Camp Wild Heart Podcast

Today, we’ll hear from a dad, Mitch, who moved his family from Texas to Washington to escape the oppressive legislation passed there. You’ll also hear about Mitch’s activism on behalf of his trans daughter and gay son, from school board meetings to testifying at the Texas state house, and the impact it had on him, his marriage, and his kids.

Today we're going to hear the story of a trans woman who didn't transition when they were young, even though they knew that's what they wanted and needed. She's going to share the story of the life that she has lived struggling with who she is and how to be in the world.

Jaime Hamilton shares tools that are actually effective in helping kids stop bullying and hold on to their own power through a technique of using neutral responses.

We’ll hear from Mama Bear, Catherine, about how she and her family navigated her child’s coming out and transition, and how different her experience has been as a parent from one kiddo to the next.

Struggles with body image and with body dysphoria can lead cis and trans kids to patterns of disordered eating and disconnection from their bodies. Eating disorders are prevalent in the trans community because they are often a coping mechanism for the stress and stigma of being trans.

Today we’re digging into the relationship of neurodivergence and transness and how it impacts the body and how holding a marginalized identity or identities literally shapes the body.

I’m talking with Rocco Kayiatos about toxic masculinity, how it shows up and impacts our children, what we can do to reeducate ourselves and our children about what it means to be a man, and how embrace mindful masculinity.

One of the most common conversations I have with white parents of trans kids, usually pretty early on and always because they bring it up, is about their awareness of exactly how much privilege they have, and also how much it sucks to lose it.

We’re continuing our conversation about creating a safe and supportive space for trans kids, and the trans adults they need in their lives to show them that they will be fine, and that what they are experiencing is normal.

Today we’re talking to a teacher named Flint about what kids are really facing in schools, how to support them while they’re trying to get their education, and how to communicate with teachers to help them understand the unique needs of your student.

We'll hear from Mama Bear Kate about how she and her family went about supporting her non-binary child, Rachel, without a map, navigating the seas of judgment as they began to socially transition.

In this episode, I’m talking with Flyn Alexander about ways to talk with trans kids who may be hesitant or uncomfortable discussing sensitive topics, such as their transition.

Parents have lots of questions about when and how to start conversations about gender and queerness with our kids. We need resources for talking about queerness. That’s where Lindz Amer comes in.

Coming out is an age old tradition for queer kids. Some even think of it as a right of passage. And as you navigate the coming out process it is sure to bring up lots of questions. So to help us in this conversation, I’ve asked my good friend and co-counselor, Jess Guerriero to join us.

As parents, no matter how much we love our child, our own stuff comes up. It creeps in. It gets in the way of us being able to show up for our kids in the ways they need us to, and the ways we want to.

How do we help a girl whose voice has dropped? Or a boy who is the only one of his friends whose voice hasn’t changed at all? Vocal Coaching. Vocal coaching isn’t a quick fix. It takes diligence, time, practice and more practice to transition a voice.

It certainly isn’t the case for everyone, but for many parents, raising a transgender kiddo can feel like a pretty isolating experience. That’s why sometimes, parents end up taking it into their own hands. That’s exactly what our campfire guest, Shannon Collins, did for their kiddo.

There are so many labels in the gender universe, and because it is continuously evolving, it makes continuous learners out of all of us. My hope is that as people hear more gender journey stories like today’s guest’s, an awareness will be built and that more and more people will feel confident going on a journey of gender exploration.

Dysphoria is a word that gets thrown around a lot in the trans community. Dysphoria is NOT a qualifier for being trans. But since it is very common, we thought it would be worth telling you about how and when it shows up, what it feels like, and how you can support your kids through it.

I think that advocacy and inclusion work as a parent of a trans kid is almost inevitable. Today’s campfire guest is a therapist, social justice advocate, racial equity trainer, small business owner and overall badass, Martha Stebbins.

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.