Is your school community confusing “nice” with “kind” and leaving LGBTQ students unsupported in the process?
As a new school year begins, many of us want to build more inclusive classrooms and communities, but surface-level politeness won’t get us there. This episode challenges parents, educators, and allies to embrace kindness as a courageous, everyday act that builds true safety and connection.
- Learn the key difference between being “nice” and practicing real kindness in school settings
- Get ready-to-use scripts for handling misgendering, exclusion, and passive comments with compassion and clarity
- Discover simple ways to raise children who lead with empathy and protect their peers with quiet courage
Press play to learn how kindness can become a bold tool for change—and how you can model and teach it this school year.
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
Resource: Welcoming Schools – Back-to-School Kindness Resources
Why it matters: This toolkit includes class posters, conversation starters, book lists, and sample lessons to help schools and families build inclusive environments from day one.
Other resources to explore:
- Teaching Tolerance (Learning for Justice) – Culturally responsive lesson plans and conversation starters
- Kindness.org – Research-backed kindness practices for schools and communities
- StoryCorps’ “Listen Closely” LGBTQ Archive – Stories that inspire empathy, connection, and action
Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!
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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, compassionate connection.
For parents, allies, and those pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heart-warming 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 part of this journey.
More Human. More Kind. formerly Just Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen is a safe and supportive podcast in a heartfelt and empowering space where a mom and advocate offers practical guidance and education to parents and allies, fostering empathy, kindness, love, and strong boundaries while supporting LGBTQ teens and the diverse LGBTQ community—including gay, lesiban, bisexual, trans, transgender, and queer individuals—through conversations about mental health, grief, gender identity, sexual orientation, human rights, social justice, parenting, parent support, and meaningful LGBTQ allyship and allyship in action.
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