Raising Boys & Girls

Raising Boys & Girls

Welcome to the Raising Boys and Girls Podcast with Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan. In each episode of this podcast, we’ll share some of what we’re learning in the work we do with kids and families on a daily basis at Daystar Counseling Ministries. Our goal is to help you care for the kids in your life with a little more understanding, a little more practical help, and a whole lot of hope. So pull up a chair and join us on this journey of raising boys and girls. Connect with us at raisingboysandgirls.com.

Episodes

February 12, 2026 47 mins
Sissy Goff and David Thomas talk with Dr. Preston Sprinkle about how parents and the church can help kids navigate identity, gender, and sexuality with both clarity and compassion. Preston emphasizes being a non-anxious presence, starting age-appropriate, Jesus-centered conversations early, and building strong relationships that keep hard conversations open. Together, they explore how conviction and kindness can coexist, why discom...
Mark as Played
Sissy and David are joined by Megan Michelson and Mary Flo Ridley from Birds & Bees for a practical, hope-filled conversation about protecting kids in today’s fast-moving, tech-saturated culture. Together, they share how resilience, discernment, and safety are built through connection, calm parental leadership, and ongoing age-appropriate conversations—rather than one big “talk.” From body boundaries and screen safety to helping ki...
Mark as Played
In this episode, Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with Justin Giboney for a timely, thoughtful conversation about what kids need right now in an increasingly polarized world. Justin weaves together faith, history, and parenting wisdom to explore how compassion and conviction are not opposites but essential partners in forming resilient, grounded kids. Drawing from the Civil Rights Movement, personal stories, and his own parenti...
Mark as Played
Sissy and David unpack five things kids need culturally right now: conversation (parents as the calm, safe first source), protection in the real world (body-safety skills and wise supervision), online protection (tools + ongoing check-ins), critical thinking (helping kids evaluate what they see and hear), and a spiritual foundation (identity, hope, and guidance). Their main point: culture will shape kids—but intentional parents can...
Mark as Played
Dr. Juli Fraga invites parents into the often-overlooked work of tending to their own emotions as a foundation for raising emotionally healthy kids. Drawing from her book Parents Have Feelings Too, she explains how parenting can activate old wounds, how to tell when a big reaction belongs to us rather than our child, and why calm, repair, and self-compassion matter more than getting it “right.” Julie offers practical tools—like the...
Mark as Played
Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, to talk about helping kids—and parents—understand, express, and regulate emotions with wisdom and compassion. Drawing from his own story and decades of research, Marc unpacks why all emotions are information, explains the RULER framework in a practical, parent-friendly way, and offers concrete tools for navi...
Mark as Played
Sissy Goff and David Thomas welcome Devon Kuntzman, founder of Transforming Toddlerhood, for a practical conversation about what toddlers need most right now. Devon reframes challenging toddler behavior as communication—not defiance—explaining how immature brain development, limited language, and sensory overload shape big emotions. She encourages parents to focus on co-regulation, connection, and skill-building rather than punishm...
Mark as Played
This episode emphasizes that kids grow emotionally strong through five key needs: healthy boredom that creates space for creativity and self-direction, agency that helps them feel capable and in control within boundaries, opportunities to experience discomfort so they learn they can handle hard feelings, fortitude built by sticking with challenges over time, and parents who trust their own instincts rather than outsourcing confiden...
Mark as Played
Sissy Goff and David Thomas explore the powerful, research-backed role of play in reducing anxiety, building resilience, and strengthening family connection. They unpack why unstructured play has declined, how play shapes kids’ brains and emotional health, and why adults need play just as much as kids do. The conversation offers five practical ways to bring play back into everyday family life—without pressure or perfection—and culm...
Mark as Played
Sissy Goff and David Thomas sit down with journalist and author Leland Vittert to talk about his memoir Born Lucky and the profound impact his father had on his life growing up with autism. Leland shares candid stories of adversity, resilience, and learning to navigate a world that wasn’t built for him—highlighting how character, hard work, and perseverance are formed not by removing hardship, but by walking through it with steady ...
Mark as Played
Sissy Goff and David Thomas kick off a new series by exploring five things kids need most socially right now. Drawing from decades of counseling experience and current research, they unpack why today’s kids are struggling with civility, empathy, reciprocity, belonging, and real-time social practice. They discuss how screens, cultural tone, and isolation are shaping kids’ relationships—and offer practical, doable ways parents can he...
Mark as Played
In this episode, Dr. Gary Chapman joins Sissy Goff and David Thomas to explore what kids need most right now: feeling deeply and consistently loved. Drawing from decades of counseling families and his work with the Five Love Languages, Dr. Chapman explains how children uniquely receive love, how parents can identify a child’s primary love language, and why behavior is often a signal that a child’s “love tank” is running low. The co...
Mark as Played
Sissy Goff and David Thomas talk with Justin Whitmel Earley about his new book The Body Teaches the Soul and how our everyday physical habits—like breathing, sleep, movement, and technology use—quietly shape our spiritual lives and parenting. Justin shares how burnout and anxiety led him to discover that lasting change comes not from trying harder, but from practicing small, embodied habits that help us respond with patience, prese...
Mark as Played
In this warm and super-practical holiday episode, Sissy and David share 10 grounding tips to help families navigate Christmas with more connection and less overwhelm. They normalize the big feelings kids—and parents—experience this time of year, offer simple tools like previewing plans, using calm-down kits and code words, practicing gratitude, and building gentle rhythms instead of rigid schedules. They also speak tenderly to fami...
Mark as Played
Sissy and David reflect on the meaningful conversations and listener feedback from their Enneagram parenting journey, offering a quick, hope-filled recap of each number’s core parenting strengths and how to support kids of every type. They remind us there’s no “right” way to parent—only the unique goodness each number brings—share a few favorite resources for further learning, and close with a tender benediction for parents doing t...
Mark as Played
In this rich and hope-filled conversation, Sissy and David are joined by beloved friends and Enneagram teachers Jill Phillips and Hunter Mobley to explore how the Enneagram can help parents show up with more grace, humility, and curiosity. Together, they unpack how understanding motivations—not just behaviors—can transform parenting, reduce reactivity, and deepen connection. Hunter shares insights from his book Letting Go, Finding ...
Mark as Played
Hillary Rector and Andy Gullahorn share an honest, thoughtful look at what it’s like to move through the world—and parent—as Enneagram Nines. They discuss the genuine ease, adaptability, and steady presence that come naturally to them, along with the quieter struggles: delayed emotions, difficulty voicing desires, and the instinct to “smooth the ice” for everyone around them. Their stories highlight both the gentleness and complexi...
Mark as Played
In this episode, Sissy and David dive into Enneagram Nines—their calming presence, deep empathy, and quiet, steady love that makes home feel like a safe place for kids’ big feelings. They also gently name the harder parts for Nines: avoiding conflict, losing their voice, procrastination, and numbing out, especially in parenting. You’ll hear practical ways Nine parents can use their voice, follow through with boundaries, stay presen...
Mark as Played
In this Enneagram 8 episode, Sissy and David sit down with longtime friends (and parents of six young adults between them) Amy Fenton and Brian Camp. They share how their “eightness” showed up early—taking charge in childhood, pushing back on authority, and feeling fiercely independent—and how those same traits now benefit their kids through strength, decisiveness, advocacy, and protection that help children feel deeply safe and su...
Mark as Played
Sissy and David explore the bold, protective world of Enneagram 8s, celebrating their fierce loyalty, honesty, and justice‑driven strength while also naming common struggles like intensity, difficulty showing vulnerability, and quick reactions. They offer practical guidance for eight parents and caregivers—soften tone, stay calm, practice vulnerability and repair—and ideas to help eight kids use their power for good, feel respected...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.

    iHeartOlympics: The Latest

    Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.

    Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

    The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Betrayal Season 5

    Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.