Active & Connected Families

We all know there is a mental health crisis out there. We have real numbers that highlight elevated rates of anxiety and depression for kids, teenagers, people of color, men, working mothers. The numbers tell the story. The percentages, increases, and statistical significance are all important.

Everywhere we go, we are surrounded by data, as are our children. Their GPA’s, instagram likes, rebounds, SAT Scores, tardies, goals, and more, are all measured and highlighted. “What is measured gets done.” The data tells the story. Numbers are concrete, clear, and feel important.

Yet we don’t keep data on what actually counts in life. There are no decimal points for kindness, helping others, empathy, or quality of relationships. And because there is no data to be analyzed for these qualities in this numbers-crazed world, we have learned not to value the qualities that make us healthy and whole. No wonder there is a mental health crisis.

Let's have a closer look at this in today's episode!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/what-really-matters/

The holiday season is in full swing and for many of us, it all just looks and feels different than when we were kids. Over 40 million Americans have stopped going to church in the last 25 years, meaning that communal Sundays and structured lessons in forgiveness and giving aren’t as consistent anymore for us and our children. Although many Americans have found other communal organizations to replace church, a lot also haven’t.

The longing for community and organized religion that so many of us feel right now shows us the sense of tradition, love, and belonging that we’re looking for which is essential to our mental health. And it’s completely related to the huge loneliness pandemic that is going on right now. As I always tell my kids: Loneliness is the new smoking.

Let’s listen to the absence of communities that we feel most now around the Holidays and do something different this year for our own and our kid’s mental health.

In this episode on community around the Holidays, we discuss:

• The ways we connect with people are changing and affecting our mental health;
• How the Holidays and our traditions around them look very different now from the ones we grew up with and how this affects us;
• Where’s the longing for belonging and community coming from that we feel even more around the Holidays?;
• Our society promotes individualism over community;
• Simple ideas on how to teach our kids to give to others this Holiday season;
• And more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/community-holidays/

Gaining clarity on who we want to be as a person and as a parent feels hard in the confusing world we live in. Do we want to be the parent who’s on their phone all the time or the parent who takes time for connection and does things that make us feel good? The answer is probably a no-brainer but how do we actually live up to this?

Today’s guest on the podcast is Damon Eddy, a transformation coach specializing in helping people move from confusion to clarity and he’s here to share his insights with us!

In this episode on gaining clarity in a confusing world, we discuss:

• How our current world is set up to constantly grab our attention;
• The effect Social Media has on our well-being;
• How to start looking for clarity in our busy lives;
• Becoming aware of the person you want to be;
• In order to grow you have to learn;
• The difference between growing and being productive;
• Communicating our needs with our spouse;
• And much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/gaining-clarity/

We’re about a month into being back to school and here’s the issue that’s been coming up for me: homework. I was a bit hesitant on releasing an episode on this topic because to be fair, it sounds boring. But I know I’m not the only one struggling with this right now! And luckily, my incredible guest, Lara Dawn, certified teacher and founder of The ADHD Village, knows just how to turn this topic into an interesting conversation!

In this episode on homework issues, we cover:

• The brain chemicals that play a role in making homework (especially for ADHD kids);
• How do we figure out what’s going to work for our kids with all the busy schedules of the family?;
• Strategies for when this feels hard to get done as a parent;
• Breaking the task of homework into smaller pieces;
• And so much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You canleave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure tosubscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/homework-issues/

As high-achieving moms, we’re living hectic lives, reachting to every trigger, thought, text message and notification. How can we be more intentional about our lives as parents going into the new school year?

If your first thought is, "I don't have time for that", I completely get it! There's so much pressure on us high-achieving women. But here are the facts: We see a mental health crisis among our children and a burnout crisis among women. If we continue to go with the norms, this is what we're choosing. It’s a path we don’t want to take. So what can we do differently?

Dr. Leah Katz, clinical psychologist, is here to tell us all about it!

In this episode on how to start the school year with presence, we discuss:

• How do we separate from certain groups and norms that are impacting our lives?;
• The pressure on high-achieving women;
• How check-ins can help you to live a life that feels true to you;
• How to do a check-in with yourself;
• Taking space for yourself in a world that’s telling you you can’t;
• Where does the resistance come from we can feel around mindfulness?
• How values inform the decisions you make;
• And so much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/start-school-with-presence/

If your kid might apply for college in the next ten years, you want to listen to this one! Margaret is an expert when it comes to supporting kids through the college application process. She has a particularly valuable perspective on how teenagers experience this crazy time and how parents can support them and today she’s sharing her knowledge with us!

In today’s episode on supporting your teen through college, we discuss:

• Why not to rewrite your kid’s college application essay;
• The three parts of finding a good-fit college;
• Trusting your kid to go through this process themselves;
• The top three ways parents can support their kid through college applications;
• How to foster a safe environment for your kid to talk to you about college;
• Some golden tips on scholarships;
• And so much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

Do you ever wonder why your kids are fighting more than usual? Or do you worry about spending way more time with one kid over another? 

With all the families I work with, and similarly in my own family, I notice patterns that can lead to difficulties. That’s why today I’m sharing with you some easy family therapy hacks that are going to help with some of the most typical problems families are encountering and that can improve your kid’s mental health!

In this episode on improving your kid’s mental health, we discuss:

• Examples of healthy family hierarchies;
• Two examples of common dysfunctional family hierarchies;
• Questions to ask yourself about your family’s hierarchy;
• How to improve your family’s hierarchies;
• The power of family therapy;
• And more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/improving-kids-mental-health/ 

Allowing our kids to choose their own path in life and pursue their dreams is a big topic in today’s episode. How would you react if your child tells you they want to become a professional gamer?! That’s exactly what one of Waki's kids chose as his own plan A, and with Waki’s support, that’s exactly what he has achieved. 

I'm so excited to share the rest of my conversation with Waki Wynn with you about all things parenting. He’s back with some golden nuggets from his own experiences raising his own kids and coaching many more.

In this episode on allowing our kids to pursue their dreams, we discuss:

• Letting our kids choose their own path in life and supporting them in it;
• What if our kids don’t want to work on school?;
• How to handle push-back from the people around you;
• Growing as a parent;
• And much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/allowing-our-kids-to-pursue-their-dreams/ 

Today, we released one of those episodes that is full of knowledge gems and truth bombs for ALL parents out there. My conversation with Waki Wynn, in which he shares his invaluable insights into parenting, is truly one of my favorite conversations ever.

We talk about finding your community as a parent, helping our high school boys develop lifelong friendships that will serve them for the rest of their lives, allowing our kids to eventually have their own family that’s healthy and can move through sadness, grief and trauma together, and so much more!

This episode with Waki is so fully packed with invaluable insights that we decided to release it in two parts. You can have a listen to part one today and we'll be back with the second part next week!

In this episode filled with darn good parenting advice, we discuss:

• How Waki was able to create such strong, life-long friendships;
• How we’re influenced by the people we spend time with;
• How your group of people defines your norms;
• Helping our kids develop healthy norms;
• Who’s influencing your child beyond the doors of your house? Who else has their ear?
• And more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/darn-good-parenting-advice-1/

We all know that animals can have a profound impact on people’s lives. But did you know pets can even promote social and emotional growth in our kids? Children use being with their pets as a very consistent coping skill and as a way to manage their emotions.

As a parent, I started to wonder how and why this happens and how I can maximize the opportunities our pets bring into our homes.

Today, we have Christine Bowers on the show who is an expert when it comes to animal-assisted therapy. We’ll be talking about how to promote social and emotional development through our pets. Have a listen to learn how to be proactive with the pets in our families in order to help our kids grow and get the most out of the animals in our lives. 

In this episode on how our pets promote social and emotional growth, we discuss:

• The health benefits of being in the company of animals;
• What the research shows on the effects pets and animals have on us;
• How our kids use their pets to regulate their emotions;
• Developing identity and building confidence with the help of our pets;
• Why it’s important to involve our kids in the caretaking of our pets;
• How our kids can reap the benefits of their pet even when it’s not always around;
• And so much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://www.activeconnected.com/pets-promote-social-emotional-growth/