Your kid arguing with you can feel like disrespect, but it can also be the training ground for confidence, boundaries, and real-world self-advocacy. We sit down with Dr. Elise Murray, licensed psychologist, certified life coach, author, and podcaster, to get practical about how parents can communicate in ways that help kids speak up without turning the home into a battleground.

We dig into a key distinction that changes everything: a peaceful household is not always a connected household. When “keeping the peace” becomes the top priority, kids can learn to stay quiet, hide worries, or avoid disagreement. Dr. Elise explains how respectful pushback, negotiation, and honest conversations help kids build the skills they will need with friends, teachers, and eventually bosses and partners. We also talk attunement, the mindset that your child is not you, and how curiosity about their inner world builds trust.

You’ll learn concrete strategies you can use today: why car rides can unlock harder conversations, how device-free family meals create open doors, what to say when your teen drops a shocking confession, and how to support the child who never wants to talk on your timeline. We cover cooling-off breaks, the agenda check-in for tense moments, and the difference between authoritarian communication and assertive communication, so you can hold boundaries while still showing respect.

If you want calmer conflict, deeper connection, and kids who know their voice matters, this one will help. Subscribe, share with a parent friend, and leave a review so more families can find these tools.

Connect with Dr. Alise Murray

Visit her website for a free assessment, grab her ebook "From Resentful to Respected: 6 No-Nonsense Scripts for Authentically Communicating," and check out her Pinterest.

Welcome to Speak Out Stand Out — the show where we build confidence in our future, one voice at a time. I’m your host, Elizabeth Green.

I grew up shy, so I know firsthand how life-changing it can be when someone helps you find your voice. Now, I get to help kids and teens do exactly that — and this podcast is a place to share those tools with you.

Each week, I talk with experts and inspiring guests about simple, practical and tangible ways to help the young people in

Thanks for listing! Be sure to check out the show notes for additional resources including a free public speaking lesson and 52 fun practice prompts. And if you enjoyed what you heard today, please give us a follow.

Thanks for Listening to Speak Out, Stand Out

Like what you hear? We would love if you would rate and review our podcast so it can reach more families.

Also - grab our free mini lesson on impromptu speaking here. This is ideal for kids ages 6+.

Interested in checking out our Public Speaking & Debate courses? Find more here!

Confidence doesn’t magically appear when a kid finally decides to “be brave.” We’ve learned it’s built the boring way first, through small responsibilities that stack up into proof: I can do hard things, I can figure it out, I can recover when I mess up. That’s why this conversation with Katie Kimball, founder of Raising Healthy Families and a longtime life-skills teacher for parents and kids, hits so close to home. We talk about how everyday household skills can quietly shape the way children speak, lead, and handle pressure.

We start with the wake-up call that pushed Katie to focus on teaching kids to cook, then we widen the lens to the bigger idea: we only have one confidence bucket. When kids learn adulting skills like cooking a real meal, cleaning a bathroom well, or checking basic car fluids, they gain competence that carries into school, friendships, and public speaking. We also dig into parenting strategies that reduce power struggles, including how to set consistent expectations, rotate after-meal chores, and use a weekly points-based chore checklist that cuts down on reminders.

Money is a major theme too. Because so much of budgeting and banking is digital, kids often can’t “see” the choices we make. Katie shares a practical fix: narrate your financial decisions out loud and create simple ways for kids to earn their first dollar so they can practice saving, spending, and giving with real ownership. We close with tips for teaching standards without micromanaging and a gradual-release approach that helps kids grow into independence.

Connect with Katie

Grab the free life skills workshops Katie mentions at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/speakout, and find her on Facebook or Instagram.

Welcome to Speak Out Stand Out — the show where we build confidence in our future, one voice at a time. I’m your host, Elizabeth Green.

I grew up shy, so I know firsthand how life-changing it can be when someone helps you find your voice. Now, I get to help kids and teens do exactly that — and this podcast is a place to share those tools with you.

Each week, I talk with experts and inspiring guests about simple, practical and tangible ways to help the young people in

Thanks for listing! Be sure to check out the show notes for additional resources including a free public speaking lesson and 52 fun practice prompts. And if you enjoyed what you heard today, please give us a follow.

Thanks for Listening to Speak Out, Stand Out

Like what you hear? We would love if you would rate and review our podcast so it can reach more families.

Also - grab our free mini lesson on impromptu speaking here. This is ideal for kids ages 6+.

Interested in checking out our Public Speaking & Debate courses? Find more here!

Your child is talking, you’re half listening, and your brain is already drafting the response. We’ve all been there and it quietly chips away at trust. I’m Elizabeth Green, and in this episode I sit down with strategic communication specialist Corine LaFont to unpack a simple idea with big impact: kids can teach adults how to communicate better, starting with how we listen at home.

Corinne shares the skills she leans on professionally and as a mom of two: observing body language, listening past the literal words, and resisting the urge to interrupt. We talk about the discipline of holding your thoughts, writing down the question you want to ask, and giving your child the courtesy of finishing their story. That space not only helps kids feel heard, it helps us reframe our questions with more empathy and less heat.

We also get practical about hard moments. For toddlers and young kids, Corinne explains why meeting chaos with chaos makes tantrums worse and how calm, steady leadership can de-escalate faster. For teens, we dig into silence, autonomy, and why pushing for answers often backfires. One of my favorite takeaways: our parenting has to evolve by phase, because the way we communicate with a 2-year-old cannot be the way we communicate with a 16-year-old.

If you care about parenting communication, active listening, emotional regulation, and raising confident kids who can speak up in the real world, this conversation delivers tools you can use today. Subscribe, share with a parent friend, and leave a review so more families can find the show.

Connect with Corine on LinkedIn.

Welcome to Speak Out Stand Out — the show where we build confidence in our future, one voice at a time. I’m your host, Elizabeth Green.

I grew up shy, so I know firsthand how life-changing it can be when someone helps you find your voice. Now, I get to help kids and teens do exactly that — and this podcast is a place to share those tools with you.

Each week, I talk with experts and inspiring guests about simple, practical and tangible ways to help the young people in

Thanks for listing! Be sure to check out the show notes for additional resources including a free public speaking lesson and 52 fun practice prompts. And if you enjoyed what you heard today, please give us a follow.

Thanks for Listening to Speak Out, Stand Out

Like what you hear? We would love if you would rate and review our podcast so it can reach more families.

Also - grab our free mini lesson on impromptu speaking here. This is ideal for kids ages 6+.

Interested in checking out our Public Speaking & Debate courses? Find more here!