Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan: #1 Podcast for Inspiring Conversations to Live and Lead On Purpose

Dr. Dan interviews Dr. Victoria Waller about her book Yes! Your Child Can: Creating Success for Children with Learning Differences as well as her proven techniques to create success for children with learning differences and challenges to draw out the singular genius within each child.   Dr. Dan and Dr. Waller talk about her “secret sauce” and teaching to strengths and passions. Dr. Waller explain...

Dr. Dan interviews with Ebele Onyema of One Love Foundation about the recent Surgeon General’s stern warning on social media and teens.  Dr. Dan and Ebele discuss how social media can actually serve as a positive lifeline for teens in need of healthy connections.  They explore how to strike a balance between IRL (“in real life”) and online connections as well as making sure that teens have tools t...

***Content Warning: drowning and child loss. Today Dr. Dan interviews filmmaker Chezik Tsunoda to raise awareness about childhood drowning. In September 2018, journalist Chezik Tsunoda’s life changed when her son Yori died after a tragic drowning accident. Dr. Dan interviews Chezik Tsunoda about her loss and her sorrow as well as her powerful documentary Drowning in Silence about the grief she exp...

Listen to July’s Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episode now! Host Dr. Dan and podcast producer Laura Rossi answer your questions about a sleepaway camp debate, parents questioning their adult daughter’s boyfriend choice, a seemingly friendless kid, and Dr. Dan’s book recommendations. Each month Dr. Dan answers listener questions about parenting (and sometimes adulting, too!) on our Sitting Down w...

Dr. Dan is excited to speak to the inspiring, passionate, beloved parenting expert Hunter Clarke-Fields about her books and parenting tips. Hunter is the #1 bestselling author of Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids as well as the new book Raising Good Humans Every Day: 50 Simple Ways to Press Pause, Stay Present, and Con...

Dr. Dan welcomes clinical psychologist, expert, and author Dr. Gail Post to the podcast to discuss tools to help parents of gifted children in this educational episode for gifted and 2e (twice-exceptional) families. Dr. Post has written hundreds of posts and articles about giftedness and is passionate about advocating for the needs of gifted children, dispelling the pervasive misconceptions and st...

Today Dr. Dan interviews pediatrician and author Dr. Maggie Kozel about children and emotionally-based illnesses. In this unprecedented time of pediatric (and adult) mental health crisis, this episode is essential listening for all families, caregivers, and medical professionals. Shortly after Dr. Kozel accepted a position as Medical Director of the Inpatient MedPsych unit at Hasbro Children’s Hos...

It’s Family Time on Parent Footprint! Dr. Dan welcomes The Brooker Family — their POPcast recently launched Season 2! Hosted by 2-time Emmy Award-winning and Webby Award-winning journalist, actor and comedian Heather Brooker, her husband Chris and their 10-year-old daughter, Channing, their show is the first ever video podcast to bring parents and kids together to talk about entertainment, video g...

On the new June Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episode, host Dr. Dan and audio engineer Phil have a great conversation about your listener questions including: tension between a mom and son, financial challenges, a new autism diagnosis, and more. Each month Dr. Dan answers questions listeners submit about parenting (and sometimes adulting, too!) on our Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episodes. Pl...

Content warning: parental loss Dr. Dan speaks to Liz Glazer, an award-winning standup comedian, actor, and writer. Dr. Dan and Liz discuss the one-year anniversary of Liz’s first daughter’s stillbirth and how her debut album, A Very Particular Experience, honors Liz and her wife’s first daughter Leo Pearl. A Very Particular Experience (out now) is a way to create something positive from this tragi...

Welcome to Exactly Right and Parent Footprint’s two year anniversary episode!   Dr. Dan and Parent Footprint celebrate their second Exactly Right anniversary on this new episode with special guest Jordan Carlos, co-host of Exactly Right’s Adulting. Jordan (with co-host Michelle Buteau) gives real life advice with a heaping portion of hilarity – and a dollop of truth – on their popular podcast. Con...

Dr. Dan and author Kelly McMasters discuss The Leaving Season, her new memoir about divorce, creativity, the sacrifices of motherhood, and her decision to leave her marriage. This interview explores the many lessons about self, parenting, family, grief, and love Kelly learned while writing her book. Her wisdom will resonate with listeners. Kelly’s honest story about moving with her husband, a pain...

Dr. Dan interviews Sheila Liming, the author of “Hanging Out,”  about why unstructured time is essential and why she urges us to say no to calendar invites and yes to “chilling.”  Sheila explains to Dr. Dan how simple acts of casual connection are the glue that binds us together, and how community is the antidote to the disconnection and isolation that dominates contemporary life. With constant di...

Welcome to the May episode of Sitting Down with Dr. Dan. Host Dr. Dan and Laura (our podcast producer and girl-boy twin Mom) answer your listener questions about summer and parent relaxation, bullying/body shaming/name calling, Father’s Day and more. PLUS Dr. Dan discusses a powerful new study (released May 14, 2023 from Sapien Labs) that’s everywhere on social media and relates to the finding tha...

In a nod to our favorite true-crime-comedy podcast My Favorite Murder (and podcast network), Dr. Dan interviews journalist Lisa Belkin about her brilliant true crime book Genealogy of a Murder. Lisa’s multigenerational tale of three families whose paths collide one summer night in 1960 with the murder of a police officer is at the core about a true crime in Lisa’s own family (does this qualify as...

Dr. Dan speaks to writer and mother Tanya Frank about her new book ZIG-ZAG BOY: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood.  Tanya and Dr. Dan discuss Tanya’s compassionate, heartrending memoir about her quest to understand her son’s journey through psychosis.  One night in 2009, Tanya Frank finds her nineteen-year-old son, Zach—gentle and full of promise—in the grips of what the psychiatrists would later...

Dr. Dan interviews children’s entertainment and music superstar Laurie Berkner on today’s episode. Laurie is beloved by parents, children, and families worldwide. Kids and grownups love her music and they will surely adore her even more after listening to this personal interview. With more than 1 billion total streams, an average of more than 22 million monthly streams, and millions of CDs and DVD...

Dr. Dan welcomes back parenting expert Debbie Steinberg Kuntz to discuss screen time, mental health, and the effects screens have on children and teens. A licensed family/marriage therapist, Debbie explains how we can help our kids reset their screen time to avoid negative health impacts like depression, craving, addiction, and loneliness. This is an important episode for May and Mental Health Awa...

National Foster Care Awareness Month is May and over the years Parent Footprint listeners have asked us for more shows about foster care, foster parenting, adoption, and foster-to-adoption. Today on the podcast, Dr. Dan interviews adoptive parent and advocate Jenell Jones about foster care, adoption, and the foster-to-adoption journey as well as her personal experiences chronicled in her book Shat...

On this Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episode, host Dr. Dan and Phil (our podcast audio engineer and Dad of two daughters) answer your listener questions about April and Autism Acceptance Month (April is also Stress Awareness Month), sensory disorders, a parent’s cancer diagnosis, and more. Each month Dr. Dan answers questions listeners submit about parenting (and sometimes adulting, too!) on ou...

Dr. Dan interviews the beloved Instagram star Pie Lady Books Stephanie Hockersmith on today’s episode about her pie art, her inspiring journey to health, mental wellness, chronic illness, and finding joy. Listeners will instantly love our guest today Stephanie Hockersmith, a viral sensation beloved by thousands and known as Pie Lady Books on Instagram and other social media. Stephanie is a Mom, wi...

Dr. Dan interviews the one and only Mary Louise Kelly of NPR’s All Things Considered about her new memoir and parenting book It. Goes. So. Fast:: The Year of No Do-Overs.   This unforgettable episode is an honest look at Mary Louise’s parenting journey as well as her famous career as a journalist. Listeners will connect deeply with Dr. Dan and Mary Louise’s conversation about the year before her o...

Dr. Dan interviews CEO/Founder of Girls with Impact Jennifer Openshaw about the organization’s work to provide leadership education for under-resourced young women. This interview is inspired by the recent celebrations for Women’s History month and International Women’s Day. Guest Jennifer Openshaw speaks to Dr. Dan about leadership and her organization’s mission to train the next generation of fe...

On this new bonus episode, Dr. Dan and Laura (our podcast producer, twin mom, special needs parent) answer your listener questions about kids lying and telling tall tales; quitting piano lessons; the return of summer camp; balancing introverts and extroverts in your family; and whether you should police your tween’s fashion choices. Every month Dr. Dan answers your questions about parenting (and s...

Dr. Dan interviews former ballet dancer Alice Robb about ballet and her new book DON’T THINK, DEAR: On Loving and Leaving Ballet. Dr. Dan and Alice’s honest conversation about body image, perfectionism, diet culture, and more will resonate with all parents - not just dance parents. In 2023, ballet is one of the most popular extra-curricular activities for young girls, and for some, it will take ro...