The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips

Episode Summary

Social media is no longer just a distraction — it is shaping identity, behavior, mental health, and safety for an entire generation.

In this eye-opening episode, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Nicki Petrossi, a former social media executive turned national advocate for child safety online. Nicki is the founder of Scrolling 2 Death, co-founder of the Tech-Safe Learning Coalition, and a leading voice helping parents understand what is actually happening behind screens.

Nicki brings insider knowledge from her time working inside social media platforms — paired with real-world stories, research, and current cases that reveal how algorithms, AI, gaming, and school-issued devices are putting children at risk.

This conversation moves beyond fear into clarity — offering parents both warnings and solutions, so they can lead their families with confidence instead of overwhelm.

Episode Highlights

✔️ Nicki's journey from social media executive to child safety advocate

✔️ What parents need to understand about Meta trials and fraud allegations

✔️ AI dangers — including Character AI and emotionally manipulative chatbots

✔️ Whether ChatGPT and AI companions are harming vulnerable users

✔️ How Instagram ranks content and why it matters for kids

✔️ The Motion Picture Association's influence on content normalization

✔️ "The Heat Is On" — what it means and why parents should pay attention

✔️ Snapchat and its connection to sex trafficking

✔️ Sextortion schemes using platforms like GroupMe

✔️ UNESCO testing and global digital experimentation

✔️ AI-generated nudes, "Sharenting," and image exploitation

✔️ Video game addiction and dopamine-driven design

✔️ How parents can stay informed without living in fear


Featured Resource: Scrolling 2 Death

A parent-focused platform providing education, advocacy, and real-time insights into social media risks and digital culture.

👉 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/scrolling2death

👉 Learn more → via Nicki's resources and coalition work


Take Action

📲 Connect with Nicki Petrossi:

• Instagram → @scrolling2death

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent:

• Instagram → @suzannephillips_

• Instagram → @beacon_parent

• Website → www.beaconparent.com


📚 Beacon Parent Parent Club

Ongoing discipleship, teaching, and community for parents navigating cultural pressure and digital challenges.

👉 Join here → www.beaconparent.com


🏫 Concerned About Screens in Education?

Explore tools that help parents create safer learning environments.

👉 Learn more → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket


Identity Truth for the Family

Children were not designed to be raised by algorithms.

Parents who stay informed, engaged, and courageous can interrupt harmful digital patterns and restore real connection, security, and discernment in their homes.


Parents, the digital world moves fast — but you are not powerless.

If this episode gave you language, clarity, or courage to engage your child's online world more intentionally, share it with another parent who feels overwhelmed or unsure where to start.

🎧 Listen Now

Episode Summary

This is one of the most consequential and challenging conversations ever hosted on The InFormed Parent Podcast.

In this episode, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Del Bigtree — journalist, filmmaker, former Emmy-winning producer, and one of the most influential voices calling for transparency in public health and medical science today.

Del is the founder and CEO of Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), host of The HighWire, and Executive Producer of the documentary An Inconvenient Study.

This episode centers on a never-published vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated study conducted within the Henry Ford Health System — a study Del challenged the institution to run in 2016, with a simple condition: publish the results no matter what they show. The study was completed. It was never submitted for publication.

Through legal action, FOIA requests, investigative journalism, and now film, Del walks parents through what the study revealed, why it matters, and why asking questions in medicine has become controversial — even dangerous — for those inside the system.

This is not an episode telling parents what to think.

It is an episode that insists parents must be allowed to ask questions, see data, and make informed decisions for their families.

Episode Highlights

✔️ Del Bigtree's background — from mainstream media to investigative journalism
✔️ The fallout from Vaxxed and the professional backlash Del experienced
✔️ The connection between politics, public health agencies, and vaccine policy
✔️ Inside An Inconvenient Study — how the film came to be and why it matters
✔️ What the unpublished vaccinated vs. unvaccinated data reveals
✔️ The dramatic rise in chronic conditions among children
✔️ Questions surrounding infant health, SIDS, and NICU outcomes
✔️ Genetic susceptibility and MTHFR considerations
✔️ Why the study was never submitted for publication
✔️ Dr. Marcus Zervos' on-camera admissions and their implications
✔️ The collapse of open scientific debate — and why it matters for families
✔️ Rebooting the scientific method through transparency and accountability
✔️ ICAN's legal, media, and legislative response to criticism
✔️ How parents can engage, learn more, and take responsibility without fear
🎧 Listen Now

Featured Resource:

An Inconvenient Study

A documentary by Del Bigtree and ICAN examining an unpublished vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated study and the broader implications for public health transparency.

👉 Watch & Learn More → https://www.aninconvenientstudy.com


Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

📲 Connect with Del Bigtree & ICAN:

• The HighWire → https://thehighwire.com

• ICAN → https://icandecide.org

• X (Twitter) → https://x.com/delbigtree

• Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/delbigtree


📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent:

• Instagram → @suzannephillips_

• Instagram → @beacon_parent

• Website → www.beaconparent.com


✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership)

Ongoing discipleship, teaching, and community for parents navigating complex cultural issues.

👉 Join here →https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/mLSFLoXT/checkout


🏫 Exploring Educational Freedom?

The Pod Packet helps parents create small, intentional learning communities with confidence.

👉 Learn more → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket


Identity Truth for the Family

Informed consent is not rebellion.

Asking questions is not disobedience.

Parents were entrusted with the responsibility to protect, steward, and advocate for their children — especially when systems grow complex and opaque.

Closing CTA

Parents, this episode may challenge you — and that's the point.

You don't have to agree with every conclusion to recognize the importance of transparency, open debate, and informed decision-making.

If this conversation stirred questions, sparked reflection, or helped you feel less alone in asking hard things, share it with another parent who needs space to think critically and courageously.

🎧 Listen Now

Episode Summary

Season 6 opens with a powerful solo episode from Suzanne Phillips, founder of Beacon Parent, setting the tone for what lies ahead.

In this monologue, Suzanne reflects on the cultural moment parents are navigating right now — one marked by confusion, exhaustion, pressure, and noise. From education and technology to identity, sexuality, and discipleship, parents are being asked to make high-stakes decisions without clarity or support.

This episode is both an invitation and a reset.

Suzanne explains why this season exists, what has shaped the direction of the conversations ahead, and why being informed is not optional for parents who want to lead with wisdom rather than react from fear. She addresses the subtle ways culture disciples families, the danger of passive parenting, and the urgent need for parents to reclaim their role as leaders, protectors, and disciplers in their homes.

Season 6 is about discernment — learning to recognize what is shaping our children, understanding where ideas come from, and choosing intentional formation over cultural default.

If you've felt overwhelmed, behind, unsure, or simply tired — this episode will remind you that you are not alone, and that clarity is possible.

Episode Highlights

✔️ Why Season 6 was created and what prompted its focus

✔️ The difference between reacting to culture and discerning it

✔️ How parents are being discipled — often without realizing it

✔️ Why "busy" is one of the enemy's most effective tools

✔️ The cost of passive parenting in a high-pressure culture

✔️ Why informed parents make different decisions

✔️ What listeners can expect from Season 6 conversation

✔️ An invitation to slow down, listen, and lead with clarity

🎧 Listen Now

Featured Resource: Beacon Parent

Beacon Parent exists to equip parents to parent with purpose, disciple with direction, and lead their families with clarity and conviction in an increasingly confusing world.

This season, Beacon Parent resources are designed to help you:

• understand cultural influence

• strengthen identity formation

• disciple intentionally at home

• make informed decisions for your family

👉 Learn more → www.beaconparent.com


Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

📲 Stay Connected with Suzanne & Beacon Parent

• Instagram: @suzannephillips_

• Instagram: @beacon_parent

• Website: www.beaconparent.com


📚 Beacon Parent Free Resource Hub

Practical tools, teaching guides, and identity-building resources for parents.

👉 Access free resources → https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/7dFPbYXY/checkout/


✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership)

Ongoing discipleship, community, teaching, and support for parents who want to lead well — not alone.

👉 Join the Parent Club →https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/mLSFLoXT/checkout/


🏫 Exploring Education Alternatives?

From pods to hybrids, The Pod Packet helps families take intentional next steps.

👉 Learn more → www.thepodpacket.com


Identity Truth for the Family

Parents were never meant to follow culture — they were called to lead their children.

Discernment is not fear.

Being informed is not reactionary.

Intentional parenting is an act of love.

Closing CTA

Season 6 is an invitation to slow down, open your eyes, and lead with wisdom.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with another parent who feels the weight of these decisions — a friend, a small group, or someone who needs encouragement to step out of autopilot and into intentional leadership.

🎧 Listen Now →

Episode Summary:

In this powerful and timely episode, Suzanne sits down with two moms who have lived what so many parents are only beginning to consider: you can change your child's educational story — and it doesn't have to be complicated.

Today's guests, Lauren Tatum and Brandy Hansen, both stepped out of traditional education pathways to create thriving, faith-filled homeschool pods for their children and communities. From fear and overwhelm to clarity and confidence, their journeys reveal what is possible when parents refuse to believe the cultural lie that there is only one way to educate kids.

This conversation explores the cultural pressure surrounding education, the rise of therapeutic and agenda-driven classrooms, and why more families every year are discovering freedom through pods, microschools, hybrid models, and custom learning environments.

Suzanne also introduces The Pod Packet, a practical, step-by-step resource created to help parents launch their own simple-but-powerful pod—without needing to build a full school or reinvent the wheel.

Whether you're curious, cautious, overwhelmed, or ready to take action, this episode will give you vision, options, and encouragement for the educational future of your family.

Episode Highlights:
✔️ Lauren & Brandy's personal journeys into alternative education
✔️ Public, private, homeschool — and why they chose something different
✔️ The cultural lies that pressure parents into traditional schooling
✔️ Why pods work — and how simple they can be
✔️ The story behind The Pod Packet and how it equips families
✔️ How to structure a pod, build rhythms, and set expectations
✔️ Real results: confidence, community, joy
✔️ How pods grow into hybrids, microschools, or academies
✔️ Encouragement for parents feeling the nudge to make a change

🎧 Listen Now: [Insert Podcast Link]

Featured Resource: The Pod Packet

A practical, step-by-step guide to help families create a simple, effective homeschool pod rooted in vision, community, and clarity.
Perfect for:

parents
teachers
churches
entrepreneurs
hybrid or microschool starters
👉 Learn More → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket

👉 Instagram → @thepodpacket

Call-to-Actions (CTAs):
📲 Connect with Today's Guests:

@thepodpacket
www.beaconparent.com/podpacket


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


📚 Beacon Parent Free Resource Hub:

Tools for discipleship, identity, parenting, culture conversations & more.

👉 Download free resources → www.beaconparent.com/thehub


✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership):

Foundational discipleship, community, teaching, and support for parents.

👉 Join the club → www.beaconparent.com/parentclub


🏫 Considering Alternative Education?

Explore The Pod Packet — your first step toward building a meaningful, small-scale educational community.

👉 Get the packet → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket


Identity Truth for the Family:

You don't have to choose what culture tells you is "normal."

Parents have God-given authority, creativity, and freedom to shape an environment where their children can grow in truth, purpose, and joy.


Closing CTA:

Parents — you have more options than ever, and more influence than you know. If this episode encouraged you, share it with another family exploring educational alternatives or seeking clarity for next year.

🎧 Listen Now →

Episode Summary:

In this heartfelt and deeply practical episode, Suzanne Phillips sits down with Jonathan Pitts—author, speaker, ministry executive, father of five, and President of For Girls Like You, a ministry serving tween girls and their parents.

Jonathan has spent nearly two decades in Christian leadership, including serving as Executive Director of Dr. Tony Evans' ministry (The Urban Alternative), managing recording artist Anthony Evans, Jr., and now serving in pastoral leadership at Church of the City in Franklin, TN. As a father of four daughters and a newly welcomed baby boy, Jonathan brings real-life wisdom, raw honesty, and a deeply redemptive story following the loss of his late wife, Wynter Pitts.

This episode is essential for any parent raising girls in a culture that is rapidly shifting and increasingly confusing. From identity and confidence to cultural pressures and discipleship at home, Jonathan offers encouragement, clarity, and tools to help parents raise secure daughters who stand firm in truth.

Episode Highlights:
✔️ Why Pop Culture Parenting is dangerous—especially for girls
✔️ The rise of cultural insecurity, comparison, and identity distortion
✔️ Why For Girls Like You focuses on tweens — and how it helps parents
✔️ The father–daughter dynamic and how dads impact girls' identity
✔️ Raising a boy now — what's different, what's the same
✔️ Encouragement for parents raising girls who need grounding in truth

Featured Resource: For Girls Like You

A Christ-centered ministry equipping parents of tween girls with resources that build identity, confidence, and discipleship at home.
👉 Website → www.forgirlslikeyou.com
👉 Instagram → @forgirlslikeyou
👉 Jonathan's Instagram → @pittsjr26
👉 Books → She Is Yours & My Wynter Season
💸 Use Code: BEACON20 for 20% off

Call-to-Actions (CTAs):
📲 Connect with Jonathan Pitts:
Instagram (Personal): @pittsjr26
Ministry: @forgirlslikeyou
Website: www.forgirlslikeyou.com


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


📚 Beacon Parent Free Resource Hub:
Your place for discipleship tools, identity-building worksheets, and family formation resources.
👉 Download resources →  


✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership):
Ongoing discipleship, teaching, support, and community for moms & dads.
👉 Join now →  
 
📥 Thinking About Homeschooling or Hybrid Learning?

The Pod Packet walks you step-by-step through creating your own homeschool pod.
👉 Get The Pod Packet → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket

Identity Truth for the Family:

Girls become secure when they hear truth from the people they trust most.

Parents who affirm identity before culture tries to distort it lay foundations for strong, confident, Christ-centered women.

Closing CTA:

Parents, your voice matters. Your presence matters. The world is loud — but truth is louder when it's lived out in your home.

If this episode encouraged you or gave you language for raising girls in today's culture, share it with a friend, your small group, or another parent who needs this hope.
🎧 Listen Now →