More Human. More Kind. | Parenting LGBTQ Kids, Unlearning Fear, Becoming More Human

Learn more about i love my gay kid!
Where do you go when you need a place to take a breath, and no one is waiting for you to tell your story?
In this Friday episode, Heather shares what she needed in the first years after Connor came out and couldn’t find: a low-stress, judgment-free place with no pressure to perform. She describes her first in-person parent meeting, the day her feelings stopped waiting, and how she built I Love My Gay Kid, a haven and a private, approved-membership community. The community level is free through December 31st.
In this episode you’ll learn how to:
Recognize that your own feelings can’t wait in line while you care for everyone else
Say the shortest true thing out loud, and come back within a day when it goes badly
Use a private community where you can read, listen, and stay silent as long as you want

Press play to hear why Heather built a place where parents can just take a breath.
Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!
Immerse yourself in Community - I Love My Gay Kid
Stay informed - visit my website
Join the Conversation on Substack
Read my book, Parenting with Pride.
Support the Show - Learn more here!
Watch on YouTube
Listen * Share * Review *NEW* episodes every Tuesday and Friday!
This is a place to feel messy while you're figuring it out.
At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and grow their capacity for courageous connection.
For parents, allies, and those pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heartwarming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.
Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in, I see you. And I’m so glad you’re on this journey with me.

Have you done everything you can to make sure your vote counts today?
It’s Election Day, and Heather keeps it simple: vote, then take care of yourself and the people you love. She walks through what to do if something goes wrong at your polling place, and reminds you how recently so many Americans fought for the right to vote. She also offers a few thoughts to carry with you while the results come in, however long that takes.
In this episode you’ll learn how to:
Make sure your vote counts today, including what to do if you’re told you’re not on the rolls
Help one more person vote, and talk with your kids before the results come in, not after
Take care of yourself and your family while the count continues, including when to stop watching results

Press play for a simple Election Day guide to voting, helping one more person, and protecting your peace tonight.
vote.org
Election Protection Hotline - 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!
Immerse yourself in Community - I Love My Gay Kid
Stay informed - visit my website
Join the Conversation on Substack
Read my book, Parenting with Pride.
Support the Show - Learn more here!
Watch on YouTube
Listen * Share * Review *NEW* episodes every Tuesday and Friday!
This is a place to feel messy while you're figuring it out.
At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and grow their capacity for courageous connection.
For parents, allies, and those pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heartwarming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.
Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in, I see you. And I’m so glad you’re on this journey with me.

What do you say to the voice that tells you that you haven’t done enough?
This is the Friday companion to Tuesday’s episode on activism fatigue, recorded for the final weekend before Election Day. Heather turns that conversation into four small actions: one word, one tiny practice, one urge to resist, and one sentence for the tired advocate standing next to you. She also reads this week’s listener review.
In this episode you’ll learn how to:
Replace the voice that says you haven’t done enough with one word
Start a proof list that reminds you your work matters, and read it before bed
Resist the urge to do everything this weekend and pick just one thing
Offer the friend or fellow advocate running on fumes one sentence that shares the load

Press play for four small ways to rest and recharge before Election Day.
Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!
Immerse yourself in Community - I Love My Gay Kid
Stay informed - visit my website
Join the Conversation on Substack
Read my book, Parenting with Pride.
Support the Show - Learn more here!
Watch on YouTube
Listen * Share * Review *NEW* episodes every Tuesday and Friday!
This is a place to feel messy while you're figuring it out.
At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and grow their capacity for courageous connection.
For parents, allies, and those pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heartwarming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.
Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in, I see you. And I’m so glad you’re on this journey with me.

Is that bone-deep exhaustion you’re feeling activism fatigue, and what do you do about it a week before the election?
If you’ve spent this month learning, donating, volunteering, and having hard conversations at your dinner table, you may be running on empty. Heather names activism fatigue out loud, shares the moments she has asked herself what the point is, and draws on research from long-haul activists. She offers five practices that keep advocates going for years instead of months.
In this episode you’ll learn how to:
Understand why this exhaustion is normal and what research says about activist burnout
Find your way back when you catch yourself asking what the point is, and why that motivation can’t only come from outside of you
Use everyday practices that keep advocates going, and apply them in the final week before the election

Press play to find out how to rest, come back into balance, and keep showing up long after November 3rd.
What's the Point of a Revolution if You Can't Dance?
Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!
Immerse yourself in Community - I Love My Gay Kid
Stay informed - visit my website
Join the Conversation on Substack
Read my book, Parenting with Pride.
Support the Show - Learn more here!
Watch on YouTube
Listen * Share * Review *NEW* episodes every Tuesday and Friday!
This is a place to feel messy while you're figuring it out.
At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and grow their capacity for courageous connection.
For parents, allies, and those pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heartwarming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.
Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in, I see you. And I’m so glad you’re on this journey with me.

What if one kind comment could do for your child what one cruel comment does against them?
This is the butterfly effect episode for Tuesday’s episode on online hate. Heather turns that conversation into four small actions you can start right now. She also reads this week’s listener review and shares why the mob mentality can work in both directions.
In this episode you’ll learn how to:
Hold onto one word that reframes the antidote to online cruelty
Ask your child to show you one funny thing from their feed, with no lesson attached
Resist the urge to pile on in your own comment sections this election season
Say one sentence that tells your child they can always come back to you, and won’t lose their phone for it

Press play for four small ways to help your LGBTQ child feel seen online and at home.
Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!
Immerse yourself in Community - I Love My Gay Kid
Stay informed - visit my website
Join the Conversation on Substack
Read my book, Parenting with Pride.
Support the Show - Learn more here!
Watch on YouTube
Listen * Share * Review *NEW* episodes every Tuesday and Friday!
This is a place to feel messy while you're figuring it out.
At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and grow their capacity for courageous connection.
For parents, allies, and those pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heartwarming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.
Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in, I see you. And I’m so glad you’re on this journey with me.