David Thomas and Sissy Goff Talk Descriptions
For both:
RAISING CAPABLE KIDS:
Kids today are growing up in a world that feels more complicated—and more pressure-filled—than ever before. Anxiety, stress, and self-doubt are showing up earlier and more intensely, leaving many children feeling anxious, insecure and unsure they have what it takes to navigate life. In this session, bestselling authors Sissy Goff and David Thomas share what decades of counseling kids and families have taught them about one essential ingredient for helping kids thrive: capability. Capable kids believe they can do hard things, recover from setbacks, and keep moving forward with confidence and hope. Drawing from their new book Capable, Sissy and David will offer practical tools, stories, and encouragement to help you raise kids who know they are strong, resilient, and deeply capable of becoming who God made them to be.
BUILDING CAPABLE FAMILIES:
You are your child’s greatest agent of change. But how you connect—and how you call out the capable—looks different depending on who you are and who your child is.
In this brand new talk, Sissy Goff and David Thomas explore the distinct and powerful dynamics between moms and daughters, moms and sons, dads and daughters, and dads and sons. Each relationship brings its own unique set of callings and challenges. And when we lean into those differences with intention, compassion, and courage, we not only build stronger connections—we help our kids grow into the confident, resilient people they were made to be.
This session is full of laughter, practical tools, and honest encouragement for every parent who wants to raise kids who know they’re capable—because they’ve heard it from the ones who matter most.
David Thomas only:
RAISING EMOTIONALLY STRONG KIDS:
What does it look like to raise kids with emotional strength? Kids who have the skills and resources to navigate all the moments of life - from the first day of school to conflict with friends, losing games and struggling with homework, facing challenges and developing resilience.
The global pandemic put a spotlight on the lack of skills most individuals have in place. It’s part of why we saw accelerated rates of anxiety and depression. Emotional skills are learned skills, no different than learning to ride a bike or starting a new sport.
This class will equip parents and educators, grandparents and coaches, to help kids & adolescents develop three foundational ingredients for emotional health, known as the 3 R’s. You will walk away with questions to ask the kids and adolescents in your life, practical ideas and intentional practices for building emotional strength in your family.
BEING A PURPOSEFUL PARENT:
Parenting is one of the most important callings of our lives. We step into this life-changing process without a road map or an instruction manual. This class centers around three basic concepts for being an intentional parent. We'll discuss the purpose of parenting, the significance of our contribution, and some foundational ingredients our kids need from us. This time will also invite you to consider some important questions your kids need you to ask.
You will leave with three questions to answer on behalf of your kids, as well as instructions on some great experiential activities to do with your family. This class is designed for parents of kids from pre-school to college who want to take a more intentional, purposeful journey.
Sissy Goff only:
RAISING WORRY-FREE KIDS:
Kids are growing up in a world of worry today. Anxiety, in fact, is a childhood epidemic, affecting 1 out of every 4 children. Kids of all ages feel pressure...from the expectations around them, inside of them, and even, unknowingly, from us. What can we do to slow the epidemic for kids, in general? And, even more importantly, what can you do to calm the worry-related meltdowns and help your child find the confidence to fight his or her own brand of Worry Monster?
In this seminar, you’ll gain:
Understanding the what’s and why’s in terms of the differences between anxiety and worry, and where your child is on the continuum
How to help practically with tools to overcome the worry that he or she will inevitably face
Hope as your child discovers a sense of confidence that is stronger than any worry this age of anxiety can bring
Children need understanding, help, and hope. You can make a profound difference
in their journey to finding all three. You will come out of this seminar feeling not only more confident in your parenting, but in your ability to help them discover all of the courage that is already inside of them.
THE WORRY-FREE PARENT
In three decades of counseling kids and families, we have never seen kids as anxious as today. But we’ve also never seen parents as anxious—or feel as much pressure—or even as much like failures as they do today. We’re ready to change the statistics and stop the spread of anxiety in our homes. In this seminar, we’re going to do just that. We’ll talk about the unlikely ways anxiety impacts us and, in turn, the kids we love. We’ll offer practical, easy-to- implement ideas that you can use today to stop those anxious thoughts in the moment. And we’ll talk together about some foundational truths that can free you to not only parent with more confidence, but to be the parent you truly long to be.