Ben Landers is a K-12 certified Physical Education teacher and has been teaching K-5th PE since 2007. Ben started the website ThePEspecialist.com in 2014 in an effort to provide an amazing resource for teachers. He has a passion for kids and teaching quality physical education lessons that will empower students to be the best they can be. Being a PE teacher is such a great opportunity to have a positive impact on the kids that you teach, but his hope is to also impact more students by providing ...
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 12
Looking for some family friendly places to take your kids around the Rochester area? Joanna Whitbeck is the founder of Tots In Roc, an online platform dedicated to highlighting all of the amazing places in Greater Rochester to spend time with your kids. She does an excellent job providing you with the essential information and photos for each destination, making it really easy to know what to expect and make your decision. I chose to interview Joanna for the show because I think she has done a p...
Jul 06, 2020•27 min•Ep. 11
Iben Sandahl is an internationally renowned public speaker, psychotherapist, and educator. She's also the best-selling author of the books "The Danish Way of Parenting", "Play the Danish Way", and "Hold My Hand". You can find more of her writings featured in Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal and many more. I had an amazing conversation with Iben about parenting, and learned some great tips on raising your kids to live more independent, resilient, and happier lives. She ex...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 10
Jon Schnaufer is the General Manager of RocVentures indoor climbing gym in Rochester, NY. They have been in business since 1995, and offer a wide range of climbing opportunities to people of all ages. Jon also runs the adaptive climbing program which offers individuals with mental and physical disabilities unique and rewarding challenges they won't experience anywhere else! Jon and I talk about how he believes climbing is one of the greatest sports for kids and can help build confidence. He also...
Jun 22, 2020•37 min•Ep. 9
The Brand X Method™ has been in the business of doing what's best for kids and teens for over 20 years. I have been an avid follower of them for much of that time, using their methodology in my PE classes and while coaching. Their approach to youth fitness is refreshing; when others are trying to get their kids to specialize and increase movement intensity, they are doing the opposite. This allows them to build a more solid and well-rounded foundation, being able to apply that to whatever activi...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 8
Want to know what college recruiters are looking for in their athletes? Should you specialize in a sport at a young each to reach that level? The State University of New York College at Brockport has been a powerhouse in the Division III Men's Basketball scene for years. Their fast-paced style of play has produced 9 conference championship teams and several appearances in the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. One of those appearances was in the 2006-2007 season where they reached the El...
Jun 08, 2020•44 min•Ep. 7
Carl Paoli has been at the forefront of the movement scene for decades. His career started as an accomplished gymnast in Spain, then transitioned to California where he started GymnasticsWod, and finally moved to Freestyle Connection and Lifestyle Design. I've been a big fan of Carl's for years, ever since I started trying to figure out how to do a handstand pushup without killing myself. He is an excellent teacher, philosophical thinker, and a humble human being looking to form deep connections...
Jun 01, 2020•55 min•Ep. 6
I had such an awesome conversation with Takaharu and Yui, and you can easily get a feel for the passion they have for what they do and trying to create the best environment possible for kids. They give us the 'why' behind many of the design elements of Fuji Kindergarten that I hadn't heard before, and I believe we can use many of those same principles in schools around the world, no matter the design. I hope you enjoy listening this episode as much as I did, and if we have earned it, please cons...
May 18, 2020•57 min•Ep. 5
Nate VanKouwenberg is the owner/founder of Next Level Strength and Conditioning in Fairport, NY. He is also the strength and conditioning coach for the RIT Men's Hockey team, and a physical education teacher at Victor Central Schools. Since its opening in 2004, Next Level has become one of the premier sports performance facilities in Western New York. Listen in as Nate shares how he manages the variety of different things he's involved in, and how play is a crucial part of athletic development. ...
May 04, 2020•54 min•Ep. 4
Joonas Niemi is the Project Manager for the Schools on the Move project in Finland. The objective of the program is to increase physical activity in schools across the country, and it is now being implemented in more than 90% of Finnish schools. Finland is widely regarded as having one of the best education systems in the world, and I believe the way they prioritize movement and play is a key factor in that success. Joonas explains to us the ways they have been trying to increase physical activi...
Apr 20, 2020•29 min•Ep. 3
In this episode we talk with Guy Thorne of FuturPointe dance, and a former member of Garth Fagan dance. FuturPointe is a reggae-ballet dance company based out of Rochester, NY that blends a ton of different disciplines and styles into one dynamic show. Guy is the co-founder of the company along with his wife N'Jelle, and together with their dancers have performed all around the world including Trinidad, the Bahamas, San Diego, and London. Guy shares with us how he got started in dance and why it...
Apr 06, 2020•59 min•Ep. 2
Dr. Debbie Rhea is a full professor in Kinesiology and Associate Dean of Research and Health Sciences in HCNHS at Texas Christian University. She prepares K-12 physical education teachers and is fully invested in her newest research called LiiNK (Let’s inspire innovation ‘N kids) which examines whole child development through the addition of unstructured, outdoor play breaks and character development in the schools daily. In this episode we draw on her decades of experience as an educator, and t...
Apr 06, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 1
