The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips

Episode Summary

Most parents want to believe the adults and institutions surrounding their children are safe. But what happens when warning signs are missed, reports are mishandled, or an unsafe educator is allowed to move from one school to another?

In this episode, Suzanne sits down with nationally recognized sexual abuse attorney John C. Manly for a difficult but necessary conversation about protecting children in school environments.

John draws from decades of representing survivors of sexual abuse to explain how institutional failures can happen, what "pass the trash" means, how mandated reporting works, and why background checks and internal policies do not always provide the protection parents assume they do.

This conversation is not about parenting from fear. It is about understanding the systems surrounding our children, recognizing potential warning signs, asking better questions, and knowing where greater accountability is needed.

In This Episode

→ What "pass the trash" means and how unsafe educators can move between institutions

→ How mandated reporting works — and where breakdowns can occur

→ What parents should know about school notification, background checks, and accountability

→ Why abuse and grooming may not always look the way parents expect

→ How widespread institutional failures can develop when warning signs are missed or ignored

→ Practical ways parents and citizens can advocate for stronger safeguards and greater transparency

Meet John

John C. Manly is the founder and managing partner of Manly, Stewart, Finaldi & Thom and has spent more than 25 years representing survivors of sexual abuse and assault.

He served as lead counsel for survivors abused by former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician Larry Nassar and has represented survivors in major cases involving schools, universities, religious institutions, sports organizations, and medical providers. His firm reports recovering more than $3 billion on behalf of clients.

John is a graduate of the University of Southern California and Pepperdine University School of Law and previously served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve. (Manly Stewart)

Connect with John + Manly, Stewart, Finaldi & Thom

📲 Instagram → @msflawfirm

▶️ YouTube → @manlystewartfinaldilawfirm

📘 Facebook → @ManlyStewart

🌐 Website → www.manlystewart.com

Keep Growing with Beacon Parent

Want more trusted tools to help you stay informed, protect your children, and parent with biblical clarity?

→ Beacon Parent: www.beaconparent.com

→ Suzanne's trusted books: Beacon Parent Vetted List https://www.amazon.com/shop/beacon_parent

→ Get practical tools and biblical insight in your inbox: Subscribe https://beaconparent.myflodesk.com/subscribe

→ Hear More on Instagram: @beacon_parent https://www.instagram.com/beacon_parent/

→ Work with Suzanne Phillips: SuzannePhillips.net

🎧 If this episode helped you better understand the systems surrounding your children, follow The InFormed Parent, leave a review, and share this conversation with another parent who needs to hear it.

Episode Summary
Pornography is a conversation most parents would rather not have — but avoiding it does not protect our children.
In this episode, Suzanne sits down with author and speaker Greta Eskridge to talk honestly about why parents need to begin conversations around sex and pornography earlier than many of us expect.
Greta shares the personal journey that led her to this work, what she learned as she began understanding the impact of pornography, and why connection is one of the most important tools parents have. Together, Suzanne and Greta unpack how to start the conversation, what to do when a child has already been exposed, and how parents can respond without panic, shame, or fear.
This is not about having one perfect "talk." It's about becoming a safe, informed parent who is willing to keep the conversation going.
In This Episode
→ Why parents need to talk about pornography before exposure happens
→ When and how to begin age-appropriate conversations about sex and porn
→ Some of the most surprising realities parents need to understand
→ How to respond if your child tells you they've seen pornography — or you discover it yourself
→ Practical ways to protect children while preserving connection and trust
→ Encouragement for parents who feel overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or unsure where to begin
Meet Greta
Greta Eskridge is an author, speaker, wife, and second-generation homeschooling mom of four.
She is passionate about helping families create connection, preserve childhood, pursue joy, and protect children from pornography. Greta travels the country equipping parents with practical tools for connected, courageous parenting and helping families engage difficult conversations with greater confidence and hope.
She is also the author of Adventuring Together and It's Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn.
Connect with Greta
📲 Instagram → @greta.eskridge
🌐 Website → www.gretaeskridge.com
 📚 It's Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn
📚 Adventuring Together
Keep Growing with Beacon Parent
Want more trusted resources to help you navigate difficult cultural conversations with biblical clarity and confidence?
→ Beacon Parent: www.beaconparent.com
→ Suzanne's trusted books: Beacon Parent Vetted List
→ Get practical tools and biblical insight in your inbox: Subscribe
→ Hear More on Instagram: @beacon_parent
→ Work with Suzanne Phillips: SuzannePhillips.net


🎧 If this episode helped you feel more prepared for an important conversation, follow The InFormed Parent, leave a review, and share it with another parent who needs these tools too.

Episode Summary
What happens when our desire to protect our kids starts getting in the way of preparing them?
In this episode, Suzanne sits down with bestselling authors and counselors Sissy Goff and David Thomas to talk about what it really takes to raise capable kids — children who can face discomfort, navigate hard emotions, solve problems, take healthy risks, and grow through adversity.
Drawing from more than 30 years of counseling kids and families, Sissy and David unpack some of the cultural and parenting patterns that may unintentionally be weakening resilience. They talk about empathy without emotionalism, the language we use around trauma and triggers, the limits of constantly rescuing our kids, and why capability is built through experience — not simply explained.
And if you're realizing you may have over-helped, over-protected, or created patterns you want to change, this conversation offers plenty of hope. Parents can shift the environment at home and begin giving kids the opportunity to discover just how capable they really are.
In This Episode
→ Why resilience and capability matter more than constant comfort
→ How rescuing, overprotecting, and some parenting trends can unintentionally hold kids back
→ The difference between healthy empathy and allowing emotions to lead everything
→ How words like trauma, trigger, and toxic can shape the way kids understand difficulty
→ Practical ways to help kids build confidence, coping skills, and independence
→ How parents can change course — even after years of doing things differently
Meet Sissy + David
Sissy Goff, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, and David Thomas, LMSW, are New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling authors and the Executive Directors of Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville.
For more than 30 years, they've helped children, teens, and families navigate the challenges of growing up. Together, they've written 25 bestselling books and co-host the Raising Boys and Girls podcast, which has been downloaded more than 15 million times.
Their newest book, Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience, equips parents with practical ways to help children discover their strength, courage, and capability.
Connect with Sissy + David
📲 Instagram → @sissygoff
📲 Instagram → @raisingboysandgirls
🌐 Learn more about Capable → www.raisingboysandgirls.com/capablebook
📚 Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience → Buy Here
Keep Growing with Beacon Parent
Want more trusted tools to help you raise confident, resilient kids with biblical wisdom and practical support?
 → Beacon Parent: www.beaconparent.com
→ Suzanne's trusted books + parenting resources: Beacon Parent Vetted List
→ Get Beacon Parent in your inbox: Subscribe
→ Hear More on Instagram: @beacon_parent
→ Work with Suzanne Phillips: SuzannePhillips.net
🎧 If this episode encouraged you, follow The InFormed Parent, leave a review, and share it with another parent who needs the reminder: capable kids are built through opportunities to grow, not lives without difficulty.

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.