Dream Big Podcast for Kids

Eva shares her thoughts on the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the 7 other innocent souls who perished in last week's helicopter crash.  The whole world mourns the loss of a global icon like Kobe, but it is particularly difficult for the city of Los Angeles where Kobe played for 20 years on the Lakers.  We live in Los Angeles, Eva's dad grew up a huge Lakers fan and interned...

Eva has been in a handful of musical productions, but next weekend is the first time she will be  performing in a starring role -- as Annie from the classic musical Annie! Eva has been super excited about the show, especially as the big date approaches, and so she thought she would share her top 3 secrets for dealing with stressful situations.   Whether you have a big school project or presentatio...

Our family is always on the lookout for powerful stories that we can share with our Big Dreamers.  With the seemingly infinite amount of content online, stumbling across a truly amazing storyteller often feels like finding a needle in a haystack.   Recently, we were introduced to the incredible Jay Shetty - who creates short videos typically centered around a story and then draws out lessons and k...

Eva had been asking for some time now if we could find an afternoon to set-up a hot cocoa stand in front of our house.   Last Saturday, we finally had a day with no major plans on the calendar so we made it happen First, I'll tell you what we did NOT do.  We did NOT sell hot cocoa for 25 cents, 50 cents, or even a dollar. We did NOT set up just a table with a basic cardboard sign. Let's just say t...

In this first episode of 2020, Eva shares our most recent family adventure.  We had been hoping to spend some time in the snow this holiday season, and finally got what we thought was the perfect opportunity when a storm had passed through California dumping snow on the nearby mountains.   We packed up all of our gear, woke up super early to beat the traffic, and embarked on a 3-hour drive to the...

This episode is being published on December 30, 2019 -- so 2019 is about to be a wrap and we are on to 2020.   This episode is about the ONE WORD that will be a central theme for Eva (and our entire family) in 2020. Be sure to listen to this episode to find out how if you make this ONE WORD the focus of your energy in 2020, it will surely be your best year yet.   And you can apply this word to you...

Eva recently came home from school excited to invite a man named Colin O'Brady on the Dream Big podcast.  When we asked her why she wanted Colin to come on the podcast, she explained that her incredible teacher Ms Angel shared with the class that Colin and his team are currently attempting to row across Drake Passage - from the southern tip of South America to Antarctica.   This has never been don...

This week, Eva shares an incredibly valuable lesson from Admiral William McRaven's commencement speech delivered at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.  Admiral McRaven's message was so powerful that it went viral -- amassing tens of millions of views - and even inspiring a bestselling book entitled Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World.    Admiral McR...

We are always on the lookout for fun and unique stories to illustrate important life lessons.  And recently we stumbled across a video online of Jesse Itzler sharing his experience inviting a Navy Seal to live with his family for 31 days and following his every command.   Now, here's the catch. Jesse did this voluntarily. And the man he invited is none other than David Goggins -- who many regard a...

It is hard to believe we are at Episode 166 of the Dream Big Podcast, including countless interviews with so many of the world's top performers.   While each guest has a unique journey -- from NBA Legend Kobe Bryant to astronaut Chris Hadfiled to actress Evanna Lynch -- Eva has started to notice common patterns of behavior which she has applied to her own life.  One such pattern is that so many of...

It is a true honor to have one of Hollywood's most prolific and accomplished composers on the Dream Big Podcast this week.   James Newton Howard has composed music for over 120 films, including the Academy Award-nominated scores for Defiance, Michael Clayton, The Village, The Fugitive, The Prince of Tides, and My Best Friend's Wedding, and Academy Award-nominated songs for Junior and One Fine Day....

In recent months, 3 different Big Dreamers from around the world wrote to Eva about how to deal with people who say mean things about them online.   Jenny from Long Island who recently started a YouTube channel, and is upset that commenters in her channel make fun of the way she dresses. Charlie from Dublin, Ireland who is thinking about starting a podcast but is self-conscious about his lisp and...

We always look for guests with inspiring life stories -- those who overcame struggles that would have caused most to quit but instead chose to transform their lives to achieve their Big Dreams.   Lori Harder is the epitome of the ideal guest. In her discussion with Eva, Lori shares an emotional story of being bullied as a child because of her weight. Rather than let the bullies destroy her life, L...

In this episode, Eva answers a question from Jane who lives in Boise, Idaho.  Jane wrote: "Eva, -- where do you get your confidence from? I've been a long time listener of the podcast -- and I'm amazed that you feel confident enough to have one-on-one conversations with Kobe Bryant, Evanna Lynch, General Stanly McRystal, astronaut Chris Hadfield and so many other amazing people who have accomplish...

It is not very often that Eva interviews a guest who has had multiple full-length documentary movies made about them.  Usually to do her research, Eva has to find numerous videos on Youtube and read articles authored by the guest to adequately prepare for an interview.  With this week's guest -- Laird Hamilton -- our family watched the movie: Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton -- and we i...

It is simply amazing that it has been 3 years since we launched the Dream Big Podcast.   Our very first show, Episode #1 was published on October 19, 2016. Whether you have been part of Eva's journey since 2016, or have just recently learned about the podcast -- we wanted to thank each and every one of you Big Dreamers for listening to the podcast, for supporting the show, and for being Eva's insp...

Born and raised in Caracas-Venezuela, Michelle Poler is a creative and passionate social entrepreneur, keynote speaker, fear-facer, and branding strategist.   Michelle was not always a fear-facer. In fact, as a child and young adult, Michelle avoided all her fears and did everything in her power to never step foot outside of her comfort zone.   In this podcast episode, Michelle shares how an assig...

Towards the tail end of summer, Eva told Alex and I that she wanted to run for student council representative for her class.  Only 2 students are selected per classroom (and last year over 10 had run!), so she asked if we had any tips on how to persuade her classmates to vote for her.    We came up with a 3-part strategy, and we're happy to share that she was elected so the strategy worked! In thi...

Eva typically works super hard to secure guests for the podcast.  We research guests, film personalized invite videos, diligently follow-up -- but every so often we hit the lottery and the opportunity for Eva to interview an amazing guest falls right in our laps.   In this case, we received an email introduction from Humble The Poet (guest in Episode 146) connecting us with his friend Neil Parishc...

Last December, we were invited by our dear friends Jackie and Chris to spend the weekend at their cabin in Lake Arrowhead.  The highlight of the weekend for Eva was riding her own go-kart for the very first time. There is a go-kart track in Lake Arrowhead Village, and Eva had just barely made the height requirement and was permitted to ride on her own.   We were graciously invited again to join Ja...

This is Alex, Eva's dad, writing.  Last month, I took Eva on a daddy-daughter date to Dodger stadium.   Eva had been asking to go to a Dodgers game for some time now -- and I finally got the tickets and put it on the calendar.  I turned out to be an incredible evening -- filled with memories that she and I will never forget. I always knew that Eva was a powerful young lady -- so I guess it should...

In this week's episode, Eva shares her feelings about the recent passing of Sean Stephensen.  This is the first time Eva has ever talked about death on the podcast, and as you know, the podcast is typically upbeat.  But Sean was a guest on the podcast and someone our whole family considered to be a hero. While those who loved Sean were devastated to learn this tragic news, Eva does have an uplifti...

A few weeks ago, we took Eva to her first marketing event, put on by ClickFunnels which is the marketing software we use in our businesses.   During the event, the CEO of ClickFunnels Russell Brunson shared the power of storytelling. Specifically, Russell explained that emotional stories are the key component to drive people to make buying decisions.   And of course, stories can be persuasive in n...

This episode is being published around the time that most of our younger Big Dreamers are back to school after summer vacation.   To start the school year off right, Eva thought it would be fun to do a Back To School challenge. Typically, in the first month of school, students tend to gravitate towards the groups of classmates that they will spend the majority of their time with throughout the sch...

The title of this episode is Luck is for Leprechauns and you are not green.   It's a famous quote from one of the most motivational people on the planet - Eric Thomas.  We can say that with confidence because his Youtube videos gets tens of millions of views -- and they are all about how you can find your purpose and then turn your dreams into reality.    As you can probably tell from the quote --...