Emerging Minds Families

In this episode host Alicia Ranford welcomes back youth advocate and educator Daniel Principe. They discuss some of the issues that young people are sharing with Daniel, including ideas about masculinity. He also talks about how to raise boys to be good men and ways that the adults in young people's lives can be there for them.

This episode is the first in a two part series where host Alicia Ranford is joined by youth advocate and educator, Daniel Principe. In this first episode, Daniel talks with Alicia about the effects that watching pornography and sexualised content can have on young people. He talks about how we can encourage boys to recognise and resist distorted attitudes towards bodies, relationships, and sex and instead build healthy, respectful relationships with others and themselves.

In this episode host Nadia Rossi talks with Jason Tyndale about his journey as a transgender parent. Jason shares how he navigated his transition with his family and friends, and the unique strengths that come with being a transgender parent.

In this episode, host Nadia Rossi talks with Anna Ritan, an accredited paediatric dietitian-nutritionist and the founder of Nourish Little Lives, where her role includes providing online nutrition resources and support for nourishing infants, toddlers and children. Anna talks with Nadia about how we can manage expectations at family mealtimes to make them enjoyable for everyone. Anna shares ways to create balanced meals and insights in to how we can manage food refusal in children.

In this episode host Nadia Rossi welcomes back Kirsty, Schools Coordinator at Shine SA, to talk about the differences between consent and sexual consent. Kirsty shares how and why it is important to talk to children and young people about consent, how adults can model consent to children and how it supports a child's wellbeing to be informed about consent.

In this episode, host Nadia Rossi talks with Kirsty, Schools coordinator at SHINE SA. Kirsty offers tips for parents on talking to their children about sex and their bodies, and how to respond to the inevitable ‘Where to babies come from?' question in age-appropriate ways.  Kirsty also shares how equipping children with the right information […]

This episode is the second in a two-part series on supporting the mental health of children who stutter. Host Nicole Rollbusch is joined by Rich Stephens, President of SAY:Australia (the Stuttering Association for the Young – Australia), and Mitchell, who originally became involved with SAY:Australia as a participant and is now a mentor to other children and young people who stutter. In this episode, Rich and Mitchell talk about the helpful ways people in their lives have supported them over the years, their experiences working with SAY:Australia and their advice to children who are growing up speaking with a stutter.

This episode is the first in a two-part series on supporting the mental health of children who stutter. Host Nicole Rollbusch is joined by Rich Stephens, President of SAY:Australia (the Stuttering Association for the Young – Australia), and Mitchell, who originally became involved with SAY:Australia as a participant and is now a mentor to other children and young people who stutter. In this episode, Rich and Mitchell talk about how common stuttering is and what it can look like, along with the impact that speaking with a stutter can have on children's mental health and wellbeing.

The Pear is more than a coffee house – it's a neighbourhood meeting place that hosts community-driven events. In this episode we talk with Carol, Leonie and Annemijin from The Pear about how they found connection, The Pear and a sense of community.

Christmas and the end of year holiday season can hold different meanings for different families. Some families revel in the joy of gift-giving, transforming their homes with decorations and festive cheer. However, for many the holidays can also evoke stress, feelings of loneliness or financial pressure. In this episode we talk with psychologist Dr Angie Willcocks about navigating this Christmas holiday season and finding ways to make it work for you and your family.

It might surprise you to know there are nearly four hundred thousand young people (under 25 years) in Australia who provide unpaid care and support to a loved one. In this episode host Nadia Rossi talks with Isabella Hassall, Young Carer Coordinator at Carer Gateway for the Benevolent Society. Isabella shares how carers are often hidden figures in our community. She also discusses the challenges of being a young carer, how the adults in their life can support them and what opportunities they can access.

When it comes to suicidal ideation, we are unlikely to think of children as having such distressing thoughts. But recent research by Wesley Mission Queensland has found that some children under 12 years have negative thoughts which may be the first sign of suicidal ideation. In this episode host Alicia talks with Emma and Chloe from Wesley Mission Queensland. They help us to understand the signs of suicidal ideation that we can look out for and what we can do to support children who might be experiencing distressing thoughts.

In this episode host Alicia Ranford talks with social worker, parent educator, author, founder of Connected Parenting and mother to four boys, Gen Muir. Gen shares ways parents can support their children when they experience big feelings and emotions, especially when they don't have the words to tell us what they need.

This episode is the fourth in a series where we talk to families who have experienced disasters. In this episode host Nadia Rossi talks with Willow who was 20 years old when her family experienced severe storms in the Dandenong Ranges in 2021. Willow shares her perspectives as a young person experiencing such a major event. Willow also offers some advice on how adults can help support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people who experience disasters.

In this episode, host Alicia talks with Sam and Kathy from Centacare's Unify reunification service. They discuss what it can be like for children and parents to be separated from each other by the child protection system, and the shame and stigma that these families can experience. Sam and Kathy also offer insights into the reunification process and how they support families through it.

In this episode, host Alicia Ranford talks with Dr Zali Yager, an internationally recognised expert in body image with a background in health and physical education. She co-founded The Embrace Collective with 2023 Australian of the Year, Taryn Bromfield. In this episode, Dr Yager shares things families, educators and practitioners can do to help create safer body image environments for children and young people.

The term ‘global majority', a collective term for non-white people, and people and groups who don't experience white privilege. It aims to the ‘flip the script' on power as something that only white people can hold and help provide a sense of empowerment and belonging to those who are often excluded based on appearance, particularly skin colour. In this episode, guests Julie Ngwabi and Nancy Jeffrey share their personal stories with podcast host Rosie and explore cultural identity, the damaging impact of assumptions and biases, and the importance of courageous conversations in being more inclusive.

In this episode, host Nadia talks with Tegan and Shelly from the Finding Your Voice Choir, a community choir of women with lived experience of family and domestic violence. Together they share how the choir supports and empowers its members and helps them to form lifelong connections.

This episode is the third in a series about families who have experienced disasters. Disasters like floods, bushfires and drought are becoming more frequent and severe across Australia and can leave a lasting impact on the children who experience them. In this episode host Nadia speaks with Bron, who survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires alongside her husband and two young children. Bron shares her family's story of losing their house and their journey of recovery after being displaced from their home.

In this episode host Alicia Ranford talks with Sally Braddy. Sally is a mother of three children whose husband has to spend a lot of time away from home for work. Sally talks about finding family balance while her husband is away working and how they find moments of connection for their family.

This episode is the second in a series about families who have experienced disasters.  Disasters like floods, bushfires and drought are becoming more frequent and severe across Australia and can leave a lasting impact on the children who experience them.   In this episode, host Nadia Rossi speaks with Sarnia. A parent of three children, she lives with her family who have experienced flood, cyclones and bushfire living in northern Queensland. Sarnia's family know what it is like to have time to prepare for a disaster, but also what it is like to have to evacuate immediately without time to process what is going on around them.

In this episode, host Nadia Rossi talks with Wei about how the stigma of single parenting has impacted her and her children's lives. Born in China and living in Australia, Wei also describes the racism and discrimination they have faced, and how she navigates and supports her family through it all.

In this episode host Nadia Rossi speaks with Heather, who lives with her family in regional New South Wales and knows first-hand the importance of accessing age-appropriate support for children who experience disaster.

In this episode host Alicia Ranford talks with Emerging Minds Director, Brad Morgan, and Emerging Minds Manager, Digital Health, Ben Rogers. They take an in-depth look at children's mental health, including a new suite of resources aimed at supporting parents' understanding of this important topic.

In this episode host Nadia Rossi talks with award-winning musician, writer and disability advocate Eliza Hull. Eliza shares her story about parenting with a disability and the stigma that many parents with a disability, and their children, have to navigate.

In this episode, our host Alicia Ranford welcomes back Emi and their son, Elliot, to talk about the unique connection of single parent families.

In this episode, host Alicia Ranford talks with Masha, a single mother who migrated to Australia alone, and is a survivor of domestic violence. Masha used her connection with spirituality and nature to help her build strength when connection with other people didn't come easily. She talks about how when she felt alone, this connection with faith and nature actually made it easier to connect and build the relationships that she was seeking with others.

Relationships can provide us with a wonderful feeling of connection and shared experiences but they can also be challenging at times. In this episode, our host Nadia Rossi talks with Jess, a foster parent and youth worker who knows firsthand how complex it can be helping children and young people navigate the relationships in their lives.

Even when we really care about each other, feeling or staying connected with family can be hard. This can be especially true when a family or family member is experiencing difficult times. In this episode, our host Alicia Ranford talks with Emi (or Mumza as Elliot refers to them as) and their son, Elliot, about how they worked to rebuild connection after time apart.

In our fast-paced, digitally-connected world, the importance of building meaningful relationships within our local communities often gets overlooked. In this episode, our host Alicia Ranford talks with mother and son, Debbie and Sam, along with Sarah from the local council, about how they teamed up to create a beautiful Butterfly Garden for their community.

In this episode, our host Alicia Ranford talks with Leigh and her daughter Charlotte. Leigh is a mother of two who separated from her husband when she was pregnant with their second child. Leigh talks to us about how she navigated the separation and her husband's new relationship while supporting her children to reconnect with their father and build connections with his new family. Charlotte offers her own insights on this time in their lives and how she remains connected to her whole family.

Experiencing homelessness and unstable housing can be an incredibly difficult journey, and when children are involved it can become even more complex. In this episode, our host Nadia Rossi talks with Susie Lukis and Savannah West from Statewide Children's Resource Program about how to talk to children about experiencing family homelessness.

In this episode, our host Alicia Ranford talks with Flick, a mother of four who has navigated the child protection system and managed to stay connected with her children through difficult circumstances.

In this podcast, our host Nadia Rossi talks with Jackie Amos. Jackie is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who understands how important and complex it can be to find the right support and a health professional – also known as a practitioner – that you feel comfortable with and are confident will meet your and your family's healthcare needs.

In this episode, we talk to John Clark: a father of three and social worker who knows firsthand how complex talking to your children about your mental illness can be. John speaks from his own personal experience and offers tips and strategies for navigating these conversations with your family.

Christmas and the end of year holiday season can hold different meanings for different families. Some families revel in the joy of gift-giving, transforming their homes with decorations and festive cheer. However, for many the holidays can also evoke stress, feelings of loneliness or financial pressure. In this episode we talk with psychologist Dr Angie Willcocks about navigating this holiday season and finding ways to make it work for you and your family.

The Pear is more than a coffee house – it's a neighbourhood meeting place that hosts community-driven events. In this episode we talk with Carol, Leonie and Annemijin from The Pear about how they found connection, The Pear and a sense of community.

In this episode we talk to Justin McArthur about understanding how early childhood educators can support children who have experienced trauma. Justin is an early years educator who has a special interest in working with children who have experienced trauma. He offers strategies educators and families can use to support the children in their care.

When your family experiences a loss, each of you may process grief differently. As a parent, it can be hard to juggle supporting children and helping them understand their feelings while managing your own grief. In this episode we speak with Kaz Amos. She's a provisional psychologist at the Hummingbird Centre in New South Wales and has spent many years helping people address grief and loss.

This episode is the final in a two-part series where we discuss the complex issue of childhood bullying. Part two focuses on when a child engages in bullying behaviour and how parents can approach this behaviour with their child. In these episodes, we talk with Jessica Staniland, a clinical psychologist and the Director of Counselling and Psychological Services at Trinity Grammar School to explore the dynamics for both children who experience bullying and those who engage in bullying behaviour.

In a society that often places importance on achieving unrealistic body standards, many children and young people struggle with their relationship between food and their bodies. In this episode we welcome back Ellen Murray. Ellen is a mental health nurse who supports children and young people who experience disordered eating and also helps them and their families navigate through what can be an incredibly difficult time.

This episode is the first in a two-part series where we discuss the complex issue of childhood bullying. Part one focuses on how parents and schools play a role in supporting and creating safe spaces when a child experiences bullying. In these episodes, we talk with Jessica Staniland, a clinical psychologist and the Director of Counselling and Psychological Services at Trinity Grammar School to explore the dynamics for both children who experience bullying and those who engage in bullying behaviour.

In this episode we chat with Ellen Murray about how parents can support the children and young people in their lives as they explore their gender identity. Ellen is a mental health nurse who supports young people and their families to embrace their children's authentic selves.

Children encounter screens from a very early age and for many parents it can be hard to know how to manage screen time in a healthy way. In this episode we welcome back Nikki Taranis. Nikki is a social worker and therapeutic specialist, and until recently a team leader with the Australian Childhood Foundation. We talked with Nikki about screen time and how to find a healthy balance for the children and young people in your care.

Outside the family home children spend most of their time in school or early childhood education and care. In this episode we focus on early learning services (or early childhood services as mentioned in the podcast), otherwise known as preschool, early learning centers, daycare, kindergarten or childcare. Our guest this episode is Sally Braddy, the assistant director for children's programs at Gowrie South Australia. who we talk to about how to find the right early childhood service for your child.

Gaming is a big part of many young people's lives. As a parent it can be hard finding the right balance (or even knowing what that is) when it comes to both gaming and screen time. In this episode we talk with Nikki Taranis who was recently a team leader with the Australian Childhood Foundation, as she draws on her experience as a social worker and therapeutic specialist, as well as her own interest in gaming.

Parenting is an adventure no matter where you are located, but it can bring unique challenges and opportunities when you are raising a family in the remote areas of outback Australia. In this episode we talk to Petie, a mother to four children who lives with her family in a beautiful and unique part of the country.

For many parents and caregivers, it can be hard to know how to foster a strong and positive relationship with their child, while also allowing them space to explore and grow. In this podcast, we talk to Lyndsay Healy, Director of the Children's Program at Gowrie South Australia. Lyndsay has over 20 years experience in helping parents respond to the needs of their children in a way that allows children to feel safe and secure, while helping build strong relationships between family members.

When it comes to the health of children and families, general practitioners, or GPs, are often the first port of call for parents seeking advice and treatment for their child's health concerns. In this podcast we talk with Dr Andrew Leech who has over 12 years experience as a GP, and a special interest in child mental health and wellbeing.

Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in the human brain and the different ways in which people think, learn and process information. In this podcast we talk with Bec, a mother and stepmother to three children, who shares her parenting journey with us, including the challenges and valuable lessons she has learned from her neurodivergent son.

There are many reasons why some children are not able to remain living with their birth families. In Australia, this is referred to as out-of-home care. While it's intended to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children, out-of-home-care can also come with its own set of challenges. In this podcast we talk with Meryl Klimczack, who has over 20 years' experience as a foster mum.