The Play Base

In this special solo episode of The Play Base Podcast , Frances Fishman shares the heart behind her work, the story behind The Play Base, and the mission that continues to guide her every day. Frances reflects on her journey into ABA, the children who changed her life, and how play became the foundation for connection, learning, and healing. She speaks openly about the challenges within the field...

In this episode of The Play Base Podcast , Frances sits down with Bekka Goldberg—educator, college counselor, mom, creative entrepreneur, and founder of Blade & Stitch. After first connecting through the South Florida hockey community, Frances and Bekka quickly bonded over their shared passion for child development, education, creativity, and helping young people discover environments where th...

In this episode, Frances sits down with Dr. Ally Durrieu, owner of Nature Nurture Chiropractic, for an eye-opening conversation about chiropractic care through a neurological and nervous-system-based lens. Dr. Ally specializes in supporting children and adults with neurodiverse needs, sensory challenges, nervous system dysregulation, and stress-related concerns. Through her work with the PX Docs (...

The Playbase Podcast | Episode with Liat Horovitz, Results Coach & Retreat Facilitator Frances sits down with Liat Horovitz, a results coach, retreat facilitator, and creator of transformational spaces for women, entrepreneurs, and leaders standing on the edge of change. Frances and Liat reflect on their first meeting, the impact of coaching, and the kind of deep connection that helps someone...

In this inspiring episode, Frances sits down with Jasmine Eingen, founder of Mentorio, a mentorship and personal development brand supporting children's confidence, emotional growth, and mental fitness. Jasmine joins from London to share how Mentorio began in Toronto and has grown into a global vision. Through after-school programs, school partnerships, one-to-one mentorship, peer mentorship, and...

In this deeply honest and empowering conversation, Frances sits down with occupational therapist Dr. Fay Gersh to explore motherhood, burnout, intimacy, self-love, boundaries, nervous system regulation, and what it truly means to live in alignment. From immigrating between countries and building careers while raising children to navigating burnout in helping professions, Frances and Dr. Fay unpack...

In this episode of The Playbase Podcast , Frances sits down with Paulette Cormier to explore the powerful connection between the body, the brain, reflex integration, movement, hearing, regulation, and learning. Paulette shares her journey from teacher and mother to practitioner, beginning with her search for support for her own son’s learning challenges. That path led her to Relationship Developme...

In this heart-centered episode of The Playbase Podcast , Frances sits down with Thabatta Mizrahi, educator, consultant, university lecturer, and strategic educational partnership builder. Thabatta shares how growing up as the oldest sibling in an immigrant family, with two siblings with different special needs, shaped the way she sees the world. Rather than seeing people through labels or limitati...

In this powerful episode of The Playbase Podcast , Frances sits down with Chris D’Angelo, a student leader, athlete, musician, and deeply inspiring young man whose story is a reminder that purpose can be found even in life’s hardest moments. Chris shares the story of tearing his ACL and meniscus during football season, an injury that took him off the lacrosse field and away from a major part of hi...

In this heartfelt and practical episode, Frances sits down with educator, creator, and content powerhouse Melissa Markus, known online as The Kindergarten Mom. A former dance friend turned inspiring voice for parents and teachers, Melissa shares how her platform began, what continues to drive her, and why the kindergarten years are some of the most important in a child’s development. Together, the...

In this episode of The Play Base Podcast , Frances sits down with Dr. Ryan Seidman- licensed clinical psychologist, clinical director of The Children’s Center, and a true champion for collaborative care. Together, they unpack one of the biggest problems in child treatment today: support happening in isolated “bubbles.” Therapy in one place, school in another, behavior supports somewhere else, whil...

In this deeply moving episode, Frances sits down with hockey coach Nikita Krivokrasov for a conversation that goes far beyond the ice. Together, they explore identity, resilience, failure, purpose, and what it truly means to impact others. Nikita shares his personal journey through the highs and lows of pursuing hockey at a high level, the emotional weight of unmet expectations, and the powerful s...

In this honest and empowering conversation, Frances sits down with Yael Samuel of Kid Quest Consulting to talk about ADHD, assessments, early intervention, and the emotional journey parents go through when trying to understand what their child needs. Yael shares her personal experience parenting identical twins with ADHD, why getting answers felt relieving rather than frightening, and how support...

In this deeply human, soul-stirring episode of The Play Base Podcast , Frances sits down with Revital (Rev) Anava- a gifted designer, a grounded truth-teller, and one of those rare people who feels like home the moment you meet them. What begins as a “how have we never met?” story becomes something much bigger: a conversation about divine timing, intuition, identity, healing, and the quiet power o...

In this episode of The Play Base Podcast, Frances sits down with Marina Aronin, a powerhouse speech-language pathologist and practice owner who brings a whole-child, root-cause approach to therapy. Marina shares how her work goes far beyond “speech sounds” and into the real-life foundations that impact communication and behavior: sleep quality, mouth breathing, nutrition, food intolerances, screen...

In this episode of The Playbase Podcast, Frances sits down with longtime friend and educator Joy Badler—a passionate advocate for children (especially within the ADHD community) who has spent years building what many schools are only now realizing kids desperately need: regulation skills before academics. Joy shares the work she’s been developing for over a decade—an approach that blends mindfulne...

In this episode, Frances sits down with Dana Weiss, an incredible Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) who recently made the transition from New York City to South Florida and quickly realized: the pace, the culture, and the clinical landscape are a whole different world. Dana shares what it was like training and working across Manhattan and the Bronx in a large, cohesive clinic model… then moving to...

In this episode of The Play Base Podcast , host Frances Fishman is joined by Lauren Henry , a sensory design consultant whose work challenges how we think about interior design, regulation, and well-being. What begins as a conversation about “sensory rooms” quickly expands into a deeper exploration of how color, lighting, sound, scent, texture, and space directly impact the nervous system , often...

In this heartfelt episode of The Play Base, Frances is joined by her middle child and sweet “angel boy,” Coby Fishman - an eight-year-old who lives and breathes sports (especially hockey). Coby shares what he loves most about the game - the speed, intensity, and the joy of scoring, but also opens up about the part that makes it harder: when his family can’t make it to his games. From there, the co...

In this deeply heartfelt and gentle episode of The Play Base, Frances is joined by her youngest daughter, Jojo (Jordyn), a seven-year-old old soul with a powerful heart and an extraordinary capacity for kindness. What unfolds is a slow, meaningful conversation about love, bravery, emotions, mistakes, friendship, and trust. Jojo shares what makes her feel calm, what her perfect day would look like,...

In this incredibly special birthday episode of The Play Base, Frances is joined by her firstborn daughter, Chloe Fishman, for a heartfelt, funny, and deeply insightful conversation that only a child could lead. Chloe shares her many passions, from baking, comedy, music, dance, theater, and art, to making friends and (lovingly) annoying her siblings. She talks about finding her voice on stage, over...

Frances Fishman sits down with Laura Waldorf Reiss, founder of Kindness Matters, to explore how kindness, emotional awareness, and nervous system regulation can reshape the way we parent, lead, and live. Laura shares how Kindness Matters began, how the programming evolved, and why the work must be consistent and repeated to create lasting impact. This episode is an invitation to see emotions as si...

In Part 2 of Frances’ conversation with Jayme Teplin—former Clinical Director at The Play Base Toronto—this episode goes deeper into Jayme’s clinical journey and what shaped her into the kind of practitioner families and teams feel safe with: compassionate, flexible, and fiercely human-first. While ABA is still widely associated with “autism treatment” and table-based programs, Jayme shares how he...

In this heartfelt Part 1 conversation, Frances sits down with Jayme Teplin, Clinical Director of The Play Base Toronto, for a powerful episode that blends lived experience with professional insight. Jayme shares her personal story of growing up neurodivergent in Toronto navigating early diagnoses, struggling in an under-resourced public school system, and eventually thriving thanks to a life-chang...

In this powerful Play Base episode, Frances sits down with the one-and-only Alley Dezenhouse, founder of Magnificent Minds (MagMinds) —for a conversation that feels equal parts validating, visionary, and deeply human. Frances shares how Alley’s voice helped her step out of imposter syndrome and into her own truth as a clinician and leader. From there, Alley takes us through her journey: starting i...