning how to return to joy through practical steps and spiritual practices that will be good for your whole family!  Access the Seasonal Stress Plan Resource here: Seasonal stress plan.pdf CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/ Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/ Building Social-Emotional Skills at Home: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

    27 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Parenting content focused on relational, spiritual, and psychological well-being for parents and children.  This podcast features a mother/daughter duo. Mom is a licensed mental health provider and parent-child relationship expert, hosted by her own daughter who's a young woman finding her way in the world with a passion for the next generation. Authentic, hilarious, heart-felt, and informative. We hope every parent who listens is reminded of how important they are in their child's life, and how important they are to God. 

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