A tense moment hits and your brain goes straight to fight, flight, or freeze. The scary part is how fast that reflex can turn a normal disagreement into yelling, shutdowns, or patterns that feel impossible to break. We sit down with educator, psychologist, and domestic violence prevention researcher Dr. Denise Healy to talk about what actually helps families stay nonviolent, connected, and emotionally safe, especially when stress is high.

We trace her path from working with women and children in shelters to “flipping the script” toward prevention and accountability, including virtual classes designed to help people change violent behavior. Then we get practical: active listening without judgment, a simple body-level reset that starts with averting your eyes, and the surprisingly powerful “what” question like “What’s my next best step?” that shifts you back into problem solving. If you’re parenting a teen, we also dig into homework fights, miscommunication, and why school dynamics and bullying can make a capable kid feel unsafe and fall apart.

We also zoom out to the relationship habits that kids watch every day: putting down defensive “shields,” using appreciation to rebuild trust, and creating a new cycle that replaces denial with awareness and tension with problem solving. Dr. Healy shares resources at S2S DV Online plus her books Mending Broken Connections and Christopher’s Anger for younger kids.

Connect with Dr. Healy
Check out Streets2Schools, book her as a speaker or see her upcoming events, or connect with her on LinkedIn or Instagram.

If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a parent or partner, and leave a review so more families can find these anger management and domestic violence prevention tools.

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 kid is going to see the internet, even if you try to block it forever, so we bring in a voice who has been studying the digital world from the beginning. Cybersecurity expert, author, and futurist Winn Schwartau joins us to answer the question parents ask most: “How can I protect my kids online?” His response is blunt and strangely reassuring: you can’t, not completely. What you can do is get serious about tools, involvement, and a simple security mindset that works everywhere from banks to families: detect and react.

We unpack what healthy digital habits actually look like at home, starting with screen time limits and why the type of screen matters as much as the number of hours. We talk about social media addiction, the like button as a reward loop, and why hundreds of online “friends” can warp teen identity and fuel insecurity. Wynne also explains research suggesting kids raised on constant tech may be wired differently, and why real human connection still takes time and effort.

Then we go deeper into misinformation, attention economics, and Winn's upcoming concept of “critical ignoring,” a practical way to fight information overload before it becomes a brain-level DDoS attack. You’ll hear simple filters like “I don’t care” and “I don’t have time,” why “do your own research” is often a red flag, and how to approach source verification with “trust nothing, verify twice.” If you’re looking for online safety tips for parents, media literacy for teens, and digital wellbeing strategies that don’t rely on fear, this conversation delivers.

Connect with Winn
Check out the book The Art & Science of Metawar: How to Coexist With AI-Driven Reality Distortion, Disinformation, & Addiction in the Metaverse. You can also contact Winn on Instagram.

If this helps, subscribe, share with a parent friend, and leave a review so more families can find the show.

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!

The first thing you say after someone comes out can either open a door for the rest of their life or quietly slam it shut.

We sit down with Heather Hester, host of More Human, More Kind and author of Parenting with Pride, to talk about what real LGBTQ allyship looks like inside a family. Heather shares the moment her oldest son came out and how fear, relief, and love collided at once, then walks us through the long stretch afterward: supporting an LGBTQ teen, parenting other kids at the same time, and learning how to communicate when you realize your “normal” way of talking isn’t working anymore.

We get specific about the phrases people blurt out when they’re caught off guard. Heather breaks down why “Are you sure?” is one of the worst questions you can ask, why “I’m worried about your future” can translate as “something is wrong with you,” and how to repair when you’ve already said the wrong thing. You’ll also hear simple, practical alternatives you can use immediately, including a go-to response that keeps the moment loving while you catch your breath: “Thank you for telling me.”

Because silence sends a message too, we also talk about Pride Month, Christian allyship, and how to have age-appropriate conversations with kids without making it weird, scary, or overly detailed. If you want your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or friend to feel safe with you, this conversation gives you language, mindset shifts, and next steps that actually work.

Connect with Heather

Subscribe to Heather's Substack here, find her on Instagram @morehumanmorekind, or on LinkedIn here.

Subscribe for more honest conversations, share this with someone who wants to show up better, and leave a review with the one sentence you want every kid to hear first.

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!