How can you help your grandchildren feel safe enough to tell you what’s really going on? Shelleigh Beeson and Susan Bramlet talk with Cheryl Allman, a licensed counselor, grandmother, and Director of Counseling & Services at Homes of Hope in Lewiston, Idaho.

Cheryl introduces “felt safety,” a concept from Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®), and brings it to life with a flashlight, a worried child, and a quick check under the bed. She shares what to say when big feelings show up, how to connect when you and your grandchild have different interests, and what a do-over can sound like when you’re the one who loses your cool.

Cheryl also shares how her faith shapes the way she comes alongside families. Whether you see your grandkids on weekends or are raising them yourself, you’ll come away with simple ways to help them feel seen, heard, and loved.

Resources

• What is TBRI®? Official FAQ from Texas Christian University

• Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU

• TBRI® resources for caregivers and parents

• Homes of Hope in Lewiston, Idaho, supporting foster, adoptive, and kinship families

• Meet Cheryl Allman at Homes of Hope

Follow Fun Grandma for more conversations about intentional grandparenting and leaving a legacy of love. Find us at fun-grandma.com.

#FunGrandmaPodcast #LegacyOfLove #IntentionalGrandparenting #EmotionalSafety #TBRI

In Leave a Legacy of Love: Share Your Story, Sue and Shelleigh welcome Janet Bly, wife of the late author Stephen Bly, for a conversation about preserving personal stories for the people we love. Janet shares her experience using Storyworth to record memories—an invitation for all of us to consider the stories we want to pass down. Our guest, Janet Chester Bly, is an award-winning author, speaker, and writing mentor who has written both independently and alongside her late husband, western novelist Stephen Bly. With a heart for faith, family, and preserving memories, Janet brings a meaningful perspective to our conversation about sharing your story and leaving a legacy of love.

From childhood adventures to meaningful family moments, your memories can help the next generation know you beyond names and photographs. You don’t need a famous life to have a story worth sharing.

Join Fun Grandma for encouragement to begin telling yours. One memory, one conversation, one story at a time.

Make love your greatest aim—and leave a legacy of love.

Welcome to Season 3 of the Fun Grandma Podcast! We're kicking things off with a fresh theme that's close to our hearts: Leaving a Legacy of Love.

Susan has a new tattoo—and there's a meaningful story behind it! Her arrow tattoo represents a personal commitment to live intentionally, love generously, and leave no arrows in her quiver when her life is done. It's a powerful reminder that we each have something valuable to give to the people around us.

Shelleigh shares stories from two recent family reunions, sparking conversation about family connections, shared memories, and the relationships that shape our lives across generations.

Whether you're a grandma, a mom, or a woman who wants her life to make a difference, this conversation is an invitation to think about the legacy you're creating right now.

Because leaving a legacy of love isn't just about what happens after we're gone. It's about how we choose to love today.

Join Susan and Shelleigh for another season of laughter, encouragement, meaningful conversations, and a little Fun Grandma wisdom!

Make Love Your Greatest Aim!

🌐 www.fun-grandma.com

#FunGrandmaPodcast #LeavingALegacyOfLove #Grandparenting #IntentionalLiving #FamilyLegacy

Season 2 has given us plenty to think about—and even more to laugh about!

In this season finale, Fun Grandma hosts Susan and Shelleigh look back at some of their favorite conversations, funniest moments, and most meaningful lessons from the past season. They share the ideas that stayed with them, the wisdom they are trying to put into practice, and the ways their guests have challenged them to live with greater intention.

In this episode of the Fun Grandma Podcast, Sue and Shelleigh sit down with Billy Jeffrey of GNC in Lewiston, Idaho, for a practical and encouraging conversation about aging gracefully, supplements, goal-setting, and whole-person health. Billy helps answer common questions about wellness while reminding us that true health is more than what we take—it is also how we live, grow, and care for ourselves and others.

Dena Vrieling shares practical wisdom on how grandparents can strengthen busy families by offering support, showing up consistently, and creating joyful memories with their grandchildren.

What do kids love most about their grandmas? Sue and Shelleigh share classroom answers from children, then talk with veteran teacher Lynn Ridinger about cherishing children, listening well, and building meaningful relationships as a grandmother.

Returning guest Kristi Ottmar joins Fun Grandma to share smart Maui and Hawaii travel tips, advice for group travel, and simple mindset shifts that can make vacations more peaceful, meaningful, and connecting. Head to the blog for links to many of the resources mentioned in the episode

What’s helping us grow in this season of life? Sue and Shelleigh ask each other that question before bringing podcast producer Aidan Beeson into the conversation to talk about generational differences in music and his duo Beyond Bryden’s exciting opportunity with Plaid Dog Studios.

Author Janet Bly shares wisdom on connecting with grandchildren, grandparenting after loss, and keeping life joyful through faith, creativity, steel drums, and even rodeos. A heartfelt and practical conversation for every grandma navigating change.

#Grandparenting #FunGrandma #ChristianGrandparent
#GrandmaLife #WidowhoodJourney #FaithAndFamily
#LegacyLiving #StayYoungAtHeart #FamilyConnection
#WomenOver60 #GrandparentTips #JoyInEverySeason
#PodcastForWomen #SteelDrumsAndRodeos

After discussion their experience with family estrangement in episode 7, this mother-daughter duo now shares how God continues to use their passions to help the community at large. From a joyful ministry for special needs adults to caring for those who are homebound, this episode is full of hope, redemption, and practical ministry inspiration.

What happens when family life doesn’t look the way you hoped—but God still shows up with purpose?

In this heartfelt and hope-filled episode of the Fun Grandma Podcast, we sit down with mother-daughter duo Debbie Kyes and Rachel Ayers to talk honestly about family estrangement, multigenerational living, and building life-giving ministries out of real-life challenges.

Debbie and Rachel share their journey of navigating broken relationships, opening their home to multiple generations, and becoming catalysts for ministry in their church and community. Together, they’ve helped launch and support ministries centered on prayer, home visitation, and social gatherings for young adults with special needs—creating spaces where people feel seen, loved, and included.

We had so much to talk about we created two episodes out of this conversation. If you’ve ever wondered, “Can God still use my story?”—this episode is for you.

Christian grandmother podcast, faith and family relationships, family estrangement and healing, multigenerational living, special needs ministry, prayer ministry, home visitation ministry, women in ministry, grandma faith podcast, Christian encouragement for grandparents

A heartfelt Fun Grandma Podcast episode with BreeElla and Jaxsen on grieving the loss of a grandparent, using an Axis.org conversation guide to model meaningful family dialogue

For most of you Christmas is a “wrap” - and you are on it. For those of you like us who could use a few ideas for your celebration or for a gift or two give us a listen!! Or maybe you are listening to this in July and are prepping for next year. In any case we hope you’ll find some inspiration. We are always interested in your ideas. Send us an email or post a comment.

We had so much fun talking with Ronda about her adventures with grandchildren, what she is learning and we learned so much from her!! We hope you’ll take a moment and give it a listen to someone who has made love her greatest aim!!

Join us as we consider the question: Would you throw yourself a baby shower as a new grandparent? We also get into the rising statistic of those who live 24/7 with their grandkids. We finish up with a reflection over the first season of “Fun Grandma!!” We discuss what we have learned, some of our favorite moments and how our lives have changed for the better. It truly has been a season of learning what it means to connect with the next generation, how to show up when things get hard and trading some really fun suggestions on how to spend time with the kiddos in your life.

What would REALLY BE FUN is to hear from YOU, the listener, on what has been helpful, or meaningful. Drop us a comment or share your thoughts on our Speak Pipe account, https://www.speakpipe.com/FunGrandma, Click the link, and leave a recorded message just for us. It’s very easy, and totally free! You could also help us plan for SEASON TWO coming out in early October. Let us know things you would like to hear more about or ideas you’d like to share.

The summer season is ripe with opportunities to connect with grandchildren or any child. Susan Bramlet provides us some great ideas & reminders of what is available to us during the summer to make memories together. Be sure to listen to the end for a “reposting” of our conversation with Martie Beck! The ideas she shared in that episode were worth repeating. Whether you're a grandma looking to connect with your grandkids or a parent wanting to create tech-free fun, this episode is packed with simple, nostalgic, and screen-free summer ideas that everyone will love.

#SummerFun #FamilyConnection #FunGrandmaPodcast #IntergenerationalActivities #4thOfJuly #GrangevilleIdaho #ThriftShopping #DollarTreeHacks #FamilyOlympics