Claire Gigli, 4, sings along to “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” during a Music and Movement class at the Southwest Regional Library on July 9, 2026, in Fort Worth. The program designed for 3- to 5-year-olds usually takes place from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. on Thursdays.
Abigail Dollins
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A Fort Worth nonprofit focused on helping families through mental health, behavioral and childcare services launched a podcast to give parents tips on navigating the unexpected in their families’ lives and in the world around them.
Lena Pope’s Strong Voices podcast covers anxiety around school violence and helping teenagers make sense of TikTok challenges and risky online trends in its first two episodes released this spring and summer. Upcoming episodes will address introducing the topic of death to children and understanding the dangers of human trafficking with experts discussing these topics alongside Lena Pope leadership.
Lena Pope CEO Ashley Barnes said the goal of Strong Voices is to help parents and caregivers feel better equipped to handle uncomfortable conversations or hardships with their families. The podcast is part of its community education and engagement program, Rooted Together.
“Faced with the unique challenges of our times, parents are sometimes left feeling inadequate or unprepared to confront crises or have uncomfortable conversations with their children,” Barnes said. “The Strong Voices podcast is designed to provide expert commentary and practical advice from well-respected community experts to provide researched parenting techniques designed to support families.”
In the first episode discussing school violence, the discussion focuses on how students’ learning environments are becoming disrupted by their peers destroying classrooms through temper outbursts, displaying aggressive behavior and bringing weapons to school. Seeing this firsthand and on the news can have a major impact on students, staff and their families, Lena Pope staff noted.
Barnes said families are afraid to send their children to school when considering these instances of violence on campuses. She asked guest Taes Leavitt, founder of children’s emotional wellness program Big Heart Journey, how they can work through that sense of anxiety and fear. Leavitt recommended parents create a space at home where their children feel safe to express their emotions and talk about them, specifically through a routine such as dinnertime.
“Every night at dinner we go around the table and everybody just shares something from your day that maybe felt hard or scary or gave you a cloudy feeling, and everybody’s sharing. If you share your heart, your kids will share theirs because you’re being vulnerable. They now have a space to be vulnerable,” she said.
Leavitt also recommended parents talk about data when having those kinds of conversations, so their children can have a broader understanding of how often certain instances happen.
“I know there’s a lot of really hard, scary things that happen at schools. And there’s a lot of schools, and there’s a lot of kids, and there’s a lot of days that go by when not a single scary thing happens. Some kids need the numbers,” she said.
The Strong Voices podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Upcoming episodes are slated to be released monthly.
“Parenting through the unexpected requires information, support, and resources. Lena Pope is here to be part of the solution,” Barnes said.
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Lina Ruiz covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.