Last reviewed September 30, 2026. This is a living guide, and we may update it as we keep listening.
How do we raise children who know they are loved before they have achieved, behaved, or proved anything?
That question sits under most of what we write here. The conversations below bring spiritual formation, household practices, connection, and discernment into the same listening queue.
A quick note on how to read this list. "Identity-first parenting" is our lens at AlreadyLoved, not a phrase any of these speakers use or endorse. These picks are independent. None of the speakers or shows are partners of ours, and none have endorsed AlreadyLoved. We simply found these episodes worth your time. Please listen on the original show pages linked below.
Spiritual formation
Dr. Michelle Anthony with Megan Estes: "Becoming a Spiritually Healthy Family and Avoiding the 6 Dysfunctional Parenting Styles" Only Love Today, February 24, 2025. A helpful mirror for parents who want to notice their own patterns before they try to shape their child's faith. Listen to the episode
Dr. Michelle Anthony: "Discipling Children Across Life Stages" Raising Young Disciples (Our Daily Bread), February 26, 2026. Worth hearing if you wonder how faith conversations change as a little one grows from toddler to school age. Listen to the episode
Dr. Michelle Anthony: "Helping Kids to Hear God" Hole in My Heart, May 28, 2021. An older conversation that still feels fresh, about making room for a child's own relationship with God rather than handing them ours secondhand. Listen to the episode
Family rhythms
Justin Whitmel Earley: "Forming Healthy Family Habits and Rhythms" Teach Your Children Well, June 23, 2025. A practical listen on how ordinary routines, like meals and bedtime, can quietly carry what a family believes. Listen to the episode
Justin Whitmel Earley: "Habits, Grace, and Parenting" The Brainy Moms, March 10, 2026. Good company for tired parents, holding structure and grace together instead of choosing one. Listen to the episode
Justin Whitmel Earley: "The Process of Becoming" The More Than Enough Podcast (CAFO), March 10, 2026, recorded at CAFO 2025. This conversation comes from a foster care and adoption ministry setting. Those families carry their own stories and needs, so we suggest listening with that context in mind rather than treating it as general parenting advice. Listen to the episode
Connection and discernment
Chris Coursey: "The 4 Habits of Raising Joy-Filled Kids" Only Love Today, December 15, 2024. A warm conversation about relational joy, and about how being glad to be with your child can shape the home. Listen to the episode
Nellie Harden: "Helping Daughters Know Their Worth in a Worth-Chasing World" Christian Homeschool Moms (now Christian Moms Café). For parents of girls who feel the pull of comparison early and want to talk about worth before the world does. Listen to the episode
Kathy Gibbens: "Raising Kids Who Can Discern the Truth in a Confusing World" (Part 2) Upside-Down Parenting (Summit Ministries), July 17, 2026. Useful for thinking ahead about how children learn to weigh the voices they hear. Listen to the episode
Our lens at AlreadyLoved
We believe a child's identity begins in God. It does not begin in our plans as parents, and it does not rest on a child's performance.
That belief is personal for us. Aimee and Batsirai became parents unexpectedly while in Bible college. Since then, one question has stayed with us: how do we make sure "unplanned" never becomes "unwanted" in a child's heart? We don't claim a formula or a guaranteed outcome. We just keep coming back to the Father's love, told again and again in a voice a child already trusts.
You can hear more of that story in this conversation on YouTube, or visit our podcast page if you host a show.