The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips

Episode Topic
What parents need to know about social media, online safety, new protections, and the digital spaces shaping our kids.
Episode Summary
Social media is changing quickly—but are the safeguards designed to protect kids actually working?

In this episode, Suzanne sits down with Nicki Petrossi, founder of Scrolling 2 Death, to help parents better understand what is happening behind the screen.

After 15 years in social media marketing, Nicki began asking harder questions about the platforms our kids are spending so much time on. Today, she travels the country helping parents understand the risks, research, and realities surrounding kids and social media.

Suzanne and Nicki unpack current lawsuits against social media companies, new safety measures being introduced by platforms, technology in schools, and what parents can do to stay informed and engaged.
In This Episode
→ What current lawsuits are revealing about social media + kids

→ Whether new laws and protections will actually help

→ The truth about parental controls and in-app safeguards

→ What parents should know about apps and technology used at school

→ How to take a more informed, proactive role in your child's digital life
Meet Nicki
Nicki Petrossi is the founder of Scrolling 2 Death, an organization helping families navigate social media and online safety.

After 15 years running a social media marketing business, Nicki began researching the impact these platforms were having on children. Today, she speaks across the country about social media, technology, and protecting kids online.
Connect with Nicki
📲 Instagram → @scrolling2death

🌐 Website → scrolling2death.com
Keep Growing with Beacon Parent
Want more trusted resources to help you parent with clarity and confidence?
→ Beacon Parent: www.beaconparent.com

→ Suzanne's trusted books + parenting resources: Beacon Parent Vetted List

→ Get Practical Tools in Your Inbox: Subscribe

→ Hear More on Instagram: @beacon_parent

→ Work with Suzanne Phillips: SuzannePhillips.net
🎧 If this episode helped you, follow The InFormed Parent, leave a review, and share it with another parent.

Welcome to Season 7 of The InFormed Parent.

In this opening episode, host and Beacon Parent founder Suzanne Phillips shares what God has been showing her as she continues helping parents navigate an increasingly complex culture.

From education and comprehensive sex education to pornography, online dangers, and child trafficking, Suzanne reflects on how her assignment has expanded into conversations she never expected to lead. The common thread? Parents cannot protect and prepare their children for what they do not understand.

But this isn't a call to fear or perfect parenting. It's an invitation to become more aware, intentional, and prayerful — trusting that when God reveals a threat, He also provides wisdom and opportunity.

Suzanne also introduces a simple S.W.O.T. framework families can use to consider their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as they lead their homes with greater clarity and purpose.

In This Episode
 → Why Suzanne believes informing parents is an essential part of helping families thrive
→ How her work moved from education into conversations around sex education, pornography, online safety, and trafficking
→ Why awareness of cultural threats is different from parenting out of fear
→ The role of parents as protectors, providers, and prayer warriors
→ How to use a simple S.W.O.T. framework to evaluate your family
→ What to expect from Season 7: warning and direction, problems and solutions, danger and hope

Meet Suzanne
Suzanne Phillips is the founder and CEO of Beacon Parent, host of The InFormed Parent Podcast, speaker, coach, writer, and advocate for families and education.

With more than 20 years of leadership across education, ministry, and parent coaching, Suzanne equips families to navigate culture through a biblical worldview and live out God's intentional design for the family. Her work centers on spiritual formation, family vision, intentional parenting, and helping parents lead with greater clarity and conviction. (SuzanneP)

Connect with Suzanne + Beacon Parent

Beacon Parent exists to help families move from cultural chaos toward biblical clarity — equipping parents to lead on purpose, disciple with wisdom, and raise children grounded in truth. (Beacon Parent)

→ Beacon Parent Resources: www.beaconparent.com

→ Suzanne's trusted books: Beacon Parent Vetted List

→ Get practical tools + biblical insight sent to your inbox: Subscribe

→ Hear More on Instagram: @beacon_parent 

→ Work with Suzanne Phillips: SuzannePhillips.net


🎧 Season 7 is about staying curious, thinking well, recognizing what is shaping our children, and choosing to do good with what we learn.

Follow The InFormed Parent, leave a review, and share this episode with another parent who wants to lead with wisdom instead of fear.

Episode Summary

As we wrap up this season, Suzanne Phillips brings it all home with a powerful, reflective episode centered on one foundational truth:

Family is not accidental — it is designed.

Throughout this season, you've heard conversations around culture, education, identity, technology, and parenting challenges.

But this episode asks a deeper question:

What will you actually do with what you've learned?

Because information alone doesn't change a family.

Inspiration alone doesn't transform a life.

Application does.

This episode tackles three major barriers parents face:
"I don't have time"
"I don't have what it takes"
"I'm not sure there's a clear design for family"
…and replaces them with truth, clarity, and confidence.

With practical insight, biblical grounding, and a deeply moving closing reflection, Suzanne reminds parents: You already have the greatest influence in your child's life.

The question is whether you will use it intentionally.

Episode Highlights

✔️ Why information and inspiration are not enough without application
✔️ The shift from knowledge to transformation through revelation
✔️ The three biggest barriers parents face (time, confidence, and belief)
✔️ Why the home is the primary place of discipleship
✔️ The difference between managing a home and leading people
✔️ Everyday moments as the true curriculum for your children
✔️ The concept of intentional parenting vs. drifting parenting
✔️ God's divine design for family: purpose, calling, and assignment
✔️ The role of parents as primary disciple-makers
✔️ The importance of aligning rhythms, values, and daily life
✔️ A practical framework:
Look Up (God's vision)
Look In (heart & values)
Look Out (calling & awareness)

✔️ The reality that legacy is being built — whether intentional or not


Featured Reflection: Time & Influence

Parents spend 90,000–100,000 hours with their children from birth to age 18.

That is:
6x more than school
40x more than church

You don't need more time.

You need more intentionality with the time you already have.

Core Truth for the Family

Family has a divine design.

Purpose: Be fruitful and multiply
Calling: Grow deeper in relationship with God
Assignment: Make disciples — starting with your children

Identity Truth for the Family

You are not just raising children — you are raising future adults, leaders, and parents.

And whether you realize it or not: You are shaping them every single day.

Closing Encouragement

You don't need to:

replace the church

outperform the school

or become a perfect parent

You simply need to:

Activate the influence God has already given you. Your home is the most powerful discipleship environment on earth.

The question is not:

"Am I doing enough?"

The question is:

"Am I leading with intention?"

A Parents' Call-to-Action

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent
Instagram → @suzannephillips_
Instagram → @beacon_parent
Website → www.beaconparent.com

✨ Join Parent Club

Ongoing discipleship, clarity, and support as you lead your family with purpose:

👉 www.beaconparent.com/parentclub

Final Thoughts

The light doesn't come from doing more.

It comes from becoming who God has called you to be.

Let's become Beacons —

and raise a generation that shines.

Episode Summary

What if education wasn't just about academics — but about preparing children to think clearly, live responsibly, and understand the world around them?

In this thought-provoking episode, Suzanne sits down with Connor Boyack, bestselling author of the Tuttle Twins series and founder of Libertas Network, to explore how education, freedom, and worldview intersect in raising the next generation.

Connor has reached millions of families through books, media, and policy work designed to help children understand the principles of a free society. But at the heart of his work is a deeper question:

Who is shaping how our children think?

From homeschooling to public policy, from economics to personal responsibility, this conversation challenges parents to engage intentionally — not just academically, but philosophically — in their children's formation.

This episode is not about politics for the sake of debate—it's about equipping parents to raise thoughtful, capable, and grounded young people in an increasingly complex world.

Episode Highlights

✔️ The heart behind the Tuttle Twins series and who it's for
✔️ Why teaching children about freedom and responsibility matters
✔️ Connor's decision to homeschool and his perspective on modern education
✔️ How parents should think about politics and its influence on education
✔️ The intersection of education, culture, and worldview formation
✔️ Connor's work in policy and why it matters for families
✔️ Key concerns and threats facing family freedom today
✔️ The future of education and the role of school choice
✔️ Encouragement for parents raising children in today's cultural landscape
 
Featured Resource: Tuttle Twins

A bestselling book series and educational platform helping families teach kids about responsibility, entrepreneurship, and the principles of a free society.

👉 Website → https://tuttletwins.com/

👉 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/tuttletwins

👉 YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@TheTuttleTwins


Links

👉 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/TuttleTwins

👉 X → https://x.com/tuttletwins

👉 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@tuttle_twins

👉 Pinterest → https://www.pinterest.com/TuttleTwin

Call-to-Action For Parents

📲 Connect with Connor Boyack & Tuttle Twins
Instagram → @tuttletwins
Website → tuttletwins.com
📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent
Instagram → @suzannephillips_
Instagram → @beacon_parent
Website → www.beaconparent.com

✨ GET ONGOING PARENTING SUPPORT

Ongoing coaching, encouragement, and biblical clarity as you navigate education, culture, and parenting: 👉 www.beaconparent.com/parentclub


Identity Truth for the Family

Children are not just being educated — they are being formed.

When parents take an active role in shaping how their children think, not just what they learn, they prepare them for a life of purpose, responsibility, and wisdom.

In Closing

Parents — your influence matters more than any system.

If this episode gave you clarity or challenged how you think about education and culture, share it with another parent who is asking similar questions.

🎧 Listen Now →

Episode Summary
Marriage is the foundation of family — and parenting flows from that foundation.

But what happens when that foundation is built within a blended or stepfamily?

In this insightful and practical episode, Suzanne is joined by Ron Deal, one of the nation's leading experts on blended families. With decades of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and director of FamilyLife Blended, Ron brings clarity to one of the most complex family dynamics parents face today.

Blended families are not rare — they are increasingly common — yet many parents enter them without the tools, discipleship, or understanding needed to navigate the unique challenges they bring.

From dating and remarriage to discipline, school decisions, and family culture, this conversation explores the realities that many families don't anticipate — but must learn to navigate.

Ron also speaks into marriage itself, sharing warning signs couples should not ignore, common struggles that lead to breakdown, and how intentionality and awareness can build stronger relationships.

This episode is both a wake-up call and a roadmap — helping parents move from confusion to clarity in building healthy, God-centered families.



Episode Highlights
✔️ Why blended families require intentional discipleship

✔️ Divorce rates among Christians vs. non-believers

✔️ The difference between stepfamilies and blended families

✔️ Why marriage in a blended family is a "package deal"

✔️ Key considerations when dating, remarrying, and involving children

✔️ How school, discipline, and parenting decisions are more complex in blended homes

✔️ Common stumbling blocks families face when they aren't prepared

✔️ Warning signs in marriage that can lead toward divorce

✔️ Insights from The Mindful Marriage

✔️ The role of the Church in supporting blended families

✔️ Practical resources and tools for families navigating this journey



Featured Resources
📚 The Smart Stepfamily

📚 The Mindful Marriage

Practical, research-based, and biblically grounded resources to help couples and families thrive.

👉 Learn more → https://rondeal.org

👉 FamilyLife Blended → https://familylife.com/blended



Links
👉 Website → https://familylife.com/blended

👉 Ron Deal → https://rondeal.org

👉 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/familylifeblended

👉 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/familylifeblended



Call-to-Action
📲 Connect with Ron Deal & FamilyLife Blended
Instagram → @familylifeblended
Website → familylife.com/blended

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent
Instagram → @suzannephillips_
Instagram → @beacon_parent
Website → www.beaconparent.com


✨ JOIN PARENT CLUB TODAY FOR MORE
If you're navigating parenting, marriage, or family complexity and want ongoing support and biblical clarity: 👉 www.beaconparent.com/parentclub



Identity Truth for the Family
Strong families are not built by accident — they are built with intention.

In blended families especially, clarity, patience, and wisdom are essential to creating unity and stability for both marriage and children.



HEY PARENTS!
Parents — if your family is navigating remarriage, blending, or complexity, you are not alone.

Share this episode with someone who needs encouragement, clarity, or practical tools for building a strong family foundation.