The Parent Pivot Podcast

Control, Expectations and a New Season

Life transitions are never easy whether you move to a new city, lose a loved one or are going through a divorce.
Essentially . . . life happens.
The same can be said when our adult kids head off to college, move away from us to start a career in another city, or becomes engaged.
If pivoting parents aren't careful - these transitions can cause tension in the parent/adult child relationship that when control and expectations get in the way and pivoting to partner is halted.
That's today's topic of conversation on The Parent Pivot Podcast with Steve and Julia Cummings
Resources mentioned on today's podcast:
1. "The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Stronger Relationships with Your Adult Children" by Steve and Julia Cummings
2.  Check out the 10th Anniversary of the Grandparenting Summit here!

Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast: Let Them Vent

When communication and conversations with your adult child keep ending up in arguments and you feel like you're just spinning your wheels, how do we pivot from parent to partner?  
On this "Best of the Parent Pivot Podcast", Steve and Julia discuss Parent Pivot Principle #1: Let them vent, as they provide 4 practical ways to do that to grow a healthier relationship.
Contact Steve & Julia at:
parentpivotpodcast@gmail.com
www.meadowbrookcounselingga.com
www.bringingkingdom.org
Check out their new book, "The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Stronger Relationships with Your Adult Children"
Steve and Julia Cummings guide parents through the essential shift from authority figures to trusted partners in their children's lives. Drawing from their popular podcast, The Parent Pivot Podcast, they provide practical tools, conversation strategies, and mindset shifts to help parents move from instructing and directing their children to walking alongside them with trust and respect.
This book equips parents to navigate the transition from parent to partner, offering insights on fostering open communication, strengthening relationships, and supporting their adult children without overstepping—ensuring deeper connections and a thriving family dynamic.

Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast: Hit the Pause Button!

As parents of 4 married children, Steve and Julia Cummings bring their educational and counseling backgrounds along with their own life experiences as parents, to help others navigate The Parent Pivot: From Parenting to Partnering. 
On this replay of their inaugural podcast, it's time to hit the pause button and pivot as you shift how you relate to your adult children.
Contact Steve & Julia at:
parentpivotpodcast@gmail.com
www.meadowbrookcounselingga.com
www.bringingkingdom.org
Check out their new book, "The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Stronger Relationships with Your Adult Children"
Steve and Julia Cummings guide parents through the essential shift from authority figures to trusted partners in their children's lives. Drawing from their popular podcast, The Parent Pivot Podcast, they provide practical tools, conversation strategies, and mindset shifts to help parents move from instructing and directing their children to walking alongside them with trust and respect.
This book equips parents to navigate the transition from parent to partner, offering insights on fostering open communication, strengthening relationships, and supporting their adult children without overstepping—ensuring deeper connections and a thriving family dynamic.

Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast: Pivoting to Being a Partner Means - Get a Life!

The kids are gone and a new season has arrived.  You and your spouse suddenly have all this time on your hands.  Now what? 
On this "Best of" episode of "The Parent Pivot Podcast," Steve and Julia open up about ways they have been able to pivot and share them with you as you enter this next season of life with your adult children. 
Contact Steve & Julia at:
parentpivotpodcast@gmail.com
www.meadowbrookcounselingga.com
www.bringingkingdom.org

Be a Disrupter!

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word "disrupter" as:
"A person or thing that prevents something, especially a system, process, or event, from continuing as usual or as expected."
Buckle up, Parent Pivoters! On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia Cummings show us how we can be that "disrupter" with our adult kids - in a non-aggressive way, of course!
Resources mentioned on this podcast:
1. "The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Healthy Relationships with Your Adult Child" by Steve and Julia Cummings

Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast - "The Secret to a Deeper Relationship with Your Adult Child"

We all do it.  We mask up to protect our hearts from shame, judgment and criticism and it's all based on fear.  The Enemy wins because we don't want anyone to know the real me.
Guess what?  That one dynamic prevents us from having a deeper relationship with our adult children.
On this "Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast," Steve and Julia openly share how being authentic about our lives with our adult kids builds a stronger, deeper tie that will last a lifetime.  Trust us - it's worth the 26min length of this podcast to listen.  Give it a shot!
Resources mentioned on the podcast:
"The Heart of a Warrior: Before You Can Become a Warrior, You Must Become the Beloved Son" by Michael Thompson. Get a copy here
Contact Steve and Julia on all social media platfoms @ParentPivotPodcast, or via email at: parentpivotpodcast@gmail.comFor speaking engagements on marriage, parenting, men's and women's identity issues, contact Julia at: www.meadowbrookcounselingga.com and Steve at: www.bringingkingdom.org
 

Best of The Parent Pivot Podcast: "When Your Adult Child is Hurting: What NOT to Do"

Football season is in full swing and you've likely seen a runner get stopped at the line of scrimmage and gang tackled to the ground.  Five or six guys against one all piling on.
What does that have to do with pivoting from a parent to a partner, you ask?
On today's edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, we are re-airing this subject as Steve and Julia bring us some sound counsel on what to do when we find our adult child - no matter the age - is struggling with life. 
What's a PARTNER to do?  Find out on today's podcast.
Contact Steve and Julia on all social media, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok  @Parent Pivot Podcast
Email at: parentpivotpodcast@gmail.comFor speaking engagements on marriage, parenting, men's and women's identity issues, contact Julia at: www.meadowbrookcounselingga.com and Steve at: www.bringingkingdom.org
For a copy of Steve and Julia's new book, "The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Healthy Relationships with Your Adult Child" - get a copy on Amazon.
 

"Broken to Blessed" - Interview with Dr. John Trent and Kari Trent Stageberg

If you have a prodigal son or daughter who is not talking to you and you're wondering, "God, where are You?" . . . there is hope.
On today's Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia interview Kari Trent Stageberg and her dad, Dr. John Trent, author of the book, "The Blessing." "Broken to be Blessed" is the story of a prodigal daughter and her redemptive story - and pivoting parents who spoke truth and blessing into her life.
Resources mentioned on this podcast:
1. "The Blessing" by Dr. Gary Smalley, Dr. John Trent, and Kari Trent           Stageberg. 
2. "Your Journey from Broken to Blessed: Finding the Love You Didn’t Receive." By Dr. John Trent and Kari Trent Stageberg.
3. StrongFamlies.com
4. KariTrentStageberg.com

How Do We Get Through a Holiday Without Our Kids?

Whether it's Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas or the 4th of July - pivoting parents can be left alone on the holiday. How do we navigate that when we yearn to be with our kids and grandkids?
On today's Parent Pivot Podcast - Julia openly walks through her recent 4th of July weekend and how she and Steve were able to manage the loneliness of being away from their kids with authenticity and vulnerability.
Resources mentioned on this podcast:
1. "13 Principles for Building Healthy Relationships with Your Adult Children" by Steve & Julia Cummings 
2. If you love Fellowship of Christian Athletes - you're invited to make a monthly donation to our son in Reno, NV, Campbell Cummings.

Pivoting Well Requires Short Memories, Giving Grace & Believing the Best

Doing life with your adult children can bring up issues from the past that now affect your relationship as a pivoting parent to partner. Left unaware of how to take the necessary steps toward healthy relationships will make life with your adult kids more difficult. 
On today's Parent Pivot Podcast, Julia and Steve openly share their own struggles they experienced and how they used those mistakes to move to a place of healthy relationship with their four adult kids.
 
Technical note: We apologize for the low audio (Turn your volume up). We record in our sunroom and had to turn on the floor AC unit.
Resources mentioned on today's podcast:
1. "Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better"           by Brant Hansen
2. "The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Healthy Relationships with Your Adult Child" by Steve and Julia Cummings
3. IdentityExchange.com