Raising OKC Kids – Conversations with MetroFamily

Kelsey Pagonis with the YMCA of Greater OKC joins us to share crucial summer safety tips around water. Plus, she advises parents on how to keep kids’ skin safe (and even has fun tips for how to keep sunscreen application from feeling like a chore!), how to stay hydrated and how to recognize and respond to heat-related illnesses.

In honor of National Foster Care Awareness Month, Christen Westdyke with Oklahoma Human Services joins us to debunk some common myths and stereotypes about foster care. Even though Oklahoma has fewer children in care than 10 years ago, the needs of many children are more acute and more families are needed to meet those needs. Learn how you can become a foster family or support foster families.

Dr. Holmes is a mom, ob-gyn and co-founder of Girlology, a digital health platform supporting youth and their caregivers in their personal health and wellness journeys. She has more than 20 years of experience as an ob-gyn with expertise in pediatric and adolescent gynecology and as an educator for medical students, residents and colleagues. She has authored five books for youth on puberty and sex...

At Rose State Kids College and Teen Scene, kids in grades kindergarten through 9 can explore a wide variety of topics — from video game design and aerospace to art and chemistry. Students enjoy small class sizes with certified teachers. Matt Weinrich, Rose Ignacio and Arilee Robinson from Rose State give us a sneak peek at their new and most popular courses for this summer, designed to engage kids...

Mr. Chazz’s main goal is to empower activists and instill an empathetic mindset in children, and the hundreds of thousands who follow him on TikTok know he does this in such a fun, upbeat and memorable way. Lewis earned his master’s degree in executive leadership at American University and is constantly in “teacher mode,” teaching and inspiring kids, parents and educators to be world-changers.

Andy Moore, executive director of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers, joins us to provide tips to parents in raising kids who will become civically engaged adults. As we enter a presidential election year and are in the midst of Oklahoma’s legislative session, Moore advices parents on teaching kids about the power of civil debate and media literacy as well as how families can effect...

Kerrie and Kenny join us to share their journey as foster parents, to dispel common myths about foster care and to explain why it’s been a blessing to build relationships with the biological families of the children in their care. They share encouragement and next steps for parents interested in becoming a foster family as well as how anyone can provide meaningful support for foster families.

Dr. Tabatha Carr launched local business Good Girl Chocolate in 2018 to provide the gluten free, dairy free and naturally sweetened products that she created on her own health journey on a larger scale. Her thriving business has since been featured in the Grammy’s gifting lounge and on QVC. Dr. Carr shares advice for local parents to prioritize health, wellness and self-love this year, as well as...

Child care accessibility is a nation-wide issue, and Oklahoma is no exception. Today we're talking with Carrie Williams, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness, about early childhood care shortages and solutions in our state. Carrie outlines attainable steps for business leaders and legislators to alleviate these issues, and even how other states have looked to Oklahom...

Public school advocate and mom of two Sen. Julia Kirt, representing District 30 and Senate Minority Leader-Elect, shares what she believes are the biggest challenges facing Oklahoma's state education system, what she's hopeful about regarding education in our state and how parents can most effectively advocate for their children, teachers and schools at the state level. She also discusses issues r...

Vicki Jay serves as the CEO for the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, and she is here today to help us guide children who are experiencing grief and other significant loss. Vicki was founding director of Rays of Hope Children’s Grief Center in Midland, Texas, serving there for 10 years. Prior to that, she worked for nine years in hospice. She is recognized for her role in children’s advocacy...

Starting conversation is tricky, especially in today's climate. Rabbi Abby Jacobson joins us today to talk about the importance of conversation, the power of finding common ground, and how we can model what "loving our neighbor" looks like for the next generation of changemakers and peacekeepers. This impactful conversation comes at a time of horrific duress in Israel, and Rabb...

The holidays can be a joyful time, but they can also exacerbate depression and anxiety, especially for our aging loved ones. Commissioner of the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Carrie Slatton-Hodges and director of the Oklahoma Mental Health & Aging Coalition Karen Orsi share tips on signs to look for, how to include aging relatives in the holidays in me...

Inventor and entrepreneur Sharina Perry is back with us on the podcast today talking about how she has cultivated a mindset of gratitude and "giving back" in her everyday life. Sharina was recently selected as the Top Inventor of the Year by IAOTP but notoriety like that has not shifted her focus from her guiding core values. Listen in as she talks about how charitable contributions shouldn't be s...

Cathy Cassani Adams co-hosts the Zen Parenting Radio podcast with her husband, Todd, and is author of the new book Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World as well as Living What You Want Your Kids to Learn: The Power of Self-Aware Parenting, which won a Nautilus Award, National Indie Excellence Award and an International Book Award. Cathy is a clinical social...

Jennifer Nayayama was hired as the CEO and president of Downtown OKC Partnership in February 2023 after a nationwide search. She shares why her family was thrilled to move from Hawaii to OKC, what giving back looks like for her family and her advice on raising kids who value serving others. Jennifer also explains how DOKC gives back to our community and gives us a sneak peek at all the family fun...

From its amazing and inspiring roots, Bethany Children’s Health Center still provides loving and quality care to the youngest members of our community. Listen in as CEO Nico Gomez talks about the amazing in-patient and out-patient services BCHC offers, inspiring stories of resilience, and new developments and programs as the hospital enters its 125th year.

After writing a year-long series in MetroFamily Magazine about Talking to Kids About Sex with advice for every age and stage, the experts at Thrive are answering parent questions on how to talk to kids about sexual health, sex education in schools, pornography, body posivity, gender inclusivity and more. Plus, if you parent a tween or teen who's especially uncomfortable talking with you about sexu...

New York Times bestselling and multi-award-winning author, acclaimed speaker and father of four boys Derrick Barnes joins us to talk about his new book Like Lava in my Veins and the realities of conscious and subconscious biases in education. Derrick shares how those biases affect Black boys in particular, how educators and parents can challenge racial inequities and how parents can instill compas...

Karen Orsi with the Oklahoma Mental Health & Aging Coalition provides advice for listeners on supporting the mental health of aging relatives, including signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, tips to initiate conversations about mental health with older family members and ways to encourage positive mental well-being. Karen also shares important statistics and warning signs about the preva...

OKC journalist, Thunder hype guy and new dad Malcolm Tubbs joins us to share his passion for nonprofit Heroes In Waiting, which provides free anti-bullying curriculum to schools, youth programs and families. With a focus on developing peace-building, empathy and emotional regulation skills, the trauma-informed, research-based program seeks to teach students to care for their mental health and that...

Freedom City OKC’s founder, Brittany Carter-Thomas, Esq., joins us today to talk about their mission: to support and improve education in Oklahoma City. Freedom City's vision is for 100% of students to be at or exceeding grade-level standards, confident, and exposed to numerous extracurriculars. Meeting each student "where they are" through programs such as Freedom Girls, Afterschool Programming,...

This National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Commissioner Carrie Slatton-Hodges of the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse joins us to provide parents with tips on talking with kids about suicide and depression, signs and symptoms to be aware of, and steps to take if we suspect a child we love is contemplating suicide. She shares details on the new 988 statewide men...

Dad, author-illustrator and award-winning creator Jarrett Lerner joins us to give advice in parenting around the issues of body image, disordered eating and self-acceptance, especially for boys. His new illustrated novel A Work in Progress is based on some of his own struggles with body image and disordered eating. As reported by NBC Nightly News, one in three people diagnosed with an eating disor...

Educator and author Henry Rice joins us to discuss how teaching our children the principles of love and kindness can counteract violence. Currently the music teacher at Putnam Heights Academy, Henry has worked in education for 30 years and recently put his 12 strategies of teaching nonviolence in book form for use by families, schools and youth organizations:  Hey TEENS Workbook: Teaching Everyone...