Conversation Balloons

Caylee Carullo, experienced teacher and author of The Calm Classroom course (success is 100% guaranteed!), loads us with doable strategies for getting kids to nap, share, and stop the aggravating behaviors.  Her insights on giving kids a sense of purpose are spot on! We loved this guest so much that even though there were some sound glitches, we've gotta put this out there! Additional Resource...

A useful graphic to visualize personalities: 4 colors represent 4 temperaments.  Karen Stubbs uses Kathleen Edelman's theory of the basic wiring of our personalities to demonstrate how parents can understand their children--and improve their behavior.  Leah explores common childrearing scenarios with Karen, and she kicks off this episode with a tiny tutorial on the color of your kid.  Karen Stubbs...

A child and family therapist coaches us on connecting with our teens.  Amie Anger's practical tips on kids' emotional, physical, and spiritual development in the home are to take notes on! Find Amie on Instagram @therealparent

 Personal trainer and fitness coach Renee Carls talks exercise and other healthy habits for older adults.  Encouragement abounds!  Additional resources: ReneeCarls.com Instagram  @Renee Carls   Conversation Balloons Episode w/ Dr. Gozal about Sleep

Conversation Balloons podcast has hit new levels! Hear some good news in this tiny episode with big feelings in it.

Child play expert Lizzie Assa, founder of Workspace for Children, suggests how parents, grandparents, and teachers can guide kids into independent, creative play with the right toys, play areas, and words.  This episode is packed with concrete tips, just in time for Christmas! Additional resources:  Workspaceforchildren.com (Lizzie's website is chock full of resources and thoughtful articles:) 

Bestselling author Rod Dreher starts our holiday season by describing the wonders and miracles that led him and others out of depression, chronic illness, and unbelief.  How to recapture the enchantment ofchildhood?  It could involve aliens, the Jesus Prayer, or going on a bus tour of Paris.... Additional resources: Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age by Rod Dreher Frann...

The band Hanson went from child stars in the 90's to dads of teens themselves today as they still record and perform around the world.  Isaac Hanson candidly talks about growing up famous and instilling virtue in his kids.  Isaac's warmth and humility made him one of our favorite guests! Additional Resources: Hanson.net The hit that started it all:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHozn0YXAeE  

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...