What do you do when your child doesn’t have the words to express what they’re feeling?

In this episode of the Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast, Kaleesha sits down with recording artist and nonprofit founder Lisa McClendon to talk about how children develop emotional intelligence, confidence, and resilience—and why struggle is a necessary part of that process.

Lisa shares how her organization, Yeye’s Village Expressive Arts Community, uses the arts to help young people build self-awareness, self-expression, and self-regulation through activities like music, drama, visual arts, and more.

This conversation challenges a common parenting instinct: making things easier for kids.

Because according to both experience and neuroscience, learning happens through friction, frustration, and doing things that feel hard.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why kids need challenge in order to grow
• How children mirror adult behavior
• The connection between the arts and brain development
• How to help kids manage emotions in healthy ways
• Why confidence is built by doing things scared
• The importance of parents taking care of themselves first

🎯 Free Resource for Parents:
20 Questions That Spark Real Conversations With Your Kids
👉 https://live.dsuyk.com/20-questions

🎤 Connect with Lisa McClendon:
https://yeyesvillage.org/
https://www.instagram.com/iamlisamcclendon
https://linktr.ee/lisamcclendon

🎬 Documentary: The Other Side of the Spotlight
Global Release: May 29

What does it really take to raise a Black son when you’re not Black?

In this episode, I sit down with Annie—a former educator and mother raising her 17-year-old son in a predominantly white community.

We talk about the parts of parenting most people don’t say out loud:
– preparing your child for how they’ll be perceived
– navigating racism in real time
– building a village that can support what you can’t teach alone
– and having honest conversations about identity, safety, and the world they’re growing up in

This isn’t a theoretical conversation.
It’s real, it’s honest, and it’s necessary.

If you’re a parent—or plan to be—this is one you need to hear.

In this episode of the Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast, Kaleesha Washington sits down with her former student, Veronica Requejo, for an honest conversation about relationships, parenting, and the difficult decisions many parents face when a marriage becomes unhealthy.

Many people believe staying together “for the kids” is the right thing to do.

But what happens when the relationship itself becomes toxic?

Veronica shares her personal journey through marriage, recognizing patterns of narcissistic behavior, and the emotional conflict that comes with wanting to keep a family together while also protecting your children’s well-being.

In this conversation we discuss:

• Why many parents stay in unhappy relationships longer than they should
• What narcissistic behavior can look like inside a marriage
• The emotional toll of living in a toxic relationship
• The moment Veronica realized staying might not be best for her children
• What it takes to rebuild life as a single parent

This episode explores a powerful question many parents struggle with:

Are we protecting our kids by staying… or teaching them something we never intended?

We talk about predators. We don’t always talk about access.

In this episode, I explore how economic pressure and long work hours can leave families stretched thin — and how that can impact child safety. I review the data and ask harder questions about presence, protection, and capacity.

For those thinking about what more flexibility could look like, you can learn more at https://dontbeabsent.com

⚠️ Content Warning: Child Sexual Abuse

In this powerful episode of Don’t Screw Up Your Kids, host Kaleesha Washington sits down with Larissa Rhone, survivor empowerment coach, author, and nonprofit founder, for a necessary conversation about generational trauma and the cost of silence inside families.

Larissa shares her lived experience as a third-generation survivor, and explains how harm is often hidden in plain sight—protected not by malice, but by avoidance, discomfort, and unspoken family rules.

This episode explores:

• How silence allows harmful patterns to repeat across generations

• Why abuse is rarely disclosed right away

• How predators groom families, not just children

• The unintended dangers of forced affection and blurred boundaries

• What parents, caregivers, and educators can do differently to create real safety

• How survivors can begin healing without carrying shame that was never theirs

This conversation isn’t about blame.
It’s about awareness, protection, and breaking cycles that should have ended long ago.

Learn more and support Larissa’s work:
📘 Books: Journey2FreePublishing.com
❤️ Nonprofit donations: Journey2Free.com

If you’re responsible for a child in any way—or if you’re a survivor yourself—this is an episode you need to hear.

In this episode, I reflect on a moment that woke me up in the middle of the night — literally and emotionally.

At 3:30 a.m., I found myself reliving memories of spanking my son when he was a child. What shook me wasn’t just the memory itself, but the realization that while those moments faded for me, they never faded for him.

He’s an adult now, and he still remembers the fear.

This episode explores how discipline, fear, and spanking affect children long after childhood ends. We talk about how parents often focus on their intentions, while children carry the emotional impact — sometimes for life.

This is not a conversation rooted in shame or judgment.
It’s about reflection, growth, and breaking cycles so our kids don’t have to carry what we didn’t know how to put down.

How do you discipline a child without breaking their spirit — and still build a relationship that lasts into adulthood?

In this episode of the Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast, host Kaleesha Washington sits down with Angela Marcano, a retired educator, district administrator, and author, and her son Conrad Marcano, an airline captain, for an honest, reflective conversation about parenting with intention.

Angela shares why she rejected spanking in favor of clear consequences, positive reinforcement, and consistent involvement, and Conrad reflects on how those choices shaped his confidence, discipline, and their strong mother–son bond today.

This episode explores:

• Discipline without spanking

• Why consequences work better than fear

• The difference between “tough love” and just being tough

• Raising boys without suppressing emotion or creativity

• The impact of grandparents, culture, and multigenerational support

• How trust and conversation build relationships that last

This conversation is especially meaningful for parents who want to raise emotionally healthy, confident kids — and still be close with them when they’re grown.

📘 Angela Marcano is the author of African American Heiress (available on Amazon)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Join the parenting community:
join.dsuyk.com

Trauma in children doesn’t always show up as tears or silence.
Often, it shows up as behavior, physical complaints, or emotional reactions that adults misunderstand.

In this episode of Don’t Screw Up Your Kids, host Kaleesha Washington is joined by Chevonna Gaylor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 25 years of experience working in trauma care, suicide prevention, and high-acuity mental health.

This conversation helps parents, educators, and caregivers understand what children may be communicating beneath the surface—and how to respond in ways that support healing rather than escalate harm.

• Why trauma often presents as behavior, not defiance

• Subtle trauma signals in children, including sleep issues, stomach aches, headaches, nightmares, and bedwetting

• How suicidal despair develops and why language matters

• Why asking directly about suicidal thoughts can be protective

• The difference between emotional expression and disrespect

• How parenting from fear can damage connection

• Why apologizing to your child can be a powerful healing tool

• When home support is enough—and when therapy is necessary

Website: https://shyana.com
Instagram & Facebook: @ChevonnaLMFT
Book: The Emerging Healer (available wherever books are sold)

⚠️ Important Note
This episode is for educational purposes only and does not replace professional mental health care.

If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
In the U.S., call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

In this episode, we discuss:Connect with Chevonna Gaylor