What Shapes Our Desires? On Culture, Power, and Parenting with Myrna Perez- Ep. 23
Release Date: 08/07/2025
Clear Language for Big Conversations: Dr. Jenn Noble on Raising Mixed-Race Kids Ep. 31
Multicultural Family Hub
We are sooo excited to share this episode with you. We had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Jennifer Noble, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Free to Be Collective. Dr. Jenn shares her personal journey growing up as a mixed-race individual, and offers clear, compassionate guidance to help parents support their mixed-race and multicultural children with confidence. You’ll hear insights on: Regional differences in racial identity across the US (we’re looking at you, GA and CA) How children process looking different from their parents, and some amazing scripts on how to have...
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Andre’s n’between Journey: The South, Safety, Colonialism, and Complexity Ep. 30
Multicultural Family Hub
This week is a real treat. You get to hear the back story of one you know and love, Andre! This week Andre shares his journey being a third-generation multicultural individual navigating life in the American South with deep Caribbean and East Indian roots. And ya’ll, it is SO POWERFUL. Andre shares his family’s powerful lineage, including his grandmother’s Maroon heritage in Jamaica, a story of strength, rebellion, and survival, and reflects on how colonialism, colorism, and migration shaped his family’s story across generations. Through candid storytelling, Andre opens up about...
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You Get to Be Rainbow: What it Means to be an n’betweener with Nora Alwah Ep. 29
Multicultural Family Hub
What does it mean to live between cultures, languages, and identities, and still feel whole? In this incredible conversation with Nora Alwah we explore the beauty and complexity of being an n’betweener: someone who moves through the world carrying many identities that don’t fit neatly into one box. Not only is Nora a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and somatic psychotherapist, but a TEDx Speaker and powerful storyteller. She shares powerful stories of navigating belonging; from always needing to prove that she “belonged” with her Danish mother, to finding belonging in the...
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This Shouldn’t Be Happening?! How to Make Fall Colds Feel Better Ep. 28
Multicultural Family Hub
Our 8-year old can go through an entire box of tissues in a few hours. How do we know? We’re in cold season. We’ve been hearing from so many parents how challenging this time period is. We’re feeling the weight of sniffles, missed plans, and long nights Surprisingly, how we are sick differs so much from culture to culture, and can stir up a lot of conflict. This week, we’re not changing systems to better support parents, or making a miracle cure to wipe out the common cold, but we are sharing a few mindset shifts that can help ease the tension of cold season. We also...
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Breaking the Screen Time Binary- Ep. 27
Multicultural Family Hub
Screen time struggles are real - For kids and adults. This week we’re introducing how we use a multicultural mindset to tackle the challenge that is screen time. Too often, screens get labeled as “good” or “bad,” leaving parents feeling like they’re winning or failing. In this episode Kjessie & Andre use the question: “How is this mutually beneficial?” to help us explore the gray area of screen time. This episode offers practical, reflective questions to help you navigate screen time with more balance, less guilt, and more connection.
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How to Parent Beyond the Stories We Inherit with Ashley Rodriguez, pHd - Ep. 26
Multicultural Family Hub
Woo hoo! It’s guest time! We cozied up at the kitchen table with Ashley Rodriguez, pHD for a heartfelt conversation about what it means to grow, heal, and parent in multicultural families. Ashley is a licensed psychologist who supports parents during pregnancy and postpartum, and she brings her lived experience as a first-generation daughter into the way she walks with families. In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about the invisible barriers first-gen kids often navigate on their own, how cultural stories and intergenerational trauma ripple through parenting, and what it looks like to...
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Hard Conversations? Here’s Your First Step - Ep. 25
Multicultural Family Hub
In this episode, we dive deep into the art of navigating difficult conversations—with family, friends, and especially in the midst of transitions. From back-to-school stress to parenting challenges, we explore how our nervous system shapes the way we listen, respond, and connect. We share personal stories of what happens when we enter conversations unregulated—how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses can take over—and what changes when we pause to regulate first. Together, we reflect on how cultural layers, family history, and personal expectations can intensify conversations with...
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BONUS: 5 Minute Nervous System Reset
Multicultural Family Hub
This quick reset is designed for busy moments, on the go. Whether you’re sitting in the car, stepping into a meeting, or pausing before a hard conversation, in just five minutes, you’ll use simple breathwork and grounding techniques to settle your body, quiet your mind, and return to a more centered state. Think of it as a mini recharge for your nervous system—easy, portable, and always available when life feels overwhelming. Want more tools? Go to Ep. 25 of Kitchen Table Conversations: Hard Conversations? Here’s Your First Step. for the full conversation
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Gold Stars or Joy? Helping Kids Love Learning Ep. 24
Multicultural Family Hub
It’s the first day of school, folks! 🎒 We just dropped off our kids in a brand-new state after a cross-country move from Northern California to Savannah, Georgia—and yes, we’re feeling all the things. In honor of back-to-school season, we’re diving into the culture of school and one of our favorite parenting topics: helping kids grow intrinsic motivation instead of chasing gold stars, grades, or grown-up approval. Andre shares how Outkast and the Red Hot Chili Peppers gave him permission to follow his own compass as a teen, sparking a lifelong practice of intrinsic motivation....
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What Shapes Our Desires? On Culture, Power, and Parenting with Myrna Perez- Ep. 23
Multicultural Family Hub
We’re so excited to welcome our very first guest, Dr. Myrna Perez! In this expansive and thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Dr. Perez—a scholar, mother, and bold truth-teller—to explore what it means to live, parent, and think across cultural and racial borders. A HARVARD-educated professor (yes, the bold will make sense when you listen!), Dr. Perez leads courageous conversations about science, religion, gender, and sexuality at Ohio University. She speaks candidly about the many cultures that shaped her—from growing up in a San Diego border town surrounded by Filipino and...
info_outlineWe’re so excited to welcome our very first guest, Dr. Myrna Perez!
In this expansive and thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Dr. Perez—a scholar, mother, and bold truth-teller—to explore what it means to live, parent, and think across cultural and racial borders.
A HARVARD-educated professor (yes, the bold will make sense when you listen!), Dr. Perez leads courageous conversations about science, religion, gender, and sexuality at Ohio University. She speaks candidly about the many cultures that shaped her—from growing up in a San Diego border town surrounded by Filipino and Mexican influences, to navigating elite academic spaces, to raising a family in Appalachia.
We dive into how growing up with immigration as a backdrop formed her worldview, and how clarity often emerges when the unsaid finally gets spoken. Dr. Perez shares her experience designing a tarot deck that reimagines knowledge, and reflects on how colonialism shapes our desires in ways we don’t always see.
Together, we unpack how culture acts as the “third presence” in every room, what it means to raise children with honesty and humility about race and power, and how the tension of living in-between identities can become a wellspring of wisdom.
Dr. Perez's insight, warmth, and practical tools for listening will leave you thinking—and feeling—long after the episode ends.
📚 Check out her book:
Criticizing Science: Stephen Jay Gould and the Struggle for American Democracy
🎧 Use code HTWN at https://press.jhu.edu/books/title/12930/criticizing-science for 30% off!