Equal Parts

We all want our kids to have a healthy relationship with technology. But sometimes our most well-intentioned efforts, like limiting screen time, don’t work. So what are the most effective ways to put our kids on the right digital path? Richard Culatta has plenty of ideas. Richard is the CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a nonprofit that serves education leaders in more than 100 countries across the globe, and was appointed by President Obama as the Director of the Office of Educational Technology for the US Department of Education. “Technology is like a hammer,” he says. “You can use it to build great things or to smash things apart.” Richard joins us to share ideas from his new book, Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World, on how to encourage kids to unleash their creativity, learn new skills, and use tech for good. He shares actionable steps parents and children can take to create healthy digital cultures in our families, practice good digital citizenship, and make our online – and physical – world a better place.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-The problem with the concept of “screen time” and why we need to realize that not all screen time is created equal

-Common mistakes parents make when teaching kids responsible tech use, and steps you can take to correct them (Pro tip: Relax...don’t beat yourself up over it!)

-The “digital dysfunctions” threatening kids and society, and how we can prepare kids now to combat them

-Why you should involve your kids in drafting a family “device use agreement”

-Why giving kids a list of online don’ts only reinforces negative behaviors more

-Practical strategies to help kids stay alert and ensure that sure their privacy, identities, and personal data are being protected (Ask, “How is this app or website being paid for?”)

-Why it’s imperative that we take responsible digital citizenship seriously, and the risks we face if we don’t

For more information, visit innovativelearning.com.

Each year, millions of students across the U.S. apply to colleges and universities. It’s a stressful and exciting process. But this year, due to the pandemic, the college admissions process looks and feels different than in years past. As high school juniors and seniors start to plan for and apply to schools, there are two big questions on the minds of students and parents: what are college admissions officers looking for in this new reality, and how do we increase the chances of getting into (and paying for) college? Vinay Bhaskara has your family covered. He's the co-founder of CollegeVine, an online platform that offers free and personalized college guidance to high schoolers and their parents. Vinay explains the biggest changes to the college admissions process since the pandemic, and he shares valuable tips, strategies, and resources for students and parents on everything from securing the biggest financial aid package to writing the perfect stand-out essay.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-Whether or not standardized tests like the SAT and ACT matter anymore to college admissions officers

-The right time for students to start looking at colleges, and how to guide them in figuring out what they want and don’t want in a school

-Dos and don’ts for essay writing in light of major events like the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement

-How to have transparent conversations with your kids about what your family can and can’t afford when it comes to college

-The “myth” of scholarships and financial aid (yes, you should still apply, but most financial aid comes from universities themselves!)

-Where families can go to find free information and tools to navigate the college selection and admissions process

For more information, visit https://www.collegevine.com/

Most workers have caregiving responsibilities. And, for the majority of us, these responsibilities can interfere with our performance at work. But half of companies are (still!) in the dark about it. They never ask about nor track how caregiving affects their workforce and their business. Amy Henderson is shedding much-needed light on this problem. She’s the CEO and co-founder of TendLab, an organization that’s working to create a better future for working parents and caregivers, and the author of Tending: Parenthood and the Future of Work. Amy shares insights from The Leaders' Guide to Creating a Culture of Care, which TendLab developed in partnership with TIME’S UP. She offers advice and actionable steps business leaders, managers, and employees can take to create a workplace culture that supports and celebrates caregiving.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-Critical issues employers need to consider regarding caregiving as we enter the post-pandemic future of work

-How and why caring cultures are a competitive business advantage (and what’s at stake for those that don’t have them)

-How to bust the working parent stigma (including the one in your own head!)

-Advice for business leaders and managers on how to hold themselves – and the business – accountable for building trust with and supporting caregiving employees

-Why a continuous feedback loop of tracking, asking, and engaging employees about caregiving helps employers build strong caregiving cultures

-The important distinction between simply offering care benefits and socializing them across the organization

For more information, visit www.amyhenderson.org and www.tendlab.com.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you had a coach you could turn to for advice and guidance on how to be a more confident, capable, and in-control working parent? Good news, she exists! Daisy Dowling is a leading executive coach, mom of two, and author of the new book, Workparent: The Complete Guide to Succeeding on the Job, Staying True to Yourself, and Raising Happy Kids. It’s a comprehensive resource packed with practical tips and techniques on how to take better care of yourself, your family, and your career. Daisy joins us to share the one thing that all happy and confident workparents have in common: the right mindset. She lets us in on how to achieve it, and she shares practical (and life-changing!) advice on everything from confronting mom guilt, to finding great childcare, to setting up flexible work arrangements, to being more deliberate about setting aside time for your family – and yourself.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-Why you shouldn’t beat yourself up over feelings of guilt as a working parent (and strategies to overcome it)

-Simple, practical tips to get a better handle on your busy days, prioritize what’s most important, and manage your time effectively

-Techniques for being more intentional about taking the time you need to rest, recalibrate, and recharge

-How to be more strategic and thoughtful about finding the child care arrangement that meets your and your family’s needs

-Why “flexibility” at work is not one-size-fits-all, and how to get creative about finding the flexibility model that fits your specific work/life situation

-How employers have a big role to play in defining the success of the parents in their workforce, and what they can do to create more workparent-friendly cultures

For more information, visit https://www.workparent.com/book

One thing is certain about the future of work: it’s flexible. Whether your company is planning for in-person, fully-remote, or a hybrid model, you probably have lots of questions about what it means for your career, your health, and your family. HR leaders are at the vanguard of shaping the transformation of the post-pandemic workplace. Leaders like Melanie Foley, Executive Vice President and Chief Talent and Enterprise Services Officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. “Your company should want to put your people first,” she says. “And not just the part of the person who does tasks for you, but the whole person.” Melanie joins us to talk about what the new normal of flexibility will mean for employees and for businesses and how culture, leadership, and values will evolve in lockstep. She also shares what benefits employers plan to offer in the months ahead to support employees and their families and why embracing flexibility is key to attracting and retaining top talent.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-New benefits and policies that HR leaders are introducing, including expanded care benefits, telemedicine and virtual health care, financial planning resources, and more

-Ways that employers are de-stigmatizing employee mental health and wellness issues and offering support

-Advice for reducing employee burnout and stress (no more working lunches!)

-Why celebrating inclusivity and encompassing a broad spectrum of diversity and representation across many groups is a competitive business advantage

-How to stay connected and listen to employees to maintain a thriving culture in a virtual work environment

Here’s the amazing thing about Gen Z: this generation doesn’t just talk about social change. They make it. When college students Pilar McDonald and Lola McAllister saw that millions of working mothers were being forced out of the workforce because of a lack of childcare during the Covid-19 pandemic, they – like so many of us – were appalled. Sitting back and doing nothing wasn't an option. So, they got to work. Pilar and Lola are the co-founders of Project Matriarchs, an all-virtual tutoring, mentoring, child care service on a mission to create gender equity at home and at work. Project Matriarchs matches college and graduate student tutors with families based on their specific needs, giving mothers time – even if it’s just for one precious hour a day – to do the work and activities they want to do. Hear from two inspiring young women on the front lines advocating for gender equality and a more just future of work, family, and care.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-The inspiration and mission behind Project Matriarchs, and the incredible bond kids and college students are forming across the nation

-What Gen Z values (and expects) when it comes to the culture, benefits, and policies of their future employers

-What Gen Z won’t tolerate from employers (sorry, companies, but “value signalling” won’t cut it!)

-Why family-friendly, inclusive, and gender-neutral employee benefits are key to attracting and retaining the next generation of workers

-Information on The Pledge, an advocacy initiative by Project Matriarchs that seeks to gain consensus from Gen Z regarding gender equity at work

-How you can get involved with and support Project Matriarchs and The Pledge

For more information, visit https://www.projectmatriarchs.com/

Why is change so hard? Whether it’s exercising more, eating healthier, saving more money, or making a big career move, often our most well-intentioned efforts to achieve our goals fall flat. But it doesn’t have to be this way. First, we need to recognize that change is not one-size-fits all. Then, tailor our strategy and behaviors to get to where we want to be. That’s according to Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist and professor at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and host of Charles Schwab’s Choiceology podcast. Katy joins us to talk about her new book, How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. We discuss the common forces that hold us back from achieving our goals (like laziness, procrastination, and lack of confidence) and the science-backed – and fun! – tricks and tips to overcome them. Katy shares simple strategies to get your head in the game and finally make the changes you want in life – for good.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-How an experiment with Google employees led to the surprising discovery that building too much rigidity into our routines is the enemy of good habits (flexibility is key!)

-How to use “temptation bundling” to coax yourself into making change feel easier

-Ideas for building specific cues and triggers into your day to help you overcome the “flake out” problem

-The power of the “fresh start effect” and how to harness it to make positive change

-Techniques for turning laziness and procrastination into assets that will help you meet your goals

-Why giving solicited advice, rather than receiving it, can be the ultimate confidence booster

-How a post-Covid world presents a rare collective opportunity to change for the better

For more information, visit https://www.katymilkman.com/

Kids today face a ton of challenges. A global pandemic. Skyrocketing rates of depression and anxiety. Extraordinary pressure to excel at school and in sports. The list goes on and on. It’s why internationally-renowned educational psychologist Dr. Michele Borba says she’s never been more concerned about this generation of kids. She’s also never been more optimistic. That’s because the skills kids need to be resilient aren’t locked into their DNA; they can be taught by parents and educators. Best of all, kids are never too old, or too young, to learn how. That’s what Dr. Borba’s newest book, Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine, is all about. She’s back with us to explain exactly what a “thriver” is: what special skills do they possess, and what makes them so resilient? Dr. Borba shares simple, practical, science-backed ways parents and educators can teach these skills to children of all ages today – so that they can handle the challenges of tomorrow.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-Seven character strengths you can teach kids to help them thrive in any situation

-How strengths like perseverance, curiosity, and optimism increase a child’s resilience, strengthen their mental health, and boost their academic performance (particularly important as they re-enter the classroom)

-Ideas for encouraging kids to find their go-to hobby (sorry, social media and video games don’t count!)

-Why a child’s self-confidence is the crucial building block to resiliency

-Easy activities you can do with children at any age to increase their emotional intelligence and build their empathy muscle

-What girls versus boys need in order to thrive, and why we need to “talk feelings” more often with boys

-Why it’s always better to celebrate progress rather than getting the A (the importance of teaching a growth mindset)

For more information, visit https://www.micheleborba.com/.

The pandemic has exposed what’s most important for us to be happy, productive, and successful – at home and at work. It has also revealed how blurry the lines are between the two, and how important it is for workers to advocate for change. As we start to return to the office, even for just a few days a week, most companies (98% of them according to new Care.com research) plan to introduce new policies and benefits structured around what employees need most to be successful now and in the hybrid workplace soon to come. Danielle McMahan is at the forefront of this transformation. As Chief People Officer at Wiley, a global leader in research and education, she and her team are on a mission to make employee benefits more relevant, accessible, tech-enabled, and family-friendly. Danielle joins us to talk about the future of benefits, how employees can make their voices and ideas heard in the new home/office work environment, and why HR leaders must listen to and learn from them to change the future of work.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-The must-have benefits HR leaders say employees need (including care, expanded mental health and wellness support, and flexibility on when and where work gets done)

-Tools, policies, and processes to help combat workplace burnout and stress

-What employers can do to support women in the workforce and promote them into senior leadership roles

-Why companies that ignore diversity, equality, and inclusion risk attracting and retaining “highly mission driven and values-based” Millennial and Gen Z workers

-Why HR leaders need to build “consumer-centric” workplace experiences for employees that mirror the experiences they have in their personal lives

-Advice for employees and HR leaders alike on how to speak up, listen and learn from one another, and create organizational change

There are more than 50 million unpaid family caregivers in America. Too often, their work – and the physical, emotional, and financial toll it takes – goes unseen and unheard. At 42 years old, Kate Washington never expected to be one of them. But when her husband was diagnosed with a rare form of T-cell lymphoma, she became his primary caregiver. A journalist and writer by trade, Kate wrote about her emotional journey as a caregiver, wife, and mother of two young girls in a revealing new book, Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America. Kate joins us to share her story and give advice to the millions of people who are in the shadows caring for a spouse, parent, or adult loved one while also doing the best they can to care for their families and themselves.

Listen to this episode to learn:

-Where family caregivers can find outlets to cope with burnout and feelings of worry, stress, exhaustion, anger, and anxiety

-The importance of therapy, support groups, and relying on the help of friends and loved ones

-How a caregiver’s life and identity can too easily become erased, and tips to regain your sense of self

-Advice for parents who are starting their own family caregiving journey

-Why national policies like paid family and medical leave and tax credits are critical to giving family caregivers the help and support they need

For more information, visit https://www.kawashington.com/ and read Kate’s New York Times Op-Ed, 50 Million Americans Are Unpaid Caregivers. We Need Help