As parents, it seems like every year there's a new trend that becomes the absolute priority for parents. One year, it's cleanliness. The next, is early literacy. The next, it's formula, or not formula, or whatever the current conversations says? Who can keep up? In this episode of The Council of Moms, Jeanette Bennett, Brooke Hoopes, and Amy Hackworth join Lisa to discuss the things that they wish they'd prioritized with their kids--be it empathy, mental health, education, or what have you.
Nov 10, 2023•32 min
Many caregivers feel the approach of inevitable change to their role, and an "end" to the way life looks and feels right now. Lisa is joined by Emilie Campbell, Richard Lui, Barbara Karnes, Elizabeth Miller, and John Sovec to explore the nuances of transitioning to the "after" stage of caregiving, whether that looks like empty nesting, transitioning to residential care, or becoming a "Godspeed Caregiver" following the death of a loved one receiving hospice care.
Nov 07, 2023•45 min•Season 2023Ep. 31
A lot of parenting advice out in the world makes one key assumption: that you're an active and involved parent who has a drive to get better. But for many, if not all parents, there comes a time when burnout hits a climax and it can be easy to forget why you're trying so hard in the first place. So what do you do? Host Lisa Valentine Clark chats with fellow parents Suzanne Clark, Colleen Harker, and Carrie Ann Rhodes about their experiences and advice. If you want the Council of Moms to answer y...
Nov 03, 2023•32 min
When you're spending all of your time taking care of another person, it feels like everything else in your life comes second to the needs of that person. Family, friends, jobs, everything can take a backseat when you're in the trenches of being a caregiver. But when caregiving stretches from weeks to months to years, life without those other relationships can become much more difficult and unfulfilling. So how can we, as committed and overwhelmed caregivers, maintain the other relationships in o...
Oct 31, 2023•30 min•Season 2023Ep. 30
When kids grow up and leave the house, it can be so hard to know just how involved we should be in their lives. We don't want to be "helicopter parents" to grown adults, but we also don't want to completely give up on trying to protect them from harm and help them make good choices. So how can we as parents support our kids' mental, emotional, and physical health, while also letting them spread their wings and leave the nest? Lisa chats with fellow moms, Carrie Ann Rhodes, Jeanette Bennett, and ...
Oct 20, 2023•31 min
You wake up at 4 a.m. freezing cold, trembling, and with a feeling of despair. What's happening here? Caregiver burnout can look different for everyone, ranging from quiet chronic fatigue, to drastic health declines, as the physical, mental and emotional toll of caregiving reaches critical mass. In this episode, three caregivers (Mishka Sibert, Susanne White, and Rach Wilson) share their unique experiences of burnout while caring for a sibling, parents, or children, as well as how they coped and...
Oct 17, 2023•37 min•Season 2023Ep. 29
With a teenager at home, it can always feel like you're doing something wrong as a parent. You're asking too many questions, you're enforcing too many rules, you aren't involved enough or offering the support that they need. It can be a particularly complicated stage of parenting. So how can we know when we should "helicopter" parent our kids and establish more boundaries, and when should we back off and let them make their own choices, mistakes and all? Lisa talks with Jennifer Johnson, Emily S...
Oct 13, 2023•31 min
It's a phrase that is all too familiar to every caregiver. Some well-meaning person, in an attempt to show their support, will say, "Let me know what I can for you!" While on the surface it may seem like a helpful thing to say, for the caregiver, this phrase is often just a superficial act that only serves to increase the amount of stress on their already-full plate. So what SHOULD someone do when they want to support the overwhelmed caregiver in their life? In this episode of The Lisa Show's ep...
Oct 10, 2023•33 min•Season 2023Ep. 28
When you're taking care of kids, it can feel impossible to do everything that you want to do in a day. There's taking the kids to school, exercise, making meals, working, cleaning, shopping, picking up the kids, taking them to practice, helping them with homework, keeping up with friends, running a side-hustle, and THEN you're also supposed to somehow have your own hobbies and take time for self-care. There's just no way! In this episode of The Council of Moms, Lisa talks with Liz Palmer, Jennif...
Oct 06, 2023•29 min
Have you ever been surrounded by people, and still felt profoundly alone? Lisa talks with Dr. Julianne Jolt-Lunstad and Dr. Suzanne Degges-White about the impact of loneliness on caregivers with experts, and the root causes of this intense experience. Emilie Campbell shares her experience as a special mom to 16-year old Connor, and how she copes with the long-term emotional marathon of aloneness in caregiving.
Oct 03, 2023•39 min•Season 2023Ep. 27
It can be hard to tell the difference between just "having a hard time" and a diagnosable mental illness. Research shows that the mental health of kids and teenagers is at an all-time low, and the mental health of parents isn't faring much better. So how can we tell if it's time to take our kids, our ourselves, to see a mental health professional? Lisa talks with the Council, this week consisting of Kimberly Simmons, Emily Spencer, and Marilyn Valentine, about each of their experiences helping t...
Sep 29, 2023•30 min
When it comes to caregiving, why do we think we have to do everything and do it all perfectly? How can we have more compassion for ourselves? Lisa talks to caregivers and caregiving experts about perfectionism, self-talk, and the importance of loving ourselves even--and especially--when we feel like our best isn’t good enough.
Sep 26, 2023•35 min•Season 2023Ep. 26
How do you know that you're doing a good enough job as a parent? And on the other hand, how do you avoid beating yourself up when it feels like you're not doing well enough? Host Lisa Valentine Clark talks with the Council of Moms--this week consisting of Marilyn Valentine, Elizabeth Palmer, and Kimberly Simmons--about mom guilt, comparison, self-love, finding a support system, and other listener-submitted topics.
Sep 22, 2023•26 min
Nearly all of us will eventually become a caregiver or a recipient of care—so how can we prepare now? Lisa Valentine Clark kicks off this season by exploring the need for more conversation about caregiving. Dr. Lance Erickson explains how social expectations, age, and gender influence who ends up in caregiving roles. Dr. Natali Edmonds of Dementia Careblazers shares how talking about caregiving beforehand helped her prepare for her own caregiving experience, and Jeremy Jorgason discusses lesser ...
Sep 19, 2023•27 min•Season 2023Ep. 25
In the last episode of the Creativity series, Lisa explores how creativity changes us from the inside out. With the help of researchers Joshua Katz, Jack Goncalo, and Lynne Vincent, Lisa looks at how creativity can change our perception of real life—and why that can be a good thing. She examines the relationship between selflessness and creativity, the way being creative can help us process and heal in profound ways, and the unparalleled power of creativity to restore human agency.
Aug 29, 2023•32 min•Season 2023Ep. 24
Lisa joins TV host, artist, and arts advocate Emilie Starr to explore how creativity has brought them closer to their communities, their families, and a higher power. They discuss how motherhood is a creative endeavor and how the arts have helped them make intergenerational connections. Featuring a very special guest, baby Evelyn!
Aug 25, 2023•27 min
Most of us can’t quit our day jobs to be creative full-time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t live creative lives. In fact, in the words of professional artist Andrea Hardeman, any time you’re showing up as your authentic self, you’re being creative. In this episode of The Lisa Show, Lisa joins forces with Andrea, creativity researcher Jack Goncalo and the Council of Moms (Lauren Johnston and Kimberly Beatty) to explore the relationship between authenticity and creativity, the importance of dissen...
Aug 22, 2023•26 min•Season 2023Ep. 23
Lisa joins artist and designer Carrie Ann Rhodes to discuss living a creative life. Carrie Ann shares her experiences exploring new hobbies even when they don’t come naturally to her. They discuss how Carrie Ann incorporates creativity into her lifestyle as a mom, and the expectations that come with the label of being an “artist.”
Aug 18, 2023•25 min
There are so many reasons to create. But sometimes it seems like there are just as many reasons to put it off, edit your efforts to death, or just give up altogether. What's the relationship between our inner critic, and creative block? How can we push past that to unlock the flow state? Lisa is joined by her brother, James Valentine, and the Shenanigans--Lauren Johnston, Kimberly Beatty, Katie Craig, and Jasmine Jackman, to break down sustainable creative habits and the best ways to silence tha...
Aug 15, 2023•29 min•Season 2023Ep. 22
How can we “keep the channel open” for inspiration? In this episode, Lisa Valentine Clark and professional artist James Rees discuss the spiritual side of art. James shares his best practices as an artist and an art teacher, and he and Lisa explore how we can keep ourselves open to transcendental experiences as we live creative lives.
Aug 11, 2023•25 min
People will often talk about creative pursuits as a way to make friends--maybe you'll meet people at a pottery class, or you'll find people who are interested in the same music as you. But what we don't often discuss is how creativity connects us not only to the people around us, but also to ourselves! In the episode of The Lisa Show's series on creativity, Lisa talks with friends and experts to find out how being creative can help us understand ourselves, the people around us, and our place in ...
Aug 08, 2023•26 min•Season 2023Ep. 21
Creativity can be incredibly fulfilling. So why is it so hard sometimes? Lisa Valentine Clark and Studio C showrunner and producer, Jake Van Wagoner, take a look at imposter syndrome and the importance of giving yourself permission to make bad art. They discuss how to enjoy the process rather than putting pressure on ourselves to create something great every time. Plus, Jake improvises a new theme song for The Lisa Show.
Aug 04, 2023•26 min
Are you a creative person? Everyone answers this question differently. Whether you feel too busy to participate in your old hobbies, or you think there's "not a single creative bone in your body”, there's no limit to the obstacles keeping us from exploring our creative sides. But as it turns out, there's a science to the way we define our creative potential--and knowing the odds makes it easier to beat them. Lisa chats with Drs. Lynne Vincent and Jack Goncalo, as well as James Valentine, about w...
Aug 01, 2023•36 min•Season 2023Ep. 20
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,” says Thoreau. But how do we live deliberately in the world of smartphones, robots, and the internet? In this final installment, Lisa and Kacy Faulconer discuss the conclusion of Sherry Turkle’s book Alone Together. Lisa and Kacy discuss digital manners, and Lisa shares how technology helped her late husband have a higher quality of life. What do we live for, and how can technology augment that rather than replace it?
Jun 30, 2023•26 min
We live in a time of unprecedented loneliness. Even in the luckiest of circumstances, when we're surrounded by supportive friends and family, we might be feeling crushing loneliness in one facet of our lives or another. Maybe you have a chronic illness that no one seems to understand. Or maybe it feels like you're the only one that's struggling to raise a troublesome toddler. Whatever the circumstances, there's a community out there that can help. In this final installment of The Lisa Show's ser...
Jun 27, 2023•29 min•Season 2023Ep. 19
What is it about being human that gives us a need to post secrets online? Is there something deeper that we're hoping to get in return? In this episode, Lisa and Whitney Call discuss the next two chapters of Alone Together by Sherry Turkle. Whitney shares her experience with Post Secrets, and she and Lisa discuss the illusion of vulnerability that the internet provides.
Jun 23, 2023•27 min
So many of us wonder if we're on our phones too much. It's easy to turn to social media or other online spaces to numb feelings of anxiety, depression or loneliness, even if we know that it can impact our mental health in the long term. How do we break this cycle? In this episode, Lisa talks with our very own producer Becca Hurley about her experiences with technology addiction. Lisa and the Council of Moms (Ashlynn Allen and Angie King) discuss how to put our phones down and be present with our...
Jun 20, 2023•34 min•Season 2023Ep. 18
As Lisa and her sister Gina James dive into the next two chapters of Sherry Turkle’s book Alone Together, they discuss how the way we communicate on our phones has changed over time, from calling to texting to Facetime and Snapchat. Lisa and Gina also discuss how we explore and construct our identities online. In a world where streamers make real money playing video games and influencers post about their personal lives, the lines between online life and real life have never been more blurry. How...
Jun 16, 2023•25 min
Do you remember the last time you read a headline or a post online, and later found out it wasn’t true? How did you feel? How did it change the way you see the world? The internet is filled with people sharing information, whether they’re journalists breaking a big story, or influencers talking about their favorite skincare products, or even just family members talking about things that interest them. And no matter what your personal beliefs are, it can be hard to always spot incorrect or comple...
Jun 13, 2023•29 min•Season 2023Ep. 17
When was the last time you thought to yourself, “I don’t want to be interrupted?” In our hyperconnected world, many of us find ourselves always “on call,” checking our phones rather than living in the moment. In this episode, Lisa and Ganel-Lyn Condie discuss how technology shapes our identities and the identities of our children. They also explore how to parent children of all ages in a world where people are expected to be connected 24/7. How can we allow our children the autonomy they need to...
Jun 09, 2023•27 min
