Dying To Ask

Lisa Leonard is the name behind the brand. Lisa Leonard Designs is a multimillion-dollar company specializing in handstamped jewelry.

Leonard, a former teacher, turned the company from a hobby in her house to a brand featured all over Instagram and in national magazines, including "Martha Stewart Weddings."

She's also a best-selling author. Her latest book, "Be You: 20 Ways to Embrace Who You Really Are" explores the personal growth Leonard went through after experiencing a crisis in her marriage and her belief that women can control their emotional and fiscal destinies by changing simple things in their daily lives.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How a woman with no business experience created a multimillion-dollar brand.

It's been a longtime dream for working parents consumed with guilt for not spending enough time with their kids. "I wish I could spend more time at home." Well, the pandemic has created a lot of forced together time for families. Shocker, it's not exactly what we thought it would be!

A lot of families are fighting friction as we fight coronavirus. And, if you have teenagers stuck at home, it's likely even more challenging.

Parenting expert Katherine Reynolds Lewis is the author of "The Good News about Bad Behavior." Katherine has some great advice on how to handle conflict the stay-at-home order is creating between parents and kids. And, she explains the silver lining she's found in her own family as she holds down the fort while her husband, a physician, works the front line in another state.

How's homeschooling going for you? It's a position many parents never would have seen themselves in, but coronavirus has thrown everything in life into flux, including education. 

Millions of American kids are home from school with no guarantee they'll return to classrooms before the end of the school year.

The only families that aren't hugely impacted by stay-at-home orders? Those who homeschooled before the outbreak started.

Matt Beaudreau is our guest on today's podcast. He runs Acton Academy Placer. The academy is a resource for homeschool families where kids meet to collaborate on projects and activities.

His TED Talk on why traditional American education needs a radical change has tens of thousands of views and launched a successful side career in professional speaking.

He's spoken before Fortune 500 companies on why America needs to educate kids differently to raise individuals better prepared to handle the modern workforce.

Well, here we are. Stuck at home, and a lot of us are turning to homeschooling experts like Matt to lead the way.

On this Dying to Ask:

• Why Matt says the first things parents need to do is not panic

Matt's suggested online resources:

1. Courage To Grow: Free on Amazon for the time being, but about the best book you'll find for a time like this. (Audible is 99 cents right now, too).

Feeling the urge to purge?

You're not alone. Professional organizer Kim Salisbury says she's getting hundreds of messages from people wanting organization advice during the COVID-19 quarantine.

Kim says we're drawn to decluttering because it gives us a sense of control in a time when we don't feel like we have much control over everything.

Plus, we're at home 24/7! So, those piles of junk are really getting on our nerves.

In this Dying to Ask:

• How organizing your personal space can change your outlook during the coronavirus crisis.

Gyms closing was a real breaking point for a lot of us who rely on boot camps and strength workouts to manage stress and our health.

What's a gym rat to do? Get online. Personal trainers are flooding Instagram with doable home workouts using "equipment" you'll find around your house.

Personal trainer Ty Rendlich-Texidor has converted 100% of her clients to online training in just a week. And, it's working.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How to break a sweat while working out at home

Think it's tough having little kids at home during the coronavirus outbreak? Try having college students back unexpectedly. It's a huge transition for students and parents.

Kellie Randle is an expert in navigating parenting college kids. Her popular Instagram page, Empty Nest Mom Life, offers tips for parents whose kids have left the nest.

Now, however, those kids are returning to the nest in a time that's overwhelming, scary and downright maddening for families making a huge adjustment to daily life.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How Kellie rapidly adjusted to having three adult children return to her downsized home

Kids home + canceled youth sports = nightmare. 

Our kids have gone from being scheduled to the minute to having hours with nothing to do. The loss of afternoon sports is huge for kids. Sports burn energy and provide kids with a sense of identity and social interaction.

My colleague, Mike TeSelle, is my guest on this episode. Mike is a dad of two teenage kids who are obsessed with soccer. Mike has been a coach. You've maybe seen him on the sidelines as a ref. And, most recently, he's joined the Positive Coaching Alliance as a board member.

His insight into understanding the loss your kids are feeling from the lack of sports is profound. His advice might help you smooth the transition for your kids while they're home during the coronavirus threat.  

How are you sleeping right now? Yeah, me too. We are all living under extraordinary stress because of the impact of COVID-19 on every part of our lives. Dr. Jenni Pottebaum says our greatest weapon in fighting coronavirus, next to social distancing, could be sleep.

Dr Jenni has a bachelor’s in psychology and a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She’s also certified in personal training, health coaching and fitness and sports nutrition. As a former pro athlete, she believes strongly in taking care of mind and body through sleep.

But, let’s be honest. That’s easier said than done these days.

On this Dying to Ask:

• The science behind how sleep restores mind and body

The interesting thing about the spread of coronavirus is that scientists can see it coming to an area. We all saw it in Wuhan. Then Italy. Now, Germany is in the middle of its crisis.

And, that means one of my oldest friends is in the thick of it. Brent Goff is the chief anchor of “The Day” on Deutsche Welle News, based in Berlin, Germany. He’s a long way from his roots having grown up in rural North Carolina. Brent and I met at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and were next-door neighbors, too.

Twenty years later, we’re still tight. He joins me in this episode for a frank conversation about what it’s like living and working in Europe right now. German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently predicted seven out of 10 Germans would be infected with COVID-19.

On this Dying to Ask:

• Why Americans need to pay close attention to what’s happening in Europe

This episode is for anyone who has ever said: “I wish I could work from home.” Or, “if I just had a week at home where I never left the house.”

Well, here we are. Millions of Americans have been ordered to work remotely at home amid the COVID-19 outbreak. On the one hand, it’s great if you have kids who’ve been sent home from school. On the other hand, if you’ve never worked from home, it can feel a little overwhelming.

My sister, Siobhan Fitzpatrick, is back with tips on how to work at home successfully. Siobhan is a lawyer and mom of four girls, which led to her being known at The Law Mother. She’s done legal work from home for the last 10 years. And, she writes the popular mom blog, The Law Mom.

You may have heard her recent episode about her viral article about why most of our stuff is worthless and why we should get rid of everything. Well, hopefully, you didn’t take your old desk to Goodwill, because you may need it to set up a home office.

From how to structure your day to why it’s worth getting dressed and doing your hair, learn tricks to stay productive while you’re out of the office. And, find out how to communicate effectively with your boss while you’re not seeing each other on a daily basis. Don’t have a job that translates easily to working remotely? She even has some tips on that.