We're craving those few people who know us and love us no matter what. -Shasta Nelson In Episode 40, I talk with Shasta Nelson, M.Div. Shasta is a leading expert on friendship. Her spirited and soulful voice for strong female relationships can be found in her books Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Health and Happiness and Friendships Don’t Just Happen! The Guide to Creating a Meaningful Circle of GirlFriends . She is Founder of GirlFriendCircles.com , her tribe of women commit...
Jun 08, 2018•35 min
A lot of what I teach is helping parents understand their children as people. The best way to be happy in your parenting is to recognize that your child is a person and to respect them and expect that respect in return. -Karen Lock Kolp In Episode 38, I have a fun chat with Karen Lock Kolp, M.Ed. of the We Turned Out Okay website and podcast . Karen is an early childhood development expert and parent coach. On her website and podcast, Karen helps worried and hovering parents by bring reassuring,...
May 25, 2018•29 min
"It soon hit me that all of the best parenting classes in the world are not going to work if you – the mother – are feeling stressed out, unsupported, overwhelmed or aren’t taking care of yourself properly. When some parts of your life are not running smoothly, it has a knock on effect on everything else ." -Kelly Pietrangeli In Episode 36, I talk with Kelly Pietrangeli, founder and "Mama Motivator" of the Project Me for Busy Mothers website and author of the brand new book by the same name. We ...
May 11, 2018•23 min
"It seems like we have a lot more patience as a family for each other." "We noticed that he started sleeping better. His personality shifted. He wasn't nervous all the time. He was just that kid that was always active, always moving, always really nervous, and when we removed that piece from the equation, we didn't know if it was technology removal or if he's just more relaxed, but we were sticking to it!" -Jill Stribling In Episode 35, I'm talking with educator and mom Jill Stribling about her ...
May 04, 2018•27 min
"When you're applying to college, there's a big focus on the name of the school, the statistics of the school, and the rankings of the school, which is important in some sense, but it didn't end up being as important for me." -Hannah Episode 34 is a follow up to Episode 21: Advice on the College Application and Selection Process . I'm talking with my daughter Charlotte and her friend Hannah about their college journey, which for both of them included transferring after their freshman year. Quest...
Apr 27, 2018•36 min
You decide as a family what's important...Every single thing can't be important. You have to pick a few things that are in alignment with your family's values and then really, really be consistent with them. Maria Horner In Episode 33, I'm with Maria Horner talking about more of her "Jedi Mom Tricks!" Listen here if you missed Jedi Mom Tricks (Part 1)! In this episode, Maria shares more of her "Jedi Mom Tricks." These are important lessons Maria has learned as a parent and as a summer camp direc...
Apr 20, 2018•34 min
It's those deep relationships that are formed at summer camp that really have a dramatic influence on them. -Stephen Gray Wallace In Episode 32, I’m talking with Stephen Gray Wallace about his recent article for Teen Life : 10 Reasons Why High School Students Will Get a Lot from Summer Camp. Adolescents' Three Primary Developmental Tasks Forming an identity Gaining independence from parents Making friends The Top 10 Outcomes of Experiential Learning at Camp “Camp is an experience every child des...
Apr 13, 2018•24 min
You’re not alone. Whatever struggle you're facing and however hard it feels to you right now, I’m confident that with support you can get through it. And I’m 100% confident that you’re not the first or only parent to have slipped up in all the ways you have slipped up, nor are you the only parent to have a child who does X or behaves in Y way. So you really aren’t alone and we are our here to support you and help life go better for you and your family. -Tosha Schore In Episode 31, I'm talking wi...
Apr 06, 2018•38 min
"Durable means to be effective for as long as possible - in your mind, your body, and also in your relationships with other people. It’s being strong and secure and moving forward, taking in and reacting to the experiences you have along the way but continue to stand strong through it all." -Jenifer Joy Madden In Episode 30, I'm talking with Jenifer Joy Madden about her book, How To Be a Durable Human: Revive and Thrive in the Digital Age Through the Power of Self-Design . Madden is a health and...
Mar 30, 2018•32 min
Instead of telling kids what to do, we have the kids tell us what to do. It’s an empowering experience to let kids think that way from a young age. -Paul Dreyer In Episode 29, I'm chatting with Kyle Littman (COO) and Paul Dreyer (CEO) of Avid 4 Adventure. Kyle and Paul are both passionate about empowering kids to choose an outdoor, active lifestyle away from screens. Avid4Adventure is a program for kids in Colorado and California. They teach every kid—from first-time adventurers to experienced a...
Mar 23, 2018•29 min
In Episode 28 of the podcast, I'm back with my good friend Sara Kuljis talking about being strengths-focused parents. Sara is the owner and director of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp . Sara offers popular parenting workshops in Southern California. In this episode, we're talking about the importance of focusing on our kids' strengths. Ideas for Building Strengths Here are a few of the topics we discussed: Helping kids identify natural talents, the way they are made. "Tell ...
Mar 16, 2018•29 min
"We are highly focused on promoting favorable youth outcomes, things like positive identity formation, character development, leadership, civic engagement, social entrepreneurship, media and financial literacy, conflict resolution.... and we're focused on prevention, working on issues like youth suicide, prescription drug use by young people, the opioid epidemic, those types of things." Stephen Wallace Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) About Stephen Gray Wallace In Episode 27, ...
Mar 09, 2018•20 min
“Parents are bombarded by technology. We’re all under a lot of pressure. But we’ve somehow lost all sense about parenting when it comes to screens. And we have sense when it comes to other things. Our kids don’t ask us for chocolate cake for breakfast every morning. And you know why? Because we’ve created the expectation that breakfast involves cereal and eggs and toast and fruit, and that’s it. With technology, if we create the expectation in our home that we don’t have screens on weeknights or...
Mar 02, 2018•28 min
"We want kids to learn to love the game." -Steve Proulx In Episode 25, I'm talking with Steve Proulx and Susan Reeder, the husband and wife team, along with daughter Aimee Reeder, who have owned and directed Carmel Valley Tennis Camp for the past 24 years. Questions for parents to ask about sports/specialty camp programs Is the camp accredited by the American Camp Association? The primary purpose of the ACA-accreditation program is to educate camp owners and directors in the administration of ke...
Feb 23, 2018•34 min
This episode of the podcast is an excerpt from my interview with Jessica Alexander, co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting. When we’re so immersed in our own culture, we rarely take the time to step outside our ways and see if there may be some things we can learn from others, like a de-emphasis on competitive sports for kids. In The Danish Way of Parenting (subtitled, “What the Happiest People in the World Know About Raising Confident, Capable Kids”), authors Jessica Alexander and Iben Sandah...
Feb 16, 2018•17 min
My regular (and super-fun and wise) podcast guest, Sara Kuljis of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp , joined me on Facebook Live for this month's One Simple Thing topic: Peaceful Mornings. You can read more ideas in this month's post: 10 Solutions for Chaotic Mornings . This podcast is the audio from Sara's and my Facebook Live discussion about creating more peaceful mornings with your family. A few (of many) excellent tips from Sara: Solve one little problem. Let them face t...
Feb 07, 2018•16 min
These really aren't 'tricks.'... In order for any of this stuff to work...you have to have a strong relationship with the kids you're trying to use these on. -Maria Horner In Episode 22, Maria Horner shares some of the important lessons she's learned as a mom and now passes along to her summer staff each year during counselor training at Catalina Island Camps . "You know, those 'Jedi Mom Tricks' that you do to control my mind without ever yelling or getting mad." -Nick Horner Jedi Mom Trick #1: ...
Jan 24, 2018•30 min
"For me, I grew more appreciative of everything I have...I also learned that I am a happier and better person when I am outside and don't have my phone ." Charlotte, talking about what she learned on her gap semester in Costa Rica This week, I dropped my daughter off at her second college (the one she transferred to this year as a sophomore). She has several friends who also decided to transfer schools after their freshman year, so I know her college experience is not as unique as it seems. On o...
Jan 17, 2018•28 min
A 'Yes Brain' is one that is open and receptive and resilient. It's one that, even when something is really hard, we're willing to stick with it. -Tina Payne Bryson In Episode 20, I'm chatting with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson about her latest book - The Yes Brain - co-authored with Dr. Daniel Siegel. I love this book and highly recommend that every parent, educator, and person who works with kids read it this year. I found it to be helpful not just in my work with kids but in understanding myself (and...
Jan 09, 2018•26 min
Earlier this year, I devoured Devorah Heitner's book Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World during a single plane trip . Heitner's insights changed my previously (and very opinionated) negative view of my kids' screen use. I highly recommend all parents read Screenwise, as the book provides new insights into our kids’ digital world and helps parents feel less afraid of tech. She teaches us how we can become "tech-positive" parents. And while I'm still a proponent of...
Dec 19, 2017•30 min
In Episode 18, I talk with Tom Holland, a camp director and parent of four who has many excellent ideas for parents to teach kids to approach life with wonder and joy, learn leadership skills, enjoy the outdoors, and learn appropriate tech use habits. Tom attended the camp he and his wife Katherine now own, Wilderness Adventures, as a teenager. There, Tom discovered a passion for adventure and outdoor education. The program led him to get involved in the summer camp industry while in college. An...
Dec 07, 2017•22 min
Inspired by this article , as well as my personal connection to her school, I recently got in touch with Corona del Mar Middle School Principal Rebecca "Becky" Gogel to talk about her new phone-free lunch policy, implemented at the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Becky is in her third year leading CDM Middle School as Principal and, together with her teachers and staff, decided to implement the no cell phones at lunch policy after watching students and reading the research. I enjoyed talking...
Nov 07, 2017•19 min
In Episode 16, I talk with one of our country's foremost experts on adolescent mental health, Dr. Jess P. Shatkin , about his parenting book, Born to Be Wild: Why Teens Take Risks, and How We Can Help Keep Them Safe. We cover a range of topics about teenagers and parenting, including sleep, social skills, summer camp, being present with our kids, teen decision making, and more. I highly recommend listening if you have 34 minutes! I highly recommend Born to be Wild to parents of pre-teens and ado...
Oct 23, 2017•34 min
I think it's one of my favorite parts of my job, getting to form these really positive, effective, and fun partnerships with parents. -Sara Kuljis Last week during a trip to Southern California, I had the pleasure of an impromptu visit and Facebook Live session with Sara Kuljis, my dear friend who happens to also be a camp director like me. Sara and her husband Steve own and direct Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp . Sara and I both have decades of experience working at camp....
Oct 03, 2017•19 min
In Episode 14 of the Sunshine Parenting podcast , I interview Catherine Pearlman, founder of The Family Coach. She co-hosts (with her sports writer husband, Jeff Pearlman) The Sports Parent podcast and is author of the recently released parenting book, Ignore It! How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction. We have an enlightening discussion about the book and it's applicability not just to the younger set (toddlers) but to teens and...
Sep 15, 2017•29 min
"You are to use that [strength] to defend the women in your life against men that are abusing their strength." -Heather Haupt In Episode 13 of the podcast, I'm talking with Heather Haupt about her book Knights in Training: Ten Principles for Raising Honorable, Courageous, and Compassionate Boys . After interviewing Kathleen Buckstaff about her book Get Savvy , reading this book and interviewing author Heather Haupt was a natural follow up. While we want our girls to learn to protect themselves f...
Aug 02, 2017•22 min
"I've written the book that I needed as a teenage girl." -Kathleen Buckstaff In Episode 12 of the podcast, I'm talking with author and parent Kathleen Buckstaff. Kathleen and I were classmates at Stanford in the 80s, and we reconnected a few years ago when I learned about this book she had just started writing. We have since shared many lengthy conversations about parenting and educating others on important issues affecting teenagers. Kathleen's new book, Get Savvy: Letters to a Teenage Girl abo...
Jul 12, 2017•27 min
What summer camp offers is the opportunity to quite deliberately place them [children] in a very different environment, and if you are careful about that, you can use that summer period as almost a "spiritual delousing." -Ron Lieber In Episode 11 of the podcast, I'm talking with Ron Lieber, author of the 2015 New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money . Lieber, father of two, has been the "Your Money"...
Jun 29, 2017•19 min
In Episode 10 of the podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite parenting and camp experts, best-selling author Michael Thompson, Ph.D. For more than three decades, Thompson has been a clinical psychologist, school and camp consultant, and international speaker on the subjects of children, schools, and parenting. Throughout my career as a camp director, Michael has graciously offered his wisdom, advice and mentoring. I've written about his conference sessions, books, and wisd...
Jun 10, 2017•19 min
"Everything good in my life is because of camp." Daniella Garran Daniella Garran calls herself a camp "cultist" because she loves camp that much. Daniella has been at Cape Code Sea Camps since 1984 as both a camper and a counselor, and she now serves as an assistant director. In her role at CCSC now, Daniella schedules over 400 campers and oversees the teen leadership program. Daniella loves summer camp so much, she even wrote a book called Hello Mother, Hello Father: Celebrating Summer Camp ! T...
May 26, 2017•27 min
