I’m so excited to share this episode on keeping your family safe! Safety expert, Jason Brick, and I talk in broad terms on how to keep your family safe from “bad guys” in all shapes and sizes. In this episode we talk about: Warning signs with your kids if they are in trouble How smart cyber criminals are, and how to protect yourself Simple tips and tricks every family needs to adopt Jason has developed The Safest Family on The Block Family Blueprint that you can have for FREE! Use this link for ...
Dec 08, 2020•46 min•Ep 74•Transcript available on Metacast Not every family becomes one through traditional methods. In this episode we are honouring all parents who have needed the help of others and science, to become parents. Listen in as my guest, Parham Zar and I talk about couples who have used egg donation and surrogacy in order to grow their family. We discuss what it takes to be a surrogate and how to choose one. We talk about egg donation and all that it entails. We also talk about what it takes to become a surrogate or egg donor. When faced w...
Dec 01, 2020•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast After recovering from a complete health crash involving autoimmune issues and a series of failed surgeries, and daily seizures left my guest, Kristen Bowen depressed and bedridden. Through research and looking for outside-the-box solutions, she concluded that to regain her health she needed to build a strong foundation with whole food supplements. Kristen began researching products that could help improve her health and quality of life and found that soaking in liquid magnesium did just that. In...
Nov 24, 2020•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast I’m so excited to speak with mom, actress and director, Marla Sokoloff! She has played rolls in many of our favorite shows from Full and Fuller House, The Practice, Hot in Cleveland, Greys Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and many more! Listen in as we talk about her struggles in her motherhood journey, and how hard it can be to be honest and open about those struggles in the public eye. We talk about her having to face almost losing her husband because of an emergency health crisis, her parenting,...
Nov 17, 2020•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Learn how to raise your daughters without regrets and how to mend the mother daughter relationship if it’s broken. See the show notes for the link to the FREE conversation starters In this episode we talk about: How to ask your child for permission to share a concern or opinion Having and creating emotional safety Having mature conversations with your children Putting the relationship first versus being “right” How to be curious and not attach to anger About Dr Helen McIntosh and Blythe Daniel D...
Nov 10, 2020•53 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast Learn how to adjust to the new normal we’re living in with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge See the show notes for the link to the FREE Coping Statements – Over 100 ways to Help Kids Tolerate Stress! In this episode we talk about: telehealth and teletherapy – what it is and is it as effective as traditional face to face? Zoom fatigue (online learning fatigue) How to manage stress (for both parents and kids) in this extremely challenging time The science of mental health and OCD The difference between s...
Nov 03, 2020•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The world is watching the election in the United States. There is confusing, and contradictory information out there, so how do parents make sense of the election, and how do they talk to their kids about it? My guest, award winning political campaign strategist, John Shallman, shares how we can talk to our kids about politics and the current US election. As a dad of 4 himself, John shares brilliant advice on how to tackle topics like, being bullied for the party you align with, how to question ...
Oct 27, 2020•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast How many times from pregnancy to parenting do you feel like you are doing it all wrong? The truth is, we need to have open and honest conversations about the changes in our bodies as a result of carrying our babies. Often after childbirth, moms are forgotten and everyone is focused on the baby. Yes, that's wonderful but we are left feeling exhausted, in pain, and reeling from the birth experience. This episode is all about our bodies as women and our health after we have our beautiful babies. My...
Oct 20, 2020•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why talk about curiosity? Because...we are all born curious! You can see it the most when you watch your little ones as they are explore the world around them. Isn’t that the best thing to watch? I'm sure you have seen your child get so excited and curious about something they have discovered. When your child is curious about something there is nothing that will stop them from learning about it. Unfortunately, we do a really good job of killing our kids love of learning, exploring and curiosity ...
Oct 13, 2020•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all want the best for our kids and in this day and age, we are bombarded with mixed messages, advice and studies that confuse us and complicate parenting. What if you knew that parenting only came down to 2 issues, along with genetics, that impact long term wellbeing for your child? These two “things” also impact the relationship with your kids AND your own wellbeing? Through his studies with The Human Improvement Project, my guest, Matt Larson, explains what modern studies are revealing (thr...
Oct 06, 2020•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast What is ADHD? My guest, Dr. Tommy Black, explains it as a neurological disorder that impacts an individual's ability to sustain attention or maintain control of their motor functions. As parents, if you have a child with ADHD, their behavior can be triggering and frustrating. I can relate first hand! ADHD is also confusing because sometimes your child can’t sit still, and sometimes they are hypyer focused. Both can indicate ADHD…so what do you do? Lets look at the many types of ADHD: 1) inattent...
Sep 29, 2020•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is to help you with all the men and boys in your life! In today’s day and age, boys are more misunderstood than ever, and are at a disadvantage. You may not believe it, but it’s true! Life as a parent of a boy can be challenging and confusing. They have so much energy when they’re young only for them to grind to an almost standstill, in their tween and teen years where we’re seeing them get hooked on screens and gaming. We used to call boys who developed a bit slower, “late bloomers...
Sep 22, 2020•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast I think it’s safe to say that all parents have a LOVE HATE relationship with technology! I’m no different! Most of us are just trying to figure out how much is too much, and we’re scared it might already be too late for our kids who seem to be hooked on devices. Don’t fret! There’s HOPE! Enter my guest, Dr Shimi Kang who is a highly decorated psychiatrist and an expert on the brain and addiction. In this episode she shares how the brain is impacted by technology, where we are seeing changes in t...
Sep 15, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do you thrive during a pandemic? The Spring and Summer of 2020 has been unlike any other, and we don’t want to go into Fall the same way. What if I told you there are things you can do to set your family up to THRIVE? My guest Meghan Fitzgerald has the answer!! She is the Co-Founder of Tinkergarten and has spent her professional career educating children. Meghan has seen how many families are struggling through the pandemic and she has put together a FREE Family Play Book to help families TH...
Sep 08, 2020•43 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast I hear from so many parents that they want to know how to encourage their kids to play INDEPENDENTLY. This episode is all about encouraging independent, purposeful and imaginative play. Play is vital for kids because it provides an opportunity for them to develop the social, emotional and cognitive skills they need to succeed, not only in school, but in life. My guest and play expert, Alanna Gallo, explains how play helps develop executive functioning, language and math skills, conflict resoluti...
Sep 01, 2020•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast “When you compliment your children, praise them for inner qualities such as kindness, honesty and perseverance so they will strive to contribute to the world in meaningful ways.” ~Toni Schutta Many parents hold the mistaken belief that it’s important to shower our children with constant praise. Praising our children is instinctual, almost a reflex. It’s hard to hold back when your child does something new or good! We want to celebrate them! Yes! Praise can benefit motivation and self-esteem, but...
Aug 25, 2020•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast What we know about this coming school year, is how much we don’t know what will happen or what the school year is going to end up looking like. Kids returning to school usually has us feeling mixed emotions. We are excited to have them back to school, back to routine but we also can feel melancholy at the site of our kids entering a new grade, getting older and more independent. Now we need to add in the uncertainty of going back to school during a pandemic. How are you feeling about it? Are you...
Aug 18, 2020•40 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast Have you been exposed to the booze or wine culture in parenting? Have you been invited or hosted playdates that include alcohol? Even if they are scheduled in the morning? Does wine and being a mom go hand in hand? if so, what does that say to your kids that "mommy needs wine to deal with you"? I talk to parents every day who are struggling in many different ways, and I know that many look forward to a glass of wine once the kids are in bed…I have done that many times too! My guest, Emily Lynn P...
Aug 11, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the things I’ve been really good at, especially since becoming a mom, is beating myself up. I know you know what I mean. As moms, we all do it because we think we have to do it all. We tell ourselves we aren’t good enough as moms and we SHOULD know how to do this parenting thing…but how should we? We know being a parent is the most important job in the world and when we struggle, most of us have deep shame. When we feel bad about ourselves it sets us on a shame spiral and away from authen...
Aug 04, 2020•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nobody is good when you are operating on little sleep. Not you OR your kids! So often we get frustrated when our kids resist sleep, come out of their bed multiple times, won’t sleep unless they are with you or have frequent night waking. Our biggest mistake is the expectation that our littles can sleep like adults do. They can’t so we need to help them. My guest Lara Rabb is a sleep expert and talks about how our children have both physical and emotional needs that can wake them from a restful s...
Jul 28, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is an episode that EVERY parent needs to listen to. Pornography is simply, picture poison and is a health crisis we can’t ignore. Any child with a device has access to porn. By the age of 12, it’s extremely rare for a child not to have seen a pornographic image according to my guest and author, Kristen Jenson. There are SO MANY reasons why you NEED to teach your children to reject porn. Did you know that Porn has a special grip on us because we are naturally wired to be interested and curio...
Jul 21, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast We know that getting a child to talk is difficult, but getting them to share can be so hard! Raising kids with strong emotional intelligence (EQ) is like equipping them with a super power! This can be hard to teach this to our kids if we don’t have strong emotional intelligence ourselves (being able to name our feelings and those of others). Let’s face it, most of us weren’t raised with parents who were emotionally intelligent themselves, so many of us never learned how to be. Don’t worry! It’s ...
Jul 14, 2020•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Uugh, here we go with another person telling us to meditate! Right? I know, I know but my guest, Josephine Atluri, is here to help us simplify the practice of meditation so we’ll WANT to do it! The truth is, we set the tone for our family with our energy and everyone feeds off whatever you’re bringing! That means if you are stressed, your kids will be stressed. If you are anxious, your kids will be anxious. Aren’t so many of us feeling more anxious lately? Do you know that simply taking a few mo...
Jul 07, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are our children born with bias or is this something we teach them? We can look at the way a baby's brain develops to clue us in. At 3 months, we can see that babies prefer to look at faces of their own race, by 9 months they are able to recognize faces from their own race better than from another race and this is when the brain starts to organize people into "groups" as a way of organizing them and processing information. That leads us to the concept of in-groups (people like me) who I think ar...
Jun 30, 2020•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are celebrating this episode with JOY because it’s the 50th episode! Who better to celebrate this milestone with than THE Rebels for Joy, Bonnie Kelly and Jillian Bolanz! In this episode, we talk about what we really want now that we’re parents! We want JOY right!? What happens if you feel you might not deserve it? If you don’t know how to get it? But first, we dive into a great discussion about how we often have unspoken expectations on ourselves and our children and how that takes us furthe...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast *Recorded before the Global Pandemic* You may be the smartest person in your circle but if you are emotionally unstable, it doesn’t matter. As parents, we often focus on academics and how well our kids are doing in school, but we need to also focus on our kids’ emotional intelligence. My guest, Author and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Lisa Schab, talks about why and how teaching your kids emotional intelligence is SO IMPORTANT but it’s something we can’t do unless we are nurturing our own emo...
Jun 16, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast I fully believe that in all things, awareness equals empathy! The Sensory System is something we don’t really understand but it’s something we can learn a little about and it can make a huge difference in your understanding of your child’s behavior. I have never heard of the other senses called Vestibular and proprioceptive, but they are a really big deal!! These senses are responsible for the feeling we have inside our body and the feeling we have in space (the space around them). Our kids don’...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast You will parent the way you were parented. Full stop. So when you’re parenting with your spouse and they parent in a way you dislike, this is actually your invitation to look at them with compassion instead of judgement. What do you know about their experiences as a child? How does that influence how they show up as a parent? Find out why encouraging them to attend parenting workshops or inviting them to read parenting books never seems to work! Dr. Vanessa shares the #1 thing you can do to turn...
Jun 02, 2020•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are you pregnant? Just given birth? Have a newborn? Have you felt like you are getting a raw deal with the pandemic stopping you from having people stop you in the street to see your baby bump, gush over your new baby or not being able to have a baby shower? What if you are having your baby in the hospital? Is it safe? Will your partner and family be able to visit or will you have to do this on your own? Pregnancy and childbirth are hard enough…without having to deal with a global pandemic! Ther...
May 26, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s mid May, 2020 and things are starting to open back up as the global quarantine ends and restrictions are removed. BUT this is leading to new fears about sending kids back to school and daycare and new fears are emerging about Kawasaki Disease. Fears and rumours are swarming about a new illness that’s affecting children, but we don’t yet understand it. My guest is Pediatrician, Dr. James Lewis who is here to clear up the fears with facts about what the medical community knows and doesn’t kno...
May 19, 2020•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
