Catherine Cowell talks with Val Mullally—author, parent educator, and SuperVision facilitator based in rural Ireland—about creating psychologically safe spaces for children (and really, for everyone).

Val shares how her own journey through emotional intelligence and neuroscience shaped her parenting philosophy: leading from love, not fear.

They discuss sensory sensitivity (how overwhelmed senses often drive "misbehaviour"), the difference between genuine affirmation and empty praise, and helping kids name and process emotions like anger rather than suppress them.

Val introduces her TRAKC model—Trust, Resonance, Authenticity, Kindness, Candour—for building psychological safety, emphasizing that rupture and repair (not perfection) build real trust, and that trust can't be demanded, only earned.

The conversation weaves together parenting, leadership, and supervision, showing how the same principles that help struggling children apply to all relationships.

It's a warm, reflective conversation blending psychology, faith, and decades of hands-on experience with children and adults alike.

Useful links:

Loved Called Gifted website

Your podcast platform may well give you a transcript, but if you want an edited, rather than an automatically produced transcript, you can find one here.

Val's website

Join Val's newsletter to keep in touch with new book releases and other resources.

Find Val on LinkedIn

Follow Val on Instagram

Here is where you can find and buy Val's books.

Loved Called Gifted Podcast: Toni Blaze on Treat Boxes and Chocolates to Cherish

Catherine Cowell chats with Toni Blaze at her shop in Trentham Gardens about her journey from a 23-year career in veterinary marketing to running her own fudge and treat business, Treat Boxes and Chocolates to Cherish.

Toni traces her creative streak back to childhood, and how that instinct for presentation and creativity carried through into her career, where she spent over two decades doing marketing for a large veterinary organisation, all while baking and cake decorating as a beloved hobby on the side. That hobby reached a real milestone in 2016 when she won gold at Cake International with a hand-sculpted, fairy-tale-inspired mouse-in-a-tree-trunk cake, an idea she dreamed up while walking near Cannock Chase.

The real turning point came in 2023, when Toni was made redundant after 23 years in her job. It was a devastating blow, but with the steady support of her partner, who runs his own business, she began to seriously consider turning her fudge-making passion into a livelihood.

Today, Toni makes over 36 flavours of fudge, from firm favourites like chocolate peanut butter to a newly developed Turkish delight, and even a liquorice flavour she wouldn't have chosen herself but which customers kept requesting. The biggest surprise hit, though, has been chocolate-covered pork scratchings, affectionately dubbed "Pork Chocs." The idea came together almost by accident one evening on the sofa with her husband, ahead of a Black Country-themed event, and it sold out within the hour. The product has since taken on a life of its own, even catching the attention of comedian Johnny Cole, who now helps promote it.

Throughout the conversation, Toni speaks candidly about the emotional highs and lows of building a business from scratch, the pressure of turning a beloved hobby into something that has to pay the bills, and the ongoing challenge of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. She reflects on learning to be a little easier on herself over time, and on the joy of building the business alongside her husband as genuine creative partners. The episode closes with Toni sharing what she finds most rewarding: helping people create thoughtful, personalised gifts that bring real joy to both the giver and the recipient.

Transcript

For the 90th episode of the podcast, Loved Called Gifted is joining with the Raise podcast in a joint venture, with, rather excitingly, two podcast episodes. To get the second one, which will be released the following day, you will need to hop across to the Raise podcast to hear Carol interviewing Catherine about the creative possibilities of doubt.

In this episode, Catherine talks with Carol Barwick, founder of Raise and host of the Raise Podcast. Carol shares how creativity became both an outlet and a lifeline during a sometimes challenging childhood, leading to a lifelong passion for writing, music, and helping others find confidence and self-expression.

The conversation explores Carol’s faith journey, from her early experiences in Anglican and Quaker communities to discovering her own voice as a teenager. Carol also reflects candidly on the profound impact of long COVID, which transformed her active ministry and left her navigating disability, loss, and uncertainty.

Together, Catherine and Carol discuss faith, doubt, healing, identity, and what it means to have value beyond what we do. It's a moving and honest conversation about learning to trust God's love, even when life changes in ways we never expected.

Transcript

Loved Called Gifted website

Facebook