Tika Sumpter’s One Parenting Rule for Raising Daughter Ella (Exclusive)

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

With candy, “I’m like, let her have it,” she says of 7-year-old daughter Ella-Loren, who she shares with husband Nicholas James. “If it’s not hurting her and we don’t feed her like that all the time, let her enjoy it, who cares?”

The Knuckles star, 44, tells PEOPLE sweets aren’t the only thing Ella’s into these days. Her little one is now the inspiration behind Sumpter’s new podcast Adventures of Curiosity Cove, which debuts Sept. 9 on all podcast platforms.

“It came about because we were watching a bunch of baby videos and saw how much we used to tell Ella stories,” she says of her and James, 40, whom she tied the knot with in 2022. “We already do a lot of voice overs so we thought to create a special place for kids to use their imagination through listening.”

And as a mom, she says good listening is her top must-do. “The one thing I always try to do as a parent is actively listen to her when she has something to say,” she says. “Talking over her sometimes feels like what I have to say is way more important.”

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

Sumpter is a bit more traditional when it comes to her thoughts on how her daughter should speak to her. “There’s no talking back, like when she’s being the smart aleck,” says the star. “I’m like ‘Girl, no. Who are you talking to?’ She’s also funny and will make me laugh and I have to stop myself. But yea, that’s the one thing I don’t put up with.”

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That said, Ella’s going to be putting her voice to use on the new podcast, though 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 very end, you can hear her say, ‘This is a Fort Sumpter production’. Her voice is so great.”