Dr. Kerry Byrne suggests ways to maintain a long-distance relationship with tween and teenage grandchildren. Her research also shows us why this is so important. Check out her previous episode with us, about younger grandkids, and her website, which offers practical, encouraging tools for intergenerational connections.

Additional Resources:

TheLongDistanceGrandparent.com

Instagram @thelongdistancegrandparent

"A Little Goes a Long Way"--Episode 101, Conversation Balloons Podcast, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeUQYdP7Yho and https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pYFDX3Ysj8HIqLbhXQEX7

Award-winning journalist Vicki Larson shares her practical and compassionate insights on "living apart together"--with Leah focusing on older couples who are finding new romantic interests but needing to consider some very real limitations. They even discuss how the New Testament might apply.

Additional resources

--Books by Vicki Larson:

LATitude: How You Can Make a Live Apart Together Relationship Work

Not Too Old for That: How Women Are Changing the Story of Aging

Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, lively neurosciencesplainer and educator, uses brain science to reveal why classroom technology is inhibiting our kids' attention, memory, and creativity. School teachers, students and their families should hear this!

Additional resources:

LME Global--Learning Made Easy -- lmeglobal.net

The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning--And How To Help Them Thrive Again, by Jared Cooney Horvath, PhD.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, researcher, physician, and founder of the Kenneth H. Cooper Institute at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, had to overcome widespread resistance to his belief that aerobic exercise improves rather than threatens health. Now a best-selling author, he sits down with Leah to describe how he personally came to grasp the importance of exercise, how his faith helped him to persevere, and how his "Cooperizing" process can help us grow healthier even as we age.

Additional resources:

Cooperaerobics.com

Grow Healthier as You Grow Older by Kenneth Cooper, MD, MPH

Author, filmmaker, and former US National Women's Gymnastics champion Jennifer Sey was forced to leave her job as Brand President at Levi's over her outspoken advocacy for kids. She's only bolder now, protesting boys in girls' sports and spaces. Jen founded XX-XY Athletics, sportswear that amplifies her POV.

Additional resources:

xx-xyathletics.com

Levi's Unbuttoned: The Woke Mob Took My Job But Gave Me My Voice by Jennifer Sey

Conversation Balloons Episode 86: Treatment for Trans Kids with Miriam Grossman

You may have seen Kerry draw faces on bananas and oranges to make FaceTime chats fun for kids! But Kerry Byrne, PhD, is no lightweight. She speaks with compassion and clarity on connecting with children 10 and under--while miles away from them. This first interview of two with her will help aunts, uncles, and others who want to remotely strengthen their family ties with a child.

Additional resources:

thelongdistancegrandparent.com

Instagram: @thelongdistancegrandparent

Celebrating 100 episodes on Conversation Balloons! Tune in for a fun episode with some great moments of the show and some questions answered by Leah! Thanks for tuning in to Conversation Balloons over the years and wait to see who we interview next!

National gymnastics champ Jen Sey reveals the abuse and anguish she underwent to become a top-tier gymnast, and what parents of athletes--and other driven kids--can do to make sure their kids stay healthy.

Additional resources:

Chalked Up: My Life in Elite Gymnastics by Jennifer Sey

https://www.xx-xyathletics.com

Researcher Kevin Waldman has discovered that college students are much more conservative than we thought. Is progressive peer pressure to blame? Does silence impair identity formation? Listen for some surprises!

Additional resources:

Forest Romm and Kevin Waldman, https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5446702-performative-virtue-signaling-has-become-a-threat-to-higher-ed/

https://psychform.com/

National TV anchor Leland Vittert's new memoir, Born Lucky, reveals how his father responded to Leland's diagnosis of autism, cheering him on despite rejection and bullying at school and the sacrifices that parents have to make for a child "on the spectrum." The book, currently #4 on the NYT bestseller list, will inspire any parent.

Additional resources:

Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, a Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism