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Mess Makes Meaning
Caring for young children's spirituality is a delicate balance and can often be made more difficult when we grown-ups don't care for ourselves. Struggling through religious or church related trauma or even feelings of inadequacy when it comes to answering our children's big questions. At Mess Makes Meaning we are here to equip the parents/caregivers to remind them and their children they are deeply loved by interviewing some guests who are professionals in this vital work. With relatable humor from hosts and guests alike, this podcast is for you and created by Godly Play®
Mess Makes Meaning
Connection Through Play with Child Life Specialist Brittany Luther
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In this episode of Mess Makes Meaning, hosts Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro explore the meaning we can find in the messiness of play, and how children use play as a powerful language for processing life’s deepest joys, questions, and challenges.
Joy opens the conversation by reflecting on the heart of the podcast—making meaning out of messy and beautiful life while nurturing children’s spirituality through wonder, story, rhythm, and play. Raenelle introduces today’s focus on play and the ways it helps children communicate and make sense of their inner worlds.
Their guest, Brittany Luther, a Certified Child Life Specialist with nearly 20 years of experience working with infants, children, adolescents, and families in hospital settings—including emergency care and oncology—joins the conversation to share her expertise on the role of play in healing and connection.
Together, they explore what a child life specialist does and how play becomes a vital tool for helping children express what they cannot always put into words. Brittany reflects on what first drew her to this work and how she came to understand play as a language for healing, especially in medical environments where children are navigating fear, grief, and uncertainty.
The conversation also turns toward caregivers themselves—how adults can stay grounded while witnessing a child’s pain, how to care for their own emotional wellbeing, and what it means to be a “conduit” rather than a container for others’ experiences. Brittany offers gentle, practical ways for parents and caregivers to check in with themselves and remain present without becoming overwhelmed.
Finally, the group discusses how parents can foster meaningful play at home—not as therapy, but as connection—and how families can use play to move through grief, suffering, and existential questions together. The episode closes with a blessing from Brittany, offering words of care and encouragement for all who are walking alongside children through both joy and struggle.