Survival Mode Parenting: LGBTQ Mental Health Guidance for Every Ally and Advocate

You are not overreacting. You are responding to a real crisis—and you deserve support.

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If you’re an parent or ally of an LGBTQ+ kid who feels like the last few months or even years have been hellish, this episode is for you.

This is guidance for the parent who has been white-knuckling through crisis, carrying fear, grief, and exhaustion in silence while trying to protect their child’s mental health and safety.

In this raw and honest episode of More Human, More Kind, Heather names what so many families experience but rarely say out loud: when parenting becomes a full-time emergency.

If you’ve been living in survival mode: managing self-harm, ER visits, intensive treatment, runaway fear, constant hypervigilance, and the invisible emotional labor of advocacy, this episode offers grounded practical support, deep empathy, and a reminder that you are not failing… you are overloaded.

Heather speaks directly to:

1. the mom or caregiver who hasn’t had a normal Tuesday in years
2. the parent trying to lead with love while holding impossible family dynamics
3. the advocate who wants to stay open minded, but is running out of fuel

You’ll walk away with:

1. A clear understanding of how chronic crisis impacts your child, your identity as a parent, and your nervous system
2. Language to stop minimizing what’s happening and begin choosing healing
3. A reminder that numbness isn’t “coldness,” it’s your brain trying to survive
4. A compassionate lens on how crisis affects your whole family, including boundaries and sibling needs
5. A stronger sense of what real community support and education can look like when you’re in over your head

This episode reinforces a powerful truth:

Allyship is not passive. It’s protection. It’s action. It’s creating real inclusion and safety, especially when your child is struggling.

Press play now for honest LGBTQ guidance that supports you as a parent, an ally, and a human being.

And if you’re ready for deeper support, click here to learn about Heather’s private coaching, because you don’t have to do this alone.

✅ Share this episode with another parent, advocate, or ally who needs a reminder:

You are not overreacting. You are responding to a real crisis—and you deserve support.

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 foster courageous, compassionate connection.

If you’re in the thick of parenting, allyship, or 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 and space where a mom and mental health advocate offers guidance on parenting with empathy, inclusion, and open-minded allyship, fostering growth, healing, and empowerment within the LGBTQ community—including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—while addressing grief, boundaries, education, diversity, human rights, gender identity, sexual orientation, social justice, and the power of human kindness through a lens of ally support and community engagement.