Right Moves: A LiiNK Center for Healthy Play Podcast

Dr. Rhea wants YOU to come to our upcoming event - The PLAY People in Your Neighborhood! This is a 1-day conference, cohosted with US Play Coalition and Forth Worth Botanic Gardens, focused on navigating the play resources in your area. She has outlined the speakers and their play strengths. This is an amazing group of speakers! EVERYONE is welcome to join us for this on October 9th here in Fort W...

Jennifer Jolly returns with Dr. Rhea to continue their discussion on TBRI, this time focusing on professional settings. TBRI is adaptable to any setting with a caregiver role, including schools. So how do we help teachers understand and implement the TBRI model in classrooms? Jennifer Jolly is a pastor's wife and mom of two biological sons, 22 and 20, and one adoptive son, 18. Her "Varsit...

Dr. Rhea sits down with former school guidance counselor and current TBRI coordinator, Jennifer Jolly, to share her personal and professional journey with TBRI. TBRI, or Trust-Based Relational Intervention, is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. Jennifer explains how TBRI has helped her gain a wider understanding of h...

Dr. Rhea challenges you to improve your health through modifying a key behavior you choose in this week’s episode. She discusses the many stages and challenges necessary to make a change, while sharing her personal journey of cutting bad habits and improving her health.

Jenny Eyer returns with Dr. Rhea to talk about her current role at the American Heart Association (AHA), and the differences between state and local policy. They discuss her team’s current goals to improve public health initiatives of which recess and nutrition are at the top. Jenny Eyer graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry from Abilene Christian University and earned her MPH with a concentration...

Dr. Rhea brings on public health advocate, Jenny Eyer, to share her story of what drove her to focus on nutrition and food availability for kids. Jenny’s primary focus encompasses policy changes around free and reduced breakfast & lunch in schools. Jenny Eyer graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry from Abilene Christian University and earned her MPH with a concentration in Maternal and Child He...

Dr. Rhea sits down with Summer Belloni again to discuss the importance of advocacy for parents and educators in schools and the barriers they may face. They also discuss "practice what you preach" and why having access to recess, child-directed play, and the outdoors is the place where children learn how to learn. Summer Belloni, a former teacher with experience in elementary and middle...

Dr. Rhea sits down with play advocate and former teacher, Summer Belloni M.Ed, to share her view on why play is important for kids. Summer describes her advocacy work and collaboration with the Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) for increased recess in Midland, Texas. Summer Belloni, a former teacher with experience in elementary and middle school education, is passionate about getting kids ou...

Dr. Rhea brings back early-learning play advocate, Tessa Baden, to talk about play advocacy in schools and how parents can bridge the gap between school policies and their child’s needs. Tessa Baden is a nature and play advocate who shares her personal transformation story to inspire reflection, connection and evolution in others. She started her career at Camp C.A.M.P. and preschools. Tessa has s...

Dr. Rhea and early-learning play advocate, Tessa Baden, discuss the power of trusting and listening to your children’s interests and abilities to help nurture unstructured play and independence. Often times, the best way to steer your child toward exceptional overall health and academics is to let the child do the steering. Tessa Baden is a nature and play advocate who shares her personal transfor...

Parents raise children in different ways to cover social and emotional development.  Some use a religion to teach such things as empathy, trust, respect, honesty, and so on. Others use an ethics course. In K-12 schools, it may be character skills that include those above as well as lessons on how to socially interact and create emotional regulation. Dr. Rhea compares Finnish and U.S. schools focus...

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month! How can we address the mental health crisis plaguing us today? Dr. Rhea brings on therapist and social worker, Talia Filippelli, to discuss the stigma around mental health and how play, empathy, and therapy are all key in creating more resilient children and adults. Talia is the founder of Starr Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is known for her solution-focus...

Dr. Rhea brings back Dr. Catherine Ramstetter and Dr. Robert Murray for part two of their series. Listen as they share their thoughts on Medina’s Big Three - sleep, play and nutrition – in schools. What’s in a donut? Let’s find out! Dr. Cathy Ramstetter is a School Health Consultant with  Successful Healthy Children , assisting schools with wellness initiatives and recess implementation, to protec...

Dr. Rhea brings on colleagues and collaborators, Dr. Catherine Ramstetter and Dr. Robert Murray, to discuss their work in promoting play and recess, and their perspective on the importance of recess on children’s health. Dr. Cathy Ramstetter is a School Health Consultant with  Successful Healthy Children , assisting schools with wellness initiatives and recess implementation, to protect recess for...

What should we be focused on in our childhood and youth to decrease risk of chronic disease as we age? Dr. Rhea brings back Dr. John Medina for part 2 of their discussion on factors that affect memory and overall health. This time, they focus on stress and the brain-body connection. Dr. Medina is a developmental molecular biologist focused on the genes involved in human brain development and the g...

Dr. Rhea visits with biologist, researcher, and author Dr. John Medina, to discuss the process of memories and what lifestyle factors effect memory the most. This is part one of a two-part series with Medina. Dr. Medina is a developmental molecular biologist focused on the genes involved in human brain development and the genetics of psychiatric disorders. He has spent most of his professional lif...

Pat Rumbaugh, better known as the Play Lady, joins Dr. Rhea to share her experiences as a community play advocator. Hear how she got started, her journey to becoming an author, and many fun stories from her annual Play Days! Pat Rumbaugh, with an M.A. in Sports Psychology, taught physical education and coached children’s sports for 30 years. From this experience, she learned that everyone could be...

Dr. Rhea sits down with Kate Webb, another mentee and Ph. D. student doing research with LiiNK, to discuss her dissertation topic. She wants to know the effects of play on limb movement imbalances and neuromuscular control in children. Kate has developed an observational tool called the MPOT (Movement Pattern Observation Tool).  She used that tool to identify which type of limb movements children...

Ph. D. candidate with the LiiNK Project, Daryl Campbell-Pierre, sits down with Dr. Rhea to discuss his three years of research dedicated to motor competence and postural balance in children through an assessment called the KTK. The first study examined the KTK to see if it was feasible to use it with U.S. children to determine motor competence abilities. The KTK is capable of detecting issues in t...

Dr. Rhea and Dr. Bauml are back for the third and final installment of their discussion on early childhood education and unstructured play. They’ve talked about not letting the weather stop you from getting outside as long as it’s safe, but what about when it isn’t? If we must stay indoors, there are still plenty of ways to create unstructured play environments for our kids and students that foste...

Has the desire to go outside in the rain – or at all – dwindled in recent generations? Dr. Rhea is back with Dr. Bauml to discuss how weather can affect play, and why it shouldn’t always stop you from heading outdoors. Listen as they reminisce on childhood memories of soggy shoes, puddle jumping, and making the most of the weather. Dr. Michelle Bauml is the Clotilda Winter Professor of Education a...

Dr. Rhea sits down with friend and colleague, Dr. Michelle Bauml, to discuss unstructured or child directed play vs. structured or adult directed play in the school setting through the lens of early childhood development and education. Dr. Michelle Bauml is the Clotilda Winter Professor of Education and an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning...

Dr. Rhea, Jill Wood and Amanda McMickle, are back to continue their discussion with guest moderator, Sarah Mercado, from KPICD , on unstructured play in schools. This time, they compare various play-focused school settings, the models behind them, and how to garner parental and school staff support. Jill Wood founded Adventure Play at The Parish School in 2008 and has operated it since. Every year...

Dr. Rhea, with friends and colleagues, Jill Wood and Amanda McMickle, discuss the intensification of negative behaviors in schools upon returning from COVID and how their different school settings have handled it through play. Our guest moderator for this episode is Sarah Mercado from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU. Jill Wood founded Adventure Play at The Parish School in 2...

We’ve all heard that being outdoors can be beneficial to our health and moods, but what is the true short- and long-term impact? Dr. Rhea takes her discussion of unstructured play outside to break down this topic and give tips on how to incorporate outdoor time into your daily life.