More Human More Kind: Guidance for Parenting LGBTQ+ Teens & Growing Into a Courageous Ally

• Can Empathy Be Taught? Raising Inclusive Humans with Maria Gallucci

  BOUNUS Interview Episode!What if empathy wasn’t something you had to be born with but something you practiced, moment by moment?In today’s bonus episode, Heather sits down with Maria Gallucci, a CODA, LGBTQ+ parent, bestselling author, and fierce advocate for underrepresented voices. Her story will challenge how you think about empathy, identity, and belonging, and might just change how you show up in the world.Hear how growing up in a deaf family taught Maria the power of nonverbal communication, deep listening, and compassionUnderstand the emotional impact of being believed when coming out as LGBTQ+Learn why “just trying” can change someone’s entire dayDiscover how inclusive schools, small gestures, and language access ripple into lifelong healingPress play now to hear Maria’s powerful story and walk away with renewed commitment to connection over perfection.Key Themes & Takeaways:Empathy begins with presence not perfectionYou don’t have to understand someone to support themSilence, when shared with love, becomes a bridgeChildren thrive when they are believed, seen, and supported“Just try” is more powerful than you think whether in communication or allyshipInclusive environments save lives (especially in schools)Everyone has a story and those on the margins deserve center stageBuy Raised In SilenceLearn more about Maria's workHi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!Become a private clientAttend Friday Reflection LIVE on Substack - guided journaling and Q&AInvite me to speak at your workshop or event Receive a free excerpt and reflection guide from my book, Parenting with Pride. Share More Human. More Kind. Please subscribe, rate, and review!Connect [email protected] on YouTubeListen 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...

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• How to Lead, Parent, and Live with More Humanity and More Kindness

  What if the most radical thing we can be right now is fully, imperfectly human and deeply, fiercely kind?In this foundational episode of More Human, More Kind, host Heather Hester pulls back the curtain on the heart of the podcast and the movement behind it. Born out of advocacy for LGBTQ+ youth and expanded into a space for universal healing, this episode outlines the four pillars that guide every conversation: curiosity, compassion, courage, and connection.Whether you're a parent raising brave kids, an LGBTQ+ ally, or simply someone navigating life in a divided, demanding world, this episode is both a gentle guide and a powerful call to action.Learn the 4 foundational pillars of being more human and more kind and why they matter now more than everHear how these principles can transform how you parent, lead, love, and healUnderstand why kindness is not weakness, and how to pair it with boundaries to build trust and courageReceive real-life practices for choosing empathy, curiosity, and connection even in conflict or fearIn a world that rewards perfection and punishes vulnerability, kindness has become a revolutionary act. This episode reminds us that being human isn’t about being flawless, it’s about being real, present, and willing to keep showing up. Especially when it’s hard.And for parents of LGBTQ+ kids, or anyone committed to true allyship, this is how we change the emotional climate one conversation, one breath, one brave act of empathy at a time.This week’s kindness challenge:Think of someone who's been a quiet, steady presence in your life, a friend, teacher, barista, coworker, and send them a note or voice memo that simply says:“I notice the light you bring.”Let it be simple. Let it be real. That’s how we start rewiring the world.Ready to go deeper?Visit MoreHumanMoreKind.com to explore private coaching, join Heather’s guided journaling series, or find resources to raise brave kids, show up as an ally, and stay grounded in your values even when the world feels hard.Press play now and return to what’s most real: your humanity and the kindness that grows from it.Resource SpotlightBook: Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown - exploring the language of compassionPodcast: The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos (Episode: “The Power of Tiny Connections”)Book: Born to Be Good by Dacher Keltner — the science of compassion.Study: Epley & Schroeder, “Mistakenly Seeking Solitude,” Journal of Experimental Psychology (2018).Research: Barbara Fredrickson, “Love 2.0” (UNC, 2013) — the biology of micro-moments of connection.Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!Become a private clientAttend Friday Reflection LIVE on Substack - guided journaling and Q&AInvite me to speak at your workshop or event Receive...

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• Parents, Relearning Love is a Gift for the Soul - Yours and Your LGBTQ Teen's

  What if love was never meant to be earned, just allowed?In this powerful and tender episode of More Human, More Kind, Heather Hester invites you to examine the stories you carry about love, especially the ones you learned before you even had the words to question them. Through science, psychology, and personal reflection, she explores how childhood attachment patterns shape our adult definitions of love and how to rewrite those stories with compassion, curiosity, and conscious parenting.Whether you're an LGBTQ+ ally, a parent trying to raise emotionally healthy kids, or someone healing from conditional or weaponized love, this episode is an invitation to stop performing for love and start remembering what real, safe, expansive love actually feels like.Understand how your earliest relationships shaped your attachment style and love blueprintLearn how to identify the old stories that tell you love requires sacrifice, silence, or sufferingGet practical tools to begin repairing your relationship with love through journaling, micro-moments of self-compassion, and nervous system careReflect on how to model secure, respectful, and inclusive love for yourself, your children, and the people you care about mostMany of us, especially LGBTQ+ individuals and parents, were taught that love means staying no matter the cost. But love that asks you to disappear isn’t love. It’s survival.Real love makes room for truth, safety, and freedom and when we unlearn fear-based attachment, we become better allies, better parents, and more whole humans.Try This Journaling Prompt:"The future version of me will thank me for..."or"I'm learning to speak to myself like..."Write it. Read it aloud. Let it be your new evidence of love.Want to Go Deeper?Join Heather every Friday on Substack for live guided journaling sessions and Q&A: a soft, brave space to reconnect with your heart, especially before the holidays. MoreHumanMoreKind.comPress play now to begin unlearning fear-based love and to remember what it feels like to be held without condition.Resource SpotlightBook: All About Love by bell hooks — foundational wisdom on redefining love as an active choice.Research: Dr. Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself (HarperCollins, 2011).Therapy Resource: Attachment Theory in Practice by Dr. Sue Johnson — how early bonding shapes our adult relationships.Study: Barbara Fredrickson, “Love 2.0” (University of North Carolina, 2013) — the science of micro-moments of love.Book: How We Love by Milan & Kay YerkovichPodcast Episode: “Healing the Inner Child” – Unlocking Us with Brené BrownHi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!Become a private clientAttend Friday Reflection LIVE on Substack - guided journaling and Q&AInvite me to

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• De-Weaponizing Love During the Holidays (Important Info for Parents of LGBTQ Kids)

  What if the thing that hurt you most was disguised as love?In this emotionally honest and deeply necessary episode of More Human, More Kind, Heather Hester invites you to explore one of the most painful and liberating truths: that not all love is safe, and some of it was never love to begin with.As parents, LGBTQ allies, and humans trying to live with more empathy and intention, we often confuse care with control, especially if we were taught that love must hurt to mean something. But when affection becomes a means of compliance, when support comes with shame, silence, or fear, that’s not love, that’s leverage.Whether you’re heading into a holiday season with complicated family dynamics, supporting an LGBTQ+ child, or healing from your own past, this episode offers language, insight, and tools to reclaim what love should feel like: free, safe, and human.Learn how to recognize the signs of weaponized love, especially the subtle ways it shows up as care or concernExplore the difference between conditional love, tough love, and real love and why that difference mattersHear the neuroscience behind secure attachment, emotional safety, and the power of respectReceive 4 steps to redefine love on your terms and begin healing your relationship with giving and receiving itUnderstand how this shows up in parenting, religion, family systems, and why LGBTQ+ youth are especially at risk of internalizing control as careLove is one of our most powerful tools, but when it’s used to shame, silence, or manipulate, it becomes one of the most dangerous. As an LGBTQ+ ally, a parent, or a cycle-breaker, understanding this distinction is essential for healing and protection.Because real love doesn’t demand you disappear, it helps you become more of yourself.Bonus:Heather mentions a special written guide in her newsletter about how weaponized love may show up during the holidays, and how to navigate it with grace and boundaries. Subscribe at morehumanmorekind.com for that and more weekly tools for conscious, connected living.Press play to begin healing from love that harmed and to rediscover what real, human, and kind love can feel like, starting with how you speak to yourself.Resource SpotlightBook: All About Love by bell hooksArticle: “Weaponized Love: When Care Becomes Control” (Psychology Today, 2024Helpline: The Trevor Project — 24/7 support for LGBTQ+ youth (thetrevorproject.org)Brené Brown (2021) writes that “Love without boundaries is not love at all — it’s a recipe for resentment.”Research from the University of Toronto (Fehr & Sprecher, 2009) found that mutual respect and autonomy were stronger predictors of long-term relational satisfaction than affection alone.Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!Become a private clientAttend Friday Reflection LIVE on Substack - guided journaling and Q&AInvite me to

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• A Parent's Guide to Embracing Difference: The REAL Magic of Halloween

  What if the quirks, questions, and beautiful edges your LGBTQ child expresses aren’t something to fix, but something to fiercely celebrate? This Halloween, we’re flipping the script on fear and reframing what it really means to embrace “the strange.”So many parents and allies want to support their LGBTQ kids but struggle with the discomfort of difference, especially when it challenges how we were raised or what society tells us is “normal.” In this heartfelt episode, Heather explores how inclusion, identity, and empathy begin at home. You’ll learn why “normal” is a social construct, how fear of difference is rooted in old systems of control, and why allyship means choosing curiosity over conformity.If you’re a parent who wants to build real emotional safety for your LGBTQ child, this episode gives you practical guidance on how to shift your mindset and create everyday rituals that affirm identity and deepen connection. You’ll hear powerful tools rooted in love, parenting with empathy, and the radical social justice act of letting kids show up as their full selves.Whether your child is exploring gender, embracing a unique style, or just seems a little “different,” you’ll learn how to meet them with love, not fear, and why your courage to embrace the strange can unlock healing for you both.Press play to:Reframe “strange” as strength and self-expressionLearn why fear of difference is a learned response and how to unlearn itGain tools to build inclusion, emotional safety, and lasting trust in your parentingDiscover how Halloween can be a metaphor for real-world allyshipThen head to MoreHumanMoreKind.com for parenting resources, tools for LGBTQ allyship, and weekly guidance on raising brave, compassionate kids.Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!Become a private clientAttend Friday Reflection LIVE on Substack - guided journaling and Q&AInvite me to speak at your workshop or event Receive a free excerpt and reflection guide from my book, Parenting with Pride. Share More Human. More Kind. Please subscribe, rate, and review!Connect [email protected] on YouTubeListen 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...

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