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 that conversation with your 5-year-old. 

• Tools for talking about phenotype, monoracism, and microaggressions in age-appropriate ways

• Why a strong sense of belonging is foundational for learning, identity, and confidence.

• The power of helping children embrace their full cultural heritage and self

We all reflect on the beauty of multicultural identity and what we can learn from leaders who show up whole and authentic, like President Obama. This conversation is filled with practical language, grounding stories, and wisdom for any family raising mixed-race kids. Don't miss it and please share it with someone who needs this conversation; it is so, so powerful. 

Want to learn more from Dr. Jenn?

Follow her on Instagram @drjennpsych

And sign up for her newsletter for weekly tools, insights, community building, and coaching! https://freetobecollective.com/sign-up-for-the-mixed-life-newsletter

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 what it felt like to not be "Black enough" in the South or "Jamaican enough," and how those labels created confusion around belonging and identity. Yet, within that tension, he discovered an unexpected gift, the ability to see life from multiple perspectives, to question binaries, and to navigate complex spaces with empathy and insight.

Together, we unpack the cultural and emotional layers of growing up multicultural — from the unspoken survival rules around dress and behavior, to the ways colonial legacies still echo through our families. This conversation is for anyone who has felt caught in-between and doesn't quite have the language to express it. Andre is the most vulnerable he's ever been, and this episode is truly extraordinary. 

Let's be real—everything costs more these days. Whether it's groceries, gas, or after-school care, the pressure is on. And for parents, that financial tension isn't just about bills. We make money about identity, safety, and whether we're "doing enough" for our families.

In this episode, Kjessie and Andre open up about the invisible weight so many of us carry: the anxiety around money and what it means for our parenting. Western culture tells us that more money = better outcomes. So when things are tight? We feel like we're failing.

But it goes deeper than dollars.

Kjessie shares her own journey—especially the way motherhood reshaped her relationship with money. She names something few people say out loud: our culture doesn't place real value on caregiving. And that can leave mothers questioning their worth, especially if they've stepped away from paid work.

The labor of caregiving is invisible in our culture, and it's no wonder so many women feel anxious about their value, whether at home or in the boardroom. 

Together, we explore:

• Why financial anxiety isn't just about dollars and cents, it's emotional, cultural, and deeply personal
  
  

• How inherited money stories shape our sense of value and enoughness
  
  

• Tools to identify and reframe those stories to reduce stress and create more peace
  
  

• How we're reclaiming presence over perfection—especially when resources feel limited
  
  

This isn't a budgeting talk. It's a call to rethink the stories we've inherited about money and value—especially for parents, and especially for mothers.

We're also sharing how this journey led us to lower the price of our Multicultural Family Hub to just $20/month—because support shouldn't be out of reach when you need it most.

Join now at www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/community

Pull up a chair. Let's talk about money, motherhood, and how we rewrite the narrative—together.

Today we're digging into something that shows up every day for us as parents—anxiety around our children's safety. But we're not just talking about locks on doors or helmets on bikes.This is the 3rd episode of our Parental Anxiety series and it's a real humdinger. 

We're unpacking the deeper dimensions of safety: physical, emotional, and spiritual. So many of us are parenting under the weight of stories we inherited—about what it means to protect, to provide, and to prepare our kids for the world. And when we don't slow down to examine those stories, fear can quietly take the wheel.

In this conversation, we explore:

• The difference between feeling anxious and parenting anxiously
  
  

• Why emotional safety can't be outsourced to a "good school" or a quiet neighborhood
  
  

• How overprotectiveness might increase long-term risk
  
  

• Why creating emotionally safe spaces matters—for our kids and for us
  
  

•  Soil Science as a metaphor for creating a safe space (that's right folks, we've got a farmer with us, and she's bringin' the plant metaphors)

We share personal stories from our own parenting journey, including how safety looks different when you're raising a multicultural family. We also reflect on how our own upbringings shaped our fears, and what it means to redefine safety as something that includes belonging, self-expression, and curiosity.

If you've ever found yourself spiraling about whether your child is truly "safe"—or wondering if your anxiety is running the show—this episode is an honest place to land.

This is the second episode in our Parental Anxiety series, and we're talking about one of the most charged topics in parenting: "good behavior."

But what is "good," really—especially when it's defined by rules we didn't write, in spaces we're still learning to trust?

After moving from Northern California to Savannah, we enrolled our kids in a diverse, city-run day camp. Day one brought unexpected feedback from our kids—cue parental anxiety. Kjessie felt the spiral coming on, and Andre stepped in with a powerful model for having hard conversations rooted in love.

We unpack:

• 🧠 The anxiety we feel when our kids "misbehave" in public
  
  

• 🌍 How culture shapes our ideas of a "good kid"
  
  

• 💬 Why talking about emotions helps kids navigate unfamiliar systems
  
  

• 💸 The cost of "niceness" and why discomfort can be a growth edge
  
  

• ❤️ The real work of parenting: listening, reflecting, and leading with love
  
  

Andre also shares tools for:

• Having hard conversations with love
  
  

• Moving beyond "niceness" into clear, loving boundaries
  
  

• Building connection through honesty and discomfort
  
  

This episode is for anyone who's ever left drop-off questioning everything—or who wants to raise kids who show up fully in diverse spaces.

🎉 Don't forget: Our Launch Event THIS SUNDAY July 20th! Register NOW and receive a FREE month in our community

 🧡 RSVP now at www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/kick-off

We're kicking off a new series! 🎉
In this powerful first episode of our Parental Anxiety series, we're diving into one of the biggest emotional decision points for parents: school choice.

From social pressure and safety concerns to academic expectations and cultural identity, we're unpacking the hidden layers of anxiety that surround choosing "the right" school.

As a multicultural family recently relocated from Northern California to Savannah, Georgia, we share our own experience navigating this process—seeking a school that reflected our values: social-emotional learning, cultural connection, and community care.

This episode invites you to pause and ask:
Are your choices rooted in fear and other people's stories—or in your family's truth?

We explore:

• How to recognize and work with school-related anxiety
  
  

• How your personal school stories may be shaping your current decisions
  
  

• A multicultural lens on education—and why it matters
  
  

• Creating calm space to clarify your family's values around learning
  
  

• Differentiating between real-time concerns and inherited fears
  
  

Whether you're deep into school tours or just starting to consider what education could look like for your family, this conversation is a gentle place to land—and a reminder that you're not alone.

🎉 Join us at our Launch Event on July 20th! Register today and get a FREE MONTH in our community!

Come connect with other multicultural families and learn more about the vision behind the Multicultural Family Hub.

🧡 RSVP now at www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/kick-off

In this episode, we're talking about the emotional messiness and the glimmers of magic that come with making a big move—literally and emotionally. This episode is the last in our moving series, so buckle up!

As we settle into Savannah (hello, salsa dancing and big hair humidity!), we're realizing this season is full of stretch and surrender. People warned us about the bugs and the heat—but what we've found is joy, gratitude, and moments of coming home to ourselves.

We talk about:

🧡 Letting big feelings be part of the process—and how we coach each other through them with grace, clarity, and snacks

✨ Celebrating glimmers and wins as tiny boosts of gratitude and momentum

🔄 Doing the next right thing—even if it's imperfect—and modeling trial & error as a powerful way to grow

Plus, a quick travel hack: how kids' audiobooks have become our secret productivity weapon while running around.

This is a love letter to trial and error, to starting fresh, and to letting your family see how growth actually happens—in the real, messy, joy-filled moments.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Audiobooks for kids we love

The Wild Robot-Peter Brown

Elf Dog & Owl Head-M.T. Anderson

The Land of Roar-  Jenny McLachlan

🎉 Join us at our Launch Event on July 20th!

Come connect with other multicultural families and learn more about the vision behind the Multicultural Family Hub.

🧡 RSVP now at www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/kick-off

📦 Making a Move: Study Long, Study Wrong, Pay for the Movers
Thinking about relocating—or knee-deep in boxes and bubble wrap? In this episode, we share the 3 biggest lessons from our multicultural family's recent move across the country.

✔️ First: Pay for the movers. Seriously.
✔️ Second: Set a clear intention based on your values, not outside expectations.
✔️ Third: Know your moving style (are you a "keep it all" hauler or a "toss everything" purger?)—and find balance before the packing tape runs out.

Whether you're navigating transition, culture, or the chaos of a cross-country move, this episode will give you clarity, laughs, and permission to do it your way.

🎧 Listen now and breathe easier through your next big move.

Ever start something strong, only to stall out at the final stretch? You're not alone. In this episode, we explore why finishing that "last 10%"—whether it's organizing (and packing) the infamous junk drawer while you wrap up a move, or completing a creative project—somehow the last 10% feels disproportionately hard.

We talk about:
• How to invite joy and play into the most mundane tasks
• Real-life stories from multicultural family life and big transitions
• Small mindset shifts that help you cross the finish line (and feel good doing it)

This episode is part inspiration, part permission slip, and 100% for the recovering perfectionist who just wants to get it done—with a little more grace and a lot more fun.

💬 Share in the comments: What's your "last 10%" you've been avoiding?

🔔 Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell if you're into emotionally intelligent parenting, personal growth, and making life feel a little lighter.

Books we mention:

Octavia F. Raheem– Pause Rest Be

Sarah J. Maas– Throne of Glass Series

Sue Monk Kidd– The Book of Longings

Ever feel that restless, itchy sweater feeling—like something in your life no longer fits, but you're not sure what comes next? In this episode, we're talking about that exact feeling—the subtle discomfort that signals change is on the way.

We share the story of how that sensation led us to a major transition: moving our multicultural family of five across the country, from Northern California to Savannah, Georgia. From the chaos of traveling with three kids to the power of making 1% shifts that snowball into life-changing transformation, this episode is part reflection, part roadmap for anyone standing at a crossroads.

Whether you're navigating a big life change or just feeling the nudge that something new is calling, this conversation is for you.

🧶 Because sometimes the itchy sweater is the first sign of your next exhale.

This week, it all went sideways.  We were cruising along and then BAM! In this episode, we share the behind-the-scenes of our big move—from the sale of our house unraveling, to last-minute school chaos, to all the emotions that came with uprooting our family. Spoiler alert: it wasn't smooth.

We allowed all the sad feelings and used our multicultural mindset to ground us. We leaned into discomfort, held space for sadness, and reminded ourselves that transition is rarely tidy. Also, Kjessie shares her most helpful phrase from Flower Farming: "You will kill SO. MANY. plants." It sounds weird, but it's great life advice. Check it out, share it with a friend, and if you're in the middle of a transition, this is a must-listen. 

We're not good at surface-level conversations—and neither are the families we serve. In this episode, we share the raw reasons we created Multicultural Family Hub. A family vacation to South Beach, Miami happened to be a real tipping point. 

Our community is rooted in real connection—from kitchen table conversations to weekly group coaching, and transformative monthly workshops. We expound on everything the Hub has to offer, why we chose group coaching as a core pillar, and the powerful workshop experiences we have in store. We can't wait to open the doors this June!

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 streets of Brooklyn. Together, we talk about chronic shame, community, queerness, and the deep desire to be seen as whole rather than split.

We also unpack the 4 I's of oppression, the difference between explaining and sharing who we are, and the powerful healing that happens when parents believe their child's experience without question.

"You get to be rainbow" is a story that will stick for a lifetime.  

This episode is a reminder that our multiplicity is not a problem to fix, it's a gift to celebrate. 

Love Nora as much as we do?

Subscribe to her newsletter, it's full of insight, helpful tools, and frankly one that we love to see in our inbox. https://noraalwah.com/newsletter

Learn more about being an n'betweener here: nbetweener.com 

So. We now realize that we've been talking about our Multicultural Family for weeks, BUT – we never told you what it is! This week we define what being a Multicultural Family means. We dive into the question of: What IS a Multicultural Family? We give our definition and share why we chose to focus on culture, rather than race. Andre shares powerful stories about the Multicultural Family he grew up in. 

This episode is full of stories, examples, and gives a great framework for a Multicultural Family and why it matters to YOU. You don't want to miss it!

We woke up with big-hair David Bowie energy. We dive straight into a history lesson about segregation and how the architects of it knew the best way to keep us divided was to keep us separate.  We share our beliefs on how a multicultural mindset can bring peace in our lives and ultimately the world. Take a deep breath. This jumps into the deep end about why we are doing the work we're doing and how it can have a global impact. 

Resources Mentioned: 

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck

We're bringing out the big stuff today. We're talking about money. We define it in a unique way and share language around money and value we've adopted for our family.  We just had an estate sale that allowed our kids to create value around their belongings and sell their toys. We share the language we use to talk about money with kids, and to frame it for ourselves.  This episode is a deep dive into the cultural stories we've been given about money and how to reframe it for our individual family cultures. You're gonna love this one, share it with a friend if it resonates!

Last night Kjessie got REALLY annoyed at how Andre wipes the sink, WHILE doing dishes. It could've turned into a fight, but it turned into an entry point for going deeper. This seemingly small annoyance created space for support, healing, and a big win.  Join us this week for some great relationship tools that navigate speaking up for your needs and working with culture. You're gonna love it!

This week it was something one of our twin's said. His summation of how to make friends blew us both away.  Andre shares his unorthodox methods about how he chooses his next book. Hint: Floor books. We learn our daughter's method for doing the splits and making meaningful change. Join us for this laughter filled episode on moving, education, and having a growth mindset. 

How do I get them to do what I want?  This is the question that we all want the answer to. Andre & Kjessie break it down in a journey from My Big Fat Greek Wedding to the power of curiosity. This is a must listen, share it with a friend!

Real talk about loneliness.  This week Kjessie & Andre share about their experience with loneliness as a multicultural couple.  Kjessie shares a particularly intense experience when she realized that being a mixed couple was going to be a different, sometimes lonely journey. Luckily, this is why Multicultural Family Hub exists, to create a space for you!

It all started with a hip roll. This week Kjessie & Andre dig into the culture of movement and expression. They go from Zootopia, Shakira, to the 2010 World Cup Shakira, to Kendrick Lamar's Superbowl performance, to yin yoga and hip sockets. This wide ranging conversation highlights cultural stories about dance and movement. You don't want to miss it. 

What does having 1 million jobs say about you? Did your culture give you a story about how you should be working, providing, and being stable? This week we break down the different stories around work Andre & Kjessie were give and how they're letting those stories go, adapting them and blending them to make it work for their multicutural family. 

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 share a story of when we REALLY didn't listen to our own advice and let FOMO get the best of us. 

If you've got a kiddo under the weather, this episode is your reminder:

• You don't have to earn rest

• Whatever you miss, it will come back around (FOMO is real, I like to tell myself, there's always more)

• You didn't do anything wrong

• Colds are part of parenting—acceptance makes it easier
  
  

Share this with a parent who needs a little encouragement (and maybe a fresh box of tissues).

Welcome to our Kitchen Table Conversation!

Kjessie and Andre introduce themselves, tell the origin story of Multicultural Family Hub and what they're all about. 

This week in our Kitchen Table Conversation, we bring in the Spicy Chili. This is the moment when everything goes from running smoothly to absolutely sideways. Kjessie shares her downward spiral, and Andre brings in some tools to stop the tailspin. 

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.

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 choose which pieces of our family history we want to carry forward. Ashley offers gentle wisdom for new parents, reminding us that transitions are messy AND also full of possibility when we give ourselves permission to embrace the "gray."

In this episode, we cover:

• How self-validation can be a powerful tool for multicultural and first-generation individuals struggling to navigate systems not built for them. 

• Using a family tree to map our family culture and the stories we tell in order to uncover our own values

• Why being in the "gray area" allows us to have compassion for ourselves as parents

• The "undigested" feelings that keep us stuck and how to move through them

• How reconnecting with your parenting "why" can create the shift you need to show up authentically as a new parent 

This episode is full of ah-ha moments and little nuggets that you will come back to over and over.  

Check out more from Dr. Ashley here:

Her 1:1 practice: Ashleyrodriguezphd.com

Coaching & Consulting: pathbreak.mykajabi.com

@pathbreakcoachingandconsulting

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 loved ones, and how approaching them with a calmer nervous system creates space for creative solutions instead of conflict.

.

We offer 3 techniques to use when taking the first step towards a hard conversation:

1. Ask for time – Create the space you need to calm your body before engaging.
   
   

2. Notice your breath – Use slow, steady breathing to stay anchored in the moment.
   
   

3. Hold an anchor thought – A simple reminder like "I'm not in trouble" can shift your perspective.

• On-the-go reset – A 5-minute practice you can do in the car or between moments.
  
  

• At-home reset – An 8-minute practice using restorative postures to ground and restore balance.
  
  

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

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. Together, we swap stories about salsa dancing, yoga ballet, and teenage music rebellions—each a little lesson in following your joy, even when it breaks cultural "rules."

In this episode, we share strategies for:

• Modeling intrinsic motivation in everyday life
  
  

• Giving your kids permission to follow their own compass through your example
  
  

• Creating a multicultural mindset where kids can bring their whole selves
  
  

We'll explore how to model curiosity, embrace multicultural identity, and turn everyday moments—like sprinting at the park or grabbing a "just because" book—into seeds for a lifelong love of learning.

If you're riding the emotional rollercoaster of back-to-school season, we see you. Come join us inside the Multicultural Family Hub as we dive into this month's theme: transitions.

Join at 👉 www.multiculturalfamilyhub.com/community

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 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!