#70 What Love Requires: A Parent's Journey Supporting a Transgender Child with Cat Lindsey

What Love Requires: A Parent’s Journey Supporting a Transgender Child  What does love require when your child’s journey challenges your expectations, fears, and instincts as a parent? In this episode of the Parenting Well Podcast, Dr. Shelly Mahon talks with Cat Lindsey, mother of a transgender daughter, and Cristian Solano-Córdova of Motus Theater about *What Love Requires: Stories from Parents of Transgender and Nonbinary Adults*. Cat shares her deeply personal journey, from witnessing her daughter’s joy and self-expression, to navigating dysphoria and gender-affirming care, and learning what she needed to let go of as a parent. Cristian explains why Motus Theater uses first-person storytelling to create empathy and connection. At the heart of their conversation is a powerful reminder: “This is not about you. It’s about your child.” In This Podcast We Talk About: - Cat’s family journey and her daughter’s joy, creativity, and self-expression - What dysphoria looked like during her daughter’s high school years - Navigating gender-affirming care and hormone therapy - Advocating for your child while also working through your own fears and emotions - The expectations parents may have for their child’s future and what it can mean to let those expectations go - The experience of seeing a child’s joy and confidence return - The importance of allowing young people to express themselves fully - Learning when to step back and trust your child - The importance of finding support for the entire family - The differences between coming out today and coming out a decade ago - Why parents' voices and personal stories matter - How writing and performing a personal monologue can help others see the world through someone else's eyes - The power of authentic storytelling to create connection and empathy Resources: Motus Theater Motus Theater creates original performances designed to facilitate dialogue on critical issues through autobiographical storytelling and community engagement. Visit Motus Theater What Love Requires Learn more about *What Love Requires: Stories from Parents of Transgender and Nonbinary Adults*, including the stories and performances that make up the project. Learn more about What Love Requires See What Love Requires in Lafayette Motus Theater & the Parent Engagement Network present *What Love Requires* Saturday, November 14, 2026 6:30 to 8:30 PM The Collective Community Arts Center Lafayette, Colorado For more information and event details: Motus Theater Events Cat Lindsey's Monologue, "Joy to the World" Cat's monologue tells the story of a mother celebrating her transgender daughter's innate joy, musical brilliance, and fearless self-expression. She also reflects on how that joy diminished during high school as her daughter experienced dysphoria, and what Cat learned after witnessing her daughter's joy return following gender-affirming care. Cat's story offers an honest look at parenting, advocacy, regret, growth, and the process of learning to see your child's experience through their eyes. Meet Our Guests Cat Lindsey Cat Lindsey is a Colorado native and former professional actor who has spent the last couple of decades working in the nonprofit sector. She now works in the renewable energy industry, a transition she jokes will last “at least until I get replaced by AI.” Cat is the mother of a transgender daughter, and her personal story is featured in Motus Theater's *What Love Requires* through her monologue, “Joy to the World.” Cristian Solano-Córdova Cristian Solano-Córdova (he/they) is the Director of Communications, Outreach, and Development for Motus Theater, a Colorado-based nonprofit that uses autobiographical storytelling to foster dialogue, build empathy, and inspire social change. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, Cristian is a Denver-based DACA recipient who has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of immigrant rights, criminal legal reform, and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. He helped bring *What Love Requires* from concept to stage. Parenting Well Takeaway Our children are not here to fulfill the future we imagined for them. Parenting sometimes means confronting our own fears, expectations, disappointments, and desire to protect, then asking a more important question: What does my child need from me right now? Cat's story reminds us that supporting our children doesn't require us to have every answer. It requires us to listen, stay curious, be honest with ourselves, seek support, and make room for our children to become fully themselves. And sometimes, love requires letting go.