Northbrook Next Gen Podcast

Marriage Tools

What are the building blocks of a healthy marriage? 
Host Jon Mahlstedt sits down with Paul and Jeri Robertson, who have spent years investing in and mentoring marriages. Together they discuss the role of shared faith in marriage, how to navigate seasons of spiritual misalignment, practical advice for younger couples, and when it’s time to seek help for your relationship. 
This conversation offers practical wisdom and encouragement for couples in every season of life. Whether you're newly married, or have been together for decades, you'll find valuable insights on building a relationship that grows stronger through every stage of the journey.

Understanding Emerging Adults

What does it mean to be a young adult today? In this episode, host Jon Mahlstedt sits down with Steven Argue from the Fuller Youth Institute for an honest conversation about the unique challenges emerging adults face in today’s world. Together, they discuss common misconceptions about young adults, shifting life milestones, faith crises, mentorship, and the important role both parents and the church play in creating spaces where young adults feel seen, valued, and supported.
This conversation is an encouraging reminder that it’s never too early—or too late—to strengthen relationships, ask meaningful questions, and walk alongside the next generation with grace, understanding and curiosity.

Maintaining a Strong Relationship with Your Kids

Raising kids doesn’t come with a manual—but wisdom helps. This month, host Jon Mahlstedt sits down with Northbrook Lead Pastor, Mike Bellanti, for an honest conversation about building lasting relationships with your kids. Drawing from his experience raising two, now adult children, Mike shares hard-earned wisdom and practical strategies for cultivating connection, trust, and respect through a biblical lens. Together, they explore the essential do’s and don’ts of parenting as well as tools and habits you can begin to prayerfully implement over time as your children grow.

The Top Ten Parenting Questions

Parenting comes with a lot of questions. In this episode, we explore the top ten parenting questions I’ve been asked over the years, and share practical wisdom and encouragement for the journey of raising kids.

A Journey of Foster Care and Adoption

My guests for this episode are Paul and Katie Bernard.  Whether you are thinking about foster care, whether you are in the trenches of foster care, or just curious, you will enjoy this conversation.  Paul and Katie have been foster parents of 15 children, 5 of which they have adopted.
Resource: Connecting Bridges Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CBMilwaukee 

Helping Your Child Win the Mental Health Battle

In this episode, Jenny Heckman, Pastor of Care, joins me for an honest and hopeful conversation designed to encourage and equip parents—not burden them.  In this episode, we talk about:• Why parents still know their kids best• Simple, powerful habits that support mental health• The real impact of social media on kids’ brains• When to step in—and when to seek help• How faith, hope, and connection make a difference.

Sports, Schedules, and Finding Sabbath

Between sports, school events, church activities, and everything in between—family life is BUSY. But is all this activity helping or hurting us?In this honest and practical episode, Pastor Jon Mahlstedt (NextGen Pastor at Northbrook Church) and Pastor Zack Casper (Associate Pastor at Fulton Church) sit down for a real conversation about the silent killer of busyness. They talk about the toll it’s taking on parents, kids, and faith—and how we can fight back with intentional rhythms that honor God.💬 Why is busyness so normalized in Christian families?🙇‍♂️ What does it look like to steward your time for God’s glory?📅 How can we start reclaiming margin in our homes?🎧 Tune in now and join the conversation.

Why are Students Leaving the Church?

Why are so many students walking away from their faith after high school? As a Next Gen Pastor, Pastor Jon has seen the trends, had the conversations, and wrestled with the reality that too many young people disengage from church after graduation. In this episode, he unpacks five key reasons why this is happening—and what we can do about it. Whether you're a parent, pastor, or student, this conversation will challenge and encourage you to rethink how we disciple the next generation.Tune in and let’s talk about it!

Interview with Terra Mattson

Today Pastor Jon interviews our upcoming Equip Parenting Conference speaker, Terra Mattson. Terra is a licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional counselor, clinical supervisor, executive coach, social entrepreneur, and co-founder of Living Wholehearted and Courageous Girls alongside her husband, Jeff.
We are thrilled she will be at Northbrook March 7/8 for our Equip parenting conference, and excited to let our audience get to know Terra a little bit before next month!
Here is the link to register for the conference and Pastor Jon's email to be entered into a drawing to win a free ticket to the conference!
Conference registration page (scroll to bottom of page)
Pastor Jon's email
Here is the link to Terra's book and website.
Courageous book
Terra's website

Four Battles Students Face

Welcome to helping students in 2025! We all want to help the young people in our lives, but helping starts with understanding. In this episode Pastor Jon dives into four battles students are facing right now and how parents and loved ones can support them.