Conversation Balloons

This interview with Dr. Steven Stosny was so packed with insights that Leah was taking notes as he spoke.  Abusive anger, violence, compassion, resentment, narcissism, and fear are examined in fresh and practical ways. You may want to listen twice; you'll definitely want to share this episode with those wanting help with marriage, parenting, or intimate relationships. Additional resources:  Compas...

Parents, especially moms, may hurt longer and deeper than they expected when they waved goodby to their college student kids.  Jodi Silverman guides empty nesters out of sadness or worries over their young adult children launching into college or moving out of the home.   Additional Resources: Jodisilverman.com Moms Who Dare Facebook community Beyond Empty Nest podcast

Marilyn Raichle compares notes with Leah on the benefits to kids of acting lessons and theater projects.  Marilyn has been one of America's most successful children's theater producers, while never being an actor and not having children of her own.  Find out how she created "an explosion of good will, an explosion of happiness" for kids onstage.

Youth advocate Emma Lembke returns to the show, digging into how and why big tech creates addicts of kids who use social media.  Technology, she says, dumbs down Gen Z while it consumes their mental health and privacy.  Co-founder of the Log Off Movement, Emma discusses how legislation and lawsuits could protect children from the predatory tactics of Big Tech. Additional resources: Episode 59, &qu...

DeMarco Taylor, Dean of Students at an all-boy school in a predominantly Black neighborhood, outlines their manhood program. How does it avoid teaching toxic masculinity, and how does it give boys what gang life offers?   Additional resources: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/conversationballoons/episodes/61--Rites-of-Passage-Into-Manhood--Part-1-e2mia8r Crossoverprep.org Crossing Over into...

Aussie Darren Lewis describes his fatherhood adventure program in Australia--its importance for maturing boys and why creature comforts, ceremony, and grandfathers are important in rites of passage.    Additional resources: Fatheringadventures.com Fatheringadventures.com.au/blog Milestone to Manhood  by Steven Arms and David Arms

Connection is more important than communication, and relationship expert Steven Stosny outlines how and why. Long-married Leah personally endorses the insights in this bracing conversation. #Stevenstosny #marriage #relationshipadvice Additional Resources: compassionpower.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/steven-stosny-phd

Youth activist Emma Lembke confides how teen social media addiction led her to disordered eating, sleeplessness, and anxiety, resulting in an unusual kind of rebellion. Now she has founded the Logoff Movement and Design It for Us to reform tech for young people--and we're all better for it. Additional resources: Logoffmovement.org Designitforus.org Conversation Balloons Episode 51: Kids on Soc...

How to choose a college, how to "design your life," and why dorms with long hallways are a good thing: consultant Elliot Felix equips parents and students with ways to ensure a great return on your college tuition investment. Additional resources-- Elliot Felix's book:  How to Get the Most Out of College:  127 Ways to Make Connections, Make It Work for You, and Make a Difference Inte...

Fathers.com has served around 8 million dads over the last 30 years.  Board member Grant Goodvin and Leah discuss new research on hormonal and brain changes men undergo when they become fathers, and questions to ask oneself upon entering, or re-evaluating, fatherhood.  Additional resources: Fathers.com Fathers.com has been called "a premier American online resource for everyday dads." Na...

Former Army Ranger and West Point psychology professor Dave Grossman describes the mayhem violent video games are inflicting upon teens.  We discuss mass murder, sleeplessness, and sheepdogs. Granted, it's not an episode for the faint of heart (most kids should not listen), but we end on a surprisingly sweet note. Additional resources: Books by Dave Grossman-- Assassination Generation: Video G...

Social demographics expert Eric Kaufmann, UK professor and Manhattan Institute Fellow, talks about his new book, Taboo, and the rising generation's values.  He and Leah trade predictions on racism, bisexuality, school choice, and religion.  So just another lightweight chat on Conversation Balloons... Contact for Eric Kaufmann:  On Twitter / X:  epkaufm            His website:  sneps.net    Add...

Best-selling biographer and cultural gadfly Eric Metaxas says this generation is in a moment like that in Hitler's Germany.  How does he manage to deliver his dire warning with such grace and hope?  Listen and learn. Additional resources: EricMetaxas.com SocratesintheCity.com LettertotheAmericanChurch.com Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy Letter to the American Church Religionless Chris...

A professional counselor faced his own tragedy as the father of young children.  Josh Burdette courageously tells the kind of personal narrative no one wants, and Leah hurts in harmony. Additional resources: Goodshepherdsoulcare.com 

Single-sex prep schools in a predominantly-Black part of town? These two principals are educating and leading in groundbreaking ways. Leah relished how candid, creative, and confident they were in this refreshing conversation. Free enrollment is opening soon for next fall--just sayin'...  Additional resources: Crossoverprep.org

The Social Institute teaches kids in 46 states how to use their social media power for good through its program, #WinAtSocial.  Founder Laura Tierney used her social media expertise pioneering ESPN-W and representing companies like Nike, Disney, and Coca-Cola to create a gamified, student-led curriculum that empowers students to use social media wisely, in concert with their families' core val...

Demographer Eric Kaufmann lays out the causes and implications of religious people having more babies than non-religious people. A frisky and informative conversation. Contact for Eric Kaufmann: On Twitter / X @epkaufm His website Additional resources: Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth (Profile Books 2010) The Rise and Fall of Anglo-America (Harvard 2004) The Orange Order (Oxford, 2007) Edited...

Counselor and former p*rn addict Crystal Day is here in a very honest and practical chat about dating and finding the right spouse. Additional resources: Websites: ⁠livingonpurposekc.com⁠ ⁠sherecovery.com⁠ thefreedomfight.org Podcast: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sherecovery-podcast-with-crystal-renaud-day/id1562758962⁠ Books: 90 Days to Wholeness Dirty Girls Come Clean Dating Done Right...

Crystal Renaud Day was exposed to porn as a little girl, leading to a dark path of addiction.  She reveals ways of escape from the isolation and dependence created by pornography, and how she helps other women who struggle in similar ways.  Parents--be aware there is frank (though not explicit) discussion of troubling issues in this interview. Additional resources: Websites: livingonpurposekc.com...

Allyson Schrier's husband was descending into dementia.  Here's how she grew into caregiving, eventually founding Zinnia TV, programming for those living with dementia and other challenges.  Allyson is an award-winning leader in the field of technological and human support for those with cognitive deficits and speaks to us with expertise, yet candidly from the heart as she tells her story....

C.S. Lewis expert Jerry Root explains the mysterious place that Christmas holds in the beloved children's classic  The Chronicles of Narnia .  Why is Lewis called a grinch by some?  What does Santa Claus have to do with Jesus, and the White Witch with Herod?  And where might you meet Mr. Tumnus the Faun on Thursdays at 4:00?  It's all here.  Merry Christmas! Additional resources: By C.S. L...

An advocate for true gender equity, Bettina Arndt is an Aussie sex therapist who became a popular media personality and sex expert.  Then her years of hearing men confiding their experience in bed, police custody, courtroom, and campus changed her viewpoint.  This one's touching, amusing, and truth-filled, but probably not for little ones to hear.  Additional resources: Books by Bettina Arndt...

Aging-care mavens Kim and Mike Barnes partake in an informative and heartwarming discussion about how to help our parents in the last stages of their lives.   Additional resources: --ParentingAgingParents.com --The Caregiver's Key

Linda Shrewsbury--Harvard graduate, entrepreneur, educator, and dear friend of Leah--explains why handwriting is important, and recounts her breakthrough in how to teach cursive to a special-needs adult who wanted to be able to sign his name.  Linda's discovery, Cursive Logic, has become a popular series endorsed by educators and parents alike.   Additional resources: --Cursivelogic.com --Camp...

A father describes the hardship of raising kids in a region where his religion is harshly persecuted.  His teenage daughter speaks up about how she handles bullying.  Leah says she has thought about this conversation more than any other episode afterwards, and she is attempting to help the family.  Names and location are being concealed because of the danger these brave people are facing, even as...