ButterCup

David Lawrence Jr. retired in 1999 as publisher of The Miami Herald to work in the area of early childhood development and readiness. He chairs The Children's Movement of Florida, aimed at making children the state's top priority for investment. He has served on the Governor's Children and Youth Cabinet and twice chaired the Florida Partnership for School Readiness. In 2002 and 2008 he led success...

Paul H. Dworkin, MD Paul Dworkin is Executive Vice President for Community Child Health at Connecticut Children's Medical Center and professor of pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.   For 15 years, he served as physician-in-chief at Connecticut Children's and chair of Pediatrics at UCONN.  Dr. Dworkin's interests are at the interface among child development, child healt...

D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas is a husband, father, internationally-acclaimed motivational storyteller and a leadership and personal development expert. He is also the author of the celebrated book The Tiny Warrior: A Path to Personal Discovery & Achievement which is printed is six countries. His latest book, Spirit on the Run, is his first novel.   D.J. is a tribally-enrolled member of the Odawa Nation a...

Jennifer P. Goldfinger is both a children's book author/illustrator and a fine artist. She has been writing and illustrating children's picture books since 2001. Her most recent book, Hello, My Name is Tiger, was published by HarperCollins Publishers. Her fine art has been shown in museums and at various shows from New England to New Mexico, including juried shows at The Museum of Fine Arts, Bosto...

Marie Tourell Soderberg is a Danish actress, born in Copenhagen. She is a rising star of Nordic Noir whose credits feature stage, TV and film, including a leading role in historical epic 1864 . She is a hygge enthusiast and her first book on the topic has contributions from everyday Danes and experts.  Hygge is a Danish concept and has no English translation but is all about focusing on the little...

Dr. Hébert-Magee is an Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Director of Academic Pathology at the Florida Hospital Center for Interventional Endoscopy.   She was previously an Assistant Professor and Associate Scientist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehesive Cancer Center.  Dr. Hébert-Magee is a reputed cytopathologist with...

Anna V. Eskamani is lifelong Orlando Native and daughter of immigrants who has worked relentlessly her entire life to protect all members of our community through effective advocacy, bold leadership, and strategic management. Anna currently serves as the Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. She manages a team across 22 counti...

Dr. Hill M. Walker is the co-director of the University of Oregon's Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior (IVDB). Walker's research interests include social skills assessment and intervention, violence prevention, early intervention, school safety, and longitudinal research. Hill Walker received the Council for Exceptional Children Research Award in 1993, and the University of Oregon Pres...

  Dr. Rick Kubina (B.A., Youngstown State University; M.A., The Ohio State University; and Ph. D., The Ohio State University) is a Professor of Special Education at Penn State University. After completion of his Masters program, Kubina taught special education in a private schools specializing in post acute brain trauma rehabilitation for three years. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Doct...

Dr. Bricker served as Director of the Early Intervention Program at the Center on Human Development, University of Oregon, from 1978 to 2004. She was a professor of special education, focusing on the fields of early intervention and social-communication. Her professional interests have addressed three major areas: early intervention service delivery approaches, curricula-based assessment and evalu...

Natasha Wing has been publishing for 25 years. Some of her titles have ended up on best-sellers lists. She is known for her popular The Night Before series that includes holiday, school and big events in kids' lives themes. Natasha also writes narrative nonfiction. Her latest book is When Jackie Saved Grand Central. www.natashawing.com

Andrea (Lou's person) and Cristina (Pepper's person) met in the halls of their children's preschool. Their mutual love of celebrating - birthdays, summers, LIFE! - coupled with their love (obsession) for their super adorable pets spawned the beginning of Lou & Pepper. From the very beginning Andrea and Cristina knew there was a bright future in creating fun, memorable and (most-importantly) easy p...

Steve has delighted audiences throughout the country, including at prestigious venues like Symphony Space in New York City, Wolftrap in Vienna VA, the Kennedy Center and the White House in Washington, D.C., and Fenway Park in Boston. Anyone who's attended a SteveSongs concert appreciates Steve's ability to connect with his audience – from the exuberant children flocking towards the stage, to the m...

Bestselling, award-winning children's recording artist Laurie Berkner is widely recognized as the uncrowned queen of children's music. Laurie's albums, released on her own label, have been best sellers on a chart typically dominated by movie soundtracks and major label compilations.  Her debut DVD, which went quadruple platinum, was the first-ever indie children's music DVD to enter Billboard's To...

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion and is now a Disney expert, author, podcaster, speaker, entrepreneur, and host of http://WDWRadio.com , named Best Travel Podcast for 9 consecutive years.   He is the author of books and audio tours about the Disney Parks, and founder of http://DreamTeamProject.org , which has raised more than $250,000 to date to send ch...

Dr. Jean Feldman's noteworthy educational career has spanned more than 40 years.  She has served as a classroom teacher, instructor of adults, author, and consultant.  She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Kindergarten Alliance,  Dr. Feldman's list of degrees include a B.A. from the University of Georgia, a D.A.S.T. from Emory University, and...

Jane Squires, Ph. D., is a professor in special education, with research interests focused on early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE)--specifically screening, assessment, and early identification of developmental delays. She also focuses on personnel development and effective EI/ECSE practices. She has served as principal investigator on numerous research studies focused...

Matt de la Peña is the New York Times Bestselling, Newbery Medal -winning author of six young adult novels: Ball Don't Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You, The Living and The Hunted. He's also the author of the critically-acclaimed picture books A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) and Last Stop on Market Street (illustrate d by Chris...

Mr. Sam Donaldson is a distinguished reporter who has been a news anchor for ABC News, White House Correspondent, and author of the book titled, "Hold On, Mr. President!" Mr. Donaldson has anchored many television shows in the United States which include: World News Sunday and Primetime Live with Diane Sawyer . Mr. Donaldson has earned several accolades for his work including multiple Emmy and Pea...

Dr. Frances Glascoe is a Professor Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University where for she directed the developmental-behavioral pediatrics rotation for 15 years and continues to work with pediatric residents, nursing and medical students, and community providers. She is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, a textbook on developmental-behavioral services in primary care, several scree...

Craig Ramey is Professor and Distinguished Research Scholar of Human Development at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute; Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Human Development at Virginia Tech; Professor of Pediatrics at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; and Chief Science Officer for Human Development for the City of Roanoke, Virginia. His program of research centers o...

Robert Gallen, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of practice at the University of Pittsburgh where he coordinates the Master of Science in Applied Developmental Psychology program. He was founding president of the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health and is a fellow in the ZERO TO THREE Academy. He teaches courses in infant mental health and evidence-bas...

Mary Jo is an author, storyteller, recording artist and puppeteer who creates books, CDs and DVDs filled with original stories, songs, and finger plays.  She has visited 46 states and presented to thousands of children and adults.  Mary Jo is an Early Childhood teaching artist, past director of a center with 115 children, and is an onsite consultant for Early Childhood centers, schools, 4C, Head S...

Kevin Marks, MD FAAP is a full-time general pediatrician and part-time pediatric hospitalist at PeaceHealth Medical Group in Eugene, Oregon. He received his bachelor of science degree at the University of Notre Dame, attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed his pediatric residency at the University of California School of Medicine San Francisco-Fresn...

This episode I talk to Kurt Kondrich. Kurt married his wife Margie in 1996, and he is the father of his son Nolan and daughter Chloe.   Chloe was born in 2003 with a diagnosis of Down syndrome, and her birth placed Kurt and his family on an incredible journey.   Kurt served as a Police Officer for 20 years and received many awards/citations for service to the community.   Kurt left his career as a...