As parents and caregivers we’re performing the ultimate balancing act: doing everything we can to tee our kids up to thrive while navigating a fulfilling path of our own. If you’ve found yourself overwhelmed by the complexity of this dual journey and wondering where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s Begin.
Listen anywhere:
Hosted by activist, author, and mother, Jenna Arnold, in partnership with the early learning experts at Begin, each episode provides a fresh perspective on the parenting and child development topics keeping us up at night–– like parental mental health, fostering resilience, and ensuring our kids are capable, confident, and curious learners.
Hear from the creators of Sesame Street, actress Kristen Bell, licensed therapist Kier Gaines, and more as they provide reassurance and guidance–– unpacking their parenting insecurities along the way.
Stick around until the end of each episode for expert insight from Begin’s Chief Learning Officer, Dr. Jody LeVos, to help reframe growth and achievement in the classroom and beyond. Together, we’ll help you meet the milestones that matter.
While it may not always feel like it, your kids are doing great, and believe it not, so are you!
Recap
Host: Jenna Arnold
In this vulnerable and relatable introduction to Let’s Begin, host Jenna Arnold articulates the overwhelming complexity of modern parenting. She speaks directly to the parent who feels exhausted by the pressure to raise “confident, capable children” while simultaneously trying to figure out who they are in a rapidly changing world.
Jenna sets the stage for a podcast that isn’t about perfection, but about dismantling outdated standards. Partnering with the early learning experts at Begin, she invites listeners to join a conversation that reframes success, challenges the milestones we’ve been taught to chase, and unpacks the messy reality of raising both our kids and ourselves.
The Problem: The Complexity of Modern Parenting
Jenna acknowledges the anxiety parents feel trying to navigate a world that demands perfection—from well-timed “thank yous” to personal fulfillment—all while feeling unsure of their own place in it.
- The Reality: We want to set our kids up for success, but sometimes we just want to “frisbee them the iPad” and scroll for an easy answer because we are tired.
- The Struggle: How do we help our children thrive when we are still trying to convince ourselves that we matter?
The Mission: Reframing the Milestones
This podcast is a partnership with Begin, an early learning company dedicated to challenging the status quo. The goal is to move away from the metrics that cause resentment and low self-worth and toward the “milestones that actually matter.”
Jenna’s Promise:
“We, the caregivers of this era, refuse to let our children resent learning and wrestle with their self-worth the same way we might.”
Trailer Transcript
Jenna: As a parent, you might, like me, feel overwhelmed by the level of complexity required to raise confident, capable children who also perfectly time their “please” and “thank yous,” of course. Maybe it’s because we take ourselves a bit too seriously. Maybe it’s because we’re still having a hard time figuring out who we are in this rapidly changing world. So how are we supposed to help our kids thrive and know they matter when we’re still busy trying to convince ourselves of that too?
I’m eager—no, desperate—to make sure I’m teeing my kids up for their own personal success. But sometimes I just want to frisbee them the iPad across the room so I can return to scrolling for that turnkey solution to make this all easier.
Hi, I’m Jenna Arnold. I have two degrees in early childhood education, but I still can’t spell. And I have two children who are anti-sleep and have an unnerving capacity to precisely expose my insecurities and vulnerabilities.
That’s why I’ve partnered on this podcast with the experts at Begin, the early learning company that’s challenging outdated standards and reframing the milestones that actually matter.
We, the caregivers of this era, refuse to let our children resent learning and wrestle with their self-worth the same way we might. So join me alongside my guests as we unpack the reality of raising our kids and ourselves. Let’s begin.
