Capable Resources

Our Capable podcast series is based on our latest book, Capable —a conversation about the growing “crisis of capability” they’re seeing in kids today. Drawing from decades of counseling experience, they share why many kids feel anxious about growing up and how parents can intentionally build resilience, confidence, and emotional strength through everyday moments.

ON THE PODCAST

Ep. 356 - Raising Capable Kids: David and Sissy highlights how parents can help kids build real confidence and capability by stepping back from overprotection and giving them meaningful opportunities to try, struggle, and grow.

Ep. 357 - Increasing Kids Capacity and Capability with Jay and Katherine Wolf: Jay and Katherine Wolf share how suffering, faith, and honest family conversations can shape resilient kids who learn they have the capacity to face hard things with courage and hope.

Ep. 358 - The Crisis of Capability in Kids: Sissy and David unpack why many kids today feel less capable of handling normal life challenges and how parents can help rebuild resilience through small risks, healthy discomfort, and supportive relationships.

Ep. 359 - A Roadmap to Technology (and Fun) for Families with Catherine Price: Catherine Price explores how today’s tech-saturated world is impacting kids’ attention, mood, and development, while offering hopeful, practical ways families can help kids build fuller, more connected, and confident lives beyond screens.

Ep. 360 - The Crisis of Capability in Parents: David and Sissy challenge parents to shift from relief-driven, over-involved parenting to a more steady approach that blends empathy with boundaries, helping kids build true resilience and capability for life.

Ep. 361 - The 5 Principles of Parenting: Dr. Aliza Pressman offers a grounded, research-backed framework for raising resilient kids, reminding parents that strong relationships, clear boundaries, and allowing manageable discomfort—not perfection—are what truly build capability.

Ep. 362 - The Key Ingredients to Finding Happiness as a Family: Dr. Arthur Brooks explains that true happiness is built through intentional habits—cultivating enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning—while encouraging families to prioritize connection, purpose, and presence over distraction and achievement.

Ep. 363 - Girls' Challenges To Capability: David and Sissy unpack the emotional, relational, and anxiety-driven challenges girls face and equips parents with practical ways to help them grow in confidence, resilience, and a deep belief that they are truly capable.

Ep. 364 - Helping Girls Feel Ready and Capable in Today’s World: Kari Kampakis shares practical wisdom and encouragement for raising confident, grounded kids by helping them navigate friendships, identity, and growing up with resilience and strong values.

Ep. 365 - Boys' Challenges to Capability: This episode explores how boys build lasting capability through practicing healthy risk, learning to regulate emotions, and being allowed to struggle—so they can grow into resilient men who can handle hard things.

Ep. 366 - Helping Boys Become Capable Men: Sherman Bucher explores how today’s boys are both more open to help and more uncertain than ever, and encourages parents to build their confidence through healthy risks, real-world connection, and a redefinition of strength rooted in emotional awareness and resilience.

Ep. 367 - Capable the Toddler Years: When we resist the urge to rescue and instead allow toddlers to struggle, separate, and take on small responsibilities, we help them develop the confidence and capability they need for life.

Ep. 368 - Building Independence and Resilience in Toddlers: Zee Pendleton and Angela Rice remind us that even in a world of more anxiety and screen time, kids grow into capable, confident people when we stay present, set clear boundaries, and give them space to try, struggle, and learn.

Ep. 369 - Capable the Elementary Years with David and Sissy: Capability is built when kids face hard things with support, not when we remove the struggle.

Ep. 370 - From Trauma to Regulation to Resilience: Neurobiologist Bruce Perry explains how shifting from “what’s wrong?” to “what happened?”—while using connection, regulation, and healthy stress—can transform the way we support kids.

Ep. 371 - Capable the Middle School Years: Middle school is a pivotal season where kids build capability through real-life practice, and with rising screen use, social shifts, and self-focus, they need parents to stay close while creating opportunities for connection, responsibility, and growth.

Ep. 372 - When to Push and When to Pull Back in the Middle School Years: Dr. Lisa Damour reminds parents that resilience grows when kids are supported through discomfort rather than rescued from it, helping them build the confidence to handle hard things.

Ep. 373 - Capable the High School Years: Teenagers build true capability through healthy relationships, responsibility, resilience, and supported challenges rather than pressure, avoidance, or perfectionism.

Ep 374 - The Cornerstone of Resilience and Capability: Dr. Ken Ginsburg shares how parents can build resilience in children through strong connection, wise guidance, and the “7 Cs” framework that helps kids thrive emotionally, relationally, and independently.

Ep. 375 - Capable the Young Adult Years: David and Sissy explore how parents can help young adults build true capability by allowing them to experience discomfort, responsibility, disappointment, and real-world challenges with steady support and healthy boundaries.

Ep. 376 - Helping Teenagers and Young Adults Find Their True Identity and Capabilities: Alena Pitts Franklin shares how grief, faith, and authentic encouragement helped her grow into a confident and capable young woman while offering parents practical wisdom for helping girls find their identity in God instead of culture.

Ep. 377 - The Power of Family and Staying Connected Through Adulthood: Dr. Kathy Koch joins Sissy and David to explore how parents can raise resilient, capable kids and reconnect with struggling young adults in a culture shaped by overparenting, anxiety, and technology.