Showing up is about making sure our kids feel soothed, safe, seen, and secure. Mama bear Michelle is going to be talking about how she chose to show up for her kids and what that has meant for them and for her entire family.

Self-objectification is the concept of trying to look at ourselves through the eyes of others. We cannot see our own bodies walking through the world, but we definitely imagine them and when we do, we imagine them through a lens of criticism and unworthiness. There are so many reasons we do this, and NONE of them are healthy.

Mikki Gillette is going to share with us a bit about her gender journey. She’s also the best person I could think of to talk to you about how to show up advocate for your kids, hopefully changing some of the messages that they’ll receive about their own gender and their worth as a transgender person in America.

Today we’re going to be talking to Mama Bear Kristen. Kristen is the mother of two kids, and she and her family live in a rural community where they own a farm. Kristen’s sons are both teenagers.

Delena is going to talk with us about her youngest child, Oliver, and all the parts that came up or got activated as she and Oliver charted the path of transition.

In this first episode of Season 2, we are hearing from therapist and author, Rachel Simon. We talk about simple ways to answer kids’ questions about gender and transitioning, how to introduce gender expansiveness from an early age, and how to teach kids empathy while recognizing and acknowledging differences.

Some professionals in this field, as well as within the trans community, feel like assessment is gatekeeping and creates unnecessary barriers to getting life-saving care.

Others feel that this is a necessary step to assure that trans youth are clear on what they're experiencing and are ready for the changes that will come with HRT.

Why? Shouldn't a person be able to say what they need and we believe them?

For our conversation today, we're talking about insurance, top surgery, and her experience in navigating both of those things at the same time and still managing to stay sane.

It's my hope that Rachel's story will provide you with the awareness and common humanity that it isn't just your kid. It isn't just you that has to wrestle with the bureaucracy to get what you and your family need.

Pushing back is a headache, but the payoff of seeing your child thrive if medical intervention is something that they need will be well worth it.

Sometimes kids have a clear vision of what they want and need their body to look like in order to feel affirmed in their gender. If a child doesn't know that doesn't make them not trans, it just means this stuff is confusing and they aren't sure what they need. This is one of the main reasons we go slow. It’s also one of the reasons we always want to be sure that you as a parent have a comprehensive support team to help you through the medical side of transition.

Knowing when it's time or when your kid is ready for medical transition is very difficult to do when you're trying to also manage your own feelings and whether or not you are ready for it.

What I’ve found is that because there's so much misinformation about gender and transition, that it is really easy to get lost in the BS. I've also found that most parents’ fears ease a bit after they learn more about what hormones do and don't do. So to answer some of the most foundational questions parents regularly ask about hormone therapy, I've wrangled the help of Dr. Kara Connelly.

I gathered some of my fellow warriors for an emergency conversation about how we can show up for the kids, families, nurses, social workers, and doctors in Arkansas.

Listen to hear reactions and reflections from social workers Jess Guerrero and Clancy Roberts, and endocrinologists Karin Selva and Kara Connelly.

In this fight—and in this grief—they're great company.

Dr. Karin Selva is a well-established and respected member of the support community. We could have talked about so many things but we showed some restraint and kept our conversation focused on puberty suppression, medication, and her approach to working with young transgender children and adolescents.

This is a huge subject and so, in this episode, my goal is to give you an introduction, answer some basic questions, and dispel a couple of myths when it comes to medical intervention and your trangender kiddo.

I’m thrilled to have our friend Carmen back on with us along with her husband, Tim to share their experience with difficult conversations, boundary setting, and supporting each other as they move through the tall grass of supporting their transgender kiddo.

There is no path for this.

You are basically pioneering the Wild West of the gender frontier.

And we are certainly in this with you and ready to support and help in any way that we can. But there isn’t a formula, model, one size fits all, or crystal ball that will show you what to do. There are no guarantees.

The only real magic we have is the love and connection we give to our kiddos and to each other.

Brave Mom Shawna is letting us in on some of the struggles that she and her son have gone through after he came out six years ago and how to be an ally and an advocate for your trans child. We discuss how to avoid damaging your relationship with your kiddo who’s come out as trans.

As parents, we like to believe that we know our child better than anyone. Maybe better even than they know themselves. But do we really?

For some parents, that’s one of the hardest things about making sense of a child coming out as transgender. They didn’t see it coming. How could they have missed something so huge?

There’s no one way to parent any child. As Rachel shares, there are some ways that she and Archie have written the playbook for their family. And, in some ways, she’s had to grow as a mom in the process.

This year, in case you didn’t have a reason to show up and vote, I want to make sure you know that your child needs you to vote - for them. Their rights literally depend on it.

The date to vote is November 3rd.

Parenting a gender-expansive kid means that you and your kid are going to face a lot of people who do not understand gender and a lot of people who have a lot of opinions about how you should raise your child—and that can sometimes include your family members.

Advocating for your child within your family is a common experience for parents of a transgender kiddo. Some parents have no trouble pushing back against their parents, or siblings or grandparents.

Jess always wanted to be a boy scout and comes prepared as a guest camp counselor here to journey through all of the adventures and self-discovery at Camp Wild Heart.

Jess also brings their fierce and tender heart into parenting their two-year-old and loving on the various members of their relationship constellation. They come to Camp Wild Heart with almost 10 years of experience working with youth and families.