Podcasts about familius

In this episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Adina Oberman converses with Melissa T. Shultz, discussing her latest children's book, "What Will I Do if I Miss You." Melissa shares intimate details about the inspiration behind the book arising from a heartfelt moment with her son, Alex, and how it serves as a valuable tool for empowering children during transitions such as starting school. They further explore strategies on introducing this comforting technique to children and how it aids in managing concerns related to separation from parents. Both the guest and the host emphasize the importance of parent-child communication in helping children adapt confidently to new experiences. Episode Highlights 00:00:10: Introduction to the podcast and hosting guest Melissa T. Shultz. 00:01:26: Melissa expresses her delight in joining the podcast. 00:01:28: Discussion on how Melissa's book "What will I do if I Miss You" is relevant to families preparing for school. 00:01:46: Melissa explains the true story and inspiration behind her book, involving her son Alex's feelings about starting school. 00:02:50: The concept of feeling connected through a heart-beating technique is introduced as a comforting tool. 00:03:08: Adina praises the book scene that resonates with parents experiencing separation from their children. 00:04:04: Conversation continues on how Melissa invented the method of using heartbeats to connect with her son. 00:05:01: Melissa reflects on parenting and the shared strategy between parents for new experiences. 00:05:58: Adina appreciates Melissa's approach and relates it to preschool teaching experiences. 00:06:46: Adina shares a personal experience with teaching transition strategies to children. 00:08:06: Highlighting the role of the book as a recurring tool for varying life transitions in children. 00:09:05: Melissa shares how communication with teachers can be helpful to support the child's transition. 00:09:50: Emphasizing the importance of normalizing and verbalizing worries to children. 00:10:46: The practice of reminding children about their parents' presence during challenging transitions is discussed. 00:11:54: The story about Alex's adaptation to school using the signal technique is shared. 00:12:30: Adina highlights the value of special jobs and visits to classrooms to ease children into new environments. 00:14:07: Introductory moments for discussing new experiences and transitions with children are suggested. 00:15:14: Melissa shares tips to introduce comforting methods to children in a relaxed space. 00:18:02: Melissa discusses holding meaningful late-night conversations with her sons. 00:19:28: Melissa provides information on where listeners can find her work online. 00:19:59: Concluding the podcast with thanks and an invitation to join future book adventures with Familius. Key Takeaways Using simple, comforting techniques like feeling a heartbeat can ease children's worries during transitions such as starting school. Communication with educators about your child's strategies can beneficially support their adaptation process. Creating safe, calming spaces for children to express their feelings can strengthen parent-child relationships. Emphasizing clear communication and acknowledgment of children's emotions can empower them in challenging situations. Shareable Quotes "Even if Alex had not said anything to me about being worried, I think you don't know what your child's going to feel like when they approach the school." - Melissa T. Shultz "I remember saying to Alex, 'I felt you, I got your signal, did you get my signal back?' And so it was kind of playing along with that." - Melissa T. Shultz "The book serves as a valuable tool for empowering children during transitions such as beginning school." - Adina Oberman Show Notes by Barevalue.

In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy podcast, host Adina Oberman welcomes Christopher Robbins, the founder of Familius. The discussion primarily revolves around stargazing, encouraging families to look up at the night sky, and immersing themselves in the wonders beyond our world. Christopher shares personal anecdotes and offers suggestions for engaging with space and astronomy. The episode also promotes some of Christopher's published works, including his latest book "Space Train," and provides resources for those keen to start their star-gazing journey. Episode Highlights 00:00:10: Introduction to the podcast and welcome to Christopher Robbins. 00:01:40: Christopher discusses the importance and joy of stargazing and putting down phones to experience the universe. 00:02:04: Christopher shares a personal story about watching a meteor shower at Lake Powell. 00:02:57: Advice on putting down phones to enjoy and explore the night sky. 00:03:33: Challenges of disconnecting from phones and the impact of creating family memories while stargazing. 00:04:23: Discussion on what is visible with the naked eye during stargazing. 00:05:19: Reflection on human history and navigation using stars like the North Star. 00:06:36: Explanation of visible planets and celestial bodies such as the Andromeda Galaxy. 00:07:37: The significance of understanding perspectives in the context of space. 00:08:40: Christopher's favorite galaxy and its significance. 00:09:25: Personal family experiences of stargazing and its impact. 00:10:14: Christopher's perspective on conservation in the context of space exploration. 00:10:37: Resources and tools for beginner stargazers, including online sites and apps. 00:13:13: Combining phone apps with naked eye stargazing for a hybrid experience. 00:13:41: Discussion about earthsky.org to check visibility and cloud cover for stargazing. 00:14:20: Christopher shares about visible Northern Lights and local stargazing opportunities. 00:14:41: Closing details about connecting with Christopher and finding his books online. 00:15:28: Promotion of other books related to space offered by Familius. Key Takeaways Encourage family bonding and appreciation for the universe by engaging in stargazing. The importance of reducing screen time to engage with the real world and create lasting memories. Basic astronomical knowledge can be appreciated without fancy equipment; curiosity and initiative are key. Utilize online resources and apps to enhance the stargazing experience and educate further. Respect and conservation of our planet are emphasized through the perspective gained from space exploration. Tweetable Quotes "Put down the phone, go outside and look up." - Christopher Robbins "Looking up at the stars, we're reminded of our place in the universe." - Adina Oberman "Curiosity is contagious, right?" - Christopher Robbins "We are on an island in the middle of the universe." - Christopher Robbins Show Notes by Barevalue.

In this heartfelt episode of the Helping Families Be Happy Podcast, host Adina Oberman interviews award-winning author Dallas Woodburn about her inspiring book, 1001 Ways to Be Kind, and her transformative year-long kindness journey. Dallas shares how small acts of kindness can create a ripple effect, impacting others and enhancing our own lives. Together, they discuss how incorporating kindness into everyday family routines can help raise compassionate, happy children. This episode aligns with the Familius habits of "Give Together" and "Heal Together." Episode Highlights: [01:05] Meet Dallas Woodburn Introduction to Dallas, her achievements, and her life-changing year-long kindness challenge. [05:30] The Journey of Weekly Acts of Kindness How a challenging year inspired Dallas to complete 52 unique acts of kindness and document them on her blog. [12:15] Creative and Stealthy Kindness Ideas Dallas shares examples like paying for someone's coffee or scattering lucky pennies on playgrounds to brighten others' days. [18:40] Parenting with Kindness Incorporating acts of kindness into family life and parenting. The importance of being present and fostering kindness in children. [26:00] Highlights from the Book Adina reads touching examples from 1001 Ways to Be Kind for new parents, busy families, and everyday moments. [32:10] Self-Kindness Matters Too Discussion on the importance of self-care and the “Self-Kindness” section of Dallas' book. [35:40] How to Connect with Dallas Social media links, her website, and details about her podcast, Thriving Authors Podcast. Key Takeaways: Small Acts Create Big Impacts: Whether buying coffee for a stranger or leaving kind notes, even small gestures can ripple outward to inspire more kindness. Kindness is Therapeutic: Dallas' year-long kindness journey helped her navigate personal challenges, showing how giving can heal the giver too. Parenting with Purpose: Modeling kindness to children helps nurture their compassion, emotional intelligence, and connection to others. Accessible Kindness for All: Ideas in 1001 Ways to Be Kind are simple, affordable, and suitable for every lifestyle. Self-Care is Essential: Self-kindness helps you recharge, enabling you to give to others effectively.

In this insightful episode of the Helping Families Be Happy Podcast, host Christopher Robbins speaks with Dr. Alexander Kolevzon, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and co-author of A Parent's Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids: Start Low and Go Slow. Dr. Kolevzon provides an in-depth discussion on the role of medications in addressing childhood mental health challenges such as anxiety, ADHD, and autism. The conversation focuses on how parents can approach these decisions thoughtfully, emphasizing collaboration, education, and the importance of a "start low and go slow" approach to treatment. This episode aligns with the Familius habits of "Talk Together," "Heal Together," and "Learn Together." Episode Highlights: [01:10] Introduction to Dr. Alexander Kolevzon Overview of his expertise in child psychiatry and the inspiration behind the book. [04:25] The Mental Health Landscape for Children 20% of American children experience mental health challenges, but only 10% are on medications. Addressing the gap in care and access. [07:45] Medications: Treating Symptoms, Not Labels Medications are symptom-focused rather than diagnosis-driven. The importance of understanding individual symptoms over generalized labels. [12:30] What Does “Start Low and Go Slow” Mean? The philosophy of beginning treatment with the lowest effective dose and adjusting carefully. The importance of thorough evaluations and exploring non-medication alternatives. [17:15] When to Seek Help Guidance on distinguishing normal childhood behaviors from those requiring professional intervention. Signs such as severe distress, school avoidance, or functional impairments. [22:00] The Role of Social Media in Youth Mental Health Discussion on the links between social media, anxiety, and depression. Practical strategies for parents to help children regulate social media use. [28:40] Insights from the Book Accessible, Q&A-style format designed to address common parent concerns. How the book demystifies medication options and their appropriate uses. [34:00] Trust and Collaboration with Medical Professionals Tips for building trust and ensuring a collaborative relationship with your child's doctor. Recognizing parents as experts on their children. Key Takeaways: Medications Are a Tool, Not a Cure-All: They address specific symptoms and should be part of a broader treatment plan that includes therapy and environmental adjustments. Start Low, Go Slow: Introduce medications cautiously, ensuring they are tailored to the child's unique needs and minimizing side effects. Know When to Seek Help: Significant distress, avoidance behaviors, or impaired functioning are indicators to consult a professional. Social Media's Double-Edged Sword: It can exacerbate mental health issues but also provides support networks. Parents should guide responsible use. Collaboration is Key: Trust between parents and medical professionals is crucial for effective treatment and long-term success.

In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy podcast, produced by Familius Publishing, host Adina Oberman speaks with Jenny Sundstedt, debut picture book author of In Our Solar System. Jenny shares her personal journey from childhood stargazing with her father to creating a whimsical, rhyming picture book that teaches kids about the cosmos. She offers insights into her creative process, the inspiration behind her book, and how it fosters STEM learning through storytelling. Jenny also highlights ways educators and parents can use the book to make space exploration accessible and engaging for young learners. This episode is ideal for parents, teachers, and caregivers eager to nurture curiosity, creativity, and a love for science in children.   Episode Highlights [00:30] The Origins of Jenny's Love for Space Jenny shares how stargazing with her father and growing up with a backyard observatory sparked her lifelong fascination with the cosmos. [02:00] The Creative Journey Behind In Our Solar System Jenny discusses how she developed her rhyming picture book, inspired by the structure of Over in the Meadow, and how her critique group encouraged her to bring the manuscript to life. [04:00] Making Space Fun and Accessible for Kids Jenny explains how anthropomorphizing planets and using engaging, action-packed language helps young readers relate to and enjoy learning about the solar system. [06:00] Tips for Using the Book in STEM Learning Jenny offers suggestions for educators and parents to use her book for interactive activities, such as dramatic play and group reading, to spark curiosity and teach STEM concepts. [07:30] Collaboration with Familius and Bringing the Book to Life Jenny describes the collaborative process of working with editors and illustrators to refine her story and bring it to its final, vibrant form. Key Takeaways Inspire STEM Curiosity Early: Use books like In Our Solar System to make abstract science topics accessible and fun for young learners. Make Learning Relatable: Anthropomorphized characters and rhyming text help children connect with complex concepts like the solar system. Encourage Hands-On Activities: Complement reading with activities like dramatic play, stargazing, and creative storytelling to deepen understanding. Build Connections Through Storytelling: Books that spark curiosity about the natural world help children develop a lifelong love for learning. Embrace the Power of Collaboration: Jenny's journey highlights how editors, critique groups, and illustrators contribute to creating impactful children's literature.

In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy podcast, host Adina Oberman speaks with Alma Guzman, founder of Libros con Alma (Books with Soul), a community-driven project based in Southeast Los Angeles. Alma shares her journey of launching Libros con Alma in 2021 to address the lack of bookstores and accessible Spanish-language and BIPOC-authored books in her community. By organizing book pop-ups, engaging in cultural events, and creating the recent exhibit Cuentame, Alma fosters a love for reading and storytelling in underserved areas. Alma discusses her unique approaches to connect with her community, including collaborations with local artists, the “Spanglish Book Club,” and her aspirations to establish a bookmobile. This episode emphasizes the power of community, representation in literature, and the transformative potential of accessible stories. Episode Highlights         1. Origins of Libros con Alma: How Alma launched her initiative to increase access to Spanish-language and BIPOC literature in Southeast LA. 2.  Impact on Community: Alma's insights into the significance of offering free, take-home books in her community and the reactions from local readers. 3. Cultural Engagement: Highlighting Cuentame, an art exhibit showcasing book recommendations and stories from Southeast LA residents. 4. Upcoming Projects: Alma's plans for the “Spanglish Book Club” and her long-term goal of creating a bookmobile.       Key Links: Libros con Alma on Instagram – Follow Alma's journey, pop-up events, and upcoming projects. Familius 10 Habits of Happy Families – Explore ways to foster happiness through learning and conversation.

In this episode, Kenya Kirkman, founder of 18 August Avenue, joins host Adina Oberman to discuss her mission of empowering BIPOC families through diverse children's books and community-building events. Kenya shares how the stillbirth of her twin sons, Aiden and Carter, inspired her to create a space where Black and brown families can see themselves represented in literature. She talks about the importance of offering resources for parents, connecting with educators, and fostering a sense of belonging for marginalized communities. Kenya also provides advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and shares her vision for the future of 18 August Avenue. Episode Highlights: Introduction to Kenya Kirkman and 18 August Avenue Kenya shares the inspiring story behind founding 18 August Avenue, a children's bookshop that amplifies BIPOC voices, inspired by her twin sons, Aiden and Carter, who were stillborn in 2019. Turning Grief into Purpose Kenya discusses how the loss of her sons led her to create a space for expectant parents and families, providing diverse books and resources that reflect their lived experiences. Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs Kenya offers heartfelt advice to listeners considering starting a business: stay authentic, pursue what feels right, and ensure your passion aligns with your purpose. Breaking the Stigma Around Stillbirth Kenya opens up about the challenges of sharing her personal story, how it shapes her work, and how her bookshop events center on supporting parents and families in ways that are healing and inclusive. 18 August Avenue's Impact on the Community Kenya reflects on how her pop-up events, curated books, and resources are helping families and young people feel seen, supported, and connected. Looking Ahead: Future Plans for 18 August Avenue Kenya shares her hopes for expanding her business, with fingers crossed for a physical location in Brooklyn, and upcoming events designed to engage educators and young readers. How to Support and Connect with 18 August Avenue Kenya provides details on where to find her online, upcoming events in the Brooklyn area, and how people can support her mission of empowering BIPOC families through books. Closing Remarks Host Adina Oberman thanks Kenya for sharing her journey, encouraging listeners to follow and support 18 August Avenue. She reminds the audience to subscribe, leave a review, and explore more family-centered books through Familius.

Please welcome author Jessica Speer to this episode of Getting to the Heart of Why We Write! Jessica is such a phenomenal human and I've enjoyed every time our paths have crossed in SCBWI events, seeing her present at panels and conferences.  If you ever get the chance, sign up for one of her classes or presentations. Highly highly recommend!

Tara and EmKay are joined by Peter Glassman, Founder and President of Books of Wonder in New York City, to discuss the day to day of owning and operating "New York City's oldest children's-only bookstore" since 1980! Peter shares how he fell in love with antique books, the art of preservation, bringing faithful reproductions of Baum's original 14 Oz books to the Books of Wonder shelves, favorite Ozzy panels held at the store, a "You've Got Mail" shout out, and so much more!Visit Books of Wonder any day of the week 11am-7pm at 42 West 17th St. in NYC.Show Notes:Books of WonderDanielle PaigeScenery BagsInstagram: @downtheyellowbrickpod#DownTheYBPTara: @taratagticklesEmKay: www.emilykayshrader.netPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/downtheyellowbrickpodEtsy: https://www.etsy.com/market/down_the_yellow_brick_podMusic by: Shane ChapmanEdited by: Emily Kay Shrader

Tara and EmKay are joined by Brooke Jorden, Editorial Director at Familius, to discuss the new addition to the Lit for Little Hands Series, her adaptation of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"! Brooke shares her journey into the world of publishing, the process of adapting Oz into an activity board book for young readers, working with her illustrator Olga Skomorokhova, and so much more!Find this beautiful book in a store near you beginning July 9th, 2024.Show Notes:Lit For Little Hands - Familius@familiusbooksHannah Isabel LewisJen's Pretty PegsInstagram: @downtheyellowbrickpod#DownTheYBPTara: @taratagticklesEmKay: www.emilykayshrader.netPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/downtheyellowbrickpodEtsy: https://www.etsy.com/market/down_the_yellow_brick_podMusic by: Shane ChapmanEdited by: Emily Kay Shrader

In this heartwarming episode of the Helping Families Be Happy podcast, host Adina Oberman engages in an insightful and deeply personal conversation with Christopher Robbins, a devoted father of nine and the founder and CEO of Familius. Through their dialogue, they explore the multifaceted experiences of fatherhood, from the pivotal moments that define one's journey as a parent to the broader impacts of fatherhood on personal and professional growth. Christopher shares his unique perspectives on nurturing family relationships, maintaining work-life balance, and cultivating a household centered around love, learning, and laughter.  Episode Highlights:  - **00:00:10:** Adina warmly introduces the podcast, setting the stage for a discussion that delves into the complexities and joys of family life. She briefly outlines her background and her passion for connecting families with impactful literature, segueing into Christopher Robbins' rich history as a father, publisher, and advocate for family happiness.  - **00:01:19:** Christopher recounts his journey from launching an arts magazine in Utah to becoming the CEO of Gibb Smith, highlighting his successes in the publishing industry alongside his growth as a father. This segment illuminates how his personal and professional lives intertwine, shaping his mission to support families through literature.  - **00:02:57 -“ 00:03:35:** A lighthearted exchange reveals Christopher's nervous excitement about being on the other side of the mic, setting the tone for a candid and engaging conversation. His humility and openness pave the way for deeper discussions on fatherhood.  - **00:03:35:** Christopher shares a transformative moment upon the birth of his first child, encapsulating the profound sense of responsibility and love that defines fatherhood. This anecdote serves as a powerful introduction to the theme of fatherhood as a journey of continuous learning and adaptation.  - **00:05:10 -“ 00:06:43:** The discussion shifts to the meaningful shifts that occur once children enter one's life, focusing on the sacrifices and changes in priorities that parenting entails. Christopher's personal anecdotes provide tangible examples of how fatherhood necessitates a reevaluation of one's passions, interests, and daily routines.  - **00:07:25 -“ 00:08:07:** Adina and Christopher discuss the challenges today's fathers face, comparing and contrasting them with those of past generations. The conversation highlights the impact of technology, societal expectations, and the changing landscape of parenthood.  - **00:08:07 -“ 00:12:02:** Addressing the importance of mentorship and the role of fathers in model resilience, the discussion delves into strategies for navigating fatherhood amidst modern challenges. Christopher emphasizes the value of being present, the role of discipline balanced with understanding, and the long-term impact of imparting wisdom through action and example.  - **00:13:32 -“ 00:14:22:** Light-hearted moments intersperse the conversation, underscoring the joy and humor that accompany the trials of parenting. Adina and Christopher share personal experiences that illustrate the unpredictable and rewarding nature of raising children.  - **00:14:22:** Christopher offers sage advice to parents, stressing the significance of prioritizing family over career, sharing meals together as a way to foster communication, and setting aside quality time to strengthen family bonds. His reflections on nurturing relationships within the family unit are invaluable for anyone navigating the complexities of parenthood.  - **00:22:28 -“ 00:26:20:** The episode concludes with Christopher's reflections on his upbringing and the mentors who shaped his approach to fatherhood. He advocates for the positive influence men can have in their communities and within their families, emphasizing the lasting impact of mentorship and engaged parenting.    Show Notes By Barevalue Key Takeaways:    **Embrace the Journey:** Fatherhood is a continuous process of learning, growth, and adaptation. Embrace the responsibility, love, and challenges that it brings.  **Prioritize Relationships:** The richness of family life comes from prioritizing relationships over material success. Time spent building and nurturing family bonds is invaluable.  **Cultivate Open Communication:** Shared meals and dedicated family time are crucial for fostering open communication. These moments are the foundation for a supportive and understanding family environment.  **Balance Discipline with Love:** Effective parenting involves a balance between discipline and understanding. By setting boundaries while showing love and support, parents can guide their children through life's challenges.  **The Impact of Mentorship:** Fathers and male mentors play a critical role in guiding the next generation. By leading with kindness, responsibility, and wisdom, they can leave a lasting impact on their children and communities.  Tweetable Quotes:  - "Fatherhood is an adventure in patience, love, and laughter. Embrace every moment." -“ Christopher Robbins  - "Prioritize your family, your relationships, and the joy of being together above all else." -“ Christopher Robbins  - "In the journey of fatherhood, the best lessons are learned through love, laughter, and sometimes, a little bit of chaos." -“ Adina Oberman  Show Notes By Barevalue

Helping Families Be Happy Podcast Episode: Laugh Together with Author Gabe Jensen In this engaging episode, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius and an avid author and outdoor enthusiast, invites Gabe Jensen, a renowned author known for his humorous children's books, to delve into the significance of laughter and humor in strengthening family bonds. Through personal anecdotes and shared experiences, they explore how humor can reduce stress, connect family members, and create a rich tapestry of shared memories. Episode Highlights: **00:00:09** - The episode kicks off with Christopher Robbins introducing the podcast's theme and its focus on family, love, and relationships. He outlines his background and the foundation of his interest in promoting family happiness. The introduction establishes the episode's objective of exploring the role of laughter and humor in enhancing family dynamics. **00:01:39** - Gabe Jensen, with a hearty laugh, enthusiastically joins the conversation, setting a lighthearted and engaging tone for the episode. This candid exchange serves as a prelude to the in-depth discussion on laughter as a pivotal element in family cohesion and mental health. **00:01:41** - Robbins humorously states his readiness to laugh, indicating the episodeâ€TMs direction towards examining the elements that contribute to levity and joy in family settings. **00:02:07** - Jensen discusses the importance of shared experiences as a foundation for family humor, suggesting that such experiences are vital for creating a repository of inside jokes and fond memories that foster a sense of belonging and joy among family members. **00:03:59** - Through a personal anecdote involving his son, Robbins illustrates the power of humor to diffuse tension and enhance connections within the family. This story highlights the universality of such moments across families and the role of parents in initiating humorous exchanges. **00:05:12** - The conversation shifts towards favorite funny movies as a source of shared laughter, with both Robbins and Jensen sharing their top picks and how these films have become a part of their family's culture and humor. **00:07:26** - The duo discusses engaging in outdoor activities and expeditions as a means to create humorous and memorable family experiences. Jensenâ€TMs anecdote about searching for a British accent underscores the uniqueness of family bonding moments centered around humor. **00:09:12** - Creative endeavors and the importance of participating in children's play and imagination as an avenue for laughter are discussed. Jensen shares insights on how engaging in activities at the childâ€TMs level, both physically and creatively, can deepen familial bonds through shared joy and silliness. **00:11:38** - The conversation explores the delicate balance of incorporating potty humor in family settings and children's media. Jensen argues for understanding such humor as part of children's developmental process and a gateway to addressing complex topics in a lighthearted manner. **00:14:12** - Gabe Jensen talks about how he incorporates humor into his children's books and the importance of remembering that children appreciate and need laughter. This segment emphasizes the role of authors and parents in ensuring that children's literature serves as a source of joy. **00:15:45** - The role of fathers in injecting humor into the household is examined. The discussion reveals that irrespective of which parent brings humor, its presence is crucial for fostering a joyful and resilient family environment. **00:17:29** - The episode wraps up with Gabe Jensen sharing where listeners can find him online, followed by Christopher Robbins thanking the sponsor FS publishing and highlighting the significance of laughter in creating a happier world. Show Notes By Barevalue Key Takeaways: - Shared experiences and memories are the bedrock of humor in family relationships. - Humor and laughter are not just about amusement; they're vital tools for reducing tension, fostering connections, and facilitating communication within families. - Creativity and silliness, especially when initiated by parents, play a crucial role in building a joyful family environment. - Addressing complex or embarrassing subjects through humor can offer children a palatable means to engage with and understand these topics. - Fathers and mothers both have unique roles in integrating humor into family life, contributing to a balanced and nurturing home. Tweetable Quotes: "In our family, laughter is the bridge between hearts." - Christopher Robbins "Building shared experiences is the foundation for family humor and laughter that lasts for years." - Gabe Jensen "Laughter can be a stress reducer or a friction reducer in family dynamics." - Christopher Robbins "Watching a movie together can be a very social experience, more social than everybody plugged into their individual device." - Gabe Jensen "Engaging in creative endeavors with kids is a prime opportunity for laughter and bonding." - Gabe Jensen "Potty humor is a way for kids to process and understand complex subjects about social constructs." - Gabe Jensen

Hey #AmWriters, Jess here! There's a very specific reason I wanted to re-up this coaching call with Emily Edlynn. I did an interview with AJ Jacobs day before yesterday, but it's not going to drop until May. I love AJ Jacobs, I know you love AJ Jacobs, and I'm really excited for you to hear our interview - but in that interview we talked about writing nonfiction books in less than a year. It is possible to do! We had a coaching call with Emily Edlynn 100 episodes ago and I wanted to re-up it because her book is out. She did it! She completed the task. She knew the assignment. Her book, Autonomy-Supportive Parenting, came out at the end of 2023. So I'm very proud to replay this episode and let you know that the P.S. on that episode was success! I hope you enjoy it.And WAY TO GO, Emily!Our guest on this episode has a problem—a good problem, yes. An enviable problem even. One that she herself is delighted to have: she's sold a non-fiction book on proposal.And now she has to write it. 60,000 words, researched, organized and ready for the editor while also fitting in her day job, raising 3 kids with her partner and all of the other curveballs life likes to throw you.In this “coaching call” episode, Jess and I (it's KJ writing, as it often is) help long-time listener Emily Edlynn figure out how much time to spend in what areas: book structure, research, interviewing, drafting, editing—and then how to set yourself up to allow for getting a major project like this completed on time. (We all know how KJ loves a good burn chart - check out episode 175: #HowtoUseaBurnChart). We talk about motivating yourself, strategies for staying on track or picking back up after the unexpected happens. (You can read Emily's email to us at the bottom of the shownotes.)Most of us spend more time working on short term projects than longer ones, and when we do get involved with something that stretches out for months or years, it's usually with other people and external deadlines, whether it's a major work endeavor, a house remodel or a Ph.D. dissertation. Books—even books with agents and editors—require major solo mojo to get from start to The End—and then revise the result of that. It's yet another of the many many things that aren't easy about writing.But it can be learned, and it can be done.Emily doesn't have any trouble using the time she has to write—but if you do, here are some ideas based on Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies, which are all about knowing how you best meet inner and outer obligations (of which writing a book is weirdly both). Obligors need outer accountability. Set yourself up with a friend or your agent, give them your goals and arrange weekly check-ins. Questioners need reasons, so make that burn chart and put up a full calendar where you can see it and always have an answer for “but do I really need to do this now?” Upholders probably need nothing more than a plan—but make sure your inner upholder understands that this is a priority. Rebels benefit from regular reminders that this is hard, that most people can't do it and that achieving this goal is a rebellion against everything that stands in its way—and many also like a plan that involves beating the clock. Anything that lets a rebel say “I'll show you!” is rebel jet fuel.Gretchen appeared on Episode 107 of the podcast, and you can take her “Four Tendencies” quiz here.Emily's email: I am a psychologist by training who started writing for an audience in 2017 when my career hit a crossroads with a move for my husband's job. My parenting blog led to writing freelance when possible, including a weekly parenting column for Parents since 2019. In April, I signed a contract with a small, independent publisher, Familius, to write a parenting book.The full manuscript is due May 1. I have never felt so lost! I thought there would be more editor interaction over the year, but she basically said "See you in a year unless you need me!" (I have asked more from her, but have realized she is going to give me broad strokes and not much else.) I have scoured all the places for resources on "how to write a nonfiction book" but besides some of your episodes, what I find is either about self-publishing or marketing, not the process of writing a nonfiction book (that's not a memoir).I'm trying to narrow this down to one question, which probably can't be "how do I write a nonfiction book in a year with no structure, in the time I have?" For context, I spend half my working week doing therapy in a private practice and supervising graduate students. I'm also writing a new blog post once a month to keep my newsletter subscribers engaged, and my weekly column. Oh, and did I mention attempting to raise 3 children in the process? I currently clock about 8 hours a week of writing time . . . and then I read relevant books when I can almost daily. I did find a virtual writing group with two other psychologist authors, which has been helpful. Since you probably aren't aiming to answer "how do I write a book in a year?" maybe narrowing it down to, "How do I manage my time with a professional job that pays the bills, little interaction with an editor (this seems different in the fiction world or even the nonfiction Big 5 world), to complete a 60,000-word nonfiction, researched manuscript in a year?"Do you think you can help me??Links from the PodHow to Get an Agent EpisodeEmily's website, www.emilyedlynnphd.com#AmReadingEmily: The Psychology of Money by Morgan HouselWow No Thank You by Samantha IrbyKJ: Becoming Duchess Goldblatt, AnonymousJess: The Secret History by Donna TarttPodcast: Lili Anolik's Once Upon a Time at Bennington CollegeDuring the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy Podcast," host Ashley Marie Mireles-Guerrero introduces the Familius team and provides listeners with exciting insights into what to expect in 2024 from both the podcast and the Familius publishing company. The episode features various team members, including Christina from the accounting department, Carlos, the in-house designer and administrator, Brooke, the editorial director, Shae, the blog editor, and the marketing team represented by Adina, Erica, and McKay. Together in this special end-of-the-year episode they share a bit about traditions. Tune in to learn more about the Familius team and their plans for the future. Episode Highlights: 01:41: A favorite episode is highlighted, featuring Devin Mevis, an educator and artist, titled "Adding Creativity to Your Daily Routine." The episode focused on how families can integrate creativity into their daily lives. 02:04: The concept of "process art" is discussed, which encourages children to engage in art without specific instructions, instead exploring and creating with available materials. 03:24: Emily Liebel's concept of "Micro Adventures" is highlighted. These are simple, nature-based activities with a specific goal, often prepared by reading related literature and involving games or projects. 04:46: Another favorite episode discussed is "From Summer Freedom to School Screens," focusing on the increasing integration of screens and technology in education. The episode addressed the challenges and opportunities this shift presents for parents and children. 07:26: Paul Mandelstein's book, "World's Best Dad During and After Divorce," is mentioned, emphasizing its focus on helping fathers navigate post-divorce parenting. 08:39: A behind-the-scenes moment is shared about the process of finding illustrators for two upcoming books, "Call Your Mother" and "Robots Don't Make You Go to Bed” and the conversation shifts to the podcast's affiliation with a book publishing company. 10:50: Another book, "How Does Our Food Grow?" is discussed. It's a collaborative effort with the UN Organization Kitchen Connection, aimed at educating children about fruits, vegetables, and gardening. 11:56: A memorable moment from the book's launch in New York is shared. The impact of the book on young readers, particularly two girls who read it at the event, is highlighted, emphasizing the book's influence in fostering a mindful attitude towards our planet. 12:41: The podcast transitions to discussing holiday traditions. A favorite holiday tradition involving leaving out cookies and eggnog for Santa is shared, along with a unique twist of mixing eggnog with chocolate milk. 15:31: A tradition of celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve is shared, which is common in Hispanic or Mexican cultures. Tamales are highlighted as a favorite holiday food, along with enjoying "Die Hard" as a Christmas movie. 18:32: A family tradition involving multicultural food nights leading up to Christmas is shared. The speaker's family, with roots in the United Kingdom, Spain, Korea, and India, celebrates each culture through special meals and activities. 21:32: The conversation shifts to New Year's superstitions and traditions and a tradition of wearing certain colors on New Year's for different wishes, such as wealth or health, is shared. 23:56: A unique New Year's tradition of a polar plunge in the family pool at midnight is described. This test of courage also includes a reward of $10 for the person who can stay in the freezing water the longest, ensuring they don't start the new year with an empty wallet. 25:06: A tradition involving cheers with sparkling cider on New Year's Eve is discussed, emphasizing the importance of this ritual for good luck in the coming year. 29:22: The discussion continues with a playful comment on considering macarons as a meal and a Girl Scout troop leader shares her New Year's resolution to get certified for overnight camping to fulfil her troop's wish for a camping trip. 31:44: The conversation shifts to upcoming books for 2024. Speakers share their excitement for various titles, including "100 Words for Little Utahns," and another book about spicy food. 34:10: A picture book titled "The Blue Canoe" is highlighted which explores the relationship between a mother and daughter, with the mother expecting a new baby, and uses metaphorical visual storytelling to convey the mother's love. 35:25: Another upcoming book, "Nine Months of Wonder," a guided journal for expecting mothers, is discussed. The journal focuses on the mother's experiences during pregnancy, capturing hopes, dreams, and the support system around her. 37:42: "Raising Tiny Humans" is mentioned as an anticipated book, especially for parents of toddlers, offering fun and practical advice. 39:17: The book "Three Kings Day" is brought up, notable for being one of the first books to be released in English and Spanish simultaneously by the publisher. 40:09: The discussion shifts to ways of giving back to communities outside the traditional holiday season. Suggestions include donating books to libraries or organizations, participating in small acts of service, and contributing to literacy initiatives like the Imagination Library. 44:06: The importance of involving children in charitable activities is emphasized. Speakers encourage finding meaningful ways to give time and resources, and to involve children in these activities, such as packing bags for food pantries or resources for people in need. 45:48: The conversation shifts to recognizing team members for their exceptional work. Shoutouts are given to various team members for their contributions, including McKay for starting a YouTube Kids channel and being innovative in social media. 47:08: Ashley is acknowledged for her role as the backbone of the company, being a knowledgeable marketing leader, and for her familiarity with many platforms, authors, and writing her own books. 49:47: Ashley expresses gratitude for the accolades and gives a shoutout to Christina for quickly learning and efficiently handling an outdated accounting system. 50:58: Brooke, the editorial director, is commended for her crucial role in the book creation process, starting from the initial scripts, highlighting the long process some books undergo before publication. Recognition is also given to Shae for her excellent work with the blog and newsletter, and to Carlos for his responsiveness in providing needed files to the marketing team. 3 Key Points: The podcast featured episodes emphasizing creativity in family routines, like "Adding Creativity to Your Daily Routine" by Devin Mevis, focusing on process art for children. Another episode, "From Summer Freedom to School Screens," discussed the integration of screens in education, exploring the balance between technology and learning. The podcast highlighted various family traditions, including multicultural food nights, celebrating Christmas Eve, and unique New Year's customs like a polar plunge. Personal New Year's resolutions shared by the speakers included enhancing culinary skills, being less controlling, and exploring new cuisines. Speakers shared their excitement for upcoming books like "The Blue Canoe" and "Nine Months of Wonder." The segment concluded with team members expressing gratitude and appreciation for each other's contributions, particularly acknowledging Ashley for her versatile role in the company and successfully managing numerous responsibilities. Tweetable Quotes: "Process art encourages kids to explore and create without specific instructions, unlocking their creativity in everyday life." "Micro Adventures: Simple, nature-based activities with a specific goal, enhancing family bonding and connecting with nature." "The Blue Canoe: A picture book that beautifully explores the relationship changes between a mother and daughter when expecting a new baby, using metaphorical storytelling." "Giving back isn't just for the holiday season. Small acts like donating books or volunteering time can make a big difference in your community year-round." Resources Mentioned Helping Families Be Happy Podcast Apple Podcast Editing

Linda is on an outing with her four daughters and daughters in law this week, so Richard takes the opportunity to interview his good friend and publisher Christopher Robbins and the two of them talk about trends, changes, and the future both of families and of publishing. Christopher's book company is called Familius, and it exclusively publishes books that seek to help parents and families. See Familius.com.

This week on The Hamilton Review Podcast, we are very happy to welcome author Pam Lobley BACK to the show! Pam's first appearance on The Hamilton Review was episode 211 in May of 2023, and you can check out that conversation HERE. Pam is the author of the book, "Why Can't We Just Play? What I Did When I Realized My Kids Were Way Too Busy." In this episode, Pam and Dr. Bob pick up where they left off in the last conversation and take a deeper dive into the importance of allowing children to be bored. They also talk about spending time together as a family, looking at what "success" really means, taking extreme pressure off of children and much more. Don't miss the great discussion! Pam Lobley is a comedic writer of plays, columns and books. Her columns have appeared in many newspapers and websites. Her memoir, Why Can't We Just Play? What I Did When I Realized My Kids Were Way Too Busy, (Familius) details the year she let her overscheduled children take the summer off from their busy activities and “just” play. It is available wherever books are sold. How to contact Pam Lobley: Pam Lobley on Instagram Pam Lobley's website How to contact Dr. Bob: Dr. Bob on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChztMVtPCLJkiXvv7H5tpDQ Dr. Bob on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drroberthamilton/ Dr. Bob on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.hamilton

On this episode of the "Helping Families be Happy Podcast," host, Christopher Robbins husband and father of nine, residing in the Central Valley of California talks to Brooke Jordan, who is introduced as having a BA in English and editing from Brigham Young University.    She has 10 years of experience in the publishing industry and currently serves as the editorial director at Familius. Brooke Jordan is also a prolific author with over 20 books to her credit, including the "Lit for Little Hand" series, "I Dig Bathtime," and "How Does Our Food Grow." She has worked in collaboration with the United Nations Organization Kitchen Connection. Additionally, she is an award-winning editor and book designer.   This episode promises to be an insightful discussion about instilling healthy food habits in children and understanding the broader implications of food choices on individuals and the environment.   Episode Highlights: 01:05: Christopher Robbins and Brooke Jordan explore the topic of where our food comes from and how to help children understand and appreciate the journey from farm to plate. 01:39: Brooke Jordan is the author of the book "How Does Our Food Grow?" The book delves into various angles of exploring how food is produced and its connection to fitness and health. 02:58: Brooke explains the natural collaboration between her book, "How Does Our Food Grow?" and Kitchen Connection, which is a part of the United Nations. 04:32: The podcast episode discusses the importance of exposing children to a wide variety of flavors early on to reduce picky eating tendencies as they grow. 04:58: Christopher Robbins, shares his experience of moving from Utah to California and being surprised that oranges can be picked directly from trees. 05:56: Brooke shares an anecdote about the surprise of picking oranges from trees in California and highlights how such experiences can spark curiosity in children. 07:02: Brooke Jordan emphasizes the importance of teaching children about the global food system and how various foods are transported from different regions to provide the diversity of options people love. 08:50: Brooke highlights the interactive and experiential approach of teaching children about food origins, encouraging them to become curious and informed about the sources of the food they consume. 10:50: Brooke Jordan explains her parenting philosophy of not categorizing foods as "good" or "bad" but focusing on the impact of different foods on the body. Instead of labeling foods as healthy or unhealthy, she emphasizes teaching children what each food does in their bodies. 12:00: By teaching children about the specific benefits of various foods, Brooke aims to empower them to make informed choices without feeling guilty about occasional indulgences. 13:55: Brooke points out that beans when paired with rice, create a complete protein, which has significant implications for addressing global hunger problems. 15:04: Brooke discusses the importance of choosing a more plant-based diet, even if not fully vegetarian, as it requires less water compared to livestock farming. 16:05: Brooke emphasizes the importance of approaching environmental issues and food choices with children in a positive and empowering manner.   3 Key Highlights This episode provides valuable insights into fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of agriculture and the sources of our food. Brooke talks about the significance of exploring different foods and fostering an appreciation for the global food system and the diverse ways in which food is grown and transported. Brooke explains the critical role of legumes and plant-based foods in sustainable agriculture and the significant impact these food choices can have on our planet's well-being. Tweetable Quotes “Certain fruits and vegetables can be picked directly from trees, such as apples and oranges. However, other foods involve consuming different parts of the plant, which may not be immediately visible. For instance, broccoli and cauliflower are eaten for their flowers and potatoes and sweet potatoes are grown underground.” – Brooke “Various foods require different conditions to thrive. Some foods need more water, others more sunlight, and some require more energy overall to cultivate. These nuances provide an opportunity for engaging conversations with children, starting with the basic understanding of how certain fruits and vegetables grow and building upon that knowledge to explore their specific requirements for growth.” – Brooke “By understanding the impact of different foods on their bodies, children can make well-informed decisions and develop a healthier approach to eating.” - Brooke   Resources Mentioned Helping Families Be Happy Podcast Apple Podcast Editing  

Brooke Jorden is on the #ReadingWithYourKids #Podcast to celebrate her new #ChildrensBook How Does Our Food Grow? Brooke tells Jedlie and our guest co-host Anne O'Leary that she partnered with the UN organization Kitchen Connection to create a tool for parents to talk to their kids about food. The book grew out of the philosophy that talking to your kids about food (where it comes from, what it does in your body, etc.) will allow them to build a healthy relationship with food that will last a lifetime. The book shows children growing and eating many different fruits, vegetables, and grains, and encourages curiosity in eating new things. Click here to visit the HDOFG page at Familius - https://www.familius.com/book/how-does-our-food-grow/  Click here to visit our website - www.readingwithyourkids.com 

We are happy to welcome Pam Lobley to The Hamilton Review Podcast!  Pam is the author of the book, Why Can't We Just Play? What I Did When I Realized My Kids Were Way Too Busy. Friends, this is a must listen conversation for parents, especially as we approach the summer season! Pam Lobley is a comedic writer of plays, columns and books. Her columns have appeared in many newspapers and websites. Her memoir, Why Can't We Just Play? What I Did When I Realized My Kids Were Way Too Busy, (Familius) details the year she let her overscheduled children take the summer off from their busy activities and “just” play. It is available wherever books are sold. How to contact Pam Lobley:  Pam Lobley on Instagram How to contact Dr. Bob: Dr. Bob on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChztMVtPCLJkiXvv7H5tpDQ Dr. Bob on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drroberthamilton/ Dr. Bob on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.hamilton

On this episode, the fourth in the Happiness Paradox mini-series, the Eyres take the "three alternatives" to a spiritual level and tie each of them to the quest of seeking God's will. For more detail go to www.Familius.com/Eyre where you can get The Happiness Paradox or other Eyre books for 40% off (the author price). You are also invited to register for free at www.Iammomsummit.com where the Eyres will keynote on June 1.

A former concert pianist and college teacher, Linda turned to writing full-time in fall, 2017.  Linda has published essays, articles, short fiction, and poetry in The New York Times Magazine, The London Guardian, The New Republic, The Boston Globe, THINK! NBC, Pangyrus, Wired, SalamanderMagazine, Lithub, The Drum, Silver Birch Press, The Beacon Book of Essays by Contemporary American Women, WBUR's Cognoscenti, and Cosmopolitan Magazine. A IS FOR ALWAYS: an Adoption Alphabet in verse was published by Familius on August 2, 2022.  Linda is the author; Leonie Little-Lex the illustrator. It has garnered rankings on Amazon of #1 in new releases of children's adoption books, #1 in new releases of children's alphabet books, and #1 in new releases of children's stepfamily books.Since the illustrations display animal families of different species, it is not only a book for all adoptive families, but for interracial, single parent, gay parent, and step-parent families.  Connect with Linda by visiting www.lindacutting.com.

This week listen as Dr. Kim talks with Rebecca Greene. Rebecca Greene, MSW, LMSW is a mental health therapist in group practice and award-winning author of seven books, including two self-help/parenting books and four children's books. Her latest book is One & Done, about parenting only children, and published in 2023 by Familius. As a therapist, the mother of an only child and an only child herself, Rebecca has both professional and personal experience with the topic of best practices for helping only children thrive. Rebecca lives with her family in the Washington, DC metro area. https://www.rebeccagreeneauthor.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California, talks to Noah benShea, one of North America's most respected and beloved poet philosophers. He has the Pulitzer Prize-nominated and internationally best-selling author of 29 books translated into 18 languages, embraced around the world. Today they will discuss the duality of despair and hope from his most recent book - The Surfer and the Sage: A Guide to Surviving and Ride Life's Waves.   Episode Highlights 02:15: Life is a great party to which you have been invited. Now you have to decide what you want to wear to the party. The first thing to remember is that you get to choose not only from your clothing wardrobe but also from your emotional wardrobe. 02:58: Despair and hope are options that each has in each of their moments. Being filled with despair is not necessarily a flaw. 03:19: Those in the military remind us that hope is not a plan, and they are right. But from hope, a move to the positive can be planned. 03:40: Despair is not designer clothing more is it meant to be worn every day. However hope is a superhero cloak that on the tough days and even on the easy days, can shield you from despair. 06:30: Faith is saying things unseen, hope is hoping to see things unseen. 08:27: There are so many things, and we want to move towards hope. 10:28: As per Noah there is nothing more challenging for us in this lifetime to come to because Aristotle said that honesty is important to all wisdom. 11:45: We are all alone, but we are all alone together when we recognize our own aloneness, we recognize empathetically our aloneness, our brother and sister. 12:50: Remind other people that you hope the best for them and that the best for you will be arriving. 14:47: Noah suggests passing vulnerability to children this way your children will recognize that the strongest person in their life is not absent from vulnerability. 16:16: We are not seeking to solve all problems, but just help people explore ways to improve their lives, and help their families be happy, says Christopher.  3 Key Points Noah gives several real-life examples that give insights into hope and despair. One of the areas where we fall victim to despair is when our ego is in despair, says Noah. Noah talks about mental illness and the importance of seeking medical help in case feeling depressed. Tweetable Quotes "I know there are people for many years I was asked to be a national philosopher, dealing with people in the field of addiction, and one of the things I would remind people that to some people dope is the is the only hope."- Noah benShea "I was thinking about hope versus faith the other day and somebody I think framed it for me and they framed it in a religious sense." - Christopher Robbins "For me, there has been no more profoundly despairing time in my life, and perhaps for those lists they were observing than when you wake up in." - Noah benShea "I don't think there's anything more challenging for us in this lifetime to come to because Aristotle said that honesty is important to all wisdom." - Christopher Robbins Resources Mentioned Helping Families Be Happy Podcast Apple Familius: Instagram Podcast Editing  

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California, talks to Shaun Tomson.   Episode Highlights 01:49: Shaun talks about his book and the 18 chapter that it contains. They are based on the duality of what he experiences in life and how to move from the negative to the positive. 03:18: There is a synthesis between religion and kind of a secular perspective in terms of it's a foundation on which we build our lives and foundation on which we build our world. 04:51: As per Shaun it is faith that keeps us in the direction of where we want to go.  06:09: Life that bends inside us, gives us hope, meaning, reason and optimism. 08:55: Shaun shares the heartbreaking story of losing his son and how he coped with the grief. 10:40: Look for help from friends, rekindle those relationships, look from help for professional people and religious people and look for science and helping nature just work in nature. 11:32: Christopher had many conversations with psychologist authors and it's a common denominator that they say that those people with whom they are counseling and working with those who can accept the reality of where they are right now are able to move forward and those who cannot accept it, they continue to stay in place. 13:05: You put more pressure on yourself and eventually you get caught in this despair and anxiety and you just stop spinning downwards and it's not dissimilar when you can't accept reality and you get caught in this cycle of conjecture, you get open cycle. 16:16: Help others find the beauty in the world, find the signs that God exists and loves, and then things will continue. 3 Key Points Shaun explains how we come from different religions, but underneath we are the same in terms of how we relate to that one God or to that energy that we believe controls the world and is responsible for the world staying on its exes. There is a very powerful and inspirational story in the book about how Shaun lost and then regained his faith. Shaun explains how forgiveness is essential to cope with one's grief. Tweetable Quotes "It's a book of perspective, not prescription." - Shaun  "I can think about faith from a religious point of view, also can think of it from a secular point of view." – Christopher "I think back to my athletic days as a competitor, and it's not really aligned with grief. It is aligned with what can happen when you are an athlete." – Christopher "Whatever your sport may be, do that and then help others, whatever that might be mentoring, teaching and doing with our projects, getting involved with the NGO that might do something, and do you create inspirational project that is in memory of the of the person you lost." - Shaun Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple Podcast Editing

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California talks to Noah benShea, one of North America's most respected and beloved poet philosophers. He has the Pulitzer Prize-nominated and internationally best-selling author of 29 books translated into 18 languages, embraced around the world. Today they will discuss the duality of anxiety and calm from his most recent book, The Surfer and the Sage, how to survive and ride life waves that he co-wrote with World Champion Surfer Sean. Episode Highlights 01.54. Noah explains what is anxiety and calm? 02.30: If you think that you are going to find any plus in life without a minus or any minus in life for which you cannot find a plus. 02.58: Anxiety is the most common passport people use when they express how they are feeling now. 04.07: Think of anxiety as a balancing poll that will keep you upright on your life board as you witness waves that can threaten to topple you. 04.39: Calm is a word that has been idealized in every religion and teaching across time. Finding that quiet, safe place inside of you is about as good as it gets in life. 05.10: Choose calm when it calms your spirit, but do not choose calm when it robs you of the wild ride you want to remember for the rest of your life. 06.42: You have to decide what you are going to accept from your mind so that you have be able to step outside and realize you don't want to put your mind's thoughts in the driver's seat. 09.19: It is an ancient tradition, that in breath there is calm. 09.27: If you know someone who's going through an anxiety attack. One of the most common manifestations of it is you will witness them being unable to breathe. 11.13: Conspiring usually means people planning a robbery, but it really means people breathing together. 13.01: Noah talks about the 478 technique of breathing and how it works.  3 Key Points What people seldom realize is that anxiety is not necessarily negative. Don't give anxiety too much of your attention because anxiety isn't a boost, but a caution and anxiety won't improve your future. Noah talks about the ancient connection of breathing techniques and how it is mentioned in the bible as well. Tweetable Quotes "It was clear to us that we had to write on any topic on the duality of it, because life seems to be coming and going at the same time." - Noah "The word anxious can by itself make you feel anxious." - Christopher "I remind people that the issue of being shamed by anxiety because you are so taught and tense about what is happening is a reminder that it is not an act of character to beat yourself up because you did something wrong." – Noah "I have a reminder when I say my prayers in the morning, I say to God I take your breath and I return your breath." - Noah Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple Podcast Editing Get the book: HERE

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California, talks to Jason Goldstein. He is the author and creator of Chop Happy, a fantastic blog. He specializes in delicious and simple comfort dishes that showcase rich flavors, inventive ideas, and unique cooking tips and advice. Jason is the author of the Happy Sandwich, scrumptious sandwiches to make you smile. Today they are going to explore how to save money, do fewer dishes, and save time in the kitchen.   Episode Highlights 03.44: As per Jason, when it comes to efficient kitchen management time is usually the most important. No matter what you do, no matter where you are, everyone wants some more free time or time for themself.  04.30: Jason shares how one can cook pasta in a slow cooker. 06.24: Jason shares how sheet pan saves dishes and how one can make a whole meal on a sheet pan. 07.27: Jason reveals how he keeps the meats and veggies separate in a sheet pan.  09.05: Doubling recipes save time shares, Jason.  10.02: Budget is important for everybody and as per Jason people overspend anyway, regardless of inflation and stuff.  10.30: Frozen vegetables are frozen at the peak of their freshness. So you are actually getting the same nutritional value and stuff for less price and it's already prepared for you 11.02: There are a lot of ways to save time. As per Jason see your pantry and use your frozen and canned items.  13.17 If you have bacon leftover and you use it for a recipe for breakfast, you can actually freeze it again and just take it out and use it, says Jason.  14.21: Jason shares how one can cook the perfect pizza.  16.00: Jason talks about cooking hacks that will help people in their kitchen, save time, have fewer dishes, and save money. 3 Key Points Jason shares how the slow cooker is a great piece of equipment that can help you to save time. Food is good money, food is expensive, and inflation has really hit people's pocketbooks. Jason shares his idea for saving money and how people can avoid overspending on food. Jason talks about the difference between frozen and non-frozen food and how much nutritional value each holds.  Tweetable Quotes "What you can do is after you get the kids to bed, you're getting ready to watch whatever shows on Netflix you want, you drop things into the slow cooker, put it in the fridge. And right before you go to work, you start your day. Just turn it on take it out of the fridge and turn on that slow cooker and it will cook dinner for you, so you don't have to spend a lot of time doing stuff throughout the day to make dinner happen." - Jason "If you are trying to roast meatballs and veggies with all those hacks on TikTok where you get the crispiest potatoes and you smash those potatoes, just take like the tin foil and make like a little section in the middle so it doesn't get there." - Jason "I actually love to double my recipes whenever I make, so if I am making a meatloaf with potatoes, I will actually use sushi pans and I will turn the oven to convection. So that the air circulates on everything and everything cooks evenly. And I will make two of them so that this way you one I will eat for the week or make sandwiches out of them or whatever it is we need to do. And the other one, I will wrap and freeze it and then I will just defrost it, so I have dinner another time for me." - Jason  Resources Mentioned Helping Families Be Happy Podcast Apple Familius Instagram Facebook Twitter Jason Golstein Instagram TikTok https://chophappy.com/ Podcast Editing

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California, talks to Shaun Tomson. Shaun is a former world surfing champion and has been described as one of the greatest and most influential surfers of all time. He is an inductee in the US Jewish and South African sports halls of fame. Today they are going to talk about despair and hope from his most recent book - The Surfer and the Sage: A Guide to Survive and Ride Life's Waves.   Episode Highlights 02.20: The book is a way to help people to move from a place of darkness to light to move from despair to hope to move to be anxious to calm, says Shaun. 03.07: Shaun's father, was an Olympic hopeful from South Africa in the 1948 Olympics and he had a tragic accident while surfing off the coast. Shaun shares his father's story and how that changed the course of his life and helped him understand the duality of despair and hope.  05.04: Shaun's earliest memory of his dad was taking him to swim and surf. He had taught him how to surf and swim about 100 yards away from where he had this terrible attack that destroyed his swimming career. 06.46: Shaun shares how his father loved to help young athletes. He took joy in helping people. 10.40: There are a number of ways you can get through grief, darkness, and despair, says Shaun.  10.50: Connecting with nature, reconnecting with your faith and helping others are some of the ways to recover from grief or loss. 13.20: A little gesture of kindness, you never know how it can be given at the right moment for someone that really, really, really needs it, says Shaun.  16.50: Christopher shares how we can get through trouble. He says it is when we forget ourselves and we go, and we are in the service of other people. 3 Key Points Shaun shares how his father positively impacted so many lives, hundreds and hundreds of lives on the beach in South Africa, helping young people realize their dreams.  Shaun narrates how he won the biggest swimming contest in the world. Christopher and Shaun discuss how helping people can actually help you in return. Tweetable Quotes "I think my dad was this wonderful example to me as a young boy of just being optimistic and hopeful and not dwelling on the negative." – Shaun "My dad never dwelled on the shark attack. He wasn't a depressed guy. He was always upbeat. He was always optimistic." – Shaun "We create hope by also creating working to create hope and other people." - Christopher   Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple Familius Instagram Twitter Facebook Shaun Tomson LinkedIn  Podcast Editing

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California, talks to Devon Meves. She is a curriculum consultant and educational content creator with master's in education and teaching and curriculum and BSR education. Throughout her career, Devon has focused on two things, education, and creativity. She is the founder of ureadyteddy.  Episode Highlights 2.10: Today Christopher and Devon are going to discuss how families can include more creativity and learning in their lives. 03.25: Devon talks about process art. She explains it is the opposite of what we are used to thinking. Process art is the opposite of traditional art. The final product is very open-ended because of that it promotes more creativity than the traditional product art. 05.28: Process art promotes confidence and self-esteem related to art.  06.36: We have so many books that we have explored about creativity. There is one by Mary Potter Kenyon where she has written to create, and she says that little children know how to be creative. It's just they create everything about them. They want to play, experiment, build. They said that we start to lose this as we get older.  07.59: Learning together is one of the best ways to really bond with their kids.  08.48: Devon explains what open ended play is. 09.35: Open-ended play is getting back to the basics and letting kids use their imaginations to play in whatever way they choose to play. 11.45: Open ended play involves a lot of problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and a lot of other 21st century skills like really being independent and flexible.  12.36: Devon shares how through open ended play children are developing problem solving skills because they are encountering challenges. 13.39: If instead of doing these step-by-step intricate crafts or play setups, you take a step back, you can give children the materials and see what they do with them. See how they create art with these materials or see how they play with these materials, it's a lot easier to incorporate these things than an adult might think, says Devon. 16.00: One example of an open-ended play activity that Devon really like to do is taking toy cars, toy trains, things like that outside. Children normally play with them inside on a track, and we take them outside and by changing that context they really have to think more creatively.  3 Key Points Devon shares how both adult and children can benefit from process art.  open-ended play is when your goal is to creativity and just imagination. Devon shares some examples of how she thinks families can be better at incorporating process art and open-ended play as they work with their children.  Tweetable Quotes "I think a lot of us grew up either feeling like we were good at art, or we were bad at art. And if we were good at art, we probably liked the class if we thought we were bad at art we probably felt a little frustrated or stressed out in our class, and when we take away that expectation of what the final product looks like and allow these kids to just experiment freely, there's no right or wrong answers." - Devon  "Adults can benefit from experimenting with materials and making discoveries alongside with their kids, which is kind of a fun, kind of fun bonding experience because they are learning something together." – Devon "Whatever you believe you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." - Christopher Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple https://www.ureadyteddy.com/about/ Podcast Editing  

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California, talks to Kelly Bennett. She has been writing professionally for more than 30 years both fiction and nonfiction. Her award-winning picture books included Not Norman a Goldfish Story, Vampire Baby, Your Daddy Was Just Like You and The House That Ruth Built celebrate all that goes into being a kid, families, friends, pets, fun and games.  Episode Highlights 2.00: Today Christopher and Kelly are going to discuss baseball and the history of the original Yankee Stadium and the opening game between the Yankees and Red Sox.  03.20: The Yankees are the team that made baseball the phenomenon it is today. Around the 90's it was America's sport at the time.  04.20: Kelly shares how her grandfather was into baseball. Her grandfather was a semi-pro ballplayer. Later she and her brother started playing, now her kids also play baseball.  05.02: There is geometry in baseball, the statistics are just beyond belief in baseball. Kind of gives us an idea of why baseball has been such a fascinating sport for the American public for well over 100 years.  05.54: Baseball is the one game where anything can happen. Anything that ball can go anywhere. It can be hit, or it cannot be hit. 06.31: This April celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the original Yankee Stadium opening, 08.25: Kelly shares how Babe Ruth changed the game of baseball. People started hearing about Babe Ruth hitting and they started coming to the games just to see if he would hit it. And even when he struck out, they loved it because he put so much into it that he'd spin around beyond. He was a total hand, so it was more about the showman. Because of that, the stadium was built.  09.17: Kelly shares what made Babe Ruth such an iconic figure that transcended time. 11.24: Kelly shares what made her so interested in researching this opening day game and the history behind it. Her book includes the fans, the hawkers, the details of the stadium, and the players. 12.58: Families have these habits that we believe help families be happy. One is Play Together and one learns together. Kelly's book falls within those.  15.14: Playing ball is not about your gender, it's not about your physicality. It's about anybody who can play actual catch, starting with your toddler. 17.07: Kelly shares one story that she loves about Babe Ruth.  19.02: The house that Ruth built comes out in April 2023, the 100-year anniversary of the first game played between the Red Sox and the Yankees on April 1923. 3 Key Points Kelly shares why she is so interested in baseball and what is her history with baseball.  Kelly explains how Babe Ruth was able to draw all by himself, triple and five times and 10 times the fans that any other stadium, including the archrivals, then New York Giants, was drawing.  Kelly shares how she thinks the family could benefit from and how they could use the house that Ruth built to play and learn besides just reading the story. Tweetable Quotes “We love baseball, but you got to hate somebody, whoever you are playing against. I guess that's the way it goes.” - Kelly “Anybody can play baseball. It's easy to get. All you need is a ball and a bat, and you can start playing baseball.” - Kelly In Kelley's book, there are sidebars that have facts of baseball historically. You can bring together your intergenerationally. Because kids today have no idea what the world was like 100 years ago.” – Kelly “Football is very controversial right now. You need a ball that's a certain shape you need to feel there's the plays are really much more set. Basketball, you need a hoop. Baseball, all you need is two people, or one person throw it up in the air they catch.” - Kelley “A lot of people think Babe Ruth was an orphan. He wasn't an orphan. However, when he was seven years old, his parents put him into a boy's school for incorrigible children, for orphans and some put there by the state. In his case, he was put there by his family.” - Kelly  Resources Mentioned Pre-order now: https://www.familius.com/book/the-house-that-ruth-built/ Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple https://www.kellybennett.com/ Podcast Editing

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California talks with Susan Holt Simpson. Today they are going to talk about how to help children learn to love reading. Susan also shares tips to inculcate reading into a child's life. Episode Highlights 03.30: Susan Holt Simpson is a freelance writer living in Northern Kentucky. She volunteers as a reading coach with the Kentucky one-to-one children's literacy program. Her jittery spotted dog inspired her to write and teach your dog to read. 2.46: Susan is going to share her insights on teaching children how to read. She gives a few hints for early reading and what parents need. How early should parents start?  3.12: As per Susan children can learn to recognize somebody's reading even before they are born.  04.02: As per Susan, parents can begin reading, during pregnancy and that can have an impact. 04.48: It is easy to just read aloud, even during feeding times, to get out those board books that you got at your baby shower and just read them to your children while they are feeding, while they are in their highchair, even during bath time putting on audiobook, especially of Mother Goose of rich rhyme and textured stories and books is good.  06.02: Buying a book is not the only way to put together a library for your kids. You can also opt for secondhand resale for charity. Just searching through those resale thrift stores will have children's books for very reasonable prices.  08.40: Susan talks about her love to go to libraries and wander around books. Special books are often set on top of the library shelves by the librarians because they see the value in some of these books too. 09.56: You can experience that New York Times has the same wonderful journals that provide great lists that you can experience if you are trying to build a beginning library.  10.45: Susan prefers to buy real books for her kids and grandkids. Whenever she gets a chance. 12.02: Susan Shares that to spike the interest of elementary students, make sure that they are reading and the book that they are presented with is tailored to their interest.  14.02: Instead of choosing books that start with their activity interest, present a book that has something that will lead you to an activity that everybody will enjoy and that will inspire more reading.  15.08: Launchpad books are books that are going to launch your little guy into an interest-based activity. 17.00: Christopher talks about how he and his wife have opened the world of reading to their children.  3 Key Points Susan shares her thoughts on whether one should build a library for their children as they grow from newborns to toddlers to early readers to chapter readers and so on.  Susan shares tips about what to do in order to help children reengage or continue their love of learning during elementary years when their world is expanding.  Susan shares how she encourages people to be really natural with the way that they present reading to their children. Tweetable Quotes "We can expose children to books, wherever they are, whatever they are doing." - Christopher   "I am a book buyer, I love going to bookstores that is an important part of the way that we acquire books for our kids and now for our grandkids to make sure that we are buying those really good quality, beautiful books that will be treasured." - Susan  "I do look at lists online, there are a lot of people with lists. But you know, what I like to do is I love to go to the library and just kind of wander around those beautiful books.  "So many of our children are now reading on any device that they happen to have." - Christopher   "You can encourage anyone to read in, regardless of what medium that they like." – Susan "Rather than be too concerned about their expanding universe complement their expanding universe with books that align with their expanded universe." - Susan Resources Mentioned Susan's Book https://susanholtsimpson.com/ Podcast Editing

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California talks with guest Rebecca Fox Starr, an author, writer, Blogger, speaker, and mental health advocate. She created her internationally read blog "Mommy Ever After" in 2010 following the birth of her first child when she became pregnant with her second child in 2013. Rebecca suffered from prenatal anxiety and depression and subsequent severe postpartum depression. She decided to document her journey in real time in an effort to help others. Episode Highlights 1.07: Rebecca writes candidly about her life as a mother, survivor, advocate, singer-songwriter, dance partier, and studded shoe collector. Her story has been featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, on ABC News, and all forms of media across the world.  03.43: Maternal mental health is just mental health feelings, emotions, and diagnosis. But for mothers, for those who are trying to conceive, pregnant or have children.  04.45: Rebecca talks about motherhood and what drove her to start her first blog. 05.07: Rebecca shares how she tackles postpartum depression post giving birth to her second child.  06.58: For Rebecca writing was the greatest therapy. When feeling down, nervous, depressed, she used writing as a medium to get out of it.  08.24: As treacherous as the landscape of social media can be, there is also something that is amazing about the exposure, because now people are used to sharing things about their lives and it's become easier, sometimes even attractive, or desirable, says Rebecca. 08.56: As per Rebecca, because people are talking more and connecting more because we are all so much more connected through social media.  11.26: Rebecca shares how motherhood is the greatest joy in the world, but it is also the hardest phase.  12.05: As per Rebecca, everyone has negative feelings, and just like it's in her book, negative feelings come. We don't have to pretend that they don't exist. We need to be resilient and know that we are sad or lonely or scared. But just like storms, they these feelings pass.  14.02: For moms in particular, 25% of moms or 30% of moms are diagnosed with a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.  15.46: Rebecca talks about the therapeutic way of positive thinking and how it can help to get over anxiety and depression. 17.21: For someone with depression validation is important, says Rebecca. 18.45: As per Rebecca, support is the key to success, and she has done a lot of research on postpartum depression screening and diagnosis. She is not a clinician, but she has done a lot of research and written academic books on this. 20.11: A lot of times people who are going through especially a parental mood and anxiety disorder, postpartum depression, they are thinking that they should feel better or that they are bad parent for feeling the way that they do. 21.10: Christopher has found out that saying how can I help you is not as helpful as just helping. 21.46: Rebecca shares for those who are in the book world, what does she hopes that the publishing industry in the book industry can do to help improve mental health awareness?  3 Key Points Rebecca shares how writing has helped her to crawl out of her depression post giving birth to her second child. Writing is how she connects with people, so finding people to connect with was incredibly healing. Rebecca talks about her book, Mommy Ever After, how does that relate to mental health and why was that book important for her to write?  To use business terms, somebody who reaches out to a friend once a week, the return on investment is so great. You have a 30% less chance to experience depression or to sink down into a deeper depression and just by being checked in on, says Rebecca.  Tweetable Quotes "In 2013-2014 people didn't talk about mental health the same way that they do now. Not as openly, not as compassionately." – Rebecca "Sharing about postpartum depression has been, as I said, the greatest. Pivot and ultimately gift in my life." - Rebecca "Actually, starting to write was the most healing thing that I did. And over the course of the next several years, as I crawled out of that hole of anxiety and depression, I knew that if I got that feeling, feeling down, feeling nervous, feeling depressed, writing was the greatest therapy." - Rebecca  "When I started writing about postpartum depression, my first two books were academic texts. There was not a big list of books on postpartum depression and. There is no book on trying to expand your family after postpartum depression, so I wrote it because there was nothing there." – Rebecca "For me, Mommy ever after, is this whimsical book with the most gorgeous illustrations." -Rebecca "We encourage our audience, if anyone is experiencing acute anxiety or debilitating depression, to make sure that they get proper professional medical care to help them as they navigate this one of these life challenges." - Christopher Resources Mentioned Rebecca's Book www.mommyeverafter.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rebeccafoxstarr/?hl=en Podcast Editing  

In today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Christopher Robbins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California, talks Brianne DeRosa, MFA, is the Content Manager for The Family Dinner Project. As a freelance writer and consultant to nonprofit organizations, she has spent over a decade working in communications, program development and creative initiatives. Brianne has the opportunity to practice her family dinner skills every day with her husband and two young sons. Today they are going to explore how to improve family dinner and why that is so important in today's busy world. Episode Highlights 1.02: Brianne talks about changes in family dinners pre and post covid. As per her, pre covid, majority of families, majority of parents would say particularly that family dinner was important, that they wanted to have family dinner and 80% of teenagers would say that they wished they could eat dinner with their parents more often. 03.13: During pre-covid fewer than 30% of families were making it to the table together on any kind of regular basis, which was concerning. 03.56: During Covid, what Brianne found was kind of interesting; they did some research with their friends at making caring common, which is part of the graduate Harvard Graduate School of Education and what the research uncovered was that during the first year of the pandemic, when there were a lot of lockdowns and people were home more family dinner is improved, so more than 50% of respondents said not only were they having dinner much more frequently, but their dinners were more enjoyable. 04.30: During Covid, kids were feeling more empowered to cook and be a part of the family dinner experience, and that made everybody feel good. 06.52: The family dinner project is a nonprofit program of mass General Hospital psychiatry Academy and as per Brianne it is based on the principle of looking at the decades and decades and decades of deep scientific research that has proven that family dinner is an important part of life, an important available daily intervention.  07.54: As per Brianne young kids in particular who eat with their families develop storytelling, sequencing and vocabulary skills even greater than if they were simply read to. 08.33: There are a whole host of benefits for adults that are now coming to light through new research where older adults who eat with someone else, whether that is a family member or a friend, if they have regular shared meal interactions with people, they have better mental health. Their loneliness decreases, which is a huge public health crisis for older, older adults is loneliness that decreases, their nutrition increases. 09.23: Brianne shares how does the family dinner project, help people inculcate family dinner into their lifestyle?  11.12: Bri shares how they are working with experts at mass general to create a whole youth sports and family dinner section of their website specifically targeted to those challenges. They also have a new initiative called the Welcoming Table that they have been working on with a variety of experts that specifically targeted towards the challenges that come with having family members who are on the autism spectrum or have ADHD or have feeding challenges, sensory challenges, if those are barriers to any family meals, they are also targeting towards that.  14.30: In many households, if not most, there is one person who is basically responsible for the planning, shopping, cooking and cleanup. A lot of time it's a female head of household, kind of singular person who has the whole mantle of responsibility. And one of the things that makes family dinner feel so scary and onerous is there isn't that division of labor, that opportunity to cook together, that opportunity to have people help clean up or even just to help meal plan and shop.  18.19: The Family Dinner Project's goal is if you could help a family overcome their family dinner challenges, if you could inspire a family to have more dinners together, they wanted that thing that you could hand to them and say look here is how you do it. 21.11: Sometimes parents are able to get together with their kids for a few minutes between school and sports practice. If you take that moment to have some apple slices and cheese and talk, then you have done a family meal, says Brianne. 23.10: Anytime that you are sharing food, fun, and conversation in any format with anybody who's important to you, that can confer some of the same benefits as what we think of as this kind of Norman Rockwell dinner experience, says Brianne. 25.40: As per Brianne one of the most undervalued things about family dinner is that opportunity that it presents for people to just unwind and laugh together and have a good time.  3 Key Points Brianne explains what is the family dinner project and why is this so meaningful and so important?  Brianne talks about the family dinner book that they have introduced. As per her there are all these different challenges in the book that that they are trying to help solve through presenting the stories of real families who have managed it. What has their challenge been? How have they overcome it? They have smart strategies. Real people have really good ideas.  As per Brianna its ok to have a split shift dinner as long as everyone has someone to eat and interact with, that's a family meal.  Tweetable Quotes "Having somebody else in the house will help you with dinner might actually make you feel better about dinner." -  Brianne "Family dinner is a relatively accessible intervention for most people, it's something that they could potentially do. But it's not simple and so the family dinner project, we always say that the research exists to tell us why dinner is important, but we exist to help you with the how." - Brianne "I would say to that family and to every other family out there, one thing to remember is we're the family dinner project. But it doesn't have to be dinner, it's any opportunity where you can connect meaningfully and purposefully around food, fun and conversation so it can be a family breakfast." - Brianne Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/|Instagram| Podcast Editing

On today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly talks with guest Stephanie Campisi. She will be talking with us about her wonderful new book, Quacks Like a Duck.   Episode Highlights 1.41: Opportunity presented itself, so Stephanie moved to the US from Australia in 2014 and she has been having a wonderful time.  1.51: Throughout her travels, Stephanie has been collecting interesting stories and overheads and snippets and turning them into books. 2.07: Stephanie has lived in quite a few states in the US and has traveled almost half of now and working on the rest. 3.53: Reading and writing are how Stephanie makes sense of the world, and she thinks it's so true for so many people even if you are not necessarily an author, but you write letters or things like that. 5.15: Stephanie looks at the recurring motives that shine through because she has several books out through Familius and tends to be loved together, laugh together, and play together. 7.33: Stephanie's perspective has been really interesting in Australia and being an Australian and what that identity is now that she is elsewhere. 8.35: Stephanie has been taking Vegemite to the US schools and having brave souls try it and it's always hilarious. They eat Vegemite to keep their vitamins up. 11.10: The essence of relationship is when we can take a topic and start dissecting it whether it is about books or some little curiosities, says Carla.  12.11: Stephanie mostly travels around the schools in rural Eastern Tennessee and in a lot of cases she is the first author that the kids have met and so it's wonderful. 13.40: There has been a little bit of time in the making quacks, but Stephanie does have a book in the work that hopefully will be on shelves and is absolutely inspired by her son who is three years old. 15.15: When Stephanie came from another country and made a new home in America, that belonging, and acceptance were a big piece for her. She shares if her books somehow create more of a sense of belonging and acceptance in her life or not. 17.35: When Stephanie came to the US, it was kind of like a single-swim situation. 19.41: Social-emotional learning helps kids learn how to get along with each other and make friends, create healthy relationship dynamics, and learn to exist alongside each other in the world.  20.12: Quacks like a duck is a brand-new release and it's not actually about a duck. It is about Petunia the platypus who shows up at her very first party in the US, says Stephanie.  22.10: Sometimes we want to label everything. We want to put something in a box so that we are comfortable knowing what this is, says Carla. 26.22: Books are really safe way to explore little things with children, particularly if you are with a trusted adult who can help you work through them. 27.18: In Quacks Like a Duck, we have petunia going to her party but that applies in so many different situations where you're the new person in an unfamiliar situation and that can apply to kids in so many different experiences throughout their lives, says Stephanie. 29.00: Stephanie feels picture books give us permission to be kids again and feel like that is one of the joys of being a picture book author. 3 Key Points Stephanie talks about her journey and what motivated her to become an author. You feel yourself and what you are meant to be at Familius and that's why we gravitated towards Familius. The energy at Familius is very loving, very inclusive, and very family oriented, says Stephanie. Different people can approach the same book, but nobody is ever going to approach it in the same way. We are in different moods when we are reading the book, says Stephanie. Tweetable Quotes "Your reading and writing passion helps you bring components to life, in your body, in your mind and spirit." - Carla "It is really beautiful that there is some energy that brings people to Familius because that energy is like let's create books that help make the world a better place." – Carla "Once you get outside the familiar bubble of comfort, you have a different lens to see and understand everything." - Stephanie "Social-emotional learning lens is authenticity for how to embrace your truth, know who you are, stand in your truth, and not need to dress up. You can just be yourself." - Carla "When we are connecting with the child, we are also connecting to lost or thirsty parts of ourselves, and their books work in a way that more the 500 pages book can't do." - Carla Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple Stephanie Campisi: Website Podcast Editing  

In today's episode of the “Helping Families Be Happy” podcast, host Christopher Robbins, Co-founder of Familius Publishing (A Husband, Father, Author, Fisherman, Backpacker, and Aspirational Musician based in the Central Valley of California) talks with guest Dr. Ben Bernstein (A veteran Psychologist, Educator, Keynote Speaker, Author, and a Performance Coach for Academy Award, Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winners. His client lists include CEOs, Dentists, Athletes, Attorneys, Physicians, Business Executives, Opera Singers, and Actors). You can reach Dr. Bernstein at his website -- https://www.drbyourbest.com/.  Today Dr. Bernstein talks about the ways to improve our mental health.  Episode Highlights 01:40 – Dr. Bernstein is the Founder and Artistic Director of the ‘Singer's Gym', a nonprofit training workshop for professional singers that have vitality, spontaneity, and connection in their work.  04:00 - Dr. Bernstein says that he is deeply a person of prayer and a man of religious practice, but you don't have to have a religion to have a spirit, because everyone has a spirit.  05:40 - There's a reason that all the sages and saints for 1000s of years have been talking about the breath because it's a real vital connection from vitality. 08:00 - A very healthy thing to do for your mental health is to appreciate somebody in your life daily. Appreciating means expressing gratitude to someone in your life and then expressing gratitude to them. 10:00 - Dr. Ben heard a philosopher on the radio say once, “We're built to be givers, not takers”. 12:00 - You wouldn't even be here today if it was purely negative. There always is a positive side, we were not created thinking we are a loser. 14:00 – Christopher summarizes what all Dr. Bernstein spoke about during the episode. 16:25 - Dr. Ben says that we do have different kinds of mental conditions that are diagnosable, however, in his practice, and in his life he has dealt with so many of these, even in the most difficult circumstances through love.  Three Key Points Mental health is one part of our overall health, however, Dr. Bernstein uses three-legged stool which is body, mind, and spirit. When we talk about mental health, we seem to be focusing only on the mind but we are also a body and a spirit. When all three legs are equally strong, our mental health becomes equally strong too. Mental health also depends upon our physical, and spiritual health. Dr. Bernstein says that wherever we construe spirit, he views it as a motivating force. So, Dr. Ben speaks a little bit about the health of each of the three facts. The most important is to help your mind through your body is to get connected through your body to the world. Dr. Bernstein mentions that he has a radical view about the definition of mental health which is that mental disturbance unless it's a genetic or a brain disorder, it's always a disturbance of some kind of love. We're meant as human beings to give to each other to prove our love to give. When we pull away from that, we're often in a state of fear or anger. As a result, we cut ourselves off from the connection that we all have and we all need from each other. It's all about positive connection, the more connected your body is, and the more connected you are to others, to nature, or the more you appreciate people, the more mental health you will have. Tweetable Quotes “The thing you missed is that 3 of those books were published by Familius.” - Dr. Ben Bernstein “October is a Mental Health Awareness Month.” - Christopher Robbins “When you hold your breath, the message that your brain is getting is that you're dying.” - Dr. Ben Bernstein “Ground yourself right now, grounding means feeling the chair support, you feeling the floor support, we really get out of touch.” - Dr. Ben Bernstein “The spirit connection in the spirit has two parts to it.” - Dr. Ben Bernstein “Appreciation we know from lots of research has a lot to do with mental health, so that's one thing I would recommend.” - Dr. Ben Bernstein “Looking at your thoughts about yourself is really super important.” - Dr. Ben Bernstein “I think we're all here to serve one another.” - Dr. Ben Bernstein Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast  Apple Dr. Ben Bernstein Website Instagram LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Podcast Editing

For the past year, the Eyre's have offered a new perspective on Thankfulness in their first podcast of each month--and extended a fresh challenge for writing in gratitude journals that month. This year, starting in this Thanksgiving month, they take an even deeper dive into "Gratitude-the-synonym-for Happiness" and have arranged for podcast listeners to get Daily Thanks, The Year-Round Gratitude Journal for 40% off (Author price) by going to Familius.com/Eyre and scrolling down to Daily Thanks.

In today's episode of the “Helping Families Be Happy” podcast, host Christopher Robins, Co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California talks with guest Ashley Marie Mireles, the Director of Sales and Marketing at Familius Publishing, working to help families be happy through the books she writes, and sells. They are discussing Hispanic Heritage Month.   Episode Highlights 01:56 – Christopher enquires about Hispanic Heritage Month and why it exists. 03:32 – Ashley says, it is called Hispanic Heritage Month, but it is 30 days from September 15 to October 15. 05:56 – The goal is to make the language more inclusive. So, in these spaces, they will use an ‘e' instead of an ‘o' or an ‘a' when they want to be more inclusive, says Ashley. 07:41 – Ashley gives a couple of examples of those of Hispanic descent who have contributed to the nation. 09:10 – With this theme, they are aiming to be focused on the people who have made a difference in the US community and are going to make a difference in the future from Hispanic backgrounds, mentions Ashley. 11:22 - If you are somebody who is a part of the Hispanic Heritage just learn about your own family or your ancestors, states Ashley. 13:30 – Ashley mentions her book “Proud to be Latino”. 15:03 - Appropriation happens when one is characterizing a culture or using things that are sacred to the culture as an aesthetic rather than appreciating it for what it is, says Ashley. 16:50 – Ashley recommends some Familius titles that can help us celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Three Key Points Ashely shares that Hispanic Heritage Month is started as a national week observance. So, it was then Hispanic Heritage Week, which was started by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. There was a lot of talk in Congress about making this a month-long celebration, and it was officially turned into a month-long celebration in 1988 under the Reagan administration. It goes from September 15 to October 15, it is originally with a weekly observance that started on the 15th which is national Independence Day to a lot of Latin American countries. The goal was to celebrate the Hispanic Heritage in the US and all the contributions that people from Hispanic culture have made to our country. So, now it is a month-long celebration and they pick a theme every year, there are a lot of different celebrations that the national government will put together as well as other organizations. Ashely says, this year's theme is Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. The theme this year also aims to teach people how to be more inclusive with each other, not just within the community, but also outside of it. It focuses on the melting pot aspect of the United States and shows how people of Hispanic Descent have made important contributions to the US. Ashley highlights that the biggest thing to remember when you are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month or any of these Heritage-themed months is to do your research to find out the history and the intention behind it and ensure that you are celebrating not appropriating.   Tweetable Quotes “It's called Hispanic Heritage Month because they are focused on celebrating folks from Spanish-speaking Heritage.” - Ashley Marie Mireles “If you're not somebody who is of Hispanic Heritage, learn about it.” - Ashley Marie Mireles “If you're not of Hispanic descent, it's easy to assume that somebody of Hispanic culture is going to be exactly like somebody else.” - Ashley Marie Mireles “It's important for people to remember and not just kind of paint everyone with the same brush.” - Ashley Marie Mireles “Appreciation goes into knowing what you're truly celebrating.” - Ashley Marie Mireles “Remember that there's somebody from Cuba is going to have a very different culture and practices than somebody who is from Mexico.” - Ashley Marie Mireles Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast  Apple Ashley Marie Mireles: Instagram LinkedIn FamilySearch.org Podcast Editing

In today's episode of the “Helping Families Be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with guest Mifflin Lowe (Writer and Musician) about his book – ‘The Cuddle Book', the power of Cuddling. He says it's about cuddling and he'd like to call this year -the year of the cuddle. Episode Highlights 01:40 – ‘The Cuddle Book' is good for kids up to the age of five, says Mifflin. 04:00 – Mifflin tells about a poem that he has written to the publisher - Familius. 06:00 – Dr. Carla says that the power of a hug or a cuddle is worth a million words. 08:10 – Dr. Carla tells Mifflin, “You are the musician, you are the singer, and you are the author so there's nothing to compare with you.” 11:30 – It's the truth that for all of us no matter our age, when life feels tough and rough, the cuddles are truly magical. It feels so soothing and comforting to the body, mind, and spirit right before kids go to sleep. 13:50 – Mifflin talks about how this book brings families together making them happier. 16:10 - As a writer, there's nothing better than having kids react to your work and one of the greatest things that I've always enjoyed about being a writer and a musician for children is seeing them draw pictures. 19:05 – Dr. Carla thinks that the books like ‘The Cuddle Book' can help families be more joyful, more connected, happier, and more positive in the long run. 21:30 - Mifflin mentions that if you ever want to take a picture of you and your children cuddling then send it to his email and they will share it with the rest of the world. Three Key Points ‘The Cuddle Book' brings up these pieces in this world today where so many people are feeling alone and isolated, and COVID has kept us a little bit more in hibernation mode. It is important to remember that our need for contact or cuddles is such a primitive instinct that makes us feel better emotionally, mentally, and physically.  The hug, feel and warmth relax kids, it makes them feel happy and composed. Bedtime books are a big deal, it soothes and relaxes kids and helps them go to sleep. They go to sleep in the arms of love. It just sets the stage for then waking up feeling absolutely rest rested at peace and excited for the next day.  Mifflin's book can inspire parents to help their children interact with the book. Not only can they listen to or read it, but also they can interact with it. By then making their poems or their drawings. The power of a story like this is to inspire creativity and healthy interactions. Tweetable Quotes “That was like a grand slam for me because that's the most fulfilling thing an author can hope for.” - Mifflin Lowe  “I want to read one little piece of your book, it's just it's so yummy.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly “I'm trying to get the kid to like, get into what's good about cuddling and what they feel when they do.” - Mifflin Lowe  “I would love it if you would share as much of it as you'd like to.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly “I think it's a great thing to establish the habit of reading a book right away with the child as they understand the importance of togetherness, and embrace it.” - Mifflin Lowe  Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast  Apple Dr. Carla Marie Manly  Website  LinkedIn  Twitter  Instagram Mifflin Lowe Website Email Podcast Editing  

In today's episode of the “Helping Families be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County, California talks with Antonio Sacre, an American Author, Solo Performer, and Storyteller. Antonio speaks about his book ‘My Name is Cool'. This book is about what it is like to be in between two cultures and languages, and how do we celebrate and survive that. This book teaches children to be proud of their heritage and the things that make them different. This is inspired by Antonio's personal history growing up as a Cuban-Irish-American.     Episode Highlights 01:00 – Antonio mentions, that his father comes from Cuba and his mom is an Irish American, so on his Cuban side of the family, they have all of these nicknames. He is called various names by different people. 04:12 – Antonio was in between two cultures and was never quite sure, how and where did he fit in there. 06:10 – One summer when Antonio was a kid, he went through every single novel and read them twice and from there began his deep love affair with books.  08:56 – We are those people who are in between cultures, languages, and parents, states Antonio. 10:20 – For years, Antonio has been making a living by telling stories to children in classrooms, libraries, and festivals. 12:02 – There are two women from the Familius group that are helping him with the book coming out next year and one of them is from Korea, and he wrote it specifically thinking of families who speak Spanish.  14:30 – This book tells us about what we do and how we do it when somebody is different from us. 16:10 - Antonio wants kids to go home and investigate, why they have that middle name? Why were they named after for whom with they named after? 18:34 - If you're embarrassed by your nickname and you don't want to share it, you don't have to, says Antonio. 23:02 – There's something fun in that other language, says Dr. Carla Marie Manly. 25:45 – Antonio has been working with teachers on a district level, how they can use the power of storytelling, and oral tradition to help their kids learn reading and writing. 28:00 – Parents should talk to their kids about who they know, there are 100 people in their family that their kids don't know about, mentions Antonio. 31:36 – Antonio is trying to remind parents of this simple thing that is just such a huge part of who we are as humans.  33:09 – Dr. Carla says she believes that so much healing takes place when we actively listen. 35:07 - These stories of our power or the power of our ancestors are fought can be formative, says Antonio. 37:50 – Talking with children about the hard things is helping them grow. 39:06 – We can't prepare our kids for every scenario, says Antonio 41:57 – Antonio suggests to all the parents who have adolescent kids that right now, they must be feeling like they have the worst kid in the world but they're not.  44:09 - If you're in trouble right now find a mentor, says the Antonio. 46:01 – Dr. Carla states that we all need mentors because if we don't have mentors, we struggle unnecessarily. Also, if we don't have mentors, we don't learn.   Three Key Points Antonio is the reader that then led to the writer and he is also that person who lives in that blended world of two cultures. So, he has that to offer. Antonio is writing for one specific audience member that little girl whose parent comes from Mexico and the other comes from Germany. And she's having the same thing he had. And then obviously, he hopes that it reaches the universal. There are a lot of kids who are going to feel different ways and he wants them to be proud of how they feel. We do want to protect our children and the little ones in our lives, but we also want them to know that they have the power to move forward in life despite the obstacles that come our way.     Tweetable Quotes “Years later, from all those years of reading and years of the journal, journal keeping, I now can say that I am a writer.” - Antonio Sacre “I want kids and families as they're reading that book out loud to be laughing for sure.' – Antonio Sacre “There were kids who would make fun of my dad in a way that was funny.” – Antonio Sacre “It's very hard for someone who doesn't speak the language to be able to speak the language in a way that sounds good to the language speaker.” – Antonio Sacre “Well, tell me about you or tell me how I pronounce your name or how do you prefer to be addressed, right?” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly  “I was named after my dad who was named after his dad who was named after his dad, so you can see it's the Cubans.” - Antonio Sacre “I'm named after a man I never met. I'll never meet who was my dad's best friend whom he never saw again.' – Antonio Sacre “Well, it's cool, and we are all cool. Despite our differences because of our differences. If we take the time to slow down, we are all pretty darn cool people.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly  “You bring classrooms and assemblies the gift of laughter and heart and connection and understanding through the power of a name.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly  “If stories don't always have happy endings, we can use them as learning opportunities.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly  “One of the biggest gifts we can give as parents are to show you know here are the boundaries.' - Dr. Carla Marie Manly  “If we don't have mentors in our lives, then we stop evolving and transforming.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly  “A podcast can be a mentor, a best friend who has wisdom in an area could be a mentor somebody a co-worker or a partner.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly    Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast Apple Carla Marie Manly Website LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Antonio Sacre: Website Instagram        Twitter Podcast Editing

Christopher Robbins is currently the co-founder and CEO of Familius. Familius is a trade book publishing company founded in 2012 with a mission to help families be happy, a mission that has helped Familius be one of the top fastest growing independent publishing companies in the US for the past three years as reported by Publishers Weekly. Christopher earned a BA in English and an MBA from BYU. He has served on numerous boards including Writers@Work and the Independent Book Publishers Association. His favorite quote is attributed to Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Christopher his wife have nine children. Christopher has some experience in parenting with nine kids. In this episode we talk about a lot of areas in parenting as well as what it takes to be an author. If you have an interest in writing a book, please make sure you check out Familius website at https://www.familius.com/ Dad Up! https://youtube.com/c/DadUpPodcast https://linktr.ee/Daduptribe https://www.daduptribe.com/ https://www.teepublic.com/stores/dad-up?ref_id=26174 https://www.instagram.com/daduppodcast/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dad-up-podcast/id1486764562 https://www.familius.com/ https://instagram.com/familiustalk https://youtube.com/c/Familius https://www.facebook.com/familiustalk https://instagram.com/christopher.robbins --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bryan-ward8/support

In today's episode of the “Helping Families Be Happy” podcast, host Christopher Robins, co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California talks with guest Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Wellness Advocate, and Author based in Sonoma County. They discuss a challenging subject for all parents, i.e. how to deal with the anger, fear, sadness, and other associated issues involving Texas School Shooting, and other tragedies that families are witnessing and experiencing. Episode Highlights   01:44 – Christopher enquires from Dr. Carla that there are parents who are dealing with anger, fear, and sadness in the wake of the many recent shootings.  03:37 - Dr. Carla says, parents, work on their feelings so they're not overwhelming their children with unprocessed emotions. 06:05 – Dr. Carla states, don't pressure the child, create the opportunity to talk. 08:07 - If you have a child who wants a lot of space, pay attention that the child is safe in their safe space, mentions Dr. Carla 10:15 - The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and ultimately acceptance. 12:45 - It's okay as a parent, and caregiver that let me check in with a therapist on that or let me go Google it, says Dr. Carla 14:02 – Christopher asks Dr. Carla, how can she help us as parents, as to, what we need to do? 16:50 - We need to use our resources, internal and external, to work on being able to care for ourselves so that we can be the rock for our little ones or big ones.  19:51 – Dr. Carla points out that we should allow ourselves and our children to express themselves in creative ways. 20:56 – Dr. Carla tells that when we see the dramatic type of news footage, then as adults we think about what's happening with the children. 22:52 – Christopher enquires, what do we say when our children say why did this happen or why did that man do that? 26:40 – Dr. Carla explains how can we make our children safe. 30:32 – Christopher enquires if there are some resource books that Dr. Carla would recommend which might help parents deal with such situations. 32:22 – Dr. Carla says, there are definitely good books that talk about self-care on the Familius website. Three Key Points   There are other resources for children, you don't have to be the only resource. You can pick up a book on trauma, a children's book, and read it to the child so that you don't have to know it all. Then maybe as you read, you're able to process some of what's going on for you. Christopher mentions how we can make our children safe. We can really watch our communities, we can be a part of the schools and keep an eye on what's happening in the schools, volunteer in the schools, do mental health awareness campaigns in our school, get it on our radar, and depending on our child's level, on their radar. So, they feel safe and come to us. It's important for parents to know that whatever they're feeling, the stress and strain and being pulled in two or three directions, what should they do, that's normal. Talk to someone about it, process it and then make the very best decision you can for your situation and move forward. Tweetable Quotes   “Process your experience, so that anything you're not processing does not leak out onto your child.” – Dr. Carla Marie Manly “Be available to talk, don't force a talk, but welcome and chat with your child.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly “Telling a child don't feel your feelings makes them feel criticized, makes them want to close down rather than allowing them to feel their feelings.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly “Sitting down and making eye contact is one of the best gifts you can give your child.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly “The first step in being a parent and caregiver, you matter.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly “Your kids and you, need as much routine as consistency as possible.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly “Q&A session is one of the ways we build awareness and connection.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manly “You can learn to be confident enough to say I don't know and that's okay.” – Christopher Robbins Resources Mentioned Helping Families be Happy Podcast  Apple Dr. Carla Marie Manly  Website LinkedIn Twitter   Instagram Podcast Editing  

In today's episode of the “Helping Families Be Happy” podcast, host Christopher Robins, Co-founder of Familius publishing, husband, father of nine, author, fisherman, backpacker, and aspirational musician based in the Central Valley of California talks with guest Noah BenShea, North America's most respected and beloved Poet/Philosophers, Pulitzer Prize-nominated, and international Best-Selling author of 28 books translated into 18 languages. They explore the principles of successful living from Noah's most recent book – The Surfer and the Sage: A Guide to Survive and Ride Life's Waves co-authored with world champion surfer - Shaun Tomson.   Episode Highlights 01:37 – Christopher says, it's interesting to think that a real champion Surfer Co-authored a book with a world-famous Poet. 03:50 – Poetry in many regards is the business of putting a frame around a moment around a witness that you give to a moment that might otherwise pass unnoticed, unknown, says Noah  05:38 – Noah shares, what he learned about life through his experience with Shaun, and the parallels that exist with the ocean and with waves in the surfing. 08:10 – Shaun spends more time in the water than he spends typing, and Noah spends more time typing than being on a surfboard, says Noah. 12:02 – Christopher reads a section of the book – “When there are storms overhead, drop down into your mind ocean and ride the waves under your waves, the calm in your storm is the calm within you, your calm is calmly waiting, your calm is not at a distance from you unless you are at a distance from you.” 14:45 – Noah says, finding that calm inside of you is first recognizing that if you're in a state of turmoil. The turmoil is yours, and the disquiet is yours. 16:20 - Your working life is who you are and how you conduct yourself with you, says Noah. 18:42 – Noah mentions, that life is a gift, and prayer is a thank-you note. Write thank-you notes, and send those thank-you notes out.  20:02 – Noah states, that the only company that we can be assured of on that journey is ourselves. 22:35 – Before Noah gets to his prayers during his meditation is that he imagines that he is a prequel to himself. 24:55 – Noah's feeling is that each of us is a time machine, and in our memory, we can go backward in time. In our imagination, we can go forward in time, but the only place you can steer your time machine is in the now. 26:55 - In working with Shaun there were times in a story that he would tell about loss, but he wanted to be wise enough to be silent, states Noah   Three Key Points One of the real strengths of this book is that at the very cost of anything else both Shaun and Noah wanted to bring honesty and candor. Just two straight-ahead guys who are a little further down the trail than a lot of other people in life perhaps, and bring that to it. So, to Shaun the ocean of the idea of a wave rising or waves falling, catching a wave or missing your wave, or the idea that you're not a drop in the sea, you are all the drops in the sea in a philosophic sense was very easy and a comfortable fit for him. While they both spoke about doing this book, Shaun was the one who decided that he (Guest) would be the sage in this book. You're not in charge, what you are in charge of is you. What the world delivers to your doorstep each morning isn't your responsibility, your responsibility is your reaction to it, and it's calming to the soul. When you realize that your sole responsibility is who you are and how you conduct yourself. That's the only thing you're in charge of for the moment and in the moment. Your working life is not what you do, but who you are and that's in the book. So, our work in life is oftentimes making us self-important.  In the same way, as we leave the woods behind, we leave the boat behind, and we leave the river behind. We wander through where we are in that moment, and the only company that you can be assured of on that journey is yourself. So, it would be wise to be good company to that company on that journey. Our ability to be good company with others is premised on our ability to be good company with ourselves.    Tweetable Quotes “A poet's work is not always writing poetry but discovering poetry and putting the appropriate silence on both sides of it.” - Noah BenShea “Feelings are like tides, they come and go, and not to get too attached to your feelings or don't confuse how you feel with who you are.” - Noah BenShea “All courage happens on a private scale on a private stage.” - Noah BenShea “You can't like others if you don't like yourself, you can't love others if you don't love yourself.” - Noah BenShea “People don't do things to you; they do things for them.” - Noah BenShea “Self-pity is the worst way to discover self.” - Noah BenShea “The two great days in a person's life are - the day they are born and the day they know why they're born.” - Noah BenShea   Resources Mentioned The Surfer and the Sage Book Noah BSenShea: Website Podcast Editing  

Our guest on this episode has a problem—a good problem, yes. An enviable problem even. One that she herself is delighted to have: she’s sold a non-fiction book on proposal.And now she has to write it. 60,000 words, researched, organized and ready for the editor while also fitting in her day job, raising 3 kids with her partner and all of the other curveballs life likes to throw you.In this “coaching call” episode, Jess and I (it’s KJ writing, as it often is) help long-time listener Emily Edlynn figure out how much time to spend in what areas: book structure, research, interviewing, drafting, editing—and then how to set yourself up to allow for getting a major project like this completed on time. (We all know how KJ loves a good burn chart - check out episode 175: #HowtoUseaBurnChart). We talk about motivating yourself, strategies for staying on track or picking back up after the unexpected happens. (You can read Emily’s email to us at the bottom of the shownotes.)Most of us spend more time working on short term projects than longer ones, and when we do get involved with something that stretches out for months or years, it’s usually with other people and external deadlines, whether it’s a major work endeavor, a house remodel or a Ph.D. dissertation. Books—even books with agents and editors—require major solo mojo to get from start to The End—and then revise the result of that. It’s yet another of the many many things that aren’t easy about writing.But it can be learned, and it can be done. Emily doesn’t have any trouble using the time she has to write—but if you do, here are some ideas based on Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies, which are all about knowing how you best meet inner and outer obligations (of which writing a book is weirdly both). Obligors need outer accountability. Set yourself up with a friend or your agent, give them your goals and arrange weekly check-ins. Questioners need reasons, so make that burn chart and put up a full calendar where you can see it and always have an answer for “but do I really need to do this now?” Upholders probably need nothing more than a plan—but make sure your inner upholder understands that this is a priority. Rebels benefit from regular reminders that this is hard, that most people can’t do it and that achieving this goal is a rebellion against everything that stands in its way—and many also like a plan that involves beating the clock. Anything that lets a rebel say “I’ll show you!” is rebel jet fuel.Gretchen appeared on Episode 107 of the podcast, and you can take her “Four Tendencies” quiz here. Emily’s email: I am a psychologist by training who started writing for an audience in 2017 when my career hit a crossroads with a move for my husband's job. My parenting blog led to writing freelance when possible, including a weekly parenting column for Parents since 2019. In April, I signed a contract with a small, independent publisher, Familius, to write a parenting book.The full manuscript is due May 1. I have never felt so lost! I thought there would be more editor interaction over the year, but she basically said "See you in a year unless you need me!" (I have asked more from her, but have realized she is going to give me broad strokes and not much else.) I have scoured all the places for resources on "how to write a nonfiction book" but besides some of your episodes, what I find is either about self-publishing or marketing, not the process of writing a nonfiction book (that's not a memoir).I'm trying to narrow this down to one question, which probably can't be "how do I write a nonfiction book in a year with no structure, in the time I have?" For context, I spend half my working week doing therapy in a private practice and supervising graduate students. I'm also writing a new blog post once a month to keep my newsletter subscribers engaged, and my weekly column. Oh, and did I mention attempting to raise 3 children in the process? I currently clock about 8 hours a week of writing time . . . and then I read relevant books when I can almost daily. I did find a virtual writing group with two other psychologist authors, which has been helpful. Since you probably aren't aiming to answer "how do I write a book in a year?" maybe narrowing it down to, "How do I manage my time with a professional job that pays the bills, little interaction with an editor (this seems different in the fiction world or even the nonfiction Big 5 world), to complete a 60,000-word nonfiction, researched manuscript in a year?"Do you think you can help me?? Links from the PodHow to Get an Agent Episodehttps://www.emilyedlynnphd.com#AmReadingEmily: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel Wow No Thank You by Samantha IrbyKJ: Becoming Duchess Goldblatt, AnonymousJess: The Secret History by Donna TarttPodcast: Lili Anolik’s Once Upon a Time at Bennington CollegeWant a “coaching call” of your own? Email us at amwriting@substack.com. We can’t promise to respond to every email, but we might answer your question on an upcoming episode—or invite you into the hotseat like Emily.Think you’d be pretty good on the other end of a coaching call? Then you should consider becoming a certified book coach through Author Accelerator’s book coach training program. It’s everything you need to know to begin working with clients on writing, planning, revising and querying (and then learning more and getting better with every new client and with Author Accelerator’s support and team behind you). Choose a fiction or nonfiction specialty, study with a cohort and design a new business or side-gig that works for you. Learn more at bookcoaches.com. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Karen Kleiman joins host Dr. Carla Marie Manly to discuss What About Us: A New Parents Guide to Safeguarding Your Over-Anxious, Over-Extended, Sleep-Deprived Relationship, which will be available everywhere books are sold on 9/14/2021, and is available for pre-order now. https://www.familius.com/book/what-about-us/ ABOUT THE BOOK: "Karen Kleiman's wisdom about not only taking care of the mother and her well-being, but also her partner and their whole system at large, helps us all stay connected to our partners and loved ones during a tumultuous, life-changing, and potentially relationship-taxing time. . . . God bless Karen for her support in helping us all integrate every relationship within our 'new normal' as parents. Her humor, experience, wisdom, and insight are like a port in the most heart-spinning of storms." -Alanis Morissette The demands of a new baby can test a couple's relationship like nothing else! When we factor in sleep deprivation, hormonal changes, depression and anxiety, and different personalities, life with a newborn can feel a bit CRAZY. Couples tend to misinterpret this rough patch as a sign that something is wrong with the relationship, but when couples take steps toward open communication and safeguard their relationship, they can face everything new parenthood throws at them together. From the team behind the bestselling Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts comes a new guidebook of short essays, comics, and quick journal prompts about the stressful newborn stage, the struggles that so many new parents face, and the skills you need to tap into your strength as a couple. ABOUT KAREN: Karen Kleiman is a well-known international maternal mental-health expert with over thirty-five years of experience as a psychotherapist, teacher, and writer. As an advocate and author of several groundbreaking books on postpartum depression and anxiety, her pioneering work has influenced personal and professional populations within the perinatal mental health community for decades. In 1988, Karen founded The Postpartum Stress Center, a treatment and training facility for prenatal and postpartum depression/anxiety disorders where she treats individuals and couples. ABOUT Illustrator Molly McIntyre: Molly McIntyre is an artist, illustrator, and animator living in Brooklyn, New York, with her family. Her work has been featured in the upcoming Netflix series Worn Stories, the book Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts (Karen Kleiman, Familius), Bitch magazine, Everyday Feminism, Scary Mommy, and Psychology Today, and shown in exhibitions throughout the US and in Japan.   

This week on the Mother Daughter Empower Show, we are interviewing Ashley Marie Mireles, a children's book author and the Director of Sales and Marketing for Familius publishing. We first discovered Familius Publishing after partnering with them for our 2020 Mother Daughter Empower Conference! They not only published the amazing "Body Positive" book by Emily Lauren Dick but they also provided one to each of our VIP Ticket holders which we are so grateful for! :D We soon discovered that they are so much more than just a publishing house! From their mission, book selection, to all the awesome resources, tips, and tricks that they provide, it is clear that family is at the core of who they are and what they do. Be sure to follow @familiustalk on Instagram and check out their website https://www.familius.com/ to find a full list of their wonderful book selection, as well as their famous "10 Habits of Happy families". We hope that you will enjoy this interview as much as we did! -Tara XO LEARN MORE: Familius Publishing's Misson: We believe that the family is the fundamental unit of society and that happy families are the foundation of a happy life. The greatest work anyone will ever do will be within the walls of his or her own home. And we don't mean vacuuming! We recognize that every family looks different and passionately believe in helping all families find greater joy, whatever their situation. To that end, we publish beautiful books that help families live our 10 Habits of Happy Family Life. Further, Familius does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation in any of its activities or operations.

Dr. Carla Marie Manly joins CEO and co-founder of Familius, Christopher Robbins, to discuss her new book, Date Smart. https://www.familius.com/book/date-smart/ About the Book: Sometimes we have HUGE expectations for the ideal relationship, but dating isn't about being perfect or catching the perfect partner; it's all about creating compassionate self-awareness and stronger self-esteem. A must-read for daters, this no-nonsense guide from clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, PhD, takes the guesswork out of dating with real-life examples, the latest research, and 33 vital mindset shifts designed to foster: empowered communication, strong, healthy boundaries, realistic, mindful expectations, increased red flag awareness, healthy dating dynamics, and more! Self-discovery is key to healthy relationships. Your life will change when you discover how to date strong, date fearlessly, and date smart. About Dr. Carla Marie Manly: Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a practicing clinical psychologist, author, and speaker, uses a mindfulness-based approach that is rooted in neurobiology. Dr. Manly's passion is helping others discover joy, balance, and optimal wellness from the inside out.

Larissa Honsek, creator of board books Opposites and Let's Move, joins CEO and co-founder of Familius, Christopher Robbins, for a discussion about her journey and how she encourages her family's creativity. ABOUT LARISSA: Larissa Honsek is a Berlin-based graphic designer, photographer, and illustrator who loves to explore the intersections of these fields. Her tribe of bright and colorful characters is born out of experiments with a multitude of mixed-media elements: clay sculpting, photography, digital and analogue collaging, painting, drawing, printing, and scanning. ABOUT Opposites: https://www.familius.com/book/opposites/ Short and tall. Happy and sad. Hot and cold. Globally famous artist Larissa Honsek's adorable clay figures help little ones identify the difference in these important concepts. ABOUT Let's Move: https://www.familius.com/book/lets-move-2/ Colorful clay characters invite children to learn about their bodies through movement. Wave your arms! Lift your legs! Open your hands and cover your eyes! You won't be able to stay in your seat for this engaging movement primer. From the creator of Opposites comes another colorful board book for children learning what their bodies can do!

Author Brad Berger joins Familius co-founder and CEO Christopher Robbins to discuss the power of family game nights and his book The Big Book of Family Games. https://www.familius.com/book/big-book-of-family-games/ ABOUT THE BOOK: Bring family and friends together for hours of entertainment and real social interaction. The Big Book of Family Games: 101 Original Group Games That Don't Need Charging brings people together for hours of hilarious, interactive, technology-free fun that requires virtually nothing more than pens and paper. This travel-friendly book guarantees hours of engaging entertainment with 101 original, rigorously tested games that challenge each player's ability to strategize, bluff, read minds, memorize, think quickly, solve puzzles, and more. No texting, tweeting, or web surfing allowed!  ABOUT BRAD: Brad Berger grew up in Great Neck, New York. He attended the University of Colorado, where he earned a degree in French, Italian, and German, and he spent several years living and working in Europe. He currently resides on Long Island, where he works as president and publisher of a 130-year-old, family-owned publishing company. Inspired to bring people back together without technological interruption, Brad crafted the ultimate playbook of original games to give people a reason to come together and "unplug" for a while.  

Dr. John DeGarmo, author of The Little Book of Foster Care Wisdom, joins CEO and co-founder of Familius, Christopher Robbins for a conversation about the book and about foster parenting. https://www.familius.com/book/the-little-book-of-foster-care-wisdom/ ABOUT DR. JOHN DEGARMO: Dr. DeGarmo has a BA in history, a masters in media technology, a masters in educational leadership, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Walden University. Dr. DeGarmo wrote his dissertation on responding to the needs foster children face while in rural schools. He is the author of several foster-care books, including the new book The Foster Care Survival Guide, the bestselling book Faith and Foster Care, and the foster-care children's book A Different Home: A New Foster Child's Story. He is the director of The Foster Care Institute and acts as a consultant to foster care agencies and legal agencies across the US. Dr. John is a dynamic speaker and informative trainer on the foster care system, and he travels extensively across the globe, meeting with foster parents, child welfare workers, churches, schools, and organizations. Dr. John has appeared on several TV programs and channels, including CNN HLN, Good Morning America, Freeform, NBC, FOX, CBS, and PBS. He writes regularly for many magazines and is a regular contributor to several publications, both in the United States and overseas.   Dr. DeGarmo is married to Dr. Kelly DeGarmo, who hails from Australia, and the two of them have six children, both biological and adoptive. Dr. DeGarmo and his wife are also currently foster parents to three siblings, bringing their household to nine children. Dr. DeGarmo has been a foster parent for dozens of children for over a decade now. He has a passion for helping foster children and is driven to bring education and insight into general society about all things foster care.   Dr. DeGarmo and his wife are the recipients of the Good Morning America Ultimate Hero Award, and the Up With People Everyday Hero Award. The two also were honored with their city's Citizens of the Year Award.   ABOUT THE BOOK: Foster parenting is both a rewarding and a challenging job, a lifestyle of continuous learning and new experiences, and The Little Book of Foster Care Wisdom will be there to support you as you, in turn, support your foster children. Filled with 365 days' worth of daily tips, inspirational quotes, and motivational short stories from a foster care expert, this book is a must-read for modern child-welfare advocates, adoptive parents, and foster parents. It provides inspirational content every day, including instructions, tips, anecdotes, and more. 

Children’s author Yuliya Pankratova returns to Reading With Your Kids Podcast to celebrate her new #PictureBook “The Chameleon’s True Colors”. Her story follows a sad colorless chameleon as he explores the jungle in search of his own colors and learns a great deal about why color exists in nature along the way. The chameleon eventually learns how to share colors with others thanks to the kindness and empathy of the jungle. It’s a lovely conversation about the importance of teaching children sharing at a young age. You can support the podcast by using this link to purchase Yuliya's books on Amazon - https://amzn.to/3bQGLDU Please visit our website - www.readingwithyourkids.com

Christopher Robbins (co-founder and CEO of Familius) speaks with Mary Potter Kenyon (author of Called to Be Creative) and Rebecca Schweiger (founder and CEO of The Art Studio NY) about the importance of cultivating creativity. About Called to Be Creative: "I'm not creative. I could never do something like that. I don't have time to be creative." Does any of this sound familiar? Do you find yourself wishing that you had pursued your creative talents before it was too late? In a world full of creativity, there is no such thing as “too late.” Called to Be Creative is for anyone looking to reignite that tiny spark inside of them and invite creativity into their lives through simple, everyday practices. A certified grief counselor and a Program Coordinator for Shalom Spirituality Center, Mary Potter Kenyon walks you step by step through the process of exploring your true potential in this inspirational guide to embracing your innate creativity. With in-depth research from the most notable creative authorities, insight from creative pioneers, her personal experiences, and small activities to kick-start your own creative revolution, Kenyon offers you everything you need to live a more creative life.

Christy Monson established a successful counseling practice in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She also practiced in Salt Lake City, Utah for several years before her retirement.•B.S. Degree from Utah State University•M.S. Degree from University of Nevada at Las VegasBooksAll books are published by Familius.•Finding Peace in Times of Tragedy: The Keys to Peace and Joy When Facing Crisis•Love, Hugs, and Hope: When Scary Things Happen•Becoming Free: A Woman's Guide to Internal Strength•Family Talk: How to Organize Family Meetings to Solve Problems and Strengthen RelationshipsSocial Media•Blogsohttp://christymonson.blogspot.com•Websitesohttp://www.christymonson.comohttp://textingthroughtime.com•Twittero@ChristyMonson•PinterestoChristy Monson•Facebook author pageohttp://www.facebook.com/christymonsonauthorMusic for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Christy Monson established a successful counseling practice in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She also practiced in Salt Lake City, Utah for several years before her retirement.•B.S. Degree from Utah State University•M.S. Degree from University of Nevada at Las VegasBooksAll books are published by Familius.•Finding Peace in Times of Tragedy: The Keys to Peace and Joy When Facing Crisis•Love, Hugs, and Hope: When Scary Things Happen•Becoming Free: A Woman's Guide to Internal Strength•Family Talk: How to Organize Family Meetings to Solve Problems and Strengthen RelationshipsSocial Media•Blogsohttp://christymonson.blogspot.com•Websitesohttp://www.christymonson.comohttp://textingthroughtime.com•Twittero@ChristyMonson•PinterestoChristy Monson•Facebook author pageohttp://www.facebook.com/christymonsonauthorMusic for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Christy Monson established a successful counseling practice in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She also practiced in Salt Lake City, Utah for several years before her retirement.•B.S. Degree from Utah State University•M.S. Degree from University of Nevada at Las VegasBooksAll books are published by Familius.•Finding Peace in Times of Tragedy: The Keys to Peace and Joy When Facing Crisis•Love, Hugs, and Hope: When Scary Things Happen•Becoming Free: A Woman's Guide to Internal Strength•Family Talk: How to Organize Family Meetings to Solve Problems and Strengthen RelationshipsSocial Media•Blogsohttp://christymonson.blogspot.com•Websitesohttp://www.christymonson.comohttp://textingthroughtime.com•Twittero@ChristyMonson•PinterestoChristy Monson•Facebook author pageohttp://www.facebook.com/christymonsonauthorMusic for PodcastGroove Grove by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3831-groove-groveLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Author and acclaimed voice actor Bill Ratner joins Christopher Robbins, CEO and co-founder of Familius, to discuss his work and his book Parenting for the Digital Age. https://www.familius.com/book/parenting-for-the-digital-age/ About Bill: Bill Ratner is an American voice actor. He is best known for being the voice in movie trailers and for being the voice of Flint in Hasbro's syndicated TV cartoon G.I. Joe. He reprised the role of “Flint” in episodes of Family Guy and Robot Chicken. In addition to his successful career in voiceovers Bill is a master storyteller—National Storytelling Festival Slam Teller, Best of Hollywood Fringe Festival winner, 8-time Moth StorySLAM Winner, published short story writer, essayist, and playwright. He performs his stories in comedy clubs, theatres, taverns, schools, and storytelling festivals across the country. About the Book: From how to deal with cyberbullying to the strange, true stories behind Barbie and G.I. Joe, media insider Bill Ratner takes an inside look at our wired-up world in a fascinating book—part memoir, part parenting guide—for the digital age. Landing his first job in advertising at age fourteen, Ratner learned early that the media doesn't necessarily have our best interests at heart. His career as one of America's most popular voiceover artists and his life as a parent and educator gives readers a first-hand look at the effects of digital media on children and what you can do about it.

Rosalinda Randall, author of Don't Burp in the Boardroom, joins Familius co-founder and CEO Christopher Robbins to discuss etiquette during the pandemic.   https://www.familius.com/book/dont-burp-in-the-boardroom-2/ About Rosalinda's Book, Don't Burp in the Boardroom: Sassy, funny, blunt, and definitely not sugar coated, Don't Burp in the Boardroom examines etiquette in the workplace, from the warehouse to the top floor. While the outerwear may be different, the dilemmas from cubicle to corner office are the same. Rosalinda Randall delves into common predicaments like food, the break room, social media and electronics, office romances, or how to make a good impression when you're new on the job. She also delves into the uncommonly common like catching your boss in an unfortunate position and how to avoid that one co-worker who always wants a hug. In today's modern, fast-paced, crazy lifestyle we think we don't have time for etiquette. We might believe that it is outdated, irrelevant, or even pretentious. But Don't Burp in the Boardroom talks about etiquette without mentioning etiquette! How's that possible? Because Rosalinda defines etiquette as an attitude. What's yours like? ABOUT ROSALINDA: Rosalinda Randall is a modern-day pundit on tact and civility. By lending personality and humor to an age-old and sometimes boring topic, Rosalinda has been successfully improving workplace environments and relationships as well as spreading civility and sharing enthusiastic and insightful advice for more than 14 years. Rosalinda has also served as a source for Woman's Day (featured on YahooShine), Small Biz Technology, The Metro West Daily News, Winter Bride 2013, Ser Padres (Spanish version of "Parents Mag"), on a variety of topics. One of her favorite missions is serving as a consultant to formerly incarcerated women. Catherine's Center, a local non-profit organization. She lives in Northern California.    

Christopher Robbins, CEO and co-founder of Familius, speaks with Shelley Davidow, DCA, MSEd, about her book Fail Brilliantly. https://www.familius.com/book/fail-brilliantly/ ABOUT THE BOOK: We all spend much of our lives trying to cope with failure; sometimes we try to assign value to it, but failure looms as a debilitating concept in millions of lives, affecting children and adults alike. Fail Brilliantly proposes a radical shift: erase the word and concept of failure from the realms of education and human endeavors. Replace it with new words and concepts. This shift in position has the potential to transform our lives and ultimately reshape our definition of success.   ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shelley Davidow, DCA, MSEd, is an internationally acclaimed author of forty-three books. Her recent nonfiction titles include Whisperings in the Blood (University of Queensland Press, Australia, 2016), Playing with Words (Palgrave Macmillan, UK, 2016) coauthored with Paul Williams, and Raising Stress-Proof Kids (Familius, USA, 2015). She lectures in the departments of Education and Creative Writing at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. For more information, visit www.shelleydavidow.com.

Cheryl Sturm, author of 100 First Words for Little CEOs, joins Dr. Carla Marie Manly to discuss her book and the importance of teaching kids to think critically from a young age. https://www.familius.com/book/100-first-words-for-little-ceos/ ABOUT THE BOOK: Is macroeconomics the dinner table talk in your house? Do you discuss stocks and bonds instead of the weather? Are you the boss at work? It's only rational that your baby will be a leader too! But how to get their leadership started? Introducing 100 First Words for Little CEOs, a dashingly sharp primer for kids learning their first words! Forget apple and dog. Little CEOs are ready for revenue, philanthropy, and innovation. With terms from every aspect of business, these little CEOs will be ready to manage their own company, even at the age of 2. (Or maybe just their families). Packed with fun illustrations and 100 words every boss baby should know, 100 First Words for Little CEOs is the perfect board book for executive families everywhere. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cheryl Sturm is a cofounder and vice president of R. Crusoe & Son, which creates unusual cultural journeys around the world. She used what she learned from her MBA at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management—and many other life experiences at home and abroad—to help build a successful company. The daughter of an Army major, Cheryl was born in Berlin, Germany, raised in Wisconsin, and lives in Chicago. She began her career as a television reporter in Wisconsin, but a professional detour happily lead her to international travel. 100 First Words for Little CEOs is Cheryl's first book with Familius. Her inspirations are her nieces, nephews, and godchildren, and she looks forward to sharing her insights about the world with other thoughtful and curious children.  

Have you ever wondered about the story behind photographers who turn personal projects into book deals? In this episode, LA pet photographer Diana Lundin shared the processes and experiences behind some of her most well-known photo series - including “Dogs vs Ice Cream” (published by Familius in August 2019) and her Dog Noir series.Diana also shared some behind the scenes insight into the creation of specific images, so if you love hearing about the artistry and conceptual planning for creative pet photography, you'll LOVE this episode.This is a video episode - watch it online in the Member Zone.LINKS AND RESOURCES:Website: www.dianalundin.comSocial Media: www.facebook.com/dianalundinpetphotography

Shelley Oakley joins Carla Marie Manly, PhD for a conversation about reading, CLCD (Children's Literature Comprehensive Database), and helping children grow into lifelong learners. For more: https://childrenslit.com/ About Familius: Familius is a global trade publishing company that publishes books and other content to help families be happy. We believe that the family is the fundamental unit of society and that happy families are the foundation of a happy life. We recognize that every family looks different, and we passionately believe in helping all families find greater joy. To that end we publish books for children and adults that invite families to live the Familius Nine Habits of Happy Family Life: love together, play together, learn together, work together, talk together, heal together, read together, eat together, and laugh together. Founded in 2012, Familius is located in Sanger, California.

Join Dr. Carla Marie Manly and Jedlie of the Reading With Your Kids Podcast as they discuss the importance of reading with your kids! Be sure to check out the Reading with Your Kids Podcast, where Jedlie's hosted a plethora of Familius authors! https://readingwithyourkids.com/   About Familius: Familius is a global trade publishing company that publishes books and other content to help families be happy. We believe that the family is the fundamental unit of society and that happy families are the foundation of a happy life. We recognize that every family looks different, and we passionately believe in helping all families find greater joy. To that end we publish books for children and adults that invite families to live the Familius Nine Habits of Happy Family Life: love together, play together, learn together, work together, talk together, heal together, read together, eat together, and laugh together. Founded in 2012, Familius is located in Sanger, California.  

Therapist Christy Monson joins Carla Marie Manly, PhD, to discuss  Finding Peace in Times of Tragedy. https://www.familius.com/book/finding-peace-in-times-of-tragedy/ About the Book: Finding peace in times of worldwide trauma is difficult, and finding peace in times of personal trauma such as a family death or tragedy can be overwhelming. Therapist Christy Monson professionally and compassionately describes how tragedy physically changes the brain and the body, and she provides powerful techniques to help heal those invisible wounds and cope with the turmoil of our day. About the Author: Christy Monson received a BS degree at Utah State University and an MS at University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She established a successful counseling practice in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a licensed marriage and family therapist, spending a great portion of her time working with young people and their families. She and her husband, Robert, have raised six children and have fourteen grandchildren. She has written a children's book series, Texting Through Time, and has a picture book, Love, Hugs, and Hope: When Scary Things Happen, released 2013. Her self-help book Becoming Free: A Woman's Guide to Internal Strength was also released 2013. Her articles have been published on the web on Familius.com, Gospel Ideals, LDS Witness, Modern Molly Mormon, and American Night Writer's Association. Her blog address is http://christymonson.blogspot.com/. Her websites are: http://www.christymonson.com/index.html and http://textingthroughtime.com/. Like her author page: http://www.facebook.com/christymonsonauthor?v=wall

Dr. B Your Best (Ben Bernstein) joins Familius CEO and co-founder Christopher Robbins for a discussion about strategies to crush stress and B Your Best even in challenging and uncertain times. Crush Your Test Anxiety: https://www.familius.com/book/crush-your-test-anxiety/ Stressed Out! For Parents: https://www.familius.com/book/stressed-out-for-parents/ Stressed Out! For Teens: https://www.familius.com/book/stressed-out-for-teens/ A Teen's Guide to Success:https://www.familius.com/book/a-teens-guide-to-success-2/ Ben's background, from his website https://www.drbyourbest.com/: "As a young child I was a prodigious piano player. I immersed myself in Mozart, Beethoven and Bartok and my imagination took flight. Yet when I was forced to perform in recitals and competitions playing the piano became a nightmare. I sat in front of audiences and judges and my hands and knees shook. No one helped me. All I heard were unanswerable questions and non-sequiturs, What's the matter with you? It's all in your head! You'll grow out of it. It took me years to work through my performance anxiety and the physical, mental and spiritual suffering that went with it. Through my own self-study and training, I brought myself out of the shell of tension, self-doubt and distraction so I could live fully in the freedom of who I am. We all have that birthright: to live into our fullest potential. When I work with people I see what they are capable of, what binds them to unproductive habits, and I train them to be their best.  From my own experiences and training, I now pass on to every person I work with– whether it's a high school student with poor SAT scores, a business executive who stutters during presentations, or a parent seized by indecision." About the Publisher: Familius is a global trade publishing company that publishes books and other content to help families be happy. We believe that the family is the fundamental unit of society and that happy families are the foundation of a happy life. We recognize that every family looks different, and we passionately believe in helping all families find greater joy. To that end we publish books for children and adults that invite families to live the Familius Nine Habits of Happy Family Life: love together, play together, learn together, work together, talk together, heal together, read together, eat together, and laugh together. Founded in 2012, Familius is located in Sanger, California.  

Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D. and Mary Potter Kenyon discuss Mary's book Expressive Writing for Healing, and the importance of creating in uncertain times. https://www.familius.com/book/expressive-writing-for-healing/ Writing is one of the oldest and most effective means of self-exploration, self-expression, and self-discovery. In this new guided journal, Mary Potter Kenyon offers readers an opportunity to reflect on the meaning and significance of loss and allows the griever to sort through all the conflicting emotions that arise after a death. By interweaving her own experiences of loss, the proven research behind writing as a method for healing, and blank pages with carefully chosen quotes, Kenyon gives readers space to express the feelings that are sometimes too painful to speak aloud.  Mary Potter Kenyon works as Program Coordinator for Shalom Spirituality Center and is a public speaker, a workshop presenter, and a writing instructor. Mary is the author of five previous Familius titles, including the award-winning Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace, Expressive Writing for Healing, and the upcoming Called to Be Creative, and is widely published in newspapers, magazines, and anthologies, including ten Chicken Soup for the Soul books.  

Carla Marie Manly, PhD, and Karen Kleiman, MSW, discuss the Familius title Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts. Over 90 percent of new mothers will have scary, intrusive thoughts about their baby and themselves. Yet for too many mothers, those thoughts remain secret, hidden away in a place of shame that can quickly grow into anxiety, postpartum depression, and even self-harm. But here's the good news: you CAN feel better! https://www.familius.com/book/good-moms-have-scary-thoughts/ Author Karen Kleiman—coauthor of the seminal book This Isn't What I Expected and founder of the acclaimed Postpartum Stress Center—comes to the aid of new mothers everywhere with a groundbreaking source of hope, compassion, and expert help. Good Mothers Have Scary Thoughts is packed with world-class guidance, simple exercises, and nearly 50 stigma-busting cartoons from the viral #speakthesecret campaign that help new moms validate their feelings, share their fears, and start feeling better. 

Stephanie Campisi is an Australian-born children's book author living in the US. Her bio says that she has slept in a cemetery, has a friend who was bullied by a prince, and has lived in a haunted house in a haunted town. Well, it says at least two of those factoids are true, maybe all of them. She is on the #RWYK #Podcast to celebrate her latest #KidLit Five Sisters, published by our friends at Familus

We love elephants, and we love speaking with authors who share our love for these beautiful, strong & intelligent creatures. June tells us about her new #PictureBook She Leads, published by our friends at Familius.

Our guest on No Labels, No Limits today is Dr. Carla Marie Manly. She is known beyond being a clinical psychologist as an author, speaker and a recognized authority on women's issues, psychological health and wellness and fear-based disorders such as trauma, anxiety and depression. We have interviewed her once before, but she comes back today with a renewed message on Aging Joyfully and the transition into the later years. In this episode, she shares with us her book outline and a recap of the first few chapters. She describes chapter six as being "about really inviting women to be a brave, passionate self. Whatever that is. And how do we do that? We notice what brings us passion. We notice what gets us going and then whatever that is (who cares what somebody thinks about it) DO IT!" You can find Dr. Carla's book at Indie Bound, on her website, at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and her publisher, Familius. You might even find it at some local stores, like #Target and #Walmart. Get your copy today, for yourself, a family member or friend!Connect with Dr. Carla and get more info here:https://www.drcarlamanly.comhttps://www.twitter.com/drcarlamanlyhttps://www.facebook.com/drcarlamanlyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-marie-manly-8682362b/https://www.instagram.com/drcarlamanly/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmSoiWGJEBasrIV3lrPsXw#NLNL #podcast #AgingJoyfully #IndieBound #BarnesandNoble #Familius #Amazon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fear can create chronic anxiety, depression, and disconnection. However, Manly shares a hidden aspect of this same fear that affords us the opportunity to live a life with fear as an ally rather than a foe. In her research and work as a psychotherapist she has discovered a way out of destructive fear and how we can turn it into transformational healing. She is the author of: Joy From Fear: Create the Life of Your Dreams by Making Fear Your Friend. (Familius 2019).Interview Date: 7/30/2019 Tags: Carla Manly, fear, mirror neurons, jealousy, addiction, pornography, psychotherapy, empathy, Psychology, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation

Fear can create chronic anxiety, depression, and disconnection. However, Manly shares a hidden aspect of this same fear that affords us the opportunity to live a life with fear as an ally rather than a foe. In her research and work as a psychotherapist she has discovered a way out of destructive fear and how we can turn it into transformational healing. She  is the author of: Joy From Fear: Create the Life of Your Dreams by Making Fear Your Friend. (Familius 2019).Interview Date: 7/30/2019         Tags: MP3, Carla Manly, fear, mirror neurons, jealousy, addiction, pornography, psychotherapy, empathy, Psychology, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation

Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D. is a licensed psychotherapist who's focus is on fear-based disorders such as trauma, anxiety, and depression as well as women's issues. With her doctorate in clinical psychology and her master's degree in counseling, Manly merges her psychotherapy skills with her writing expertise to offer easily understood guidance. Through a highly personalized approach that focuses on discovering and understanding each individual's unique needs and life-path goals, Dr. Manly's psychotherapeutic approach blends her clinical knowledge with a holistic, body-mind-spirit approach. She's passionate about creating healing from the inside out and maintains her clinical practice in Sonoma County, California just North of San Francisco. She is the author of Joy From Fear: Create the Life of Your Dreams by Making Fear Your Friend. (Familius 2019).Interview Date: 7/30/2019           Tags: MP3, Carla Marie Manly, constructive fear, destructive fear, flight or fight, childhood trauma, volunteering, Psychology, Health & Healing, Personal transformation

Fear can create chronic anxiety, depression, and disconnection. However, Manly shares a hidden aspect of this same fear that affords us the opportunity to live a life with fear as an ally rather than a foe. In her research and work as a psychotherapist she has discovered a way out of destructive fear and how we can turn it into transformational healing. She is the author of: Joy From Fear: Create the Life of Your Dreams by Making Fear Your Friend. (Familius 2019).Interview Date: 7/30/2019 Tags: MP3, Carla Manly, fear, mirror neurons, jealousy, addiction, pornography, psychotherapy, empathy, Psychology, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation

To celebrate Father's Day we welcome back one of our favorite fathers, Dr John DeGarmo. John and our friends at Familius have teamed up to publish The Little Book of Foster Care Wisdom. As we celebrate this new release John reminds us of the many ways we can help kids in the foster care system. Click here to find Dr John's book on Familius Click here to learn how you can bring Jedlie's nationally acclaimed school assembly to your community

Today we have the pleasure of welcoming Kate Farrell to the podcast. Kate is the marketing director at Familius Publishing. Kate shares gives us a preview of Familius' new offerings, tips for authors and talks about her love of kids' books. Click here to visit the Familius website Click here to learn more about Jedlie's School assembly programs

Jedlie's school assembly program inspires kids of all ages to make healthy choices, to say yes to reading, exercise and respect. For more information please visit www.jedlie.com Today we welcome Christopher Robbins, the CEO and driving force behind Familius Publishing. This is a fascinating conversation not only about the Familius mission & catalog but also about the business of children's literature. Christopher offers great advice for independent author/publishers. Click here to visit the Familius web site

In this episode, Tracy Burton interviews Dr Shelley Davidow, a lecturer in curriculum and pedagogy at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Dr Davidow is also an international author and educator. For the past twenty years she has written and taught in various settings around the world, and is an advocate for social justice and the mitigating the effects of stress on children both at home and in the classroom. Dr Davidow's research into the physical effects of stress and anxiety on the body; particularly the nervous system is truly fascinating. Her books include the recently released Raising Stress-Proof Kids (Exisle 2014, Familius, 2015). #Interview by Senior Teacher, Tracy Burton BA Arts (Communication – Theatre/Media), Grad Dip Ed

Welcome to BTR's World of Ink Network. On today's special Families Matter show, Michael Byron Smith will be talking to our hosts and listeners about dadhood. The show will air live June 17th at 4pm Eastern - 3pm Central - 2pm Mountain - 1pm Pacific Michael Byron Smith is the author of The Power of Dadhood: A Better Society Starts with Dad, which released April 2015. This book encourages men to father with the knowledge that they are vitally important to the futures of their children. National speaker and blogger Michael Byron Smith discusses the implications of a fatherless home, the challenges of parenting, and the hierarchy of fathers.  Michael's blog  "Helping Fathers to be Dads" is for men who need encouragement and/or advice on being a Dad. My inspiration for the blog is my childhood and two generations since that have lacked good fathering experiences. Almost half of my nieces and nephews and their children struggle with things like poor education, out-of wedlock births, financial issues, and bad decision making. Almost everyone of them either did not have an involved father or the father seriously lacked effective parenting skills. About WOI: For several years running, the World Of Ink Network has endeavored to create radio shows geared toward excellence in the reading/publishing community. To date, we offer mulitple shows on our network monthly. Learn more about WOI at http://worldofinknetwork.com

Laurie White is a mother of four and grandmother of ten in Sacramento, California.She often writes as Tudie Rose. She writes a weekly column for LDS Blogs at http://ldsblogs.com/. She blogs as Laurie White about spiritual things (Thoroughly Mormon) at http://thoroughlymormon.wordpress.com/ She has written articles for Meridian Magazine and Familius. She comes on today to talk […] The post Articles of Faith: Inside the Mind of an Inactive Member appeared first on FairMormon.

Laurie White is a mother of four and grandmother of ten in Sacramento, California.She often writes as Tudie Rose. She writes a weekly column for LDS Blogs at http://ldsblogs.com/. She blogs as Laurie White about spiritual things (Thoroughly Mormon) at http://thoroughlymormon.wordpress.com/ She has written articles for Meridian Magazine and Familius. She comes on today to talk […] The post Articles of Faith: Inside the Mind of an Inactive Member appeared first on FairMormon.

Join Angela Lauria of the Author Incubator as she interviews Cynthia MacGregor, author of Predator Proof Your Child: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Child. Cynthia wanted to collaborate with the publishing house Familius, which focuses on family-oriented topics, and her own experiences with sexual abuse (Cynthia grew up in a good middle-class environment, and had a grandfather, who was a business owner, who was overly physically familiar with her) gave her the idea to write her book. Read more and get the transcript here: Cynthia MacGregor on the Author Incubator.