The Talk

The season finale of "The Talk" is all about family. Part season retrospective, part celebration, part reflection on the good, the bad, the ugly, the messy, the chaotic, the joyful, the tearful, the hopeful, and the redemptive aspects of family. You’ll hear about biological families, chosen families, adoptive, blended, fragmented, and radically remixed families. New guests, old guests, and interviews with kids! You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

In this episode I chat with Dr. Nadine Thornhill, a Toronto-based sex and sexuality educator, about reasons sex can be so hard for us to talk about, the difference between sex and sexuality, and how we can talk to our kids about sex without talking about sex. We also welcome back Julia Feldman to chat about masturbation, the dangers of heteronormative sex education, why most sex educators are women, and how to set our kids up for the sex lives they truly deserve. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

This is a conversation with Yolanda Williams, founder of Parenting Decolonized, a podcast and educational platform that focuses on the ways that racist structures and white supremacy impact the black family. We get into the ways the process of decolonization looks different for black and white families, the role of capitalism in creating a racial divide in the United States, the root of the reasons that black parents tend to parent their children with violence and harshness, what ally-ship means (and doesn’t mean), and the importance of seeking out and teaching our kids the truth about the history of race in America. Yolanda Williams is a Certified Positive Discipline Coach and Host of the podcast Parenting Decolonized, a show that unpacks how colonization has impacted the black family and teaches parents how to raise liberated black children without breaking their spirits. When she’s not advocating for the safety and liberation of black children from white supremacy and parental oppression, she’s chasing her toddler around the house and trying to remain sane. Find Yolanda on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and support her work through Patreon! You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

This is the full version of our conversation with actor, singer, educator, entertainer, parent, and human Justin Guarini. A portion of this interview appeared as part of our episode, RACE (Part 1). In this conversation Justin and I chat about finding family balance during COVID, creativity, investing in ourselves, moving forward in faith instead of fear, and the Netflix show Big Mouth. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and if you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

In part one of our exploration of communication with kids about race and skin color, we hear from Sarah Henson-Darko and Kwame Darko, a multiracial couple about the ways they engage on the subject of race with their kids: From being aware of what's happening in culture at large, to leaning in to their Ghanaian heritage, to preparing for "The Talk"—the one about surviving in your skin as a person of color. We also have a conversation with actor, musician, author, and entrepreneur Justin Guarini, about growing up split down the lines of his own race, struggling to find belonging, and how he has finally begun to fully take ownership of his own identity as a mixed-race person. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and if you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

When we talk about communication most of us default to the assumption that we're talking about...talking. But in this episode we start exploring the importance of non-verbal communication, and especially the ways that relates to our communication with our kids. We chat with Yolanda Williams about her raising her daughter Gia, advocacy and racial bias in the medical community, and about why viewing single parents as superheroes is counterproductive. We also talk with Dr. Patricia Speier about the importance of understanding non-verbal communication, and about various strategies that all parents can learn and employ to maximize effective communication between parents and kids. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

Leo Wolters-Tejera is the creator of Conversations Official, an interfaith, intersectional, multi-platform community group that facilitates spiritually-minded conversations about life, belief, and the intersection of the two. In this episode we have a chat with Leo about the ways western evangelical Christian culture have shaped our country's perceptions of gender, what is going well in that conversation, and how we can prepare future generations to see and interact with gender in healthy ways. You can find Leo and Conversations in all its various forms by visiting ConversationsOfficial.com. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

Parenting Forward’s Cindy Wang Brandt is a writer, podcaster, speaker, and conference host who has built a valuable community around the concept of parenting with a focus on spirituality but absent of religious dogma. Cindy and I sat down for an informal conversation and discussed our podcasts, being brought up in church (and then leaving church), how our own parents influence our relationships with our kids, and what it means to strive to raise kids who are socially, globally, and culturally conscious human beings. You can find Cindy's work at cindywangbrandt.com, and be sure to check out her facebook group, Raising Children Unfundamentalist, a wonderful community for folks who want to parent in healthy moral and ethical ways, without the structures and strictures of organized religion. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

For centuries gender roles and allowable expressions of gender have been dictated for boys and girls, men and women, by a rigid binary system of cultural expectations. Now, more than ever, the boundaries of gender are being flexed, experimented with, and outright shattered as we move into a time of greater acceptance for and celebration of individuals who desire to live and express themselves authentically through their gender identity. In this conversation with writer and professor Dr. Emer O'Toole, we talk about the performative aspects of gender, social conditioning, pronouns, and why many parents aren't doing as much as they think they are when it comes to providing a gender liberated environment for their children. We also hear from Lori Mannette, who first appeared in our episode BODIES (Part 2), about her adopted child Charlie, who is intersex, and how they navigate the world of gender in their lives. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

Why is it so hard for us to talk about money? There's a real cultural taboo when it comes to how much money people make, and how they use it. And family units are hardly exempt from the serious lack of communication and openness in this arena, in fact, you might be hard pressed to find someone whose parents really taught them useful skills and knowledge growing up, when it comes to financial literacy. In this episode of The Talk, I hope to explore some of the reasons we are so reticent when it comes to talking to our kids about money. I start by examining (along with my parents, Shari and Craig), a bit of my own relationship to and knowledge about money management. I also chat with Melanie Hopkins, a financial consultant, writer, educator, and mother, about the ways our educational systems and predatory money management companies have enabled a lack of useful financial literacy. And about some ways we can start making money and family finances part of natural conversation with our kids. And I round out the episode speaking with Clayton Craddock about the ways his upbringing, his career as a freelance musician, and his experience as a single father have shaped his relationship with money throughout his life, and about why he plans to never retire. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

In this episode we explore the ways that our culture has created a view of death that is often confusing, shrouded in secrecy, and downright dishonest, and the reasons it's important to talk with our kids about death from a young age. I chat with Christian Shaefer, a funeral director, EMT, and Forensic Investigator about the reasons for including children in the conversation about death and the importance of acknowledging their need for a proper grief process. I also speak with Samuel Issah about Ghanian cultural norms surrounding death and funerals, and about his involvement in the rites and burial process of his father, a Dagomba chief. And finally, I have a conversation with Liz & Allison, sisters who lost their mother when they were very young. The talk about the emotional and psychological support they did and didn't receive as children, and about how losing their mother has influenced the way they talk with their own children about death and mortality. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

There's so much new stuff happening at The Talk! We have a brand new mailing list that you can subscribe to by visiting TheTalkThePodcast.com and clicking "contact". We have new merchandise coming soon, starting with a beautiful canvas tote bag featuring artwork by Dana Gertz. We have a new, super easy way for you to send us voice memos, and a brand new way that you can help support us, if you believe in what we're doing. And stay tuned for new full episodes coming soon! You can find "The...

This bonus episode is an extended conversation with Atlanta-based playwright, screenwriter, actor, director, and educator Topher Payne. We talk about his childhood in suburban-rural Mississippi, putting down roots and becoming a full-time writer in Atlanta, his series of children's book parodies "Topher Fixed It", all the things his parents got right (and what they didn't prepare for), and finding mentors and strength in a community of choice. A portion of this interview appears in our episode entitled "BODIES (Part 2)". You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

In part two of this episode, sex educator Julia Feldman joins me for a round of rapid-fire questions about bodily autonomy, exploration, boundaries, language, and about pushing back against cultural expectations. I also talk with Lori Mannette about her adopted child Charlie, and how she encourages him (and everyone) to critically investigate their own beliefs and opinions. Then I’m joined by Ellen & Tom Macy, about the things they bring to their parenting from their own upbringings, and about Ellen’s relationship with her body through a cancer diagnosis at age 24. And to round out the episode, I chat with playwright, screenwriter, and educator Topher Payne, about how he learned the importance of personal boundaries, and about how he uses his writing to show children the value of creating boundaries in their own lives. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. Support the Show.

In the first of a two-part episode, I have a conversation with actress, dancer, and social activist Dr. Shakina Nayfack about understanding, loving, and advocating for our bodies. And about giving children freedom and language at early ages to feel safe expressing themselves without shame. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram and Facebook at @thetalkthepodcast, and on Twitter at @thetalkthepod. If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. And if you'd like to support us, you can do so by visiting thetalkthepodcast.com/donate. Support the Show.

School is a place where we don’t all fit in. On this episode I speak with alternative-education administrator Pam Hogan-Charron, parents of 5 kids Darcy & Kyle Morehouse, and public school social worker and mental health provider Poonam Dharni, about how we can shift our focus to make school a place that works for all students, and an experience that recognizes curiosity, diversity, and individualism. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram and Facebook at @thetalkthepodcast, and on Twitter at @thetalkthepod. If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. And if you'd like to support us, you can do so by visiting thetalkthepodcast.com/donate. Support the Show.

How can we teach our kids that their bodies are sacred, but also to be enjoyed? Can our children learn to love their bodies and respect the bodies of others, in the midst of a constant cultural barrage of messages to the contrary?

Our culture often equates leadership with power, strength, and infallibility. On this episode we discuss talking to our kids about leading with kindness, compassion, and about ways of looking for leadership in unexpected places. This episode's guests are Matt Hinkley, Fred Salomon, and Jane Burgess. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram and Facebook at @thetalkthepodcast, and on Twitter at @thetalkthepod. If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. And if you'd like to support us, you can do so by visiting thetalkthepodcast.com/donate. Support the Show.

In an upcoming episode about school, we explore learning styles, parental pressure, and the ways we can teach our kids the joy of becoming lifelong learners.

On this episode I talk with Dr. Sara Heron about attachment, non-verbal communication, and representation within the mental health community. I also talk with my parents about their own parents and the decisions they made raising my sisters and me. You can find "The Talk" on Instagram and Facebook at @thetalkthepodcast, and on Twitter at @thetalkthepod. If you'd like to contribute to the conversation by sharing your story about one of our episode topics, you can do so by sending a voice memo or an email to thetalk@thetalkthepodcast.com. And if you'd like to support us, you can do so by visiting thetalkthepodcast.com/donate. Support the Show.