Episode 121
#121 | How "Parenting with Pride" Grew From Coffee Chats to a Courageous LGBTQ Parent Guide
Ready to transform the way you parent your LGBTQ child with pride and understanding? "Parenting with Pride" isn't just a book; it's a journey of evolution, a guide filled with heartfelt stories, robust research, and strategic tools that I have poured my heart into. This episode peels back the curtain on the creation of my upcoming literary labor of love and answers the burning questions so many of you have shared. As we sit back in our cozy coffee shop chat, I'll reveal the four pillars that are the cornerstone of both the book and our ongoing discussions: Embrace, Educate and Unlearn Bias, Empower, and Love. Trust me, this is a conversation that goes beyond the pages, designed to illuminate and guide every step you take with your LGBTQ teen.
Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!
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Listen to *NEW* episodes every Tuesday and Friday!
At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ+ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and foster courageous, compassionate connection.
If you’re in the thick of parenting, allyship, or pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heart-warming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.
Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in—I see you. And I’m so glad you’re part of this journey.
Takeaways:
- This book aims to create a safe space for parents raising LGBTQ children.
- Heather emphasizes the importance of not feeling alone on the parenting journey.
- The upcoming book focuses on practical tools and strategies for empowering LGBTQ teens.
- Writing the book involved a challenging yet transformative process over several years.
- Key themes of the book include embracing, educating, empowering, and loving LGBTQ teens unconditionally.
- Listeners are encouraged to support independent bookstores by pre-ordering the book for themselves.
More Human. More Kind. formerly Just Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen explores connection, courage, and community for every concerned parent, mom, or ally navigating fear, grief, and bigotry with hope, resilience, and empathy. Through open-minded education, inclusive parenting guidance, and advocacy for mental health and safety, we support LGBTQ youth and stand for human rights and social justice. More Human. More Kind. empowers listeners to shift their mindset, embrace activism and allyship, and lead with kindness, healing, and purpose.
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Transcript
Welcome to Just Breathe Parenting youg LGBTQ Team, the podcast transforming the conversation around loving and raising an LGBTQ child.
Heather Hester:My name is Heather Hester, and I am so grateful you are here.
Heather Hester:I want you to take a deep breath and know that for the time we are together, you are in the safety of the Just Breathe nest.
Heather Hester:Whether today's show is an amazing guest or me sharing stories, resources, strategies, or lessons I've learned along our journey, I want you to feel like we're just hanging out at a coffee shop having a cozy chat.
Heather Hester:Most of all, I want you to remember that that wherever you are on this journey right now, in this moment in time, you are not alone.
Speaker B:Welcome back, my friends.
Speaker B:If this is your first time here, I am delighted you found Just Breathe.
Speaker B:We talk all things loving, raising, and empowering LGBTQ people.
Speaker B:But at the core, it is a space for you to take a breath, quiet all of the noise around you, and just be.
Speaker B:I've been fielding a lot of questions about my upcoming book, Parenting with Unlearn Bias and Embrace, empower and love your LGBTQ teen.
Speaker B:So I thought I would take today's episode to answer them.
Speaker B:Because next episode you get the treat of listening to Connor and Gray interview me about the book, our journey, and a few surprise questions that you will definitely be either entertained by or enlightened by.
Speaker B:Or maybe both.
Speaker B:So, over the past few years, I know I've mentioned little details here and there.
Speaker B:The deeply organizational process of creating a book proposal, pre pandemic reference to journaling and compiling research.
Speaker B:The gratitude for my podcast guest introducing me to her publisher, and the subsequent delight when they offered me a contract.
Speaker B:The intensity of the writing process, as well as the catharsis, mental, emotional and spiritual processing, and the personal evolution that took place over not only those 18 months, but, oh my goodness, really, the past seven, eight, nine years, right?
Speaker B:The editing.
Speaker B:Oh my goodness, that was a tough seven months.
Speaker B:Partially because I never quite knew when the deadline was.
Speaker B:It moved from June to September to finally the end of November.
Speaker B:Partially because, as all creatives can attest, it can be brutal to have something you've invested your heart, soul and life into be shredded, and partially because I felt very alone in the process.
Speaker B:I didn't have a writers group or an agent to turn to to ask questions of or just vent to.
Speaker B:However, at this moment in time, I can tell you two things.
Speaker B:One, I am very grateful for all I learned from my editor through my publisher.
Speaker B:Familias Publishing pulled beautiful work from me.
Speaker B:And two, I am ridiculously proud of this book and I cannot wait for it to be available to you on May 14, which is only three weeks away.
Speaker B:So most of the questions I've received can be filtered into two categories, why and what.
Speaker B:Broadly, my why for writing Parenting with Pride is consistent with all that I do.
Speaker B:Everything that I do on this podcast, on the website, and my speaking and my coaching.
Speaker B:Everything.
Speaker B:I do not want anyone to feel alone on this journey.
Speaker B:I want parents, allies, and those who are curious to have the tools, strategies and accurate information to transform.
Speaker B:I want to provide a light and empowerment in a world that is chaotic and messy.
Speaker B:The what covers the topics, the stories, the tools and strategies, the research, the process, and so on.
Speaker B:The entire framework of the book is the four Pillars, which if you are a visitor of my website in any way or a listener of this podcast, you've heard me talk about them numerous times.
Speaker B:Embrace, Educate and Unlearn Bias, Empower, and Love As I was developing the Educate pillar, we realized that much of the work and sharing there actually revolved around unlearning our biases.
Speaker B:So that is why that became part of Pillar two Educate.
Speaker B:Because the word bias can be activating for some.
Speaker B:I want to be clear that we all have biases.
Speaker B:It is not an attempt to point fingers or shame anyone.
Speaker B:Unlearning bias is something every one of us have to do.
Speaker B:So in a nutshell, this is what you're going to get.
Speaker B:Self care and Grounding tools in Embrace lots of specific stories, research and strategies around the coming out process for your child and for you.
Speaker B:Dialing in on the kind of support you and your family need, understanding mental health, self harm, suicide risk and substance use.
Speaker B:Again, each of these with lots of actionable tools, you'll have a deeper understanding of empowerment, effective communication and leaning into your intuition.
Speaker B:And finally, think of love as not only what encapsulates the other three pillars, but cannot be felt or given unconditionally without those pillars.
Speaker B:I'm going to say that one more time because I think it's really, really important and it's something that I really fully felt, discovered, just experienced along this journey.
Speaker B:I want you to think of love as not only what encapsulates the other three pillars, the Embrace pillar, the Educate and Unlearn biases, the Empower pillar.
Speaker B:But know that it cannot be felt or given unconditionally without those pillars.
Speaker B:The appendices include a super in depth glossary and several pages of additional resources.
Speaker B:This book is my heart, my family's gift of vulnerability and truth and I cannot wait for you to read it.
Speaker B:I'm actively working to get it into as many independent bookstores as possible, so if you have a favorite one, let me know so I can reach out to them pre order it for yourself, your family members, and those you know it would benefit.
Speaker B:If this podcast Just Breathe means something to you, it would mean so much to me if you would take 30 seconds to do two things.
Speaker B:First, please follow or subscribe to the show by just clicking on the plus sign or the word follow wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Speaker B:And second, if you would be willing to share a five star review and rating, I would be so grateful.
Speaker B:It isn't just a nice thing for others to read, it actually helps this podcast get in front of those who need it most.
Speaker B:I so appreciate you being part of the Just Breathe community.
Speaker B:Big, big hugs to you all.
Speaker B:Until next time.
Heather Hester:Thanks so much for joining me today.
Heather Hester:If you enjoyed today's episode, I would be so grateful for a rating or a review.
Heather Hester:Click on the link in the show notes or go to my website chrysalismama.com to stay up to date on my latest resources as well as to learn how you can work with me.
Heather Hester:Please share this podcast with anyone who needs to know that they are not alone and remember to Just Breathe.
Heather Hester:Until next time.
