The Cool Grandpa Podcast

Paul Smith from All American Will Kits sits down with us to discuss the creation and use of a will. We discuss who should create a Will and who should probably create a trust. I asked Paul about creating and updating a Will based on changing circumstances like additional grandchildren. Paul also brings up some great points to consider regarding who you want to take care of your pets if you should...

Richard, Rick, Capriola joins us again for an updated conversation about youth and substance abuse. Rick presents updated findings from the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study on teen substance use. The study's findings over the last three years show a decrease in substance use due to the COVID shutdown, followed by a rebound as schools and society opened back up. In our conversat...

Aaron Larsen is back to talk to us about Grandparents Academy. Aaron and I jump in and talk about how and why Aaron started Grandparents Academy. In our conversation, we discuss the importance to grandparents and families to continue learning from other grandparents and experts. We also discuss how Aaron created courses starting this May (2023) to help support grandparents. There are over a dozen...

I am pleased to have Richard 'Dick' Olson back on The Cool Grandpa Podcast. Dick and I sit down to discuss ways, specifically grandfathers and grandparents in general, can share their values and faith with their grandchildren. While we take a Christian-centric approach to this topic, the information, guidance, and ideas we discuss can be applied to just about any situation. Dick points out that wh...

What adventures have you been on lately? Do you plan adventures for yourself? How about adventures with the grandchildren? This conversation is about the importance of having adventures and some ideas for adventures with the grandchildren. Using the word adventure creates vivid pictures about having an experience that is out of the ordinary AND something that could involve a little bit of risk. Ou...

What adventures have you been on lately? Do you plan adventures for yourself? How about adventures with the grandchildren? This conversation is about the importance of having adventures and some ideas for adventures with the grandchildren. Using the word adventure creates vivid pictures about having an experience that is out of the ordinary AND something that could involve a little bit of risk. Ou...

My good friend Mijntje van Beers joins the conversation to talk about her grandfather's influence on her and continues to have on her. You will enjoy learning about Mijntje's grandfather's past of living and working with the carnival, surviving through World War II, and his passion for painting. Mijntje talks to us about how her grandfather's lessons about tolerance and understanding another perso...

This conversation is with my good friend and publishing expert, Nathan Andersen. I take the first part of this conversation to review and share how I came up with the idea for my children's book, My Grandpa's Grandpa . As our discussion progressed, Nathan started to ask me questions about my experience with him and his company, Babooky. Between the two of us, we share a lot of great information fo...

Richard "Dick" Olson has been a pastor since 1960. Although he is now retired and Dick continues to write and be engaged in building understanding between faiths with his interfaith work and writings. Dick has recently written an important book, The Grandparent Vocation: Wisdom, Legacies, and Spiritual Growth . In this book, Dick has put forth the idea that being a grandparent is a calling or voca...

About six weeks into the New Year, the gyms start to empty again, and for a lot of us, there is a fading of our work on intentions, goals, resolutions, "word of the year," and even dreams. Why do we fade, and why do we stop working toward our dreams and goals? Well, for many of us, we missed out on a few key steps between dreaming and execution. In this podcast, I talk about how we can start stron...

Four in ten grandparents are still working, managing a career, and often as busy as they were before the grandchildren arrived. Dr. Kerry Byrne from The Long Distance Grandparent joins the conversation today to help remind all of us that our work and day-to-day lives can make fantastic connection points for our grandchildren. Sometimes we don't think of our lives, especially our work lives, as rem...

Vince joins us for a great conversation where we get to know him as a grandfather, inventor, and entrepreneur. We talk about Vince's experience with becoming and being a grandfather. We pivot the conversation to talk about Vince's Popa. As you'll find out, Popa was cut from a different cloth and was a character until the end. The carrying of Poppa led to Vince becoming inspired to invent the Peric...

Dr. Glenda Clare is an expert on Grandparents raising Grandchildren. We jump into the conversation, talking about the differences between multigenerational homes and Grandfamilies. Dr. Glenda Clare and I also discuss some of the "Ds" that cause Grandparents to take over daily care of raising Grandchildren. Some of those "Ds" are: DRUGS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DETENTION DIVORCE DEPORTATION DEPLOYMENT DIS...

This bonus episode involves a great conversation with Dan Miller from the best-selling book 48 Days to the Work You Love . Dan Miller joins us for a fantastic conversation about how to help our grandchildren to think creatively about education, work, and life. Learn about Dan's experience and expectations when he learned he would become a grandfather. Dan was excited and viewed the grandchildren a...

This is a bonus edition of a fantastic interview that I had with Vinnie Tortorich back in December 2020. I thought it would be great to share this conversation again. My guest on this episode is Vinnie Tortorich. Vinnie is a successful celebrity trainer, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. Vinnie has a successful podcast, Fitness Confidential, and is just a cool all-around good guy. Vinnie sits...

This episode is our one-on-one conversation for December. Stories are important, and stories shared between family members are doubly so. Stories shared between family members help the family identify what is important to the family and what the family values regarding morals and actions and our relationships. Don't get me wrong; not every story has to be weighty or full of moral lessons. Stories...

Emily and Mike Morgan stop by to discuss their experience as grandparents AND podcasters. This is a first for The Cool Grandpa Podcast in that we simultaneously have a grandmother and a grandfather on the show. Emily and Mike discuss their reactions to learning that they would become grandparents. We also talk about their different grandparenting styles and how they offer value and balance to thei...

DeeDee Moore from More Than Grand stops by to have an engaging conversation about why we resist suggested resources that can strengthen relationships and help us enjoy our role as grandparents. We get into a really good discussion about what makes us initially say 'No' to resources about grandparenting or parenting when we are often open to having friends and family share resources about our hobbi...

This week's conversation is about how we, as Grandfathers, can help our grandchildren develop a spirit of gratitude. This is a short conversation (since it is Thanksgiving weekend), but if there is a good nugget here. I think you can use it with your family and grandchildren. I borrowed much of this information from a fantastic talk my wife, Karen, gave at our church. I figured that she had some g...

Hold on to your hats! Dr. Marsha McLean is bringing fun and energy to this week's conversation. Marsha is talking to us about how she initially was reluctant to have the title of Grandma. Why? Because Grandmothers traditionally have seemed very old and normally not in the best physical health. Marsha soon embraced her role as Grandma AND, as a result, created Grandmas 2.0 and wouldn't change a thi...

James 'Papa Jimmy' Divine is back to discuss his experience creating multiple side businesses while working full-time as a band teacher in a Title 1 school. James talks to us about his journey from transitioning from the U.S. Army to becoming a music teacher and the process it took to earn his Master's in Music Education while in the Army and raising a family. We get into an interesting conversati...

Richard Eyre is back to talk about a new program he and his wife, Linda, have created called Grandparenting 101. Richard was previously on the podcast to talk about his book, " Being A Proactive Grandfather ." You can listen to that conversation by clicking on the link below. Linda and Richard have created a six-part course to help grandparents navigate this evolving role of being a Grandparent. G...

Where can you find information that baby boomers can trust AND about topics that baby boomers care about? The answer is that it is hard to find all this information in one place. Well, Gramps Jeffrey and several other baby boomers decided to create their information aggregator site focused on the needs, and information Boomers can use to navigate retirement, family, work, and their money. Gramps J...

Susan Raisch joins our conversation today about bullying and how grandparents can be a resource in identifying and resolving children dealing with bullying. We discuss the difference between what is just a bad interaction and what experiences are actual bullying encounters. Susan explains that there are three main points to bullying vs. a bad interaction with another youth or adult. Those three ma...

Had a bad bounce in life? Have you ever struggled to explain to a four-year-old grandchild that a cheese sandwich cut diagonally tastes EXACTLY the same as one cut down the middle? This week's guest, Lee Gaitan, has had those same experiences. My good friend Lee sits down with us to share her experience of being a grandmother, a mother, a wife, a teacher, and most importantly (in my book), a funny...