Smart Parenting Podcast

A registered clinical psychologist, Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D., has worked with children, adults and families for over 40 years. The author of numerous books, DVDs and audios, he is best known for his ground-breaking book, 1-2-3 Magic: 3 Step Discipline for Calm, Effective, and Happy Parenting, which has sold over 2 million copies and is now in its 6th edition.https://www.123magic.com/

Arielle Cohen is an author and advocate for children's emotional intelligence. She holds an MA in Jewish education and is a former class room teacher and principal. She also has a background in real estate. Her first book deals with self-confidence and her second book, expected later this year, is about relationship management. Her aim is to publish 25 books and reach 11 million children, raise their emotional intelligence to a level of success in relationships, family and life in general. Read more at www.iambraveandunafraid.com and https://arielleturovercohen.com/

Valerie is a Pediatric Sleep Coach, a mindful mother to three children, a lover of the outdoors, all emotions and anything sweet!  Since 2013, Valerie has been working one to one with families, coaching and helping them restore the sleep and tranquility into their home.  She works with families with children whose ages are birth - 6 years who are not sleeping well at night and/or during the day, coaching and teaching them about the science of sleep and improving sleep for the child - and ultimately the entire family.  Along with sleep, Valerie focuses on mindfulness and emotional acceptance with her families as they have a huge part in the family dynamics and improving sleep.  Sleep is the foundation of everything wonderful!You can follow and support Valerie at:valeriebirch.comIG & FB @amazinglittlesleeperwww.facebook.com/amazinglittlesleeperhttps://www.instagram.com/amazinglittlesleeper/

Rochelle Kaikai has refined her skills as a Registered Clinical Social Worker in a variety of settings including community mental health agencies, schools, counselling services, and the criminal justice system. Rochelle is the founder of Rooted Thistle Counselling, which provides counselling services to moms and moms-to-be of all ages as they navigate the challenges of motherhood. Her strong skills in the areas of individual counselling, goal setting, symptom management, crisis intervention, and assessment provide her with the tools needed to support moms in achieving their goals. We discuss mommy burnout, its impacts on women and families, and what women can do about it. www.rootedthistlecounselling.com

Dr. Emily Rogalski a clinical and cognitive neuroscientist and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. She currently serve as Associate Director of the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease and as Imaging Core Leader of our NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Her research falls under the broad umbrella of aging and dementia and uses a multimodal approach to investigate two aging perspectives: primary progressive aphasia (PPA) in which neurodegenerative disease invades the language network and SuperAging in which individuals are seemingly resistant to the deleterious changes in memory associated with “normal" or more typical cognitive aging. We discuss SuperAgers, who they are, how they're different, and what we can learn from them so we and our children can aim to live long, healthy lives. www.brain.northwestern.eduhttps://www.brain.northwestern.edu/join/index.htmlhttps://www.brain.northwestern.edu/join/SuperAging.html

J. Claire K. Niala is a mother and writer whose life and work oscillates between Kenya & the U.K. We talk about why African babies don't cry, African culture, and much more. https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/guest/claire_niala.html

In this episode I provide a review of evidence on current issues surrounding increased infertility, decreasing sperm counts, and our exposure to harmful toxins in everyday life. I then discuss strategies we can employ to help rectify these unsettling trends. The evidence and information presented in this episode comes from Dr. Shanna Swan's recent book, Count Down: How Our Modern World is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race. 

Aimee Buckley is the CEO and Chief Academic Officer at Study Help Inc, an online educational platform that connects students with credentialed teachers.  She has a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and completed her teacher credentialling education at California State University, Sacramento.  Aimee is passionate about making quality educational instruction accessible to all children.https://study.help/

Vanessa Barker is the owner of and an instructor at Streamline Swim School. During the year, she is a student at York University pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Education Degree. For the past 5 summers, she has taught lessons and leadership courses following the Lifesaving Society program. Before becoming an instructor and trainer, she was a provincial-level competitive swimmer, and coached her high school team. Additional resources:@StreamlineSwimmingLessons on Facebookhttps://www.lifesavingsociety.com/water-safety/children-and-families/children.aspxhttps://www.lifesavingsociety.com/water-safety/children-and-families/toddlers.aspx

Abigail Tucker is author of the book Mom Genes, which explores the hard science behind our tenderest maternal impulses, the ways a new mom's brain gets permanently rewired, and whether we are destined to mimic our own mothers. Abigail is a New York Times best selling author. She is also a correspondent for Smithsonian, and her work has been featured in The Best American Science and Nature writing. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut with her husband and four equally amazing children. We talk about changes that occur in women when they become moms and cutting edge research on mom genes. www.abigailtucker.com

Heather is a white settler queer woman with a passion for outdoor play, nature, and social justice, and fully supports the work of the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada (CNAC) has undertaken to repair relationships with the Indigenous communities and people we have harmed by imposing a settler colonial way of being with the Land. As the Executive Director of CNAC, Heather follows the lead nature gives us - empowering others to thrive. We talk about the basics of forest schools, related research, and their impact on child wellbeing. 

Julia Imanoff helps humanity flourish by promoting healthy social connections, especially those between parent and child. She is a Perinatal Nurse Specialist, Doctoral Student at the University of Calgary, Co-founder and CEO of COLO Families, and a busy mom of 2 small boys. As a researcher, she is interested in experiences that can help or hinder parent-infant relationships. For example, her Doctoral research explores women's experience of traumatic births and the subsequent impact on parent-child/family relationships. She has also co-founded and launched a nurse-led program to help families develop meaningful connections to promote healthy childhood development. COLO Families is an organization that exemplifies her passion for helping others flourish.Julia brings a full range of expertise as a Mindfulness Facilitator, Baby Sign Language Educator, and Perinatal Nurse Specialist to support parents in their efforts to connect, play, and grow with their children. https://www.colofamilies.com/Sample of Mindful Practices:  https://ca.ctrinstitute.com/stress-reduction-exercises/Mindful Parenting books (we also have parenting book recommendations on our site)Everyday blessings: the inner work of mindful parenting – Myla and Job Kabat-ZinnThe Whole Brained Child – Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne BrysonNo-Drama Discipline – Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne BrysonEmotional regulation books:Happy Hippo Angry Duck: a book of moods – Sandra Boyton (recommended 0-4 years)A Little Spot of Anger: a story about managing big emotions – Diane Alber (recommended 2-6 years)

Andrew Fuller is a clinical psychologist, family therapist, author, speaker and creator of Learning Strengths ™. Andrew has worked with more than 500,000 young people on core elements of resilience - connect, protect and respect (CPR) and building The Resilient Mindset, which he define as "the happy knack of being able to bungy jump through the pitfalls of life to rise above adversity and obstacles”. Having worked with people who were at their last hopes, Andrew has always been inspired to help people create futures they can fall in love with.Links: www.andrewfuller.com.auwww.mylearningstrengths.comwww.badapplepress.com.au

Ben Furman is a Finnish psychiatrist and internationally renowned teacher of solution-focused brief therapy and coaching. You can find more information about Ben at his website www.benfurman.com and about the Kids'Skills method that he developed with his colleagues in the 90s at www.kidsskills.org. Ben also has a YouTube channel with a playlist focusing on Kids'Skills which can be reached at www.youtube.com/benfurmantv. He has authored some 30 books many of which have been translated to multiple languages. His most well known books include Kids'Skills in Action, Never too late to have a happy childhood, Solution talk: hosting therapeutic conversations. His latest book is a small self-help book entitled Seven skills of life, available also on Amazon for Kindle. We discuss solution-focused therapy, how it's done, and the potential benefits. 

Chandan Narayan is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at York University. His work broadly focuses on speech sounds and their perception by adults and infants, the nature of how caregivers talk to infants, and how speech acoustics and perception contribute to language change. We talk about how infants and children learn language, the use of "baby talk", how speaking multiple languages impacts learning, and how to promote language development in children. 

Julie started homeshooling her daughter in 2003 and thought it would last until their daughter was in grade 2 or 3. That journey continued for another 17 years, teaching her eldest right through high school and her other 2 kids through grade 10.  It's been the best investment she and her husband have ever made. Family is important to Julie. So are good books, cinnamon buns, peonies, lattes and great friends…in no particular order. We talk about the benefits and challenges of homeschooling, and Julie shares some of her experiences. Website link:https://www.juliehall.ca

Julia Beth Kowaleski is an accredited music therapist (MTA) and has advanced training in neurologic music therapy (NMT).  She is founder of Julia's Place Music Therapy and current president of the Music Therapy Association of Ontario. We discuss music therapy, neurologic music therapy, and how these therapies are implemented. Links:www.juliasplacemusictherapy.com/www.linkedin.com/in/julia-beth-kowaleskihttp://www.musictherapyontario.com/

Ts'e Duna is from the Nacho Nyak Dän First Nation, but answers to Louise ProfeitLeBlanc. Originally from the village of Mayo in northern Yukon, she moved with her husband and adopted grandson to Quebec in 2002 to work as the Indigenous Arts Coordinator for the Canada Council for the Arts. Her primary responsibility was to expand and improve access to granting programs for Indigenous Artists and to increase cultural awareness, paying particular attention to the needs of northern and isolated Indigenous artists. She retired in 2013 and since that time has pursued her own artistic career as a Traditional Storyteller/keeper, guest speaker, textile artist, poet and mentor for the younger generation, all of which continues to bring her great joy. She has travelled extensively to many places in the world as a story-keeper and cultural ambassador. She believes in the unity of all people and strives to honour this belief, by sharing traditional Indigenous knowledge that brings us together as one, on this planet. Mussi Cho! We discuss storytelling in the indigenous culture, and Louise kindly shares a couple gripping, amazing stories.

Elisabeth Neumann is a researcher and writer passionate about Okinawan longevity. She is currently writing a book on how women across the world can live longer, healthier lives based on the traditional Okinawan model. We discuss the research on longevity, and how to promote longevity in our lives, and the lives of our children. 

Ravi Singh is the founder of Webformers, a boutique Digital Marketing Agency based in Vaughan. He helps clients plan, organize and execute their entire online digital marketing strategy, including everything from web design, pay per click marketing, search engine optimization and other services that help clients professionally build their online presence, generate new leads and convert those leads to sales. He is also a father and devout Sikh. He plans to raise his daughter in the Sikh faith. We talk about the Sikh faith and way of life, his thoughts on education, and how to raise children in faith in a secular society.  Website: webformers.com 

After completing his Master of Divinity and gathering ministry experience in Chicago, Leipzig, and St. Louis, Kyle and Kim Hackmann moved to Toronto in 2010 to join Grace Toronto in their mission of seeing churches planted throughout Toronto. Kyle served as the Associate Pastor of Grace Toronto Church for 7 years, while living in the East End. As of January 1, 2017, he transitioned into the role of church planting pastor for Christ Church Toronto. Kyle and Kim have been married for 14 years. They have four daughters and a dog named Strider. We discuss the challenges of raising kids in faith in a secular society, some ways to potentially address those challenges, and why all this is important. 

Yalda Mansuri (former Teacher) works alongside her husband (Physician) as the business director of their medical clinics. She lives in Toronto with 2 boys, aged 3 and 1. She follows the Islamic faith and is passionate about raising her children with the same faith. We discuss the Islamic faith, purpose in life, and the benefits and challenges of raising kids in faith in a secular society. https://www.instagram.com/yaldamansuri/

I spoke with Dr. Chloé Roumain and Registered Dietitian Teresa Maiorano from Tripod Fertility about exercise and weight gain during pregnancy.Dr. Chloé Roumain attended Union College in upstate New York, where she graduated with a BSc in Biology and Psychology, followed by a doctorate of Medicine at McGill University in Montreal. She completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Université de Montréal, where she specialized in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Hôpital Saint-Luc du CHUM in Montreal, Quebec.  As a result of her educational, professional and community outreach experience, Dr. Chloé Roumain and her husband have been able to achieve their dream of opening their own Fertility Clinic, Tripod Fertility, in Toronto, ON.  She is fluent in English, French and Creole, and functional in Spanish.  Teresa Maiorano attended University of Guelph, where she graduated with an honours BSc. Food Science degree and then attended Ryerson University where she graduated with a BASc degree in Food and Nutrition.  She is a long-standing member of the College of Dietitians of Ontario and Dietitians of Canada, Obesity Canada and active member in the Canadian Nutrient Society. Teresa has experience in areas such as weight management, obesity, diabetes care, heart health, cancer and other comorbidities.  She is fluent in English and functional in Italian. Links:Tripod Fertilityhttps://www.tripodfertility.com/https://www.tripodfertility.com/services/Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/tripodfertility/https://www.facebook.com/tripodfertilityhttps://twitter.com/TripodFertilityLive and Love Nutritionhttps://www.facebook.com/liveandlovenutritionhttps://www.instagram.com/liveandlovenutrition/

Sam Longo is a Registered Massage Therapist with two children and a fur baby. Her kids don't eat a lot of sugar and, overall, eat a healthy diet. We discuss sugar intake in kids, and strategies for limiting sugar consumption. 

Shari Medini and Karissa Tunis are the co-authors of Parenting while Working from Home: A Monthly Guide to Help Parents Balance Their Careers, Connect with Their Kids, and Establish Their Inner Strength. They are also the co-owners of the popular parenting website, AdoreThemParenting.com. They have six kids between them and over a decade of work from home experience. We discuss strategies for parenting while effectively working from home. LinksWebsite: https://AdoreThemParenting.comBook: https://AdoreThemParenting.com/Book https://facebook.com/adorethemcommunityhttps://instagram.com/_adore_them_

Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence and resilience, and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement. She lives in New York City.  We talk about the fears parents have for their children, what it means to be more free-range, the benefits of giving children more freedom and autonomy, and how to make positive change. Resources:Let Grow's school programs: https://letgrow.org/program/educational-resources/The Let Grow Project itself: https://letgrow.org/program/the-let-grow-project/ (teachers of older kids may want to scroll down to watch this amazing 2-min video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVxRCcowgqU&t=10s)The Let Grow Play Club: https://letgrow.org/program/play-club/Write to me: Info@LetGrow.orgAnd here's the link for the second edition of Free-Range Kids coming out in June: https://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1119782147,descCd-buy.html It has some new chapters, including one just for educators

Behan Gifford sailed away from a conventional life in 2008, embracing nomadic voyaging with her husband and three young children. Their sabbatical plans morphed into an open-ended adventure, with 48 countries/territories visited so far! Raising children as citizens of the world, Behan is passionate about sharing her experiences to inspire others to chase the blue horizon. We talk about what it's like to raise kids on a sailboat, the pros and cons, and how  other parents can go on adventures with their children. Links:Website: https://www.sailingtotem.com/Socials: Facebook and Instagram (and setting up today, Clubhouse!) are @sailingtotem.comCoaching: https://www.sailingtotem.com/the-cruising-sailmaker

Anne Fishel, Ph.D. is a family therapist, clinical psychologist, and Associate Professor of Psychology at the Harvard Medical School. She is Director of the Family and Couple Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, MA. Dr. Fishel is also the executive director and co-founder of The Family Dinner Project, a non-profit initiative, based at MGH, that helps families on-line and in communities to have better and more frequent family dinners. She is the author of Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids(Harper Collins, 2015) and theco-author of Eat, Laugh, Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook(Familius, 2019). We talk about the incredible benefits of family dinners and how to make them a reality. https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/

Dr. Maria Rotondi is an accomplished dentist with a wealth of knowledge. She graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry in 1986. She is past president of the Ontario Study Club for Osseointegration, a graduate and mentor at the Kois center for advanced education, and a graduate of the Olmos TMD and sleep residency. She is also a fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, a fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology, and currently serves on the Admissions and Credentialing Board of the AAID as well as serving as examiner for the AAID. She has a private practice Woodbridge, Ontario. We talk about why oral health is important, and how parents can promote oral health in their children. 

Reshma Shah, MD, MPH is a board-certified pediatrician and adjunct instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is the co-author of Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families.She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children. Most Sundays, you can find her at the California Avenue Farmers Market in Palo Alto where she finds inspiration for weekly family meals. Brenda Davis RD is a pioneer in plant-based nutrition, an internationally acclaimed speaker, and an author/co-author of 12 books. Her most recent work, co-authored with Dr. Reshma Shah, is called Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families. Brenda lives with her husband Paul in Calgary Alberta, Canada. We discuss strategies and tips for successfully feeding your family nutritious plant-based meals. 

Nadine Ghawi, MScPT is the founder of Bloom Pelvic Health and is a Registered Orthopedic and Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist. We talk about urinary incontinence and prolapses. We discuss why they happen in women after having a baby (and later in life), and what women can do to treat and prevent them. 

Dr. Chaya Kulkarni is the director of Infant and Early Mental Health Promotion at the Hospital for Sick Kids. We discuss some the most important ways to promote infant and child wellbeing during the pandemic. 

***CORRECTION: It is recommended that women have less than 10 drinks per week, not 15.***Ann Dowsett Johnston is the bestselling author of DRINK: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, named one of the top 10 books of 2013 by the Washington Post. Her TED X talk on Women and Alcohol has more than 1.2 million views. An award-winning journalist with seven National Magazine Awards to her name, Ann spent the lion's share of her career at Maclean's magazine, where she is best known as the chief architect of the Maclean's University Ranking project. Now a psychotherapist specializing in women and transition, she splits her time between Toronto and California. We have an honest conversation about women, moms, and alcohol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqtZjpI1oVQ&feature=emb_logo

Summer Haddad is a Neonatal Intensive Care Registered Nurse and Ph.D. candidate. Her research focuses on postpartum sleep and depression. We talk about sleep, or lack of sleep, in new moms, its connection to postpartum depression, and what moms can do to promote health and wellbeing. 

Tricia D'Amata is former All-American and Canadian Olympic athlete. She is also a teacher and mother of two seemingly happy and content kids. Her children don't seem materialistic. We talk about what parents can do to help their kids avoid becoming materialistic and how to help promote self-confidence. Resources: https://www.search-institute.org/our-research/development-assets/developmental-assets-framework/

Michelle Stern is a certified dog behaviour consultant and trainer. She is also a mom. We discuss the reasons for dogs acting up after a new baby is brought home, and some strategies for handling dogs with babies and children in order to promote both canine and infant wellbeing. Resources:  On-Demand Workshop: Your First Week Home with Baby and Dog https://poochparenting.thrivecart.com/first-week-home-baby-dog/Self-paced online class, Preparing Dog for New Baby: https://poochparenting.thrivecart.com/preparing-dog-for-new-babySelf-paced online class, Parenting Toddlers and Dogs: https://poochparenting.thrivecart.com/parenting-toddlers-and-dogs/Thriving Parents of Kids and Dogs membership: simple bite-sized training and bonding activities to help your kids and dogs to live safely and happily together http://safekidsanddogs.com/Facebook Group:Parenting Kids and Dogs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ParentingKidsandDogs/Michelle's favorite Products:https://www.amazon.com/shop/poochparenting

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn is an esteemed medical doctor, with numerous significant scientific publications. He is also author of the book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease", and was featured in the film "Forks Over Knives". We discuss the benefits of a plant-based diet and address some of the major concerns of a plant-based diet in infants and children. 

Hanna Paju is a mother of two boys in Finland, which was rated the happiest country in the world for the past two years. We talk about parenting practices in Finland like putting babies to sleep outside and allowing children as young as seven to walk to school alone. We discuss these parenting practices and their benefits to child wellbeing. 

Adriana Rodriguez de Valentini is a Registered Midwife in Toronto. She speaks with me about the advantages of having a midwife instead of an obstetrician, the benefits of having a home birth and breastfeeding, and strategies for successfully breastfeeding. 

Catherine West is the Pedagogy Leader at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and Dr. Sean Hutchins is the Director of Research at the Royal Conservatory of Music. We discuss music and music education in infants and children, including the benefits of music and music classes for children, why it's helpful, and how parents can incorporate music learning at home. 

Raymond is a computer engineer and technical manager at IBM.  He has two children, and like other tech experts, limits screen time for his kids.  In this episode we explore both how and why he does this. Raymond also shares strategies for successfully limiting screen time for children.