Raising Amazing

So many mothers have been pregnant in this pandemic, and the anxiety is real! Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with fabulous mama-to-be, Hunter McGrady about her pregnancy, and also get into a discussion about body positivity, and the very polarizing debate over the Snoo! Ha! Also, we have a very special story; Ayla, an ER nurse and mother of two, shares her very personal story of what it was like pregnant in a pandemic while treated Covid patients and experiencing extreme pre-natal anxiety and depression. NURSES truly are superheroes!

Happy Mother's Day, Mamas! We're chatting mental health and "mom guilt" with actress Kyla Pratt from the FOX series Call me Kat! And Rachel Harris from Netflix's Lucifer is with us and she gets really honest about divorce and single parenting in a pandemic...with Covid! Wonderful to hear such honesty from such talented actors and devoted mothers. We are all doing our best mamas, don't wait a single moment (Especially this Mother's day) with mom guilt!

Through yoga, mindfulness, and meditation, we can guide our kids into understanding their mind and body and give them tools to transform their lives. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent sit down with expert Libby Edson, creator of YoMind, to talk neuroscience and how to "Breathe, Perceive, Respond" and meet moments with mindfulness. There will be an epidemic that will follow the pandemic if we don't equip our kids with the tools to navigate stress and anxiety. Social emotional learning is being prioritized in some schools--but this is vital for every child. And these practices are life-changing for adults, too! So we can model mindful behavior for our kids, as well as navigate our own stresses with more compassion.

The mental health benefits of connecting with nature. Gardening, healthy eating, and making plans to be in nature is necessary for our mental and emotional health and wellness for the whole family. Our guests will be environmental expert and director, Rob Herring, from the award-winning documentary, A Need to Grow. And Angela Vincent – environmental expert and artist who teaches kids how to save the planet through rhyme, song, and storytelling with her book and album, Save Queen Green, Mother Natures Eco-Rhymes.

TRIGGER WARNING: We do discuss statistics, mental illness, and anxiety and depression in children in case this is triggering for anyone.Parenting issues today are not the same that our parents were faced with when we were growing up. Things have changed drastically, and our amazing kids are getting sicker, with more behavioral issues. What is actually going on? We discuss all of this with HolisticMomMD, Dr. Madiha Saeed! She's a super mom and super doctor and super inspiring. Also, ever wonder what Doctors have in their medicine cabinets? Or, in their pantry? What do they feed their kids? We get into all of this and more! Dr. Madiha even shares her recipe for healthy cake and cookies! 

It is often hard to know what is considered healthy and unhealthy. Dr. Gator dives into the top tips in choosing what to feed your child for a happy, healthy life.

Distance learning as been extremely difficult for kids of all ages. As well as parents and teachers. If you work from home, or if you're a front line worker, it's been a challenge for everyone. It's anxiety producing for the whole family- and no one really knows how to navigate it because none of us have ever done it before. We have an honest, down to earth chat with actress and author Elisa Donovan about her "distance learning" experience with her 8 year old, and then we learn SO MUCH from professional Tutor Jon Sprik, who's worked for years with kids, teens, parents and teachers easing the learning experience and making it fun! 

Like many parents, Cerina is curious: "How much is really okay for our kids right now?" Dr. Gator has all the screen time answers and why we shouldn't have any Mom guilt (or Dad!) about it!

As adults we now know the power of mindfulness, meditation, breathing and other calming practices. It eases anxiety and sets us up for our most successful life. We believe it's vital to teach these life skills to our children, and it's more important now, than ever before. We are thrilled to chat with author and entrepreneur Mallika Chopra about everything she's created for the world so kids can learn how to Just Breathe, Just Feel and Just Be.

We all want to be Raising Amazing, happy children--and it's time to come together! The future of health is community, cooperation, and teamwork between practitioners, professionals, influencers, and everyday parents. Often times we all feel like we're just barely making through the day. We're running on fumes trying to work, school, do laundry, pay bills, throw a dinner on the table, and can't wait until the kids are asleep so we can finally exhale. Well, we believe there's a better way. If doctors, experts, and parents come together to be honest about the things that no one is talking about, maybe we can all start to feel better and do better! Join us in our discussion of why we we are raising the bar on ourselves and our parenting and together let's create our Raising Amazing community. 

Dr. Joel Gator, a board-certified Pediatrician, joins actor and author, Cerina Vincent, to create Raising Amazing, a parenting podcast that focuses on the mental and emotional health and wellbeing of kids and families. Every parent hopes they are raising amazing humans; from fussy first months to testy teenage years--parents are searching for solutions. With celebrity guests from hit TV shows, to world renown doctors and therapists, this half-hour of honest, science-based help will truly educate, entertain, and enlighten everyone from exhausted new mamas to seasoned parents.Subscribe now to catch the premiere of Raising Amazing on March 31st!

With the newest autism statistics and the great feedback from our special autism episode with actress Ashlynn Yennie, we wanted to discuss this further. Dr. Gator and Cerina vincent chat with autism recovery expert, Luminara Serdar, who helps parents discover and address the root causes of their child's challenging autism behaviors so that a child can be calm, happy, and develop to peer level and gain independence. We discuss toxicity, and other contributing factors to the behaviors of autism, and we also chat about the success and progress, and how many of Luminara's patients have had many issues resolved! 

Yay! Cerina Vincent wrote her first book for babies! Everybody has a Belly Button hits stores NOW and this episode is all about what inspired it, why she wrote it, what it means to her, and of course Dr. Gator gets on his amazing soap box about why titling the book Everybody has a Belly Button is totally appropriate because yes,-- everyone must have at one point had a belly button. :) This is a fun one! Give it a listen and order the book wherever books are sold! 

This very special episode we have breast cancer previvor Lesley Murphy share her story about making the decision to get a double mastectomy when learning she had the BRCA/breast cancer gene. You may know her from The Bachelor, but Leslie is a travel blogger, TV personality, yoga teacher and now a new mother! Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent had a really honest chat about her decision to have the surgery, how it impacted her ability to breast feed, judgement she faced around that, and many more details of her incredible journey and story. We are grateful to Leslie for coming on our show--sharing stories and learning from each other helps us all raise the bar on ourselves so we can raise amazing humans. You won't want to miss this episode! 

We learned so much on this one! Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent has such a fascinating conversation with Dr. Alavi and Tonya Skurzynski about their genius dissolvable supplements line, Frunutta! If you have a hard time getting your kids to take vitamins, or anyone in your life has a hard time swallowing or absorbing vitamins and minerals-- you must give this a listen and give their products a try! Also--who knew that most vitamins we take are just full of sugar and chemicals?? Awful. We are grateful to people like Dr. Alavi and Tonya for truly helping us raise the bar on what we put into our bodies. 

Well this is a fun one! Can't you hear your own parents voices in your head saying, "chew your food!" Well there are some very good scientific reasons for this. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with Dr. Stasi who's a pediatric dentists and expert in the art of chewing! Chewing food completely is the first step in digestion and our society is turning into a a society that isn't chewing their food! As we teach our kids proper eating habits, we, as parents, also need to slooooow down and start enjoying meals. Not just for our mental health, but physical health as well! Grab a snack and give it a listen! 

Well, it happened. After YEARS of doing all the things and avoiding it, Cerina Vincent and her little one caught Covid. They are all better and negative now, but this episode Dr. Gator and Cerina chat all about it. Many of you have already been through it--and many of you have lost loves ones, It's a really tough time for the whole world. But for those under the weather or who haven't gotten yet, hopefully this episode will make you feel a little better. Stay healthy, stay positive and let's all keep raising the bar on ourselves so we can raise amazing children. 

With many parents on New Year resolutions to eat healthier, Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent will once again chat about how nutrition is vital for the whole family. And how we can set our toddlers and preschoolers up to be great eaters! They chat with Jess Sherman, a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, and board certified in Practical Holistic Nutrition, about what should parents be considering when it comes to food, and what the connection is between food and learning and food and mood! Eat better, feel better, live better! 

Just in time for the holidays- with so much sugar and cake and cookies around-- we are, once again, going to discuss nutrition, because it's KEY to raising amazing, healthy, happy kids! In this episode, Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent discuss the connection between the gut, brain and tantrums! And how much our FOOD affects our MOOD! With leading health expert Piper Gibson of Regenerating Health, she gives up tips and tricks to help our little ones have fewer mood swings and meltdowns. All these tips apply to us adults as well! Give it a listen, share, and have happy, safe, healthy holidays!

We often throw around the word OCD. But are these little quirks that we have in our family really Obsesive Cumpulsive Disorder? Or, is it just anxiety and normal toddler/preschool behavior? Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent dig into this in this very insightful episode with psychologist and mental health trailblazer, Roseann Capanna-Hodge. We discuss what signs parents should look for in young children who may potentially have OCD, how to handle it if they do, and most importantly define this term and patgology correctly! Finally, Cerina shares a story of what she's been experiencing with her almost 3 year old, and stumped both the doctors. Is it OCD or is it just a very strange habit that her son is obsessed with? Time will tell, but now she has some action steps to help her child through his anxiety. 

We've all heard of Ayurveda. But do we really know what it is? Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with Dr. Zubin Billmoria about one of the worlds oldest whole body healing systems that was developed over 3000 years ago in India. When it comes to the heath of ourselves and our families why wouldn't we think about cultivating "whole body" health-- rather than wait until we are sick and just treat symptoms? And there's a reason why these ancient healing practices work! We loved this conversation! Give it a listen and a remember to email us your questions! 

This is a very special episode. Actress and Autism Mama Ashlynn Yennie joins Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent in their new 5200 studio to tell her journey thus far of being a new mother and discovering that her amazing, sweet daughter has Autism. Also, for any parents out there struggling with Torticollis, Ashlynn shares her dramatic experience with that as well. Please listen and share this special epsiode--we laugh, we cry, and we are grateful to have such honest open celebrities such as Ashlynn to come on our show and help our community. Our hope is that by parents sharing stories, and giving their advice from their experience, we can all feel a little less alone in our parenting struggles.

Celebrity Chef James Barry joins Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent and they chat about how to handle picky little eaters! How to get the most nutrients in your toddlers and preschoolers and advice around snacks and desserts, just in time for us all to overeat on Thanksgiving! Chef James has an amazing and delicious product called Pluck that kids and parents LOVE! It's an organ-based, all-purpose seasoning that is so nutrient rich and unlike anything else on the market! Happy Thanksgiving Raising Amazing Community! Let's all eat well, be grateful, and keep raising the bar on ourselves and our parenting! 

Oh the love/hate relationship we parents have with "screen-time." We can get a few things done, but we totally pay for it later with tantrums (or big feelings) when we turn it off. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat about their thoughts, opinions, and struggles with screen time, and tech and toddler expert Julia Storm gives advice on how much is too much, what kind of content is appropriate for our toddlers and preschoolers, and tips on how to put away our phones and connect! 

You are what you eat. Plain and simple. We know this to be true as adults-- so why are so many kid food products on the market filled with toxins and chemicals and fake sugars and fats? We need good humans, business owners, and parents to step up and help make changes to what our babies and toddlers are eating; and Joe and Serenity of Serenity Kids of have done just this! Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with this power couple about their journey in creating their incredible baby and toddler foods, as well as their new toddler milk formula! They are truly raising the bar on what's on the shelves in our grocery stores - and we are grateful to them for giving us all truly healthier options for our amazing little ones!

Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with Dr. Jenelle Kim about her new book Myung Sung, the Korean Art of Living Meditation. Doc gets on his soap box about "the radical middle way" and we just can't say it enough; the secret to a happy life is balance--as parents and care givers, and for our children. And this secret has been around for centuries! We can learn so much from ancient teachings and Eastern medicine and it is time we start incorporating them into our daily lives. And if our lives are too busy to actually sit down and mediate, we need to create living meditations and calming practices so we can reach the goal that everyone wants for themselves and their children; HAPPINESS!

Raising Amazing is back for Season 2! And just in time for Halloween! Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent catch up and chat about what listeners can expect for Season 2, and they discuss Halloween safety, Halloween candy, and fun little tricks to get your kids to eat less sugar - like the sneaky little Switch Witch! And... they are raising the bar on their podcast! Now IN PERSON at 5200 Studio and so excited to dive back into all the ways we can raise the bar on ourselves and our parenting, so we can raising amazing little humans!

Thank you to all our listeners for checking in on Raising Amazing Each week. We are taking a short hiatus to prepare for Season Two! Stay tuned for more exciting episodes of Raising Amazing.

Now more than ever our world, and our health, is out of balance. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent are both passionate about finding ways to balance the mind and body for our little ones - and parents! This episode they chat with Sarah Morgan, the Co-Founder and CEO of Even, medical foods that balance the body for patients who experience side effects from prescription drugs. It was a fascinating conversation - especially in re: to birth control pills and Cerina gets super honest about her experience! Doctor Gator answers a really great question from a Mom about allergies, and this a reminder to send us your questions and we'll put them in the show! 

From subtle food sensitivities to kids who are anaphylactic, feeding our kids with food allergies can be tough on the whole family. In this episode Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with actor, producer and father, Thomas Nicholas. Thomas dives into his experience with his son's, (Nolan River's) serious allergy to tree-nuts. Thomas shares his experiences and also gives so many great tips and advice for parents! 

There's nothing you can trust more than two pediatricians and parents chatting about what THEY do for their own kids! Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with pediatrician Dr. Manasa Mantravadi about her new line of stainless steel dishes for babies, toddlers and kids! Ahimsa Home Tableware is not just clean, colorful, and clutter free, but it's toxin free, too! We all know that plastic is bad for the planet, but it's also really bad to store food and eat off of --even worse when microwaved and put in the dishwasher. When we know better, we can do better. And this fascinating conversation about toxic chemicals inspired Cerina to cut clutter, take out toxins, and only serve on stainless steel. We hope it'll inspire you to make some small changes, too. For the health of ALL of our kids... and our planet!

We believe that family is everything. And that it's up to us as parents to create strong, healthy bonds and connection with our kids. It's not hard--it just takes a little time and thought and prioritizing family time, and special time to connect. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent get honest about their feelings on this, and they speak with the parents of the YouTube sensation, The Onyx Family, about how they turned fun, family connection time into a successful business and brand! With almost 3.5 million subscribers the 6 beautiful, talented and intelligent members of The Onyx Family create positive, reliable content for kids and families! They are certainly Raising Amazing kids!

Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation about Postpartum in a Pandemic. For this episode we have psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and ex-wife to the infamous Wolf of Wall Street, Dr. Nadine Macaluso on to discuss bonds and attachment, along with post part blues. Some mothers bond with their babies right away, and some don't. Both are normal--but we have to keep normalizing PPD and anxiety so amazing new mamas don't feel alone in their dark feelings. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent also discuss the importance of THERAPY! Dr. Nae is beautiful and brilliant and truly turned her pain into power and has some fabulous tips on therapy as well as the importance of touch and connection with infants to create secure attachment. 

Postpartum blues are brutal. Add a global pandemic to the mix of sleepless nights, trouble feeding, and endless dirty diapers and it can be debilitating for new Mamas (and Daddys!)! Jenna Dewan's People Magazine story about parenting without Channing Tatum in the first few weeks sparked a good conversation with Dr. Gator and Cerina-- Cerina gets real about her own postpartum anxiety and they chat with American Idol finalist, and host of NBC's California Live, Kim Caldwell, about her postpartum experience! Kim is super honest about her postpartum anxiety and depression, and they also chat about postpartum body image and how to ask for help! This Covid thing is lingering... and PPD isn't going anywhere, either. Hoping every parent will find some peace in knowing that you are not alone - and tune in next week for Part 2 of this postpartum conversation!

It's PLAYTIME! Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat about all things play, and sit down with Cerina's Disney Channel TV husband Joe Nieves and his REAL, fabulous wife Mary to talk about all the imaginative play they do with their kids! Before you're a parent most of us had no idea how much time we'd spend playing with our kids. Also, many parents feel guilty for not playing with their kids--it's not only exhausting, but often feels impossible as working parents. No more mom (parent) guilt - this episode will inspire all parents to find a few clever, creative ways to connect and play. 

We're in deep poo on this episode! Yep! You've asked, and we have answered! If you have a child that needs potty training, this episode is EVERYTHING! Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent sit down with Potty Training Consultant Allison Jandu and learn all about how to set yourself, and your child, up for poo and pee success when you say good bye to diapers! From what books to read, what potties to buy, what to say (potty language), what to do, and when... we cover it all and Dr. Gator even has a poop joke! If potty training is on your to-do list-- this episode is for you! 

It's SO hard to stay calm and model appropriate behavior when your toddler is throwing their little body on the floor in a giant tantrum, or kicking, or biting or pulling your hair. You can feel helpless, alone, and that you're not doing enough and not doing anything right. Well, feel you parents! We are experiencing the exact same toddler drama. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with toddler expert Devon Kuntzman from Transforming Toddlerhood, and she makes everything better! Tips and trick on how to transform your toddlers behavior, as well a much needed validation and a boost in parenting in confidence! If you have a toddler you don't want to miss this!

The "terrible twos" are REAL. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat about their toddler meltdown experiences, and to actress Danielle Harris about how she navigated the pandemic stuck at home with two toddlers. They discuss how getting the toddlers OUTSIDE is everything in stopping or preventing a meltdown. Pandemic or not, getting kids, outside, in the dirt and sand, and in nature and tiring them out with activity and exercise is key to navigating every day of toddler life and help make these twos not quite as terrible!

Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat about easy and inexpensive fixes for everyday aches and pains with Dr. Ken Redcross. Western trained physician who realized that homeopathic remedies like Boiron's Arincare, are safer and really work wonders for muscle pain, stiffness, swelling, and bruising; for kids, and parents! Taking a more holistic approach to relieving pain really supports our overall health, and "getting closer to the earth" with our remedies, and our diet, is transformative for the whole family! Dr. Gator and Cerina chat with Dr. Redcross about the importance of sleep, essential oils, and things in your pantry like red pepper, ginger, and other medicinal foods to healing aches and pains and even Cerina's cold! 

We are having important conversations this Pride Month. Not just about raising amazing kids in a same sex marriage, but also about race. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with mothers, artists, and activists Danielle LoPresti and Alicia Champion to talk about their 7 year adoption journey, being a multi-racial family raising a black son, how and when to talk to your kids about race, and how it's possible to breastfeed even if you adopt! Honest, authentic and deeply moving... It was a profound and inspiring conversation from two amazing mothers to be better and do better for our amazing children. 

Happy Pride Month! And Happy Father's Day to all the amazing Daddys out there! We are celebrating by chatting with TWO DADS! Carmine Sabatella from the new HGTV show INSIDE OUT, and his husband Ryan Delair share their personal journey coming out, meeting, falling in love, and raising their amazing daughter as a same-sex couple. Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat about the importance of showing our kids all kinds of relationships because we want all of our kids to grow up feeling amazing, and able to express themselves fully, and confidently be who they are and love who they love! They also chat about Carmine's new show and how trends are changing to give families their own space! 

Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent sit down with Dr. Aviva Romm to chat about why so many of our kids are going through early puberty and what we can do to help slow it down. The doctors give tips on how to talk to kids about puberty and when, and they chat about chemicals and endocrine disrupters in our environment, our homes, our food, and about Cerina's extreme chemical sensitivity. They dive into all the goodies in Dr. Aviva's new book, Hormone Intelligence, and how empowered we will all feel when we really know what's going on with our hormones, our bodies, and most importantly how to help guide our kids through the very tricky and tender time of puberty. 

Its "Gun Violence Awareness Week" and Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent sit down with actress, mother, and gun safety advocate, Tiffany Shepis, who's daughter Mia Tretta was shot in the Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita, CA. Tiffany shares her family's very personal journey through this unbelievably traumatic event, and gives tips on how we can all do better to keep our kids safer. They chat about the Be S.M.A.R.T program, emotional support animals for healing, and their new foundation, "From Trauma to Triumph" to help other kids and teens who've been through traumatic events. These conversations are not comfortable to have, but if we are going to come together to raise the bar on our parenting, so we can raise our amazing kids, we have to have these conversation. All of our kids are all of our kids and we have to do better to protect them. 

Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with Cerina's youngest Stuck in the Middle co-star from Disney Channel, talented teen actress, Ariana Greenblatt, and her mother Soli! This delightful mother-daughter-duo discuss how a teenager navigates pandemic times, social media, and what it's like balancing school with set life! They give us hope, and fun-for-the-whole-family ideas of how to make life more fun via zoom, or just in general! We'll also hear from Sharon Feldstein, celebrity mother, CEO, Co-Founder and visionary behind YourMomCares who discusses changing the language from "teen mental illness" to "teen mental wellness" and their new app they are working on that will truly save lives! They also have a back-to- school checklist for mental health! Trigger Warning: We do discuss teenage suicide rates and prevention. If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health or having suicidal thoughts please reach out. Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Dr. Gator and Cerina Vincent chat with Dr. Ian Smith from The Doctors about his new book FAST BURN. The world is coming back, summer is coming, and many parents are thinking about wanting to eat better so we can feel better, so we can have more energy (and patience) for our amazing little ones. It's not just about healthy food choices, but also about structuring our days. We discuss intermittent fasting, and why no matter how busy we are, we must carve out the time to actually cook.