The actress talks about motherhood and her new children’s podcast, “Adventures of Curiosity Cove,” which was inspired by her daughter Ella-Loren and premieres on September 9

Tika Sumpter’s parenting style is a mix of new age and old school philosophies.

When it comes to sweets, “I think let her have them,” she says of her 7-year-old daughter Ella-Loren, whom she has with husband Nicholas James. “If it doesn’t hurt her and we don’t feed her like that all the time, let her enjoy it, who cares?”

The ankle The 44-year-old star tells PEOPLE that candy isn’t the only thing Ella is into these days. Her little one is now the inspiration for Sumpter’s new podcast Adventures of Curiosity Covewhich will be released on all podcast platforms on September 9th.

“It came about because we were watching a lot of baby videos and realised how often we were telling Ella stories,” she says of herself and 40-year-old James, with whom she tied the knot in 2022. “We already do a lot of voice-overs, so we thought we could create a special place for children to use their imagination by listening.”

And as a mother, she says that good listening is her top priority. “As a mother, I always try to actively listen to her when she has something to say,” she says. “When I interrupt her, sometimes it feels like what I have to say is much more important.”

But she makes sure to listen to Ella, “so that she knows that she can always trust me. I just think it’s important to listen to your child and listen to them and show them that someone is listening.”

Sumpter is a bit more traditional when it comes to her thoughts on How her daughter should talk to her. “There’s no backtalk, like when she acts like a know-it-all,” says the star. “I’ll say, ‘Girl, no. Who are you talking to?’ She’s funny too and makes me laugh, and I have to hold back. But yeah, that’s the only thing I won’t tolerate.”

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Still, Ella will use her voice in the new podcast, although not too much. “She’s a very shy girl,” says Sumpter, who named the main character of one of the show’s segments after Ella. “If you listen to the end, you can hear her say, ‘This is a Fort Sumpter production.’ Her voice is so great.”

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