Podcasts about Crayola

In today's episode I will be praying over us, reading Psalm 20, and saying whatever the Holy Spirit prompts me to say after I read the scripture. This is day 20 of a series where I will be reading a Psalm everyday on here for 150 days. I challenge you to come to join me everyday as we use scripture to fight off the enemy and grow us in ways that we can't even imagine.   My First Christian Children's book, "You Are Loved" is now available for purchase on Amazon!! I can't believe I'm saying this, but in less than 48 hours it ranked #13 on Amazon for Children's Picture Bibles. I am incredibly humbled and grateful. Thank you to everyone that has purchased, been praying, supporting, and sharing. All glory goes to God!! Here is the link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZKSPJNB   To celebrate the launch of my new book, I will be giving a book, a pack of Crayola crayons and a Bible verse bracelet to a lucky winner. I have the giveaway posted on 3 social media platforms, so enter on each one for a better chance at winning  Here are the social media accounts that the post is on to enter: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.lorena1994 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenaespy/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithfuelsmyfire   Details: Gifting runs through 11:59pm on Sunday June 7th. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on 6/8. Open across multiple social media platforms This gifting is not affiliated with any social media platform   Link to partner with me and give towards my mission project: Albania trip: https://give.globalventures.tv/Donation.aspx?q1=aE5zM3k4c0s0aHJoUENoN1dLQmhiSzBNQzlZUVdhajBzUGFjZXNzQVBqUGxSdVg2SUtpS3ljT2phUHNQeHFFbA==   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

In today's episode I will be praying over us, reading Psalm 19, and saying whatever the Holy Spirit prompts me to say after I read the scripture. This is day 19 of a series where I will be reading a Psalm everyday on here for 150 days. I challenge you to come to join me everyday as we use scripture to fight off the enemy and grow us in ways that we can't even imagine.   My First Christian Children's book, "You Are Loved" is now available for purchase on Amazon!! I can't believe I'm saying this, but in less than 24 hours it is now ranked #22 on Amazon for Christian children's Bibles. I am incredibly humbled and grateful. Thank you to everyone that has purchased, been praying, supporting, and sharing. All glory goes to God!! Here is the link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZKSPJNB   To celebrate the launch of my new book, I will be giving a book, a pack of Crayola crayons and a Bible verse bracelet to a lucky winner. I have the giveaway posted on 3 social media platforms, so enter on each one for a better chance at winning  Here are the social media accounts that the post is on to enter: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.lorena1994 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenaespy/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithfuelsmyfire   Details: Gifting runs through 11:59pm on Sunday June 7th. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on 6/8. Open across multiple social media platforms This gifting is not affiliated with any social media platform   Link to partner with me and give towards my mission project: Albania trip: https://give.globalventures.tv/Donation.aspx?q1=aE5zM3k4c0s0aHJoUENoN1dLQmhiSzBNQzlZUVdhajBzUGFjZXNzQVBqUGxSdVg2SUtpS3ljT2phUHNQeHFFbA==   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

In today's episode I will be praying over us, reading Psalm 18, and saying whatever the Holy Spirit prompts me to say after I read the scripture. This is day 18 of a series where I will be reading a Psalm everyday on here for 150 days. I challenge you to come to join me everyday as we use scripture to fight off the enemy and grow us in ways that we can't even imagine.   Today is the day! My First Christian Children's book, "You Are Loved" is now available for purchase on Amazon!! Here is the link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZKSPJNB   To celebrate the launch of my new book, I will be giving a book, a pack of Crayola crayons and a Bible verse bracelet to a lucky winner. I have the giveaway posted on 3 social media platforms, so enter on each one for a better chance at winning  Here are the social media accounts that the post is on to enter: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.lorena1994 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenaespy/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithfuelsmyfire   Details: Gifting runs through 11:59pm on Sunday June 7th. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on 6/8. Open across multiple social media platforms This gifting is not affiliated with any social media platform   Link to partner with me and give towards my mission project: Albania trip: https://give.globalventures.tv/Donation.aspx?q1=aE5zM3k4c0s0aHJoUENoN1dLQmhiSzBNQzlZUVdhajBzUGFjZXNzQVBqUGxSdVg2SUtpS3ljT2phUHNQeHFFbA==   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

In today's episode I will be praying over us, reading Psalm 17, and saying whatever the Holy Spirit prompts me to say after I read the scripture. This is day 17 of a series where I will be reading a Psalm everyday on here for 150 days. I challenge you to come to join me everyday as we use scripture to fight off the enemy and grow us in ways that we can't even imagine. "You Are Loved" launches tomorrow!!! To celebrate the launch of my new book, I will be giving a book, a pack of Crayola crayons and a Bible verse bracelet to a lucky winner. I have the giveaway posted on 3 social media platforms, so enter on each one for a better chance at winning  Here are the social media accounts that the post is on to enter: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.lorena1994 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenaespy/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithfuelsmyfire   Details: Gifting runs through 11:59pm on Sunday June 7th. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on 6/8. Open across multiple social media platforms This gifting is not affiliated with any social media platform   Link to partner with me and give towards my mission project: Albania trip: https://give.globalventures.tv/Donation.aspx?q1=aE5zM3k4c0s0aHJoUENoN1dLQmhiSzBNQzlZUVdhajBzUGFjZXNzQVBqUGxSdVg2SUtpS3ljT2phUHNQeHFFbA==   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

In today's episode, I go over some huge life updates and what God has been teaching me over these past 8 months.   Today is the day! My First Christian Children's book, "You Are Loved" is now available for purchase on Amazon!! Here is the link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZKSPJNB   To celebrate the launch of my new book, I will be giving a book, a pack of Crayola crayons and a Bible verse bracelet to a lucky winner. I have the giveaway posted on 3 social media platforms, so enter on each one for a better chance at winning  Here are the social media accounts that the post is on to enter: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.lorena1994 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenaespy/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithfuelsmyfire   Details: Gifting runs through 11:59pm on Sunday June 7th. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on 6/8. Open across multiple social media platforms This gifting is not affiliated with any social media platform   Link to partner with me and give towards my mission project: Albania trip: https://give.globalventures.tv/Donation.aspx?q1=aE5zM3k4c0s0aHJoUENoN1dLQmhiSzBNQzlZUVdhajBzUGFjZXNzQVBqUGxSdVg2SUtpS3ljT2phUHNQeHFFbA==   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

In today's episode I will be praying over us, reading Psalm 16, and saying whatever the Holy Spirit prompts me to say after I read the scripture. This is day 16 of a series where I will be reading a Psalm everyday on here for 150 days. I challenge you to come to join me everyday as we use scripture to fight off the enemy and grow us in ways that we can't even imagine. To celebrate the launch of my new book, I will be giving a book, a pack of Crayola crayons and a Bible verse bracelet to a lucky winner. I have the giveaway posted on 3 social media platforms, so enter on each one for a better chance at winning  Here are the social media accounts that the post is on to enter: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.lorena1994 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenaespy/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithfuelsmyfire   Details: Gifting runs through 11:59pm on Sunday June 7th. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on 6/8. Open across multiple social media platforms This gifting is not affiliated with any social media platform   Link to partner with me and give towards my mission project: Albania trip: https://give.globalventures.tv/Donation.aspx?q1=aE5zM3k4c0s0aHJoUENoN1dLQmhiSzBNQzlZUVdhajBzUGFjZXNzQVBqUGxSdVg2SUtpS3ljT2phUHNQeHFFbA==   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

In today's episode I will be praying over us, reading Psalm 15, and saying whatever the Holy Spirit prompts me to say after I read the scripture. This is day 15 of a series where I will be reading a Psalm everyday on here for 150 days. I challenge you to come to join me everyday as we use scripture to fight off the enemy and grow us in ways that we can't even imagine. To celebrate the launch of my new book, I will be giving a book, a pack of Crayola crayons and a Bible verse bracelet to a lucky winner. I have the giveaway posted on 3 social media platforms, so enter on each one for a better chance at winning  Here are the social media accounts that the post is on to enter: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.lorena1994 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenaespy/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithfuelsmyfire   Details: Gifting runs through 11:59pm on Sunday June 7th. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on 6/8. Open across multiple social media platforms This gifting is not affiliated with any social media platform   Link to partner with me and give towards my mission project: Albania trip: https://give.globalventures.tv/Donation.aspx?q1=aE5zM3k4c0s0aHJoUENoN1dLQmhiSzBNQzlZUVdhajBzUGFjZXNzQVBqUGxSdVg2SUtpS3ljT2phUHNQeHFFbA==   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

We learn all about a famous brand of crayons. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ATTENDEESFatboi Sharif, Child Actor, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the hip hop environment in 2026 and Sharif/Actor's place in it. Discuss Crayola Circles in depth. intro and outro by August Fanon

Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh sit down with single-origin coffees and a 1987 GM Confidential report Mark pulled from the Don Ephlin papers at Wayne State's Reuther Library. The document, "NUMMI Management Practices: Executive Summary," lays out five management strategies behind the joint venture's success and the line that ties them together: "The key to NUMMI's success is not its tools or techniques, but the management philosophy that gives meaning to them." So why couldn't GM replicate it? Episode page with links and more Before NUMMI, the conversation runs through: Jamie's report from a Lehigh symposium on AI in supply chain (Penske, NFI, Crayola, Sharp Services) and judging Lehigh's entrepreneurial pitch competition Mark's two-week run at the LEI Lean Summit in Houston and Shingo Connect in San Diego, plus a regional FIRST robotics competition AI in continuous improvement, including Mark's Socratic Lean coach (free 48-hour trial) Single-origin coffee: Jamie's Peru from Huabal / San Pablo, Mark's Burundi Cankuzo Province bourbon-variety bean from Elliott Coffee in Dayton, KY (sourced via JNP Coffee), and the power dynamics the fair-trade label doesn't fix A Lean Whiskey detour on the rumored Sazerac, Brown-Forman, and Pernod Ricard moves, the bullwhip effect rippling back to a shuttered Kentucky barrel mill, and the cautionary tale of Stroh's (now back, brewed at Brew Detroit) The main segment works through the NUMMI report's five management strategies, why GM tried to redistribute the original "NUMMI commandos" one at a time, why Toyota deliberately avoided hiring auto-industry people for Georgetown, what NUMMI didn't solve (product design, activist investors, the UAW's missed opening), and where Bob Lutz's Car Guys vs. Bean Counters fits in. Mark also notes the Toyota Way 2001 document still isn't freely available online. Some lessons you have to go find. To close: Big Mistakes (Dan Levy, Netflix), and, prompted by the Artemis II launch, the case for Apollo 13 and Hidden Figures as the best of the genre. Resources mentioned: NUMMI Management Practices: Executive Summary, January 1987 (Don Ephlin papers, Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University) Bob Lutz, Car Guys vs. Bean Counters Sweet Maria's green coffee Elliott Coffee, Dayton, KY / JNP Coffee Brew Detroit (Stroh's) Big Mistakes (Netflix) Mark's Socratic Lean coach (48-hour free trial) Jamie's newsletter (Apollo 13 / strategic problem-solving in flight)

Who are the creative students in your classroom? And how might your definition of creativity be shaping who you notice and who you overlook? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Gerard Puccio and Cheri Sterman to explore a new way of understanding creativity through the Crayola Creative Styles Tool. Listen in as the conversation explores how creativity shows up differently in each learner and why recognizing those differences matters. Gerard and Cheri introduce a framework built around three key areas, how we think, how we perceive, and how we engage, and explain how this approach can help educators better understand themselves and their students. In this thoughtful conversation, they explore: – Why many educators struggle with creative confidence and how that impacts teaching – The importance of helping people see themselves as creative in their own way – How creativity goes beyond thinking and includes perception and engagement – The difference between seeing details and seeing connections in the creative process – Why some people prefer to act quickly while others need time to reflect – How understanding your own creative style can improve collaboration with others – The role of self-awareness in building creative confidence and agency – Why creativity should not be reduced to labels or fixed identities – How this tool can help teachers better support different types of learners – The connection between environment, experience, and creative preferences – Why students rarely get the chance to learn about themselves as creative thinkers – How a shared language around creativity can strengthen classroom culture Gerard and Cheri also discuss how this tool can open up important conversations in schools, helping both educators and students better understand how they approach problems, ideas, and learning. If you are an educator or school leader, this episode offers a new lens for recognizing creativity in your classroom and supporting it in more intentional ways.   About the Guests Dr. Gerard Puccio is a distinguished professor at Buffalo State University and a leading voice in creativity research. He serves as chair of the Center for Applied Imagination and has published extensively on creative thinking and innovation. His work has received multiple awards, including recognition for research excellence and contributions to the field of creativity. Cheri Sterman is the Director of Education at Crayola, where she works with educators, families, and communities to deepen their understanding of creativity. She leads professional learning programs and helps design global initiatives such as Crayola Creativity Week, which reaches millions of students and teachers worldwide. Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration. Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.

One More Thing 4-27-26 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Malone | 3.22.2025

Lisa Solomon is an accomplished mixed media artist and teacher whose previous books include A Field Guide to Color, The Color Meditation Deck, Crayola: a Visual Biography, and 20 Ways to Draw a Chair. Colour is her kryptonite in the best way ever – because she loves to do that deep dive and today we'll do a deep dive into her latest book - Art, Craft, Color! She is also an instructor on Creative Bug, reaching thousands of students worldwide. Let's find out how colour can guide us, calm us, and even challenge us creatively with Lisa Solomon.You can find her website here: https://www.lisasolomon.com/ART CRAFT COLOR  Contributors in order of appearance in book Christine Buckton Tillman @christinebucktontillmanwww.christinebucktontillman.comLibby Black @libblackwww.libbyblack.comJen Hewett @jenhewettwww.jenhewett.comRisa Iwasaki Culbertson @Risa_Iwasaki_Culbertsonwww.risaculbertson.comAna Bianchi @analovescolorwww.analovescolor.comSonya Philipwww.100actsofsewing.comRobert J. Bosscher @rjbosscherwww.rjbosscher.comJen Duffin / Nova Mercury Design @novamercurywww. novamercury.comRobert Mahar @robert_maharwww.robert-mahar.comCrystal Bodven @CrystallizedCookieswww.crystallizedcookies.comDana Williams-Johnson @callmedwjwww.yardsofhappiness.comKanako Abe @abemanateewww.kanakoabe.artRashida Coleman-Hale @iamrashidacolemanhalewww.rashidacolemanhale.comTwinkie Chan  @twinkiechanwww.twinkiechan.comCourtney Cerruti  @ccerrutiwww.courtneycerruti.come bond  @eisroughdraftwww.ebondwork.comKim Nguyễn @blackslipbabesCarissa Potter@peopleivelovedwww.carissapotter.comJenifer Lake  @jenifer_lakewww.jeniferlake.comAnne Weil  @flaxandtwinewww.flaxandtwine.comQuilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/Square One Textile Art WorkshopJoin Brandy's email listFree Quilter on Fire Holiday Table Runner VIDEOSUPPORT THE PODCAST by becoming a Quilter on Fire Podcast Angel for as little as $3 per week.Support the showThank you for listening to the Quilter on Fire Podcast. 

Chris Malone | 3.15.2026

How do you design customer experiences that work for everyone when friction isn't the same for everyone? Allyson Witherspoon, Chief Marketing Officer at Nissan, reveals how customer experience has become a core growth strategy—and why most brands are getting it wrong. In this episode, you'll learn how to remove friction for different consumer needs by designing around context and identity. Allyson shares how Nissan creates flexible entry points (like their Rogue hybrid lineup) that address different friction points within the same demographic—from range anxiety to charging concerns to environmental priorities. You'll discover: Why customer experience is now central to the CMO role and business growth How to design tight core experiences with flexible entry points based on consumer context The difference between proximity and research when building authentic customer experiences How internal friction in your organization creates friction for your customers Why consumers ask their ecosystems for answers—and how to show up there The role identity plays in shaping what "frictionless" means for different people Plus, hear from Victoria Lozano, CMO of Crayola, on building brand ecosystems that meet consumers where they are—through products, experiences, and content. Last week, we explored why general market strategies hurt brand growth with Myles Worthington. This week, discover how to serve mass market audiences by infusing identity into every touchpoint of the customer experience. Together, these episodes show the complete picture: marketing strategy that resonates + customer experience that converts = frictionless growth. Learn more about the Frictionless Growth Marketing Framework and take the 2-minute friction diagnostic at www.frictionlessgrowthlab.com/quiz. Mentioned in this episode: Episode 204. Why Most Growth Strategies Underperform -- And the 7C Growth Marketing Framework That Fixes Them | Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/204-why-most-growth-strategies-underperform-and-the/id1604907821?i=1000751786391 | Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/6FMUMdRYqlYPgeYMj18ZlX?si=ce51361d637042d6 Episode 205. General Market Strategies Are Hurting Your Brand Growth. What Smart Brands Are Doing Instead (feat. Myles Worthington) | Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/205-general-market-strategies-are-hurting-your-brand/id1604907821?i=1000753667740| Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/003AwA9cDBM1ZbbrKI4P5s?si=277765cc0e884ca0 Episode 198. The Growth Strategy Behind Crayola's Global Initiative Engaging 17 Million Kids | Brand Strategy & Customer Acquisition Case Study | Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/198-the-growth-strategy-behind-crayolas-global/id1604907821?i=1000745298692 | Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3troj0jlYzfBkZ115hERyO?si=0660ab8855ee4398

Are bright colours and fast-paced screens harming your child's development? In this episode, we take a close look at what the research says about children's media, classroom colour, and why beauty matters more than we think.There's a reason the old Disney films, the gentle pace of Heidi and Little House on the Prairie, and those exquisite hand-illustrated picture books felt so different from what children are watching today.Studies show that just nine minutes of fast-paced cartoons can measurably impair a four-year-old's ability to focus, self-regulate, and solve problems. And it's not only screens — research on classroom environments finds that heavily decorated spaces with competing bright colours actually lower children's academic performance and increase disruptive behaviour.We've somehow convinced ourselves that louder, brighter, and faster is better for children. This episode will push back hard on that.Whether you're a parent, an educator, or both — this one will make you look at your child's environment differently.

Which color should Crayola bring back next? Also, is Drake winning too many games on Stake? We talk about Punch the monkey's latest update, Hudson gives his Sinners' review and lots more!

Chris Malone | 3.1.2026

Chris Anderson in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://crayolalectern.com/n-e-w-s https://crayolalectern.bandcamp.com/ Departure Lounge was initially known as Tim Keegan & Departure Lounge, reflecting the fact that the band evolved from a solo project and Tim Keegan was the singer and main lyricist. They released an album under this name in 1999 (the US version with different tracklisting as Departure Lounge in 2000), Out of Here, which received warm reviews in both the general and music press (subsequent re-releases of the CD have changed the name to simply Departure Lounge). 

The Crayola Experience in Plano was closed on Monday at The Shops at Willow Bend amid challenges at the mall and speculation about the Dallas Stars considering the site. In other news, American Airlines' flight attendants have voted no confidence in the leadership of CEO Robert Isom, the first time they have taken such an action against a sitting chief executive in its nearly 50-year history; a program designed to get district support staff members trained and certified as teachers is one of several creative solutions districts across Texas have had to adopt recently. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since February is National Children's Month, I thought about writing an essay on what my grandchildren have taught me. They are now in school with children of other cultures, and although they may have graduated from Crayola college, they are color blind and love their friends from other cultures. Recently, my grandson Trevor was teaching me to count to five in the Japanese language and even write the numbers. Since we will be celebrating Valentine's day next week, I have researched how to say I love you in 15 languages: German, French, Swedish, Polish, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Greenlandish, Finnish, Russian, Filipino, Korean, and Hawaiian. My deepest apologies if I mispronounced any of those. What is Love? By a teenager. "Love is an attitude. Love is a prayer for someone in sorrow, a heart in despair. Love extends good wishes for the gain of another. Love suffers long with the fault of a brother. Love gives water to a cup that's run dry. Love reaches low, love reaches high. Love seeks not his own at the expense of another. Love reaches God when it reaches a brother." This poem, What is Love, has a special place in my heart. I first heard that poem read by a young woman who is blind and read the poem with her fingers. A former student of mine from Florida sent me this poem - one of her favorites by Emily Matthews. A Poem for You: "A lifetime of love and a hug and a smile, a reason to visit and stay for a while. The strength of a bond that's destined to last, the joys of the present and the warmth of the past. These are the treasures a fortunate few are lucky to cherish all their lives through. These are the blessings on which we depend for these are the gifts of a very best friend.” Happy Valentine's Day!Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea, written by Dr Luetta G WernerPublished in the Marion Record on February 8th, 2001Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don't forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I'd greatly appreciate it.Till next time,Trina

On this special episode of Reading With Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes two inspiring guests—Cheri Sterman, Senior Director of Education for Crayola, and celebrated children's author Carrie Finison. Together, they spark a lively conversation about nurturing creativity in children through reading, art, and family traditions. Cheri dives into Crayola Creativity Week, a free global celebration that encourages families, schools, and libraries to blend literacy and art. She shares practical tips for making storytime interactive—like designing new book covers or staging a puppet show with everyday materials. Cheri emphasizes how creative moments foster deeper family bonds and boost children's confidence as readers and artists. She also reveals this year's exciting activities, role models, and how to register for Crayola Creativity Week to access exclusive videos and creative challenges. Carrie Finison joins to introduce her delightful new picture book, "Plenty of Pancakes," the sequel to her hit "Dozens of Donuts." Carrie explains how she weaves fun, math, and even hidden science facts into her stories—inviting kids to count pancakes and discover the wonders of hibernation! She reveals writing secrets for making picture books engaging and leaving room for young readers' imagination. Tune in for heartwarming anecdotes, smart creative tips, and discover how "Creativity & Pancakes" can transform your next storytime into a magical, lasting memory! Don't forget to check out crayola.com/creativityweek and carriefinison.com for more resources and fun.

In year one, Crayola launched a global initiative expecting to engage about 500,000 kids. Instead, more than 2 million participated. Five years later, that same initiative now engages over 17 million kids across more than 120 countries. In this episode, Sonia Thompson breaks down the brand strategy and customer acquisition approach behind that scale with Crayola's Chief Marketing Officer. Together, they explore how the brand designed a global initiative rooted in inclusive marketing principles — and how focusing on engagement across the customer journey became a powerful engine for building trust, relationships, and long-term growth. You'll hear how Crayola: Used brand strategy to design a global initiative that scales year over year Approached customer acquisition through participation, not promotion Built an ecosystem across products, experiences, and content Applied inclusive marketing to engage diverse audiences worldwide This conversation offers a clear lesson for modern brands: sustainable growth comes from engaging customers throughout the journey — not just reaching them once. If you're curious how other billion-dollar brands are driving growth in today's market, I've linked my Billion-Dollar Brands Roadmap in the show notes. It breaks down the strategies leading brands are using to build relevance, trust, and loyalty at scale. - www.frictionlessgrowthlab.com/roadmap Crayola Creativity Week 2026 - https://www.crayola.com/learning/creativity-week

What does it look like when creativity becomes a global learning movement—not an add-on, but a connector across every subject? In this episode of Shifting Schools, Tricia Friedman is joined by Cheri Sterman to explore Crayola Creativity Week, a free, cross-curricular program designed to help educators spark collaboration, confidence, and creative thinking in classrooms around the world. Together, they unpack how Creativity Week connects creativity to every subject and career, why celebrity partners—from the Property Brothers to NASA astronauts—volunteer their time to inspire students, and how this year's themes emphasize social-emotional skills like collaboration and confidence in one's own ideas. You'll also hear how: over 13 million students across 122 countries participated last year—and why participation is projected to exceed 20 million educators can access low-prep, high-impact resources available in multiple languages families are invited into the learning through at-home creative challenges and shared student galleries teachers can enter global sweepstakes, school grants, and creativity retreats designed to restore educator energy Whether you're a classroom teacher, librarian, school leader, or parent, this conversation offers a practical and hopeful look at how creativity can unite learning communities—and why it matters now more than ever. Explore printable thinking sheets, educator guides, and activity downloads designed to support creativity, collaboration, and confidence across grade levels and subject areas. https://www.crayola.com/learning/creativity-week  

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what Crayola is aiming to achieve with its “Campaign for Creativity,” how the brand guides children from digital creation to hands-on creative play, and what's top of mind for the art supplies company as it heads into the holiday season. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Crayola Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Lozano.   To learn more about our research and get access to PRO+, go to EMARKETER.com   Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/   For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com   For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/   Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com    For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-how-crayola-s-campaign-creativity-inspiring-hands-on-play-digital-crayola-reimagining-retail   © 2025 EMARKETER   Campaigns take flight with Viasat Ads. Unlock access to over 250 million passengers annually across leading global airlines, with high-engagement ad formats and real-time delivery. Viasat Ads provides access to a verified audience in a captive environment, so your message reaches passengers when they are ready to engage. Join their journey with Viasat Ads. 

Crayons have helped kids make colorful drawings for more than 100 years. Early crayons were made from simple wax and pigments, but they broke easily and weren't very safe. In 1903, the Crayola company created the first safe, long-lasting crayons for children, starting with only eight colors. Schools quickly adopted them because they were clean, easy to use, and fun! Over the years, Crayola added hundreds of new colors with creative names. Learn how crayons were invented, how they're made, and why they became one of the most popular art tools in the world. Try Cocomelon Sing & Play for Free on your smart TV Volley App

Today's top headlines:  CofC Police officer fired after criminal charges filed, college confirms Kingstree vape shop shooting under investigation; school district boosts security 1 person dies in early morning St. Johns residential fire, officials say Lowcountry Food Bank sees number of families seeking help during holidays triple Community organizations partner for Adams Run giveaway event Goose Creek Police Department holds 7th annual Shop with a Badge holiday event West Ashley apartment fire contained by one sprinkler head More to know:  Crayola magnetic building cubes recalled over safety risk to kids National Park Service drops free admission on MLK Day, Juneteenth while adding Trump’s birthday Soon no Pearl Harbor survivors will be alive. People turn to other ways to learn about the bombing Trump awards medals to the Kennedy Center honorees in an Oval Office ceremony Hegseth defends strikes on alleged cartel boats, says Trump can order use of force ‘as he sees fit’ Judge rejects Trump administration’s bid to toss lawsuit challenging Guantánamo migrant detentions

In this episode of Time for a Reset: Insights from Global Brand Marketers, brought to you by Overline, host Nick King speaks with Victoria Lozano, CMO of Crayola, about what it truly takes for legacy brands to stay culturally relevant. Victoria reveals how Crayola balances deep brand purpose with constant product innovation, thereby building an ecosystem that extends far beyond traditional marketing. She shares strategies for turning purpose into unified campaigns, expanding into experiential and digital spaces, leveraging brand heritage as a competitive edge, and using AI to empower creativity responsibly. Her insights equip senior marketers with a practical framework for long-term brand impact.Topics Covered: Why the "Brand vs. Product" debate is obsolete, and why the most effective marketing strategy isn't choosing between brand elevation and product innovation; it's executing both simultaneously.  How to translate brand purpose into a unifying campaign architecture: Crayola's "Campaign for Creativity" demonstrates how to align messaging across all touchpoints, from product launches to location-based entertainment. The framework for extending brand reach beyond traditional product categories: Moving beyond core offerings into experiential spaces (location-based entertainment), digital platforms (interactive apps), and cultural partnerships (limited-edition collaborations). How to leverage brand heritage and archives as competitive moats: Using a 40-year archive of children's artwork to reunite adult creators with their childhood creations isn't just nostalgia marketing; it's a defensible and authentic brand asset. The strategic approach to AI in consumer-facing applications: Position AI as an enabler of creativity rather than a replacement for human creation, especially for younger audiences.Why awareness of blind spots is the most critical leadership skill: The biggest marketing failures often stem not from details you sweated over, but from underlying assumptions you took for granted. Victoria Lozano is Chief Marketing Officer at Crayola, overseeing all aspects of marketing and consumer engagement for one of the world's most iconic and culturally resonant brands. With a distinguished career spanning Fortune 500 companies, including Cadbury North America (where she led the $1.2B gum and mints portfolio), Miller Brewing Company, Warner Lambert, and Pfizer, she brings deep expertise in brand strategy, product innovation, and omnichannel marketing.If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Instructions on how to do this are available here.Support the show

For our last regular episode of season 7, we are talking about a childhood experience everyone out there can relate to. Sitting down with a big box of crayons and a coloring book! With the help of guest host Christine (AKA Mrs. Parasite), we'll share a bit of history on the Crayola company before diving into some colorful childhood memories revolving around crayons. Get ready for some personal coloring techniques and a run down of our favorite and least favorite #Crayola crayon colors of all time. Then, after the Octoponder, we expand the discussion into numerous other ways we were able to play with color. Things like markers, colored pencils, water color paint and much much more! ---------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is: • Parasite Steve (read) • 8-Bit Alchemy (listen) • Coopster Gold (party) • Nintenjoe (subscribe) ---------------------------------------------- All original heavy metal music by Enchanted Exile

It's Episode 210 and Johnny Taylor Jr., Diana Prince, and Gringo Fantastico break down AEW Dynamite (11/26/25) from Nashville — where Samoa Joe & Hook explain The Opps master plan (kind of), Hangman and Swerve briefly become the world's most violent tag team, and Don Callis tries to turn “that Crayola eater” Mark Briscoe into a project. Plus Kyle Fletcher beats Okada again, Kevin Knight shocks Darby in the Continental Classic, Claudio flattens Orange Cassidy, and the Babes of Wrath punch their ticket to the women's tag finals while Toni Storm & Mina gift us a Hardcore Holiday Death Match. It's chains, tournaments, bad decisions, and even worse neck bumps — just another Wednesday night in AEW. Rate, review, and subscribe or we'll put you in a Hardcore Holiday Death Match with Don Callis on commentary. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the special segment "What the Hack?!," Shanna and Laura share some of their favorite parenting tips and tricks, including ideas for preventing toddlers from knocking over valuable items, being prepared when you're in the car with your kids, using honey bears in a fun way and more! Also, Laura reports on the unsettling reports she has been getting from her 6-year-old's school, Shanna discusses her attempt to power through her recovery from a recent illness, and both moms share their families' plans for Thanksgiving this year. Finally, they share their BFPs and BFNs for the week. Shanna's kids are 6.5 and 9.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 6.5 years old and 4.5 years old.Topics discussed in this episode:-Laura and Shanna's plans for Thanksgiving this year with their families-Parenting while sick and trying to push through the recovery phase-Finding out your child is being bullied at school-Tips, tricks and hacks for making your parenting life easier-Disappointment about not being able to follow through on a commitment-Fun how-to drawing books for kidsProducts, links, resources mentioned in this episode:-Clear Museum Gel-Tissue box hack-Flashlight metaphor for pain management-Using honey bears in the shower-Rice-cooker pasta-The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt -Choking-hazard check-"Let's Draw Aliens and Spaceships with Crayola!" by Kathy Allen (Author) and Neil Clark (Illustrator)-"Ed Emberley's How to Draw Monsters and More Scary Stuff" by Ed Emberley-Cookbook stand (to use for holding kids' drawing books)This episode's full show notes can be found here.Want to get in touch with Shanna and Laura? Send us an email and follow us on social! Instagram, Facebook or TikTok at @bfppodcastJoin our Facebook community group for support and camaraderie on your parenting journey.Visit our website!Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ali's back on the construction site but this time we're in bed and have crayons!! Let's talk Sydney Sweeney, SLMW season 3 & my new bff Brooks Nader all while Ali draws a cat and I attempt a really scary picture of Taylor Swift. Enjoy sloots xoxoxo Follow Ali on: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aliazemar   Follow Sofia on:  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sofiafranklyn   TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sofiafranklyn   Twitter - https://twitter.com/sofiafranklyn    Threads - https://www.threads.net/@sofiafranklyn  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://ww.audacvinc.com/privacy-policy    Episode Highlights: 00:00 Intro 00:41 Big trip + ADHD management 02:57 Packing management 05:25 The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives event 07:07 Crayola markers + coloring book 09:18 MomTok tea 15:21 Sydney Sweeney 16:39 Blocked Ali 24:16 Wedding planning 27:09 Booking flights  31:09 Hormonal bloating hacks 35:26 Sloots hacks To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can listen wherever you get your podcasts, OR— BRAND NEW: we've included a fully edited transcript of our interview at the bottom of this post.In this episode of The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, Corey and I discuss why “Special Time”- the gold standard for cultivating connection with our kids- might not work the best for complex kids. We cover who complex kids are, what parenting them looks like, how to co-create interests and activities together, and being playful to connect deeply while getting through the daily routine.**If you'd like an ad-free version of the podcast, consider becoming a supporter on Substack! > > If you already ARE a supporter, the ad-free version is waiting for you in the Substack app or you can enter the private feed URL in the podcast player of your choice.Know someone who might appreciate this post? Share it with them!We talk about:* 6:43 What is Special Time?* 7:51 What is a complex Kid?* 10:08 What does it look like to parent a complex Kid?* 19:30 What does daily life look like with complex Kids?* 22:03 What to do for connection when special time doesn't work?* 23:05 Cultivating shared hobbies* 27:00 Finding books you both love* 30:00 Instead of only putting kids in organized sports, exercise together!* 33:30 Sideways listening with our kids* 37:00 Playful parenting as we move through the daily routineResources mentioned in this episode:* Yoto Player-Screen Free Audio Book Player* The Peaceful Parenting Membership* What you Can Do When Parenting Hard: Coaching with Joanna * When Peaceful Parenting Doesn't Look Like It's “Supposed To” Look * How To Take the Coach Approach to Parenting Complex Kids with Elaine Taylor- Klaus * What Influencers are Getting Wrong About Peaceful Parenting * Staying Close to Your Tweens and Teens * How To Stop Fighting About Video Games with Scott Novis * Playful Heart Parenting with Mia Wisinski xx Sarah and CoreyYour peaceful parenting team- click here for a free short consult or a coaching sessionVisit our website for free resources, podcast, coaching, membership and more!>> Please support us!!! Please consider becoming a supporter to help support our free content, including The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, our free parenting support Facebook group, and our weekly parenting emails, “Weekend Reflections” and “Weekend Support” - plus our Flourish With Your Complex Child Summit (coming back in the spring for the 3rd year!) All of this free support for you takes a lot of time and energy from me and my team. If it has been helpful or meaningful for you, your support would help us to continue to provide support for free, for you and for others.In addition to knowing you are supporting our mission to support parents and children, you get the podcast ad free and access to a monthly ‘ask me anything' session.Our sponsors:YOTO is a screen free audio book player that lets your kids listen to audiobooks, music, podcasts and more without screens, and without being connected to the internet. No one listening or watching and they can't go where you don't want them to go and they aren't watching screens. BUT they are being entertained or kept company with audio that you can buy from YOTO or create yourself on one of their blank cards. Check them out HERESarah: Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Peaceful Parenting Podcast. Today's episode is about why you shouldn't do special time, which is, I admit, a little bit of a provocative hook here. But it's something that Corey brought to my attention that we have been talking about a lot. And then after last week's podcast, we both agreed—after the podcast with Joanna and her complex kid—we both agreed we have to talk about this, because this is something that probably a lot of parents are feeling a lot of conflict, guilt, and shame around: not doing special time or not wanting to do special time or not being able to do special time.Sarah: Hey Corey. Welcome back to the podcast. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.Corey: Hi, I am Corey Everett, and I am a trained peaceful parenting coach, and I work for Sarah. I live in Ontario, but I work with clients all over the world doing one-on-one coaching. And I myself am complex and have a complex child. And I have two kids. I never can remember this, but I have a 7-year-old and a 10-year-old.Sarah: I am glad you're not the only one who can't remember their kids' ages. I have to stop and think. Okay. Well, I'm so excited to talk about this. And this is actually something that you and I have talked about over the years, because you have found it really difficult to do special time with your complex kid. Maybe just tell us a little bit about what happened when you tried to do special time and why you eventually sort of gave it up. And, you know, this is something that Joanna in the podcast last week—the coaching podcast—she was talking about how she didn't want to do special time with her kid because she was so exhausted. So I think this is sort of like a two-part: why sometimes special time doesn't work for the kids and why it doesn't work for the parents. So let's start by talking about what happened when you would try to do special time with Big C, who's your 10-year-old.Corey: Okay, so when I would try and do special time with Big C, I actually found—first of all—I didn't really feel very present in it. I felt like I was trying to do it, but I felt like I didn't have a lot of energy for it. I think he could feel that. So I just didn't feel very engaged in it and I just felt exhausted, and it just felt like another thing on my to-do list. And so therefore he didn't necessarily enjoy it as much either.We did do a podcast—it'd be really great, I can put it in the show notes—where we talked about some things for peaceful parenting that aren't working, and I did a really good description in that one of why special time didn't work for him.Sarah: Okay.Corey: And so we can have them listen to that if they want more details on that part. Instead, I think I want to really focus on why it didn't work for me and why I'm finding with my clients it's not working for them either.Sarah: You know what, sorry to interrupt you. I realize we should really just say what special time is, in case—like it's such a gold standard of peaceful parenting—but there could be some parents listening to this, parents or caregivers who are newer to special time and might not know what it is.Special time—and there are, I think, some other brands of parenting that might have other names for it—but basically the gold standard is 15 minutes a day of one-on-one time with you and your child, where you put aside the to-do list, put away your phone, and some people suggest that you set a timer and say, “I'm all yours for the next 15 minutes. What do you want to play?” It's really immersing yourself in the child's world. That's one of the main ideas of special time: that we're immersed in our child's world of pretend play or some kind of play. It can be roughhousing or it can be playing Lego or dolls—something that is really child-centered and child-led.So that is special time. And let's take it from there. You had mentioned already that energetically it was really hard for you.Corey: I think the best way that I can explain this is if I paint the picture for you of what it looks like to be a parent of a complex kid. And—Sarah: Wait let's give a definition of complex—we've got to make sure we're covering the basics here. What's a complex kid?Corey: Okay, so a complex kid. This term, I first heard it from Elaine Taylor-Klaus—and we can also put in the show notes when you had her on the podcast. She is amazing. And basically, we're really often talking about neurodivergent kids here. But it can be more than that. It's just kids who need more.Sarah: It's that 20% of kids that we talk about—the 80% of kids who, you know, you say “Go put your shoes on and wait for me by the door,” and they go and do it and they don't have the extra big feelings. So in my idea of it, it can be neurodivergent and also spirited, sensitive, strong-willed. The kids who are not your average, typical kids. And I always say that when I tell people what I do—parenting coach—some people look at me like, “Why would anyone need a parenting coach?” and other people are like, “Oh, I could have used you when my kids were growing up.”So really there are kids who are—I'm sure they're wonderful—but they're not as more or complex as some other kids.Corey: Kids that you almost don't have to be as intentional about your parenting with.Sarah: Yeah. You don't have to read parenting books or listen to parenting podcasts. I would hazard a guess that most people who listen to this podcast have complex kids.Corey: Yes. They're our people. We always say the people who are our people are the ones who don't have to talk about challenges around putting on shoes.Sarah: I love that.Corey: That seems to be the number one thing we're always talking about.Sarah: We always use that as an example, whether it's sensory or strong-willed or attentional. It is kind of like one of those canary-in-the-coal-mine things. Will your child go and put their shoes on when you ask them to? If the answer is no, you probably have a complex kid.Corey: Yes, I love that it is the canary in the coal mine. So that's what our complex kids are. And for the parents of these kids, I think of these parents as being absolute rock stars. They are just trying so hard to peacefully parent their kids. And, like we said, they're reading all the books, they're listening to this podcast, they've probably signed up for all sorts of online seminars and courses and just do all of the things.Often these parents were not peacefully parented themselves. Most people weren't. So they're learning a whole new parenting style. And a lot of people today are getting all their information off Instagram and TikTok reels that aren't very nuanced, so they're also not getting really full information. They're trying so hard off of all these little sound snippets.Sarah: Or the peaceful parenting or gentle parenting advice that they're being given, and what's supposed to happen just doesn't look like that for their kid. And that reminds me—the other podcast that we did about when peaceful parenting doesn't “work,” we could link to that one too.Corey: Yes. Parents of complex kids are also trying to problem solve so many challenges because the world is often not designed for their kids, and it's often not designed for them.Sarah: Say more about that—about “not designed for their kids.” What's an example of how that might show up?Corey: So an example is conventional schooling. They're expected to go into this noisy environment and just be able to eat the food they've been sent and listen all day and stay in their seats and learn the same way that everyone else is learning. I didn't really realize how complex my kid was until I tried to send him to daycare.Sarah: I was just thinking about the spirit days at Big C's school, and how you've shared with me that those spirit days—like pajama day or “everyone wear the school colors day”—for some typical kids can be exciting and fun and a diversion. And for complex kids that can cause a whole level of stress and anticipation and the change of routine. Other parents of non-complex kids might be like, “Whatever, it's not a big deal.” For our complex kids, it throws them for a loop.Corey: Yes. My first moment of starting to realize there was something I needed to pay more attention to was they were having a movie day at Big C's daycare, and they said he kept covering his ears and hiding. And that was my first idea that every other kid was so excited that it was movie day. They'd been looking forward to it. And for my child it was just so loud, and then suddenly the lights were turned off, and the whole situation was throwing him off.So that's what I mean. We're designing the world for kids who are excited about movie day or special event days. But for complex kids, this is a complete change in their routine and all sorts of different sensory things that are happening that can make it really hard for them.Sarah: Or that they can't handle as much as other kids. I have a client who was just talking about how she's realized for her son, who's nine, that they literally can't do anything after school. They can't stop at the store and run in and grab a few things. They really just have to come straight home and not do anything extra or different. And he does so much better when he can just come home and unwind and needs that.Corey: Yes, exactly. So the world wasn't designed for them. And then consequently, the world was often not designed for those parents either. So many of the people we work with—including ourselves—only start to realize how complex we are once we start identifying it in our children. So it's just not really an accommodated world.Sarah: So talk about how that has led to burnout for you. And by the way, when you started talking about rock stars—in the membership the other day, in office hours, one of our members, I'll call him D, who works incredibly hard and has two very complex kids, was just sharing how dark and hard life had been feeling for him lately. And I said, honestly, I just want to give you a medal. And I grabbed this off my desk and held it up—this silver milagro from Mexico that's a bleeding heart. It was the closest thing I had to a medal.But I really feel like so many parents who have hard or more complex kids, all they feel is that they're doing a bad job. They don't realize that they're up against something other people are not up against. They don't realize that because that's all they know—unless you have one kid that's not complex and one that is—you just don't know that you're working so hard and things are still hard. It feels like you must be doing something wrong or failing. What they don't realize is that you can do everything “right” in peaceful parenting, and things are still really hard if you've got a complex kid.Corey: Yes. And the last thing I want to say to help paint this picture is that these parents—part of what they're dealing with, and I actually think this is huge—all parents today have a huge amount of family admin: managing appointments and things from the school and all those kinds of things. But that's this other crushing weight we're carrying as parents with complex kids: the admin.Sarah: Right.Corey: The amount of communication we have to do with daycare providers and teachers almost every day at points—Sarah: And also the searching. I've watched you go through this, and I watched my sister go through this, and countless clients. The searching to try to figure out what exactly is going on with my kid so that I can best support them. And even with the privilege you have and my sister has in terms of being able to access specialists and testing and all of that—even with that privilege—it's still almost a full-time job. And then getting the OT or the supports too.Corey: Yes. I started for this podcast listing some of the people I've had to coordinate with over the years, and I was like: different types of medical doctors, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, social workers, dieticians… so many. And just so much coordinating and searching. And the other thing that's hard is you also then have homework from each of these people. So not only do you have to make appointments and get your children to appointments, you then have to fill out all this paperwork to get reimbursed or get payment sorted. Then there's all the paperwork they want you to sign for ongoing parts of that. Then they have homework for the kids that they're supposed to be doing all the time to help them with whatever's going on. It's endless.Sarah: Yeah. And then there's the day-to-day. Tell us—paint a little picture of the day-to-day living. Not only do we have the world that isn't built for them or for you, and then all of the extra stuff that goes along with having a complex kid, but then the day-to-day life. Speak to that a little bit.Corey: Yeah. I think that's the thing you just see is so painful to talk about for all the people in our membership and our clients, and I've experienced it firsthand. You had children to add love to your family. And then you love them so much and you're struggling because there's chronic dysregulation, and they're having such a hard time getting through your daily routines, and they need more supervision than the average child does. Just getting through the day can be really challenging when you have a complex kid. And then if you yourself are complex, your nervous system is getting completely overwhelmed by trying to be the calm for everyone's storms.Sarah: It's a lot, Corey. I understand why you get emotional about it. It's a lot. And you're still in the thick of it with two young kids. I think everyone who's listening to this can relate.Okay. So how and when did you decide that you were going to quit special time, and what does that look like? And—I just want to center us here—the reason why we do special time is for connection, right? Complex kids need connection just as much or more than typical kids. And so just because we're saying you might want to quit special time, it does not mean we're saying you want to quit connection. So what does that look like? What have you found? Because I know you're super connected with your kids. I've seen you together. I know the things they say to you and about you, and that you have an awesome connection. So what do you do for connection when special time does not work?Corey: A big thing that I've been telling clients and that I've done in my life is—first of all, I had to acknowledge to myself, it felt like shame. Because here I am—it's one of the first things we tell everyone we work with: “Are you getting one-on-one time doing special time with your child?” And then I'm sitting there being like, but I don't really do this. I get a ton of one-on-one time with my children. And I think that's at the heart of it. But what I realized is because we're carrying all those weights we talked about, your whole life feels like it's all about this kid. And then to be like, “You know what? Let's make it more about you and give you another 15 minutes,” just feels—I almost felt like I don't have this in me.So I realized: let's pick things that we can do together that are interesting for both them and me. Instead of getting locked in their play and being led by them, I'm finding things that we're co-creating together.Sarah: And can I just note too that you've told me—and I know you said you talked about this in another podcast—but I just want to say it again: a lot of times complex kids' play doesn't look like typical kids' play. So you might be like, “What do you want to play?” and they're like, “I don't know.” They don't have the same kind of “Okay, let's play store and you be this and I'll be this.” Or they play with their toys in a different manner. So it can also be just awkward to insist that you play with them when that's not their style anyway. I just wanted to throw that out there.Corey: Yeah. And, or if I did, they're always telling me I'm doing everything wrong.Sarah: Right. Because I do think that play—I do think that for most kids, even though we're saying don't do special time—I do think that for most kids it is important to put yourself in their world. And I don't want people to think, like, “Okay, this means I never have to try to do special time.” We're just saying if it's not working for you for these various reasons—whether it's because of your own constraints like it was for Joanna, or because it doesn't work for your kid—it doesn't mean that you're doing it wrong and that there's no way to connect and that you should just give up.But I do think that—just a side note—I'd say the majority of kids, play in their world is the key to a lot of connection. But for some complex kids, that just isn't their mode. For some of them.Corey: Yeah. Because I think we were coming out of special time feeling angry.Sarah: Right?Corey: Because we were coming out of it like, “I'm trying to get lost in my child's world,” and he's just like, “You're not doing anything right, Mommy.” It was frustrating for him because he had these ideas and he couldn't really get me to do it right. And I think for some kids that can be really empowering, where they like that feeling of being in control and telling them. But for him it was frustrating because he's like, “I had this vision, and you are just not executing.” I'm like, “I don't know, I'm trying to execute your vision.” So I think that's why for us, I could just tell it wasn't just me—neither of us were finding it was working.Sarah: But—Corey: We were desperately wanting to be together.Sarah: Okay. So you said “finding,” right? I interrupted you when you were talking about finding things that were co-interests—things that work for both of you, co-creating.Corey: Yes. When they were younger, one of the big things I did was buy myself really special pencil crayons and nice watercolor paints because both of them loved doing art. So I could sit and do art with them and use my fancy coloring books and feel very “we are together doing something” that was making me feel really good, but they also felt really happy, and they loved showing me what they were making.Sarah: And did you let them use your stuff? Because I think that would be really hard for me, because you can't really be like, “These are my special things, and you use these Crayola ones.” How did you navigate that?Corey: Okay, so that was really hard. This never would work for my husband, so I'm going to acknowledge for some people this wouldn't work. I let them grab my crayons, and they dropped them a lot. I acknowledged that they were not going to last. But I still wanted good ones available to me. So I had to be flexible. They definitely grabbed them, and the watercolors were wrecked really quickly. But they respected not touching my special brushes for some reason. So I kept my own special brushes for the painting.Sarah: You know, that reminds me—one of our members has a just-newly-3-year-old who's super complex, and she was talking about how she was doing a jigsaw puzzle, like a proper adult thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. And she was really worried that—since it was on the table in a room where the parents could be—her kid was just going to come in and wreck it. Instead, her child is really good at jigsaw puzzles and is doing them with her. So I think sometimes—she's totally shocked and thrilled that this has become something—and this is clearly a case of coming into the adult world of a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. You just reminded me—she put a post in our Facebook group about how… I don't know, did you see that post?Corey: Yeah, I did.Sarah: About how wonderful it's been to have her just-turned-3-year-old do these adult jigsaw puzzles with her. So that's a perfect example of what you're talking about, I think.Corey: I think it's—so I love what you're saying here, because we're always told “go into their world,” but there's something really powerful about letting them into yours. I didn't actually realize that's what I was doing—I've been bringing them into my world with me, and then they feel really special being allowed in there with me. And so it creates this really beautiful thing, but I'm flexible about letting them in there, knowing it's going to look different.Sarah: Right. What are some other things that you've done besides art that might be inspiring?Corey: I realized a long time ago I had to let go of the idea that I needed to read really interesting books to my kids so that every night we could look forward to reading beautiful stories that drew me in. We actually realized bedtime has started getting hard again, and we realized it's because we're in between books. So that is something—and a shout-out to my mom; she's really good at researching books—she's come up with some really cool books that have really diverse characters and really interesting stories. That's been another really important thing: don't just read. I've picked really good books that draw me in.And so last night we actually just started a favorite series of mine. I kid you not, I'm reading to my 10-year-old a feminist fantasy book that I read when I was a tween. It's called Dealing with Dragons, and he actually is loving it.Sarah: Nice. So you're saying—maybe you misspoke—you said you had to give up on reading books that you… beautiful books that you liked. But did you mean that you were finding beautiful books that you liked?Corey: Yeah, sorry, that's—earlier on I felt like I was just reading, you know, books that I thought they would like.Sarah: Oh, okay.Corey: But instead I was like, “The heck with that,” and I found books that I loved, and I started reading those to my kids. And then they loved them. And then that really got us so excited about bedtime.Sarah: Great, great.Corey: We got through it, and we would read that together, and it became—I actually think reading books that I love to my kids has become one of the most important special times that we have each day.Sarah: So another co-creating—something that's interesting to both of you. And it's not necessarily going into their world and reading the Captain Underpants or something that they might like that you find mind-numbingly boring. And maybe Captain Underpants isn't boring—I've never read it—but I'm just using that as an example.Corey: That's a perfect example. So it's like, here, I'm providing those books for them to read to themselves for their reading time. Absolutely—read all the Captain Underpants, the Dog Man you would like. But my goodness, when I'm reading to you, I'm picking something. And look, we've abandoned lots of books that we started reading that they couldn't get into. We keep—we just keep trying.Sarah: Okay. What else—what else is next?Corey: Exercise.Sarah: Okay.Corey: I've realized exercise for me is the number one way for me to deal with stress. Of all things, I need to exercise to help manage stress. And it's very hard to fit in exercise when you have complex kids. So from the time they were little, we've been very flexible about how we've done it. But my husband and I have—once again, instead of picking things they're naturally into (this is starting to sound really funny)—we just brought them into our exercise with us, and they love it. From the time they were little, we had a balance bike for my littlest guy. He was on that balance bike, and we were riding bikes together.So my littlest one ended up being able to ride a regular bike before he was three.Sarah: Same with Maxine. Those balance bikes are amazing. She just—yeah. It's crazy.Corey: Yeah. And sometimes—Sarah: Sometimes you're like, “What have I done?” The 3-year-old is riding off.Corey: It's true. It was unbelievable, though. So we just rode our bikes together. From the time ours were very little, we had them as little guys on—you can get an attachment to your bike—and my husband put them on his road bike with him and would take them for rides on his road bike.Sarah: There's also the trailer bike too, which we had, which is good.Corey: So we did that. We had our youngest on skis when he was two. COVID kind of interrupted some of that, but now we ski every weekend with our kids, and we decided to do that instead of putting them into organized sports so that we would all be doing it together.Sarah: Oh, I love that. Instead of dropping them off and they're playing soccer, you're all doing stuff together.Corey: Yes.Sarah: I mean, and you could—and, you know, for other families—you could just go and kick the ball. Or I always say, chase your kids around the playground if you feel like you don't have time to exercise but you need to. It can be that simple, right? Kicking the ball around, chasing them around the playground—get some exercise and have some connection time too.Corey: Yeah. One of the ways we got our one son kind of good at running is taking the kite to the park, and we just ran around with the kite. But we started even going to—and I advised another family to do this—going to a track together, because it's a contained area where everyone could run at different speeds. And the really little ones were playing on the inside of the track with soccer balls and things like that, and then everyone else could be running around the track.Sarah: Love it.Corey: So getting really creative about literally bringing them into our world of things that we love, and then connecting deeply. And it's one of those things where it's an investment you make over time. It starts small, and you have to be really flexible. And there are these little hands grabbing all your fancy pencil crayons, and you're having to deal with it. And then one day you're sitting beside them, and they're using them themselves—drawing works of art.Sarah: Yeah, yeah.Corey: And it's happening now where my older son and I have been going for runs together around the neighborhood, and we have the best talks ever because I'm sideways listening. We should talk about sideways listening, actually.Sarah: Okay.Corey: So I learned about this from you. You have a great article—I recommend it to everyone—it's called “Staying Close to Your Tweens and Teens,” and that's where you talk about how it's actually easier for people, I think, to have important conversations when you're side to side, because it's not that intensity of looking at each other's faces. This is extra true for neurodivergent people who sometimes have a hard time with eye contact and talking in that way. So we go for these runs together all around our neighborhood, and I hear everything from my son during that time because we're side by side. So it's become special time, where it started when I taught him to come into my world with the track running and all the different things, and now that we're running, he's bringing me into his world.Sarah: Love it. Do you find that a lot of complex kids have special interests—do you find that there's a way that you can connect with them over their special interest? Does that feel connecting to you if it's not something—like, I'm literally just curious about that.Corey: I think that can be tricky, but I do think it's very important. I've learned that I was having a hard time with how much my kids loved video games because I've never liked video games. And, you know, as someone with ADHD, it's so hard to focus on things that I don't find interesting. And I realized that I've spent all this time cultivating bringing them into my world, and we've gotten to such a beautiful, connected space that I do need to go into theirs. And now that they're older, I'm finding it is easier to go into their world, because we're not trying to make some sort of play thing happen that wasn't natural.Sarah: Right.Corey: So I have been making a point now of—I've sat down and been like, “Show me how to play. I'm a beginner. Teach me how to do this.” And I've been playing video games with them. I'm so bad.Sarah: You know, in our podcast with Scott Novus about how to stop fighting with your kids about video games, he says how good it is for kids to see you be bad at something.Corey: They're seeing it.Sarah: I love that.Corey: I'm so bad. I cannot even a little bit. So they find it very funny. I've been playing with them and letting them talk to me about it, and I've found that's been really important too. Because I keep on saying, “Do you see why they love this so much?” And I'm kind of like, yes—and I see what skills you're learning now that I've tried it. It takes so much skill and practice to be good at these complex video games on the Switch and on the PlayStation. So I am learning a lot, and I feel like we are shifting now, where I found a way to connect with them by bringing them along with what I was into, and now that they're older, we are switching where I'm able to go back into their world.Sarah: Right. Love it. So we also—you know, I think delighting is something that probably you still do, and we always talk about that as the low-hanging fruit. If you can't do special time or it doesn't work for you, delighting in your child throughout the day—letting the love that you feel in your heart show on your face, right? And then finally, you talked about using routine—the things that you do throughout the day—as connection. Can you talk about that a little bit before we go?Corey: Yes. So this is where long-time listeners of our podcast know that although special time is a big fail for us, I'm really good at being silly with my kids. Really good at being silly. And I'm very inspired listening to Mia from Playful Heart—Playful Heart Parenting. I think I told you, listening to her talk, it was like the first time I heard someone talking about exactly how I do playful parenting. And it's just injecting play and silliness and drama throughout your everyday things you're doing together. And so we do that all the time to get through the schedule. Especially now, my 10-year-old is starting to act a little too cool for some of this, but it's still really happening with my 7-year-old, where we're always singing weird songs about what we're doing, and I'll take on weird accents and be my characters. I'm not going to demonstrate them here—it's far too embarrassing—but I still have my long-running characters I can't get over.Sarah: You've got, like, the dental hygienist—what's her name?Corey: Karen. Karen the dental hygienist.Sarah: What's the bus driver's name?Corey: I have Brett the bus driver. We have “Deep Breath,” who's like a yogi who comes in when everyone needs to take deep breaths. There's—oh, her name's So? I'm not sure why. So is the dresser who's really serious and doesn't know how to smile. So if my kids ever need help—this has also been a big way that I delight in them, I think—if they ever need help getting dressed (which complex kids need help getting dressed for a long—)Sarah: And even body doubling when they don't need help getting dressed, right?Corey: Yes. So I would always pretend to be a dresser who was sent in to get them dressed in their clothes, and they didn't know how to smile. So they're always trying to teach me how to smile when I'm keeping a serious face. And actually, recently I was doing this and I was having such a hard time not laughing that my lips started visibly quivering trying not to smile and laugh.Sarah: I love that.Corey: I think it was the hardest I've ever seen my 7-year-old laugh. He was on the floor laughing because I was like—Sarah: And for anyone who this sounds hard for—just, you know, it takes practice, and anyone, I think, can learn to be playful. And I love Mia's account—we'll link to that in the show notes. I love Mia's account for ideas just to get you started, because I know you—you're a drama kid. I'm not. But I still found ways to get playful even though it's not my natural instinct. And so you can—this way of getting playful and connecting through the day and through your daily routine—you can do that. It'll take maybe a little practice; you might feel funny at first. But I think it's possible for everyone to do that.So thank you so much. We have to wrap up, but I also want to point out that anyone who wants to connect with you, reach out to us. Corey's available for coaching. She's a wonderful coach. And I have people who specifically ask for Corey because they can relate to Corey's experience as a parent of complex kids. And so, on our website, reimaginepeacefulparenting.com, there is a booking link for a free short consult or for a coaching session. We'll also put that in the show notes. So if you want some more support, please reach out to us. Either of us are here and want to help you.And, Corey, thank you for your honesty and vulnerability—vulnerability about being a parent of a complex kid and sharing how you can do that connection, even if it feels like special time is just too hard and something that doesn't work for you or for your kid. And thanks to Joanna for also inspiring us to get this out there to you all.Corey, before I let you go, I'm going to ask the question I ask all my guests, which is: what would you tell your—you had a time machine and you could go back in time—what would you tell your younger parent self?Corey: Okay.Sarah: About parenting? What do you wish you knew?Corey: I think what I wish I knew—I think this is easier than I thought it would be, because I just told my best friend who just had a baby this—and it's: trust your intuition. I think I spent so much time looking for answers outside of myself, and I could feel they weren't right for my kid or for me, that I was so confused because other people were telling me, “This is what you should be doing.” And the more I've learned to trust my gut instinct and just connect deeply—and this special time example is perfect—I knew it wasn't working for us, and I intuitively knew other ways to do it. And I wish I could have just trusted that earlier.Sarah: And stopped doing it sooner and just gone with the other connection ideas. Yeah. Thank you so much, Corey. This has been so great. And, again, we'll put the link to anyone who wants to book a free short consult or coaching session, and also to our membership, which you've heard us mention a few times, which is just a wonderful space on the internet for people who want some community and support with their complex kid.Thanks, Corey.Corey: Thank you.>> Please support us!!! Please consider becoming a supporter to help support our free content, including The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, our free parenting support Facebook group, and our weekly parenting emails, “Weekend Reflections” and “Weekend Support” - plus our Flourish With Your Complex Child Summit (coming back in the spring for the 3rd year!) All of this free support for you takes a lot of time and energy from me and my team. If it has been helpful or meaningful for you, your support would help us to continue to provide support for free, for you and for others.In addition to knowing you are supporting our mission to support parents and children, you get the podcast ad free and access to a monthly ‘ask me anything' session. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sarahrosensweet.substack.com/subscribe

After the show ended yesterday Sky's birthday festivities continued in the building but things got awkward when they pulled out a tiny cake in a room full of people...It is Throwback Thursday so you know we HAVE to play our favorite game, Throwback Trivia!We get into a very interesting debate today when we brought up crayola crayons and what our favorites and go to colors were

News That Didn't Make the News: Are you dressing for Halloween?, Crayola crayon colors, and Taking vacations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Using Cooking as Therapy to Improve Mental Health   The concept of experiential therapy isn't new: there's art therapy, equine therapy, play therapy. But one form you might not be familiar with is cooking therapy. Research tells us that cooking and baking are favorite hobbies of Americans—above reading, time spent with pets, video games, or outdoor activities. So how can we make our love of the kitchen also therapeutic?  Meet Debra Borden! She's a licensed clinical social worker and author of the new book, Cooking as Therapy: How to Improve Mental Health Through Cooking. In today's episode, she shares the science behind cooking as therapy, how to turn any recipe into therapy, or even any non-recipe into a therapeutic experience.   Order Cooking as Therapy here: https://cookingastherapybooks.com/   Meet the Author and Our Guest -- Debra Borden, LCSW Debra is a licensed clinical social worker and a pioneer in using cooking as a part of therapy. Known as the Sous Therapist, Debra has spent over two decades helping people discover how everyday kitchen tasks become powerful tools for healing. Her unique approach to therapy has been featured in The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Women's Health, and on The List TV, among others. Corporate clients like Bloomingdale's, Crayola, and Mt. Sinai have brought Debra in to demonstrate how cooking therapy can reduce stress and spark meaningful change. Debra is also the author of two novels with Random House (Lucky Me and A Little Bit Married) and countless essays and articles on family, relationships, and personal growth.   Follow Debra on Social Media IG and Facebook: @debraborden  TikTok: @cookyourselfhappy   Thank you for listening to The Happy Eating Podcast. Tune in weekly on Thursdays for new episodes! For even more Happy Eating, head to our website!  https://www.happyeatingpodcast.com Learn More About Our Hosts:  Carolyn Williams PhD, RD: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realfoodreallife_rd/ Website: https://www.carolynwilliamsrd.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealFoodRealLifeRD/ Brierley Horton, MS, RD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brierleyhorton/ Got a question or comment for the pod? Please shoot us a message!  happyeatingpodcast@gmail.com Produced by Lester Nuby OE Productions

After the show ended yesterday Sky's birthday festivities continued in the building but things got awkward when they pulled out a tiny cake in a room full of people...It is Throwback Thursday so you know we HAVE to play our favorite game, Throwback Trivia!We get into a very interesting debate today when we brought up crayola crayons and what our favorites and go to colors were

NBA players. Looking in a mirror. Grilled cheese. Smuggled chicken wings. Waffle House news. US passport drops to #12 most powerful. Acquired podcast. Life path numbers. Crayola's favorite colors. Our pets don't get along.

Taking time off. Toilet mishaps. NBA players. Looking in a mirror. Grilled cheese. Smuggled chicken wings. Waffle House news. US passport drops to #12 most powerful. Acquired podcast. Life path numbers. Crayola's favorite colors. Our pets don't get along. Using sound to suppress fire. Best college football stadiums. K-Pop Demon Hunters.

How To Keep Kids Listening (and Loving It! | Ms. Monica on Positive Parenting & Preschool StrategiesWelcome to Back Talk, the official podcast from Successful Black Parenting Magazine!

On this episode we revist two of our favorite bottles from the past year, the Ardnamurchan Paul Launois Release and the Signatory Vintage Linkwood, while chatting about being the longest sports seasons, why alll the bowl games protect food, taking the time to appreciate the drink, You Can't spell Flowers without Lowes, your Grandma is the Queen of England, the amazing nature of boring TV, destroying your backyard, indoor ducks are refined, idyllic pumpkins, HOA restrictions, dropping your pants at the doctor's office, carrying a 45lb bottle around for 3.5 weeks, grease paint, a child's rollercoaster ridden by a 400lb man, soaking in a hottub that's 2 degrees too warm, that lovely Crayola note, and why the goal is to make the customs agents blush.  Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DrepandStone We'd love to hear from you! https://linktr.ee/DrepandStone Don't forget to subscribe! Music by @joakimkarudmusic Episode #315

“I ask them to sing with maximum efficiency, accessing their singer's formant, and from there, we'll ask for specific sounds. Sometimes conductors get stuck asking them to blend, to listen. When we do that, it's like giving them an 8-pack of Crayola and asking them to color. Instead, we start the rehearsal with a 64-pack and then throughout the rehearsal we might pick out the light blue #2 to color that section of the music. They're able to access the full breadth of their vocal powers in the rehearsal.”Francis Cathlina, D.M.A. (he/him) is a Vietnamese-American conductor and educator, renowned for his innovative approach to choral music. His concerts invite audiences into a world where choral artistry becomes a powerful storytelling medium.Dr. Cathlina is currently the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Memphis, where he received the 2025 Dean's Award for Creative Achievement. He oversees the Choral Area, leads the MM/DMA Choral Conducting program, and conducts the University Singers.A two-time GRAMMY-nominated educator, Dr. Cathlina draws deeply from his Eastern heritage. His work reflects a commitment to excellence and collaboration. In 2025, he will serve on the conducting faculty for Brazil's FIMUS Festival and work in the Philippines as part of ACDA's International Conductors Exchange Program. Early recognition came from the Texas Choral Directors Association (TCDA), which named him a “Young Director of Distinction.”Cathlina's teaching philosophy centers on developing masterful technicians, expressive communicators, and thoughtful citizens. Under his direction, the UofM University Singers have been invited to perform for national conferences. Recent engagements involve All-State choirs in Mississippi and Kentucky, the International Mu Phi Convention Chorus, and a Carnegie Hall debut. Dr. Cathlina's research focuses on choral tone and conducting gesture. He has presented over 69 sessions worldwide. He is published in international journals. In 2025, he served as the Headliner for the Ohio and Alabama choral conferences. In 2023, he co-led Conducting Masterclasses in Greece with the University of Macedonia and Ionian University.Dr. Cathlina earned a DMA in conducting with a vocal pedagogy cognate from the University of North Texas, an MM from Michigan State University, and a BME from Baylor University. Before his doctorate, he taught in Texas public schools. Beyond the podium, Dr. Cathlina is an avid pickleball player. He, his husband Kyle, and their dog Coco call Memphis, Tennessee, their home. To get in touch with Francis, you can find him on Instagram (@francis.cathlina) or Facebook (@franciscathlina), on his website (franciscathlina.com), or via email: franciscathlina@gmail.com.Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Matt Britton sits down with Victoria Lozano, Chief Marketing Officer at Crayola, to unpack why creativity is a life skill that prepares people for whatever lies ahead. Victoria shares how Crayola has expanded beyond crayons into products, experiences, and content, why more than half of purchases now come from households without kids, and how the Campaign for Creativity is reframing creative expression as a cultural movement.Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow Victoria Lozano on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode, I sit down with Victoria B. Lozano, Executive Vice President of Brand Marketing at Crayola, to talk about how creativity shapes our lives across generations. She shares how Crayola's mission has always gone beyond crayons, focusing on wellness, education, and inspiring simple creative moments every day. We explore how creativity improves problem solving, critical thinking, and emotional well-being—not just for children, but for adults seeking stress relief and joy. Victoria also discusses Crayola's Campaign for Creativity, the evolving role of digital tools, and how the brand continues to innovate while staying true to its purpose of making humans more human.

My guest today is Vicky Lozano, the CMO of Crayola — yes, the company that basically defined many of our childhoods. In her role, Vicky leads Crayola's consumer communications, partnership marketing, digital and omnichannel marketing, interactive app portfolio, education, and location-based entertainment. Before joining Crayola, she managed a $1.2 billion gum and mints portfolio at Cadbury, working on well-known brands like Trident and Dentyne.She has also held major roles at Miller Brewing, Warner-Lambert, and Pfizer.What I love most about Vicky is that she's not just a brand leader — she's a creativity evangelist with a business brain. In our conversation, we're diving into how to keep a legacy brand fresh, why creativity isn't just for kids, and what it really takes to build something that truly matters.

What does it take to build a brand that earns loyalty across generations? Crayola is more than crayons—it's a creative ecosystem built on emotional insight, personalization, and purposeful storytelling. In this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, Victoria Lozano, Crayola's Chief Marketing Officer, shares how her team designs meaningful experiences across every touchpoint.

In this powerful episode of The Mike Litton Experience, we sit down with Peter H. Christian—former executive at Crayola, acclaimed consultant, and author of two insightful books: “What About the Vermin Problem?” and “Influences and Influencers”. With over 40 years of leadership experience across powerhouse companies like Crayola and Air Products, Peter shares jaw-dropping behind-the-scenes […]

What's your favorite Crayola color?

264. Simple Ideas for Incorporating Art with Children and Teens with Courtney Sanford   Colossians 3:23 NLT "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."   **Transcription Below**   Questions and Topics We Discuss: Can you give us an overview of the seven major forms of art and give an example of ways our children can engage with each? What are the best art supplies to have on hand? As our children grow, why is this helpful in the teen years to have a healthy way to express ourselves and our ideas?   Courtney Sanford is a dedicated wife, and mother who triumphantly homeschooled her three children. With one pursuing a career in orthodontics, another just finishing a master's degree while working in higher education, and the youngest studying computer science at Regent University, Courtney's commitment to their education has yielded remarkable success.   Passionate about nurturing creativity and self-expression, she guides students through captivating art classes, exploring the intersection of imagination and skill. With her background as a graphic designer and experience in studio art, Courtney embarked on a new adventure as an art teacher.    As a multitasking mom, author, artist, teacher, and adventurer, Courtney embodies the spirit of embracing life's opportunities and fostering a love for learning and artistic expression.   Beyond her love for education, Courtney has an insatiable wanderlust. She finds joy in traversing the globe, hosting art retreats, and volunteering at Spiritual Twist Productions: both painting sets, and serving on the board of directors. When time permits, Courtney indulges in spring snow skiing, hiking in exotic locations, and leisurely walks with her dog, Zoey.   Delightful Art Co. was born out of a time when life gave Courtney a handful of lemons, and she creatively transformed those lemons into refreshing lemonade. The Covid shutdown rather forcefully prompted a major shift from in-person art classes to online classes.    Courtney's Website   Thank You to Our Sponsor: WinShape Marriage   Other Episodes Mentioned: 202 Simple Ways to Connect with Our Kids And Enjoy Breaks with Beth Rosenbleeth (Days with Grey) 223 Journey and Learnings as Former Second Lady of the United States with Karen Pence   Continue the conversation with us on Facebook, Instagram or our website.   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*    Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:10 - 1:36) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   I am thrilled to introduce you to our sponsor, WinShape Marriage.   Their weekend retreats will strengthen your marriage, and you will enjoy this gorgeous setting, delicious food, and quality time with your spouse. To find out more, visit them online at winshapemarriage.org. That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E marriage.org. Thanks for your sponsorship.   Courtney Sanford is my guest today, and she's an amazing artist and teacher and author, and I'm just so excited to share this conversation. If you're like me and you're ready for summer and your rhythm changes with your kids, she's going to share some super practical tips for incorporating art and beauty into our homes.   And I think that you're going to conclude this conversation by knowing where to begin and understanding why it matters. Here's our chat.    Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Courtney.   Courtney Sanford: Thanks for having me.    Laura Dugger: I'm so excited to hear more about your story, so will you share what has led you into the work that you get to do today?   Courtney Sanford: (1:37 - 4:20) I sure do like to share that story. I didn't start off as a homeschooler. I didn't imagine that that would be where my life went, but I was always a creative person.   I was a graphic designer, and I worked in the Performing Arts Center, and I got to do lots of fun design for shows. Then along came kids. I actually enjoyed dropping them off at school and going to Target, and I was okay with that.   We didn't do public school because the school near me didn't look safe, and we had lived near Columbine High School and thought it was just a beautiful, beautiful school. And when we left Colorado, we thought, oh, isn't it sad that our kids won't go to school there? And then just about a month later, the whole Columbine shooting happened, and so we were kind of traumatized by all of that.   And then when I saw the school that my precious five-year-old would go to, it didn't look safe, and so we sent them to a private school. So here we are spending a lot of money, having high expectations, and the kids were doing all worksheets all the time, and they started to dread going to school, and they didn't love learning, and the excitement of learning just kind of drained out of them. And so we looked into other options and decided that homeschooling would be the way to go, and I found the classical model and just loved the way that sounded, and we tried it, and it worked, and the little lights just came back on in their eyes, and they started to love learning again.   And I just found my people, and I just learned everything I could about homeschooling, and I just poured myself into it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord. And had a great time, and I just loved my time with my kids, and I felt like it was successful, and I encouraged other people to do it, but I wasn't really sure that it worked until they got into college and they turned out to be successful, thriving humans, and we're really proud of them. One will be a doctor in about a month.   He's about to graduate. He has a wife and a little girl, and then my second one has her MBA, and she works for a Christian college where she leads trips, and she's getting ready to take a group to Paris and London, and so she kind of ministers to students through that, and then my youngest is still in school staying to be a software developer. So now I can confidently say it was worth all the energy that I put into it.   It was hard work, probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but so worth it.   Laura Dugger: (4:21 - 4:40) That's incredible, and I love hearing the success story where your children are now, but you really also inspired them with beauty and art in their learning and growing up time, and I'm curious, are there any personal lessons that the Lord has taught you through art?   Courtney Sanford: (4:41 - 6:32) Oh, goodness. Yeah, I think my desire was to make learning interactive because I saw what they were doing in the private school, which was sit in a chair all day and do your worksheets, and it was just worksheet after worksheet after worksheet and then a quiz, and then you get graded, and so I was thinking if I'm going to pull them out, I've got to do better than that, and so that was my standard, and I was going to beat that standard every day, and so I pulled in art because that's what I knew, so if we were learning about an animal, we would draw the animal. If we were learning about a continent, we would draw the continent until we could draw it from memory, and I really learned with them. I did not have a great elementary education or even high school education, so I would learn this stuff, and then I would think of creative ways to get them involved with it, so a lot of times it was drawing.   It could be painting. It could be making things out of clay. We used to make things out of Rice Krispie Treats, and then they could take it to their co-op group.   Well, it was a classical conversations group, but they do presentations, and so we made a Mayan temple out of Rice Krispie Treats, and we would make volcanoes, and then they could take it to their friends and share it with them and tell them about it, so anything I could do that would get us out of the chair using our hands and using our senses and think, you know, how can I incorporate all five senses, and that just made learning so much more fun for them and for me, and so a lot of it was art. Some of it was science.   Anytime I could incorporate a sense of play into what they were learning, I could see that they would learn so much more.   Laura Dugger: (6:32 - 6:55) I love that, trying to incorporate all five senses, especially. That gets some ideas coming, but can you even back it up, and because you're an artist, will you give us an overview of the seven major forms of art, and can you give us examples as parents for ways that we can engage our children with each of those?   Courtney Sanford: (6:56 - 10:58) Oh, sure. Let me think. All right, so drawing, of course, you can draw what you see, so when I teach students to draw, I do a progression, so we'll draw from line art, and you can find line art anywhere.   It might be in a children's book, so using the library was key for me, so I'd get a laundry basket, and I would go to the library with an index card of what we'd be studying, and I would grab all kinds of books related to that, so when you come home, you get out a kid's book. If you see a good line drawing, say you're studying a lizard, if you see a good line drawing, draw from that. They could even trace it to start with, so you draw from the line drawing, then once they get really confident with that, you go to drawing from photos, and then you go to drawing from real life, so maybe you have a fish tank.   Maybe there's a fish in the fish tank, and you could draw from that or draw things in your yard, so that is how I break down drawing for them, and it could be years. You could draw from line art for years before you go to drawing from photos, and then to drawing from real life, and drawing's great for learning to memorize things. For painting, painting's just fun, and so I like to go to the kitchen table every afternoon and paint what you see, so you start off with the younger kids.   You could start with color and markers and fill in the areas, and then you can teach them how to shade using painting. Sculpture is also fun with kids. I like air-dry clay, and I like Sculpey clay.   I like to get a one-pound block of Sculpey clay and teach them the basic forms, like roll out a snake, do your hands together. Those of you who are listening, you can't see my hands, but I am making a sphere with imaginary clay. These are really good for developing their fine motor skills, too.   We also make the letters out of roll-out snakes and form your letters. That will really help if they're reversing letters. It takes a while to build the whole alphabet, so maybe you do three or four letters a day.   You work on it a couple times a week. It might take a month to make the whole alphabet, but that can be one goal, to get them working in three dimensions. We usually do additive sculpture, like adding on, and you can use found objects to make sculptures.   One time, my son took apart a pen. I rearranged the pieces into a human shape, and it was lovely. Getting them thinking in three dimensions is related to sculpture.   Carving, I don't like to do until they're old enough to be safe with a knife, but once they are, especially the boys love to go outside in the yard and get a log. They spend a lot of time carving spoons. Just a simple shape they can hold in their mind and then carve it is a good activity.   It keeps their little hands busy, too, if you want to read aloud to them and you don't mind a little mess in the house, they can carve. You can also carve out of a bar of soap as well. For that, that's a subtractive sculpture technique.   Let's see. That's the three main ones, drawing, painting, sculpture. I know film is one.   Film, I don't really incorporate much into my homeschool, except we will occasionally watch a movie about history. That has gotten me into trouble a few times because some of those movies that I think are going to be historic turn out to have racy scenes in them, and I'll have to jump up and get in front of the TV or cough really loud. But there are some good films that you can watch together as a family.   That's about as far as I went with film.   Laura Dugger: (10:59 - 11:19) I would, if you don't mind me interrupting there, too. I feel like that's one that our girls have actually begun to develop on their own, where our eldest daughter once wanted a video camera, so she got the old-school video camera. They're making their own movies, and I've seen that as a form of creative, artistic play.   Courtney Sanford: (11:20 - 11:49) Oh, that's fabulous. Yes, so when my kids were little, we didn't even have phones or video cameras on the phones, so that wasn't an option. When we first started homeschooling, our TV died, and so we did not even have a TV for years.   We just decided not to replace it, which forced us into audiobooks and reading aloud and then just playing outside instead and reading books. So that was a blessing.   Laura Dugger: (11:49 - 12:03) I love that because that's one of the other forms. That was new to me, that literature is an art form. Sorry, I sidetracked you because we still have literature, architecture, theater, and music.   Courtney Sanford: (12:04 - 14:20) Yeah, I think the best thing that we did for our kids, of course, I love teaching them to write using Andrew Pudewa's method with IEW. It's kind of imitative writing, so you learn to imitate good writers. But also, my husband read aloud to the kids every single night.   That was his time with him. He gave me a break, and he would read for hours. He loved it.   The kids loved it. And he would choose classics or funny things, you know, science fiction. Probably not the books that I would choose.   I would choose classics and things related to what we were studying, but he chose what he wanted to read. So I would read aloud in the afternoons, and we would do audiobooks like Story of the World and all the Jim Weiss readings. And then he would read aloud at night.   And just whatever he wanted to choose, he would read aloud. And I think hearing good language produces good speakers and good writers. So he gets about 50 percent of the credit for the success of the kids, I think, for just reading aloud every night.   It was such a great thing to do for the kids. And then the last one, architecture. I do incorporate architecture when I'm teaching about a culture.   So, if we're doing art history or history, we'll look at the buildings. So, of course, you do that with ancient Egypt. You look at the pyramids.   When you're talking Old Testament times, you look at the tents. And then as I go through art history with the high schoolers, I'll point out more and more like neoclassical, of course, comes from the ancient Greeks, but it's come to symbolize power and authority. And that's why we see it in government buildings.   So, my degree is graphic design, but it was in the School of Architecture. So, I had a lot of history of architecture and I appreciate it. And so I'm always pointing that out to my kids.   And I do that in my class, in my art history class. I always incorporate the architecture just as a part of understanding a culture.   Laura Dugger: (14:21 - 14:29) I love that. And was there anything specific that you did with your kids for encouraging music or also theater?   Courtney Sanford: (14:30 - 15:29) Oh, yeah. One thing I wish I had done more of was kinder music. I don't know why we didn't do that much kinder music, but now I'm learning more about it.   I wish I had done more of that. And I did put them in piano lessons. One wanted to do violin.   So, they had a few years of learning the basics of music, and then they really got into theater. We have a great Christian youth theater nearby. And so that was a really good experience.   In their Christian youth theater, they would sing praise and worship songs before and during and after a play. They would be praying for the audience and singing worship songs in addition to the singing on the stage. And that whole experience was really good for them.   Even my quietest kid got a big role in a play one time, and he had to memorize a lot of lines and sing in front of people. It's just such a great experience for them.   Laura Dugger: (15:30 - 15:57) I would think so. Even if they don't choose something that we would consider a very artistic career, I can see why all of this is still beneficial. That leads me to another question for you.   Regardless of the way that all of us parents listening are choosing to educate our children, why is it still beneficial for all of us to incorporate art into our homes and into our parenting?   Courtney Sanford: (15:58 - 21:59) That's a great question. So, the first line of the Bible says God created. So, the first thing we learn about God is that he was creative.   He created everything. And then just a few lines later, it says then he created man in his own image. So that tells me that we were created to be creative, to create.   Now, he doesn't let us create stuff out of nothing like him, which is probably for our own good. That would be a mess. But we can create things out of what he created.   And there is a study done by George Land. And there's a video on YouTube of George Land giving a talk about this creativity study that he did. And he created a test for NASA to help them find creative engineers when they were trying to get to the moon.   And they used it to study creativity in children. And they tested five-year-olds. So, they found a group of 1,600 five-year-olds who were in school.   And when they tested them at five years old, 98% of them tested as creative geniuses. So, their plan was to go every five years and test them again just to see what was going on. So, they went back after five years.   The kids are now 10. And it dropped down to like 27%. They went back another five years when the kids were 15, and it was down to about 17%.   And then they were so depressed, they stopped testing them because they could see they began as very creative. So, we're created creative. And a lot of moms will say, yes, I can see that in my children.   But something happens. And this was all in school. Something happened during school that taught them to not be creative.   So, the school teaches the kids to be obedient, to sit still, and to get the same outcome from every kid. Right? There's an expected answer on every test.   And you're to try to get the answer that the teacher wants. That's not creative. So, the first thing to do to preserve their creativity is don't send them to school.   That's the safest bet. And then when you do homeschool them, which I think is the best environment for them, don't do what they do in school. To bring them home and to go to all this trouble just to do the same thing that they're doing in school is not worth the trouble.   So, you've got to not do what they're doing in school. And so, for me, that meant don't do worksheets, make the content interactive. So, I did rely on curriculum, but I didn't rely on the curriculum to be the teacher.   So, I get the content from the curriculum, and then I make it interactive using artistic, creative skills so that they can be creative. And I don't teach it out of them. So, if you have young kids, that's good news.   They're already creative. You just have to don't teach it out of them. If your kids are older and maybe they've been in school, then you might have to like undo some of that training and set up some experiences where you ask them or even like in my classes, I'll set up a challenge.   And I expect everyone's to be different because everybody's going to do it a little bit more creatively in their way. And so, at the end of class, instead of like calling out the answers to see if everybody got the same thing, they're holding up what they did and telling me what they were thinking. And everybody's is different.   And then I really praise the ones who did something different. Maybe they changed the colors. Maybe they put glasses on Mona Lisa.   You know, maybe they gave her a cat to hold. So, I reward thinking outside the box. Now to to pour in beauty, and I think I might have heard this from Charlotte Mason, beauty in, beauty out.   So, you've got to load them with beauty. Now, I think that we were naturally drawn to beauty and people will argue with me about this. They'll say, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.   But I betcha I could find something that's beautiful and do a survey. And I betcha I could get 100% of people to say, yes, that's beautiful. And I could find something else, maybe a Hindu goddess sculpture.   And I could find something that 100% people would say that is not beautiful. And so, I think that ingrained in some of us because we're created by God, I think we have a sense of appreciating beauty. I do think that it gets taught out of a lot of people.   So, with my kids, I show them a lot of beauty. And this can be as simple as get a coffee table book from the secondhand bookstore on art and put it on your coffee table. Get books from the library and have lots of beautiful things to look at.   And so, when I now when I was teaching my own kids, this is kind of a fly by the seat of my pants. Make it up as I go. Now that they've left home and I can think about it, I'm putting together books that are a little bit more thoughtful.   So, in my books, you will see I've chosen a piece of art that is beautiful and I will pair it with the lesson. And then I'll give you an art activity. So, for example, in Into the Woods, you'll see I've chosen a beautiful piece of art and I paired it with a poem, which is another piece of beauty.   Yes. And then I'll give you an art lesson so that they can get creative with it as well. So, it is this hard to pull it together.   So that's why I'm making books to help parents. So, you have something beautiful and something to do with it. And so, that's how I pour in beauty to give a beauty in beauty out.   Laura Dugger: (21:59 - 22:36) I love that so much. And just even holding this resource, it is so beautiful. There's so much to it.   When it arrived, our daughters were delighted to go through it and to dive in and get to learn. But I'm just thinking many listeners are fellow homeschool parents and also many are not. But I don't want them to be discouraged because I'm even thinking of your courses or if they do intentional art in the evenings or on weekends or summer break and winter break.   There are still ways for all of us to incorporate this.   Courtney Sanford: (22:36 - 24:28) Yes, for sure. Yeah. Even so, my mom, I was public school.   And of course, the word hadn't been invented back then, but my mom appreciates art and poetry and she would always have art books on the coffee table. And I would just stop and, you know, in my free time, flip through the pages. And those images stuck with me my whole life.   She had one that had a Monet on the cover of the Field of Red Poppies. And that was just ingrained in my mind as a piece of beauty. So just something as simple as putting it out on your coffee table.   She also took us to museums whenever we traveled. And she didn't make a big lesson out of it, but I was exposed to beautiful buildings. You know, most museums are in beautiful buildings.   You see the beautiful architecture. And I was exposed to a lot of art that way. So, that was that totally goes with which with summer vacations and your vacations to, you know, make an effort to see a gallery or an art museum when you're traveling.   That makes a big difference. It'll make an impression on them. And of course, the books you could do in the summer.   We have summer classes and we have an art retreat that might not line up with school because it's in May. But the books you could for sure add on. Hopefully someday we'll have evening classes so that you could go to school.   We've got some this coming year that will start at four o'clock. So, hopefully some kids can go to school and come home and join an art class. So, we're working on getting it out as we as I get teachers willing to.   Most of my teachers are homeschool moms, too. And by the end of the day, they're tired. So, I've got a few.   I've got a young lady who's just graduating and she's going to do some late afternoon ones for us next year. So pretty excited about that.   Laura Dugger: (24:28 - 25:04) I love that. And then even thinking of the beauty and beauty out stepping outdoors. There's so much beauty in God's creation and so much change depending on where you live throughout the seasons.   But I love how you also brought up the library, because anytime I'm trying to learn something new, that's my first go to is put books on hold at the library. And so, if we're wanting to know what to add to our library cart just to get us started into this, can you share books that you recommend, both yours and others that you think would be good additions?   Courtney Sanford: (25:05 - 26:19) Oh, that's a good question. Yes, there are. I love to think about the biographies of artists.   And if so, if you're studying ancient history, you could look up a biography on Giotto. And they're still tell the stories in such a nice, kid friendly way. Like there's the story of Giotto.   He was actually watching the sheep. And while he was out in the fields, he would draw on the sides of rocks like big rocks. But you get another rock and you would draw on the sides of rocks.   And another artist was walking through one day and he saw these drawings on the rocks. He was like, wow, you're really talented. Come with me.   I'll make you an apprentice. And those stories are just they're fun to read together and hear those kinds of stories. And of course, the Usborne books of art are beautiful and they often have projects for the kids to do.   I can't think of any specific ones, but I do love a short paperback on the particular artists. And so, I kind of line those up along with the period in history that we're studying.   Laura Dugger: (26:20 - 26:32) That's great. And even you're making me think of picture book biographies on artists. We've always enjoyed those as well.   Obviously, the illustrations are fantastic, too, but the storylines are so interesting.   Courtney Sanford: (26:33 - 27:23) Yes. So, I just grab whatever they have. I had a big laundry basket.   And and I know card and I just grab whatever I could find and sometimes let the kids choose. And sometimes I would choose. If you're going with geography, you can find beautiful photos of the different areas.   See the landscapes or the sunsets. And that can through photography. And you can really get to know a place through beautiful photographs.   I like that part, too. And then that might inspire a pastel drawing of a landscape. Maybe it's a beautiful sunset you could recreate with pastels.   So, photography books are really inspirational, too.   Laura Dugger: (27:23 - 28:10) It's a great idea. And circling back, you had mentioned Andrew Pudewa earlier in our conversation. And I remember learning from him that with writing, the worst way we can teach our children is to say just free write, just write something down or here's a prompt to finish this sentence because better writing comes through imitating.   And so, you've even mentioned tracing is a great way to start. That's not cheating in art if you're not stealing credit from them. But if you're just practicing and tracing, this is a way to imitate.   And so, I'm wondering, do you have any other cautions for ways that may be the wrong way to introduce our kids to art?   Courtney Sanford: (28:11 - 30:50) I agree that. Yeah, you can get writer's block. What I find funny is that some people are so afraid to imitate artists.   But if I were teaching piano, I would teach your kid how to play something by Bach in which he would learn what Bach did. And nobody would say I'm stealing from Bach. You know, and you learn to play Beethoven by playing Beethoven and you you learn to reproduce those pieces of music.   I do the same thing in art. We look at what the masters did and we'll copy it in order to learn what they knew. And that way we build.   We're like standing on the shoulders of giants. So, we don't want every kid to have to start with inventing the wheel themselves. We'd never get very far.   We want to learn what the masters knew and then build on that. So, I do a lot of imitation. And then as the students ready, I let them know you are free to change this or to experiment with it.   So just last week we were drawing and painting red poppies and learning about Georgia O'Keeffe. And so, I said we can do an imitation of her poppy. And I'll show you step by step how to reproduce her poppy.   And in doing that, we're going to cause us to look more closely at it and study her blends. Like she would blend from yellow to orange to red in every petal. And we can study that technique.   And then as we do it and we practice it, we look more closely at hers and it kind of becomes a part of us. And then we'll find another flower and we'll use that same technique on a flower that we choose. Or maybe it's a flower we make up and we take that technique and we can apply it.   And it's a much better way to learn than trying to learn it yourself without looking at what the masters did. So, I think that I think I pulled a lot of that from Andrew Pudewa. The idea of I'm going to assist you until you say I got this.   I can do it from here. So, I do assist until they get it. And then I always say whenever you're ready, as soon as you're ready, change it and make it your own or do your own thing.   And because turning them loose too soon can break their confidence. So, you want to build them up until they can confidently experiment on their own.   Laura Dugger: (30:51 - 32:34) Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor. I'm so excited to share today's sponsor, WinShape Marriage, with you. WinShape Marriage is a fantastic ministry that helps couples prepare, strengthen, and if needed, even save their marriage.   WinShape Marriage is grounded on the belief that the strongest marriages are the ones that are nurtured, even if it seems like things are going smoothly. That way they'll be stronger if they do hit a bump along their marital journey. Through their weekend retreats, WinShape Marriage invites couples to enjoy time away to simply focus on each other.   These weekend retreats are hosted within the beautiful refuge of WinShape Retreat, perched in the mountains of Rome, Georgia, which is just a short drive from Atlanta, Birmingham, and Chattanooga. While you and your spouse are there, you'll be well-fed, well-nurtured, and well-cared for. During your time away in this beautiful place, you and your spouse will learn from expert speakers and explore topics related to intimacy, overcoming challenges, improving communication, and so much more.   I've stayed on site at WinShape before, and I can attest to their generosity, food, and content. You will be so grateful you went. To find an experience that's right for you and your spouse, head to their website, WinShapeMarriage.org.  That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E Marriage.org. Thanks for your sponsorship.    Well, and as parents, once we're past the resistance to maybe invest some of our time or our money or allow the mess into our home, but if we push past through that and we're ready to get started, I'd love to go over some practical tips.   So, Courtney, first, just what are some great art supplies to have on hand?   Courtney Sanford: (32:36 - 37:13) A number two pencil and some Crayola markers you probably already have. Those are great tools. I like to have my kids work in an art journal, and you can get these real inexpensive at Michael's.   It'll say on the cover, mixed media art Journal, and they come in different sizes. I kind of like the big ones, and that will allow you to use paint, pencil, and marker or anything you want. If it says sketchbook, it's not going to hold up to paint very well.   So that's why I get the mixed media paper. So, I start with the art journal, and then I like to make that journal be their book on a subject. So right now, I'm doing ancient history with some kids, and so they are making their own book about ancient history.   So, every week we'll do a drawing or a painting or watercolor on a lesson in ancient history. And so, each piece is not a masterpiece to hang on the wall. Each piece is a part of the story in their book.   That takes all the pressure off. So, they don't see this as, I don't know if this is going to be good enough to hang on the wall. That's not even a question.   It's a part of the story in your book. They can also take some notes. They can show their grandparents and review the topic by presenting it to their grandparents and showing off their book.   And then you can collect their books and put them on a shelf. It's not all over the house making you crazy. And then you can see from year to year how their skills have improved.   So, I kind of like every year I like pick a topic to be the subject of our art journal. So, I call it arts integrated learning. So, I'm pairing an academic subject with art for that year.   So, it could be poetry. It could be history. It could be science.   Whatever you pick. That's what you'll add to your art journal with.   Pencils. I like blending tools too. There are some people call them stompies.   For those of you who are watching. Here's one. It's just rolled up newspaper, but you can buy these at Michael's.   They're really cheap. But it takes a drawing to the next level. You can just blend things out and shade things really lovely.   Mark Kistler does some videos and teaches you how to. He'll go shade, shade, shade. And so that's a good way to start.   And it really elevates a drawing and it gives them a lot of confidence. And then of course the good eraser. The book drawing with children is a really good one for our parents to read and then teach from in that book.   They suggest you have them draw with markers so that they don't spend an hour erasing. If you have someone who's a perfectionist, they will make one mark and spend 20 minutes erasing it. And so, if you go right to drawing with markers, that's gonna teach them to make a good mark first and then keep going and not spend half an hour erasing.   When I get to age nine or 10, I like to use acrylic paints, but I only buy four colors of paint and then I make them mix all the other colors. So, we use yellow, magenta, blue, and white. Those are like the colors in your printer.   Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the ones in your printer. And those colors can make all the other colors. Now your printer has black, but I don't give kids black.   Instead of black, they could make purple or brown or dark color. So, you know, you teach them how to mix the colors that they want. They'll learn to mix it because they want green or they want purple, or they want brown.   And then they develop a sense of color theory, and you don't even have to teach it. They'll figure it out because they want those colors. If they find, if, if you don't feel confident in that, you can buy craft colors of the specific colors, especially brown.   That's a hard one to mix. But I do like the coverage of acrylic paints. I like watercolors too.   That's a little bit easier to get into. You just take it slow and practice a lot. So that's really all you need.   It's pretty simple.   Laura Dugger: (37:14 - 37:27) Well, and I'm wondering too, even with the acrylic paint at that age, once they're older, that one, I'm assuming can stain. So are there any tips that you have for containing the mess?   Courtney Sanford: (37:28 - 38:32) Yes, I get, and they're a little bit hard to find. So go to Amazon and find a, a tablecloth that is plastic on one side and felt on the other side. I forget what you call it, but there'll be like picnic tables, tablecloths.   And the plastic ones are going to drive you crazy because they're too thin. So, if it's flannel backed, it's a little bit thicker. So I get a white one at the beginning of the year.   And that comes out anytime we do clay or paint, and it goes over the kitchen table and I don't worry about cleaning it. You just let it dry, fold it up. And I put mine in the China cabinet right there by the table.   And then anytime we do something messy, that tablecloth comes out and, and then just fold the mess back up in it. And it works, it works really great to, and then you might, if you're, if you're a neat freak, maybe plan on buying one at the beginning of every school year so that you get clean slates. And then the paint that gets onto the tablecloth is actually lovely and it'll be pretty next time you get it out.   Laura Dugger: (38:33 - 39:11) Oh, I love that. That's a genius tip. I appreciate that for coming indoors because in the summer, I guess we could take it outside depending on where we live.   But then what about any hacks for finding the time to do this? And I guess I'm thinking back to a previous episode with Beth Rosenbleeth. She's the one who started Days with Grey and she would talk about different art prompts that she would set out for her children in the morning for a variety of ages.   But were there any things that kind of required minimal time from you, but had maximum return for your kids?   Courtney Sanford: (39:11 - 41:06) Yeah, that's a good point. I had, I wouldn't say I had a strict schedule, but I had a pattern to my days. And the time after lunch was a good time to do messy things in the kitchen because we were in the kitchen anyway.   And as I could clean up lunch and start dinner, I could be in the kitchen with them and they could be creative at the kitchen table with minimum involvement from me. One of my best afternoons was we had the microscopes out to do something specific and I left it out as I was cooking chili. And as I cut up each ingredient, I would cut a thin slice for them to look at under the microscope.   And so they were looking at a bell pepper and a red pepper and celery and tomato. And they were so, they so enjoyed that and I was able to cook dinner at the same time, which was fabulous. And that turned, it was probably like a 15-minute science lesson into like four hours of discovering things under the microscope.   So that element of play and you can do that with your art supplies too. Like I'll demonstrate a technique and then leave it out. I'll turn my attention to cooking dinner while they see what else they can do with it.   And, um, you know, I'll give them a few tips. Like, um, if you mix these three colors together, you're going to make brown and then turn your back and let them discover it for themselves. So, um, I'm a big crock pot person.   And so after lunch would be the time I need to clean up lunch and put something in the crock pot. So that would be a good time for me to get them started on art or science and, um, and then turn my back and let them have that, um, that discovery time without me hovering or telling them what to do or something.   Laura Dugger: (41:06 - 41:22) Oh, that's a great rhythm. I love these ideas. And then I kind of want to go in chunks of age.   So, thinking of little kids, how would you define the difference between a piece of art and a craft?   Courtney Sanford: (41:23 - 43:41) Yeah, a craft is going to be something where the focus is on following directions and that's important. They need to learn how to follow directions. And so we would do, especially around the holidays, I might do a craft and we all follow directions.   Um, a piece of art is going to be where they're, they all come out different. They're allowed to play and express themselves. Um, for me personally, if I'm doing a craft when I'm done, I think, oh, I could make 50 of these and sell them.   If it's an art, when I'm done with a piece of art, like one of these paintings behind me, when I'm done with that, I'm thinking I could never do that again. That took so much out of me. I'm exhausted.   A little piece of my soul is in that that's art. That's the difference. Um, so I don't sell my paintings because there's a little piece of my soul in, um, my husband makes fun of me for that.   He's like, you could just sell your paintings. They're like, what? They're, they're like my babies.   I can't, I can't part with them. It took so much out of me to create them. Um, but a craft, yeah, I'll just give away things that are, that I just followed directions for, um, in terms of kids, younger kids will enjoy crafts, but getting to high school, they recognize it as slave labor and they don't want to do that.   They are in what the classical education people call the, the, um, poetic stage, you know, they want to express themselves and they want to be unique. I think this is why they get tattoos. The tattoo is a way of saying this is who I am.   This is what it means to me. I'm unique. Um, so I think if we don't teach them to express themselves in art, they're going to get tattoos.   So that might encourage moms to, to give them the skills so that they can express themselves. You know, they need to be able to write poetry or write songs or paint a painting or do a drawing. There's that need inside of us to do that that God put in us.   And if they don't have an outlet, then they're going to find something like tattoos or something that we don't want them to be doing. Yeah. I mean, some of my kids are tattooed.   It's not bad.   Laura Dugger: (43:42 - 44:25) Well, and you've kind of answered a follow-up question I had because we talked about little kids, but I'm thinking of teens. So going back, my background is in marriage and family therapy, and we would encourage everyone that journaling is a free form of therapy. But I think of art as the same way.   And there's even studies that show when you're engaged in something artistic, the critical side of your brain goes offline. So you can't think negative thoughts while you're creating something new, but with teens, there's that added benefit of getting to express themselves. So is there anything else with art that you see as basically free therapy for adolescents?   Courtney Sanford: (44:26 - 46:54) Oh, sure. I do see it a lot. I experienced it because I started my business because of the shutdown and because I was teaching in person and then I had to switch to online teaching.   And so, the group that I had moved online and I figured out how to do it and got a little bit better at it. And then that summer I offered a class for adults. These were directors and I was in classical conversations at the time.   And so a whole bunch of teachers are expected to teach Western cultural history without a lot of background. And so some of the moms asked me if I would do my art class for them. And so I had about a group of like 50 adults and we would get on for an hour and a half every day.   And this was at the height of the shutdown when turning on the news, just stresses you out. Going to the grocery store was stressful because people were in masks or they weren't in masks or, you know, we didn't know anything. It was such a stressful time, but that hour and a half that we had together, we, our focus was on discovering a piece of art.   So, we were looking at beautiful things and then we were creating something and that changed our focus from what was going on in the world. And we would just relax, and we'd enjoy it. Having the live class kept our focus on it.   And when I don't have a live class in front of me, I'll be like, oh, I should put the laundry in or I should start dinner and I get distracted. But with that, you know, with other people on zoom, it keeps me focused. And so, we'd have this wonderful hour and a half vacation from the world.   And after it was over, I would just have this sense of peace. And then I'd come down and be like, oh yeah, that's still going on. And it was, it was so good for our mental health.   And, and I get, I hear moms tell me that the hour and a half once a week they spend with me doing art has been such a blessing. Like one student lost her father a year ago and this is helping her. She said she's finally coming out of her depression and she's finding a way to express herself and find beauty again.   And it's, it's been transformative for some students. So, it is a blessing. And I didn't, I didn't read that somewhere.   That's just from my experience. So, I'm a big believer in that.   Laura Dugger: (46:54 - 47:51) I can see why I think you're bringing up two points. I don't want to miss both with art therapy and then also art in community. So art and community first, I think for all of us at any age, what can we do as this is airing probably when everybody's getting out for summertime, how can we gather others alongside of us for whether it's our kids or us as peers to get to engage in these activities together.   And so, I want to follow up with you on that, but also before I lose my thought, I also want to link back to Karen Pence's episode. She had started art therapy for veterans, I believe, and just incredible. The healing that is possible through this.   So, do you have any thoughts Courtney on ways that we can this summer gather together community at different ages and do something artistic?   Courtney Sanford: (47:51 - 52:15) That is a good question. So, we have, I have found the online classes are the easiest for people to get to. And it's I get people ask if we can do it in person, but honestly it's hard to get people out or they're busy.   They're doing things in summer. So, we do offer a class online in the summer that's live. We have recorded classes that you could do alone or get a few people together and, do them together.   I have some sampler packs too. So, some of them are just three lessons. You could get some friends together and find, maybe you could find three, three times during the summer to do.   I have like a Vango sampler pack and a couple of short ones that you could just pay for the video and do with your friends or maybe a mother daughter event. Maybe you do the self-paced class with your daughter. And I've had some seniors, like seniors in high school, do a mother daughter class together and just say, this is such a good time for us to spend a little bit of time together, a little bonus time before they go off to college.   During the school year, we have, I have a watercolor artist friends. She lives near me and she's a professional watercolor artist and she does the class called Bible journaling. And that is a beautiful combination of a devotion and a watercolor time together.   Those are hour and a half classes too. And they meet once a week. And we sometimes we'll have grandmas, we'll have high school students, we'll have mother daughter pairs do it together.   And they actually have a little prayer time, a little study of scripture. And then then Kate teaches them step-by-step how to do a beautiful watercolor and incorporate some hand lettering in it. So that's just a beautiful fun time together.   So I highly recommend her class during the school year. If, if a mom could get away, or if you have a high school daughter to do it together, that is a great experience. And then I have a short version of art history that you could do with friends or your high school daughter.   It's called paint your way through marvelous to behold, which is just 12 lessons that goes through. And that's a variety of drawing and painting. If you wanted to do something like that.   So, lots of things, or you can check out the books. And if you feel confident following step-by-step instructions in a book, you could use the book or a combination of videos and books. If you're feeling kind of like you could lead a art group, you could get the cell page video, watch the video and then do, you know, exactly what I said, do that live with a group.   And if you have any art experience doing that, you could get, probably get, I would like invite all the homeschool moms in your co-op group to get together. And I do some, sometimes I'll go to do a mom's group, do a watercolor or I love to do the milkmaid with moms because the milkmaid is this beautiful painting from the Dutch masters of a woman cooking. She's just pouring milk.   I think she's making bread pudding and it's just so beautiful. It's like, what I think I look like homeschooling. I'm wearing like a long gold gown and those suns coming in and everything's perfect.   I'm like, this is the ideal. This is what I think homeschooling is going to look like. And then I kind of use that painting as a launch pad for painting Delft tiles from the period.   And so sometimes I'll, I'll do that with some homeschool moms because I like to encourage homeschool moms. I know it's hard. And I had some mentors when I was homeschooling that I really appreciated.   So, I'm always happy to, to be the support and be able to say it's worth it. Keep going. I know you're driving a crappy car, but it will be worth it.   And so, the sacrifices you make now totally pay off. And you know, before I know it, my son is going to be homeschooling his daughter. She's seven months now, but it's going to fly by, you know, she'll be four before you know it.   And I'll be teaching her how to paint. I suppose.   Laura Dugger: (52:16 - 53:13) When was the first time you listened to an episode of The Savvy Sauce? How did you hear about our podcast? Did a friend share it with you?   Will you be willing to be that friend now and text five other friends or post on your socials, anything about The Savvy Sauce that you love? If you share your favorite episodes, that is how we continue to expand our reach and get the good news of Jesus Christ in more ears across the world. So, we need your help.   Another way to help us grow is to leave a five-star review on Apple podcasts. Each of these suggestions will cost you less than a minute, but it will be a great benefit to us. Thank you so much for being willing to be generous with your time and share. We appreciate you.    I don't want to miss what website to direct everyone to. If they want to sign up for one of these classes, where's the best place to follow up?   Courtney Sanford: (53:14 - 54:27) Go to delightfulartco.com and on that page, you'll see live classes, self-paced classes, summer retreats. I've done adult retreats before. I'd be open to doing it again if people want to.   So, I have, I would call it private retreats. So, if you want to get a group of women together, maybe somebody has a beach house, I'll come and do the art. It could be a one day, two day, or three-day event.   So that's an option. And we have self-paced classes. So, lots of things to look at.   I have a lot of sample classes on the website too. If you want to drop in and see what they're like. I think there's a how to paint Monet's water lilies is on the site.   You can watch that and see what it's like. Some people are afraid to try an online art class, but we all loved Bob Ross, and we watched him. So, if you can imagine saying, Bob, stop, could you do that again?   That's what my classes are like, and I'll be happy to stop and show you again. And then you can hold up your work at the end and I can give you some feedback. So, I'm like the new Bob Ross.   Laura Dugger: (54:27 - 54:46) There you go. That's wonderful. Thank you for sharing that.   And Courtney, I just have a couple more questions for you. If let's turn it back to parenting. If we want to get started today and we just want next step to get started.   What is an art prompt that we can still try today?   Courtney Sanford: (54:47 - 57:26) I would look at what you're, what, what are you teaching your kids? So, if you're teaching them, maybe you have a library book on the coffee table that you're studying biology. Pull out one thing from that and draw what you see and reproduce that.   Just one drawing a week. And before you know it, you'll have a whole biology book. So, I like to instead of saying parents, you have to add on another course.   You have to add art to everything else you're doing. Slide it into what you're already doing and it will enhance what they remember about that. And it's not like a whole other subject.   So just use art as a tool to help them remember what you want them to learn anyway. So, anything you want them to teach, if you have a photo or a drawing, have them trace it or draw it. I actually another good way to start is if you have little kids and Bible story time, let them draw what you're reading about.   My son loved to do stick figures. So, I have the whole Bible told in stick figures from when I'm from my youngest kid. And it is fabulous, especially like Sodom and Gomorrah.   And, you know, there's a lot of violent stuff. Boys love that stuff. So, he illustrated a lot of the Old Testament because I read it every morning, and he would just draw what he heard me.   I think I was using the Children's Illustrated Bible. So, he had some things to look at. That's another great way to get started.   Just let them look at the story and draw in their own art journal. So, there's so many fun ways you can use it in every subject. I had a mom tell me she read me an email.   She said, my daughter is just blooming in your classes. I wish every subject could be taught with an art journal and a paint palette. And I replied, we're working on it.   We're we've got we've got Latin and art, science and art, literature and art. There's just so many ways to find inspiration and what you're already studying and find the beauty in that subject. So, in our site, our art and biology course, students do a beautiful watercolor of the DNA strand.   And they draw the cell in watercolor. And it's just beautiful. And it helps them remember it and practices their art skills.   So, it's like a two for one. Think of it as a two for one. Take art and put it in another subject.   Laura Dugger: (57:26 - 57:46) I love win wins. That sounds amazing. And Courtney, I just have one final question for you today.   We are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge or insight. And so is my final question for you today. What is your savvy sauce?   Courtney Sanford: (57:47 - 58:15) The beauty, in beauty out, has been kind of my savvy sauce and also as unto the Lord. So, whatever I do, I do as unto the Lord. If I'm homeschooling, I'm teaching biology.   I'm going to do as unto the Lord. I'm not going to hand out a worksheet. I'm going to make it.   I'm going to make it a great experience. So, I would have to say whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord and not for men.   Laura Dugger: (58:16 - 58:36) What a great place to end. Courtney, you are so inspiring. You've given us great ideas and kind of confidence to get to put this into practice.   Even if we're not artists like you, we're all created in God's image and therefore can be creative. So, thank you for your time and wisdom today. Thank you so much for being my guest.   Courtney Sanford: (58:37 - 58:40) You are sure welcome. I had a great time. It's good to talk to you.   Laura Dugger: (58:41 - 1:02:25) You as well. One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him. You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone.   Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.