In this powerful episode of Family Dialogues Podcast, we sit down with author and cultural commentator Adam B. Coleman to explore the long-term impact of father absence, single-parent households, and broken family systems on children and society.

Drawing from his deeply personal story and his book The Children We Left Behind, Adam shares how growing up without a consistent father figure shaped his identity, mental health, relationships, and self-worth. Together, we unpack the emotional realities many children silently carry from abandonment wounds to low self-esteem and why these experiences often go unnoticed.

This conversation goes beyond personal stories to examine broader cultural trends, including the normalization of family separation, the role of extended family, and the societal consequences of prioritizing adult happiness over children’s well-being.

We also explore:

• The psychological effects of fatherlessness on boys and girls
• Why children from single-parent homes often hide their pain
• The link between family breakdown, mental health struggles, and risky behaviors
• The dangers children face when non-biological adults enter the home
• How unresolved childhood trauma impacts adult relationships and parenting
• The importance of intentional parenting, emotional connection, and accountability

Adam also offers hope by sharing how he broke generational patterns, rebuilt his identity, and is raising his son with intention, presence, and emotional awareness.

This episode is essential listening for parents, caregivers, and anyone seeking to understand the deeper impact of family dynamics on child development and long-term well-being.

Resources & Recommendations

• The Children We Left Behind – Adam B. Coleman
• Adam B. Coleman Substack
• Wrong Speak Publishing
• Wrong Speak Media
• Adam on YouTube/@wrong_speak

Can mothers successfully balance entrepreneurship, marriage, and motherhood without losing themselves in the process?

In this episode of the Family Dialogues Podcast, Dr. Taniesha speaks with multimedia creator, filmmaker, and business strategist Cherene Francis about how women can build meaningful businesses while nurturing strong families and staying grounded in their identity.

Together, they explore the mindset shifts women need to move from uncertainty to confidence, practical ways to start a business with minimal resources, and how faith, discipline, and intentional family planning help women thrive in multiple roles.

Cherene shares powerful insights from her journey as an entrepreneur, wife, and mother including how grounding your day, understanding your personal rhythms, and building an intentional family ecosystem can transform both your business and home life.

This episode is especially valuable for mothers considering starting a home-based business, transitioning to entrepreneurship, or creating a more flexible work life while remaining deeply present for their children and marriage.

• Why mindset and identity are the foundation of successful entrepreneurship
• Practical steps to start a business with minimal money or resources
• How mothers can leverage their skills and passions to create income online
• The role of faith, purpose, and personal development in building a meaningful business
• How to avoid common pitfalls when choosing a business coach or program
• Why AI can be a helpful tool, but not a replacement for human creativity and purpose
• How to design a family-centered business plan that prioritizes marriage and children
• Strategies for raising independent and capable children while managing a busy life
• The wisdom of the Proverbs 31 woman as a model for leadership, entrepreneurship, and family life
• Simple ways to protect energy, intimacy in marriage, and personal wellbeing

If you are a mother seeking to build a life of purpose, flexibility, and strong family connection, this conversation will inspire you to think differently about work, identity, and leadership in the home.

• Fiverr – freelance platform for hiring or offering services
• Upwork – global freelance marketplace
• ChatGPT / AI tools – used for brainstorming business ideas and automation
• The Baby Whisperer – parenting book on baby routines and self-soothing

• Instagram: @ChereneFrancis
• Website: ChereneFrancis.com

If you enjoy this episode, please follow, rate, and share the Family Dialogues Podcast so more families can build stronger, healthier relationships.

Raising a child with disabilities can transform every aspect of family life from medical decisions and advocacy to marriage, sibling relationships, and personal identity. In this powerful episode of Family Dialogues, Dr. Taniesha Burke speaks with author, advocate, and speaker Christine Staple-Ebanks, a mother whose son Nathan was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after surviving a life-threatening birth condition.

Christine shares her deeply personal journey navigating medical uncertainty, building resilience, and becoming a fierce advocate for her child. From raising Nathan in Jamaica, where services were limited, to navigating complex systems in the United States, Christine reveals how parents can move from overwhelm to empowerment.

This conversation explores how families can stay connected, how parents can advocate effectively for their children, and how faith, community, and knowledge can transform a difficult diagnosis into a meaningful life mission.

Whether you’re a parent of a child with special needs, a professional working with families, or someone supporting loved ones through similar challenges, this episode offers practical tools, emotional insight, and hope.

• The emotional impact of receiving a cerebral palsy diagnosis
• Trusting parental intuition when developmental milestones seem delayed
• The difference between aggressive vs. assertive advocacy in healthcare and education
• Navigating IEP meetings and special education systems
• How disability affects siblings, marriage, and the entire family system
• Rebuilding identity after leaving a career to become a caregiver
• Why community support and parent networks are essential
• How faith, resilience, and purpose can emerge through hardship
• Practical strategies for balancing caregiving, finances, and self-care
• Preparing for your child’s transition to adulthood and guardianship

• Parents are experts on their children: document observations and ask questions.
• Effective advocacy is informed, calm, and solution-focused.
• Disability impacts the entire family ecosystem, not just the child.
• Building a support network of other parents can provide life-changing knowledge and resources.
• Scheduling intentional time for siblings, marriage, and self-care helps families thrive.

Christine Staple-Ebanks is an author, speaker, and special needs advocate. As the founder of the Special Needs Mama Bear community, she equips families with tools, education, and encouragement to navigate life after a diagnosis. Through coaching, books, and online resources, she helps parents build confidence in advocacy and create thriving family systems.

• YouTube: Special Needs Mama Bear
• Facebook: Special Needs Mama Bear Community
• Parent coaching and resources available through her Special Needs Mama Bear membership platform

(Helpful resources referenced during the conversation)

• Special Needs Mama Bear Community & Store – Parent resources and coaching
• Udemy – Online course platform (Christine’s advocacy training)
• YouTube – Educational resources from Special Needs Mama Bear
• Facebook & Instagram – Parenting and community support groups
• Ronald McDonald House – Housing support for families with hospitalized children
• MyChart – Patient portal for accessing medical records and results
• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – International disability rights framework

Why do so many modern marriages struggle after children arrive, even when couples start with the best intentions? In this episode, Dr. Taniesha Burke sits down with psychologist and bestselling author Joshua Coleman, author of The Lazy Husband, to unpack one of the most common sources of marital resentment: unequal parenting and household labor.

Most couples say they want an egalitarian marriage, but after kids, many mothers feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and unsupported. Fathers may feel confused, criticized, or unappreciated. What’s really happening beneath the surface?

Dr. Coleman explains:

• Why marital satisfaction drops after children (especially for wives)
• The psychological shift from “me-centered” to “we-centered” marriage
• How “maternal gatekeeping” can unintentionally push fathers away
• The 3 marriage types: traditional, transitional, and egalitarian
• Why appreciation motivates men more than criticism
• The powerful 5:1 positive-to-negative ratio for long-term marital success

We also explore:

✔️ Why many fathers compare themselves to their own dads and why that standard no longer works

✔️ How unequal mental load impacts intimacy and sexual connection

✔️ The connection between housework equity and increased marital satisfaction

✔️ Practical bargaining strategies wives can use to create change without nagging

✔️ How to communicate needs without triggering defensiveness

✔️ Why daily appreciation is more powerful than you think

If you’ve ever felt like you’re raising another child instead of partnering with your spouse, this conversation will give you concrete tools for creating shared responsibility, emotional connection, and a healthier family system.

This episode is essential listening for parents seeking:

• Marriage communication strategies
• Fair division of household labor
• Parenting partnership tools
• Reducing resentment in marriage
• Building a strong marriage after kids
• Positive discipline homes with secure children

Because your marriage is the emotional engine of your family — and it’s never too late to shift the dynamic.

Recommended Resources:

• The Lazy Husband
• The Marriage Makeover
• When Parents Hurt
• Rules of Estrangement
• Council on Contemporary Families
• Dr. Coleman’s Substack: Family Troubles
• Dr. Coleman’s website: https://www.drjoshuacoleman.com/

If this episode helped you rethink partnership, share it with another parent who needs it, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more families build healthier marriages.

For episode feedback: info@tanieshaburke.com

In today’s hyper-digital world, children are growing up immersed in screens — and families are feeling the impact.

In this powerful episode, Dr. Taniesha Burke sits down with clinical psychologist and author Catherine Steiner-Adair to discuss how technology, smartphones, gaming, and social media are reshaping childhood and what parents can do to reconnect with their children.

Based on her bestselling book, The Big Disconnect, Catherine shares research-backed insights on screen addiction, emotional dysregulation, family values, AI companions, and how parents can protect their child’s mental health in the digital age.

If you've ever wondered:

• Is my child addicted to screens?
• How much screen time is too much?
• Should I check my teenager’s phone?
• Are devices affecting my child’s brain development?
• How do I rebuild connection in my family?

This episode is for you.

• What “The Big Disconnect” really means for modern families
• The neurological impact of gaming and social media on children’s brains
• Why screen addiction mimics gambling addiction
• Emotional dysregulation and tech withdrawal meltdowns
• The rise in anxiety, depression, and body image issues linked to devices
• Why family dinners are more powerful than parents realize
• How to create a Responsible Use Agreement in your home
• The importance of tech-free mornings, car rides, and bedtime routines
• Should parents monitor their teen’s phone?
• AI companions and the dangers of outsourcing parenting
• How to raise confident, self-advocating children in a digital world
• Why parenting today is an act of rebellion

Children don’t need parents to be perfect; they need parents to be present.

Strong family connection, consistent boundaries, and clearly defined family values are protective factors against digital addiction, online exploitation, anxiety, and emotional isolation.

Parenting in the digital age requires courage, intentionality, and leadership.

• The Big Disconnect by Catherine Steiner-Adair

If this episode resonated with you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another parent navigating screen time and digital parenting challenges.

Your family connection is worth protecting.

After children, many couples quietly shift from lovers to logistical partners. The romance fades, exhaustion sets in, and intimacy feels like another task on the to-do list.

In this powerful episode, Dr. Taniesha Burke sits down with certified sex therapist Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy, author of Parents in Love: A Guide to Great Sex After Kids, to explore how couples can reconnect emotionally and sexually without grand gestures or pressure.

We unpack why feeling like “roommates with children” is a normal and predictable phase of parenting, and how small, intentional daily choices can rebuild connection, safety, and desire over time.

• Why intimacy often declines after children and why it’s not a red flag
• The difference between spontaneous desire vs. responsive desire (and why this matters for couples)
• How exhaustion, mental load, and being “touched out” impact sexual connection
• The pursuer-withdrawer cycle and how it erodes emotional intimacy
• Why obligation sex can damage desire and what to do instead
• How your nervous system (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) affects intimacy
• Micro-moments that keep the emotional climate of your marriage warm
• Rebuilding sexual connection after fertility struggles
• Healing intimacy after traumatic birth experiences
• Navigating desire differences during perimenopause and menopause
• Reconnecting as parents of teens and empty nesters

Dr. Rebecca shares practical tools for rebuilding intimacy in marriage, including:

✔ Expanding your definition of sex

✔ Communicating with vulnerability using “I feel” statements

✔ Creating intentional transition time from parent mode to partner mode

✔ Prioritizing micro-moments of connection (hello kisses, deep hugs, intentional eye contact)

If you’ve ever wondered how to reignite romance after kids, restore emotional connection, or strengthen your marriage while parenting, this episode is for you.

• Parents in Love: A Guide to Great Sex After Kids – Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy
• Secure Love – Julie Menanno
• Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy’s Website
• Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy on Instagram

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another parent who may need encouragement in their marriage journey.

In a world where manners are fading, social skills are declining, and family connections feel harder than ever, could etiquette be the missing link to raising confident, respectful children?

In this powerful episode of the Family Dialogues Podcast, Dr. Taniesha Burke sits down with renowned etiquette expert Jackie Vernon Thompson to explore how manners, respect, and social protocols shape children’s confidence, communication skills, and long-term success.

Together, they discuss why etiquette is not about class, wealth, or being “old-fashioned,” but about self-worth, emotional intelligence, leadership, and strong family values. Jackie shares real-life insights from her global work with children, families, and professionals and explains how simple daily habits at home can transform sibling relationships, parent-child connection, and children’s readiness for the real world.

This episode covers:

• Why etiquette and manners must start at home
• How social skills impact confidence, academic success, and career opportunities
• The hidden cost of screen time, blank stares, and poor communication
• How family meals and device-free conversations build emotional safety
• Dressing, hygiene, and non-verbal communication as forms of self-respect
• Teaching children boundaries, gratitude, responsibility, and courtesy
• Why etiquette is for every child, regardless of background

If you’re a parent, educator, or caregiver who wants to raise respectful, emotionally healthy, and socially confident children, this conversation is essential listening.

• From the Inside Out School of Etiquette
• The Polished Society (Membership Program)
• Etiquette Consultant Certification Program
• Youth Empowerment Village (Summer Program)
• Book: Transformative Etiquette by Jackie Vernon Thompson
• Instagram - From the Inside Out School of Etiquette
• Facebook - From the Inside Out School of Etiquette
• TIK TOK - From the Inside Out School of Etiquette
• LinkedIn - From the Inside Out School of Etiquette

For podcast feedback email: info@tanieshaburke.com

What really happens to a marriage after kids arrive?

In this episode of Family Dialogues, Dr. Taniesha Burke sits down with New York Times bestselling author and journalist Jancee Dunn to talk candidly about resentment, emotional labor, and rebuilding a partnership after children. Drawing from her book, How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids, Jancee shares deeply relatable stories, research-backed insights, and practical tools to help couples move from simmering frustration back to teamwork, respect, and connection.

Together, they explore how unequal mental load, maternal gatekeeping, poor communication, and unspoken expectations quietly erode relationships and what actually helps couples repair after the early parenting years. From FBI conflict-resolution techniques to chore redistribution systems, this conversation offers realistic strategies for overwhelmed parents who still want their relationship to thrive.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why resentment often builds between partners after having children
• How emotional labor and the mental load disproportionately affect mothers
• The impact of micromanaging and “maternal gatekeeping” on fathers
• Why children absorb parental conflict more than we realize
• Practical communication scripts that reduce defensiveness and shutdown
• FBI-backed techniques for de-escalating conflict during heated moments
• How clarifying roles and household systems can reduce resentment
• What gives hope to couples struggling in the early parenting years

This episode is a must-listen for parents navigating marriage after kids, co-parenting stress, emotional burnout, and relationship repair.

• How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids - Jancee Dunn
• FBI Behavioral Change Stairway Model
• Terry Real (Relational Life Therapy)