Future Smart Parent

Today I spoke with Melanie Williams, who is a psychometrist and careers expert. She used to teach high school English and Life Orientation and now works with high school students on looking beyond high school and preparing for life in the real world.

In this episode, we discuss: 

• The benefits of school leavers taking a gap year
• Is a gap year for everyone?
• Who should take a gap year? 
  
  

Melanie is the author of The Good Gap Year Guide and she breaks down what makes a successful gap year, and how both young adults and their parents can approach it.

A structured gap year can boost young people’s confidence. It can help them clarify their interests, get a taste the real world and realise that there is a place for them where they can flourish.

Melanie highlights 6 seminal aspects of a good gap year and we discuss them in more detail in this episode.

Connect with Melanie:

Email: [email protected]
More from Melanie: https://www.optimyze.co.za

Purchase The Good Gap Year Guide here

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In this episode, I chatted with Christy Herselman from The Chat. We spoke about the changing gender landscape, and what this means for both our children, and for us parents as we all try to navigate and understand this phenomenon that's unfolding so quickly. 

We spoke about the massive rise in transgender and nonbinary teens, and touched on how the world got here.

I think what I loved the most from this conversation is the way Christy helps us parents think about this topic. She doesn’t come in with all the answers, but rather helps us understand this changing landscape, acknowledging the many complexities on this subject. This conversation was another reminder to me as a parent of the fundamental job we have to just love our children, provide them with the safe space that they need, and to have these sorts of conversations with them.

Christy is a speaker, teacher, researcher, author, wife, and mom to 3 kids with a passion to help cultivate deep connections, facilitate healthy dialogue helping raise a generation who are secure in who they are and where they are going.

8 years ago Christy founded a movement called The Chat. The heart of THE CHAT is to empower parents, organizations and communities to confidently dialogue around big topics like sexuality, digital healthy and social media in a natural, open manner that creates safe spaces for ongoing conversations. 

She also equips tweens and teens to make healthy, future-focused decisions around their sexuality and identity and does workshops at schools, helping children and teens become healthy, wise digital users.

Resources mentioned during the conversation: 

• Upcoming Zoom for parents with Christy on Sex & Gender: Understanding the Conversation. 24th November. 
• 5-Part Video Series for schools: The Gender Project: A 5 Part Video Series for schools, to help orientate and prepare South African teens for the Gender Conversation.
• Book: Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier
• Book: Untangled - Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour
• Book: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable and Compassionate Adolescents by Lisa Damour
• Podcast: Ask Lisa - The Psychology of Parenting. [Podcast] 

To connect with Christy from The Chat:
 
Website: www.thechat.co.za
Email: [email protected]
Facebook:  thechatdurban

Stay in touch with the Future Smart Parent team:

Website: www.futuresmartparent.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: /futuresmartparent
Instagram: @futuresmartparent

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Episode Summary:

Today I spoke with Dr Beulah van der Westhuizen, who is a specialist in neuro-development, education and the founder of EduExcellence. 

In this episode, we discussed the education system, and where traditional schooling stems from and how it functions. The institutionalisation of schooling first appeared during the Industrial Revolution, when children needed to be somewhere while their parents were working in factories. School became a place to train children for their future working in factories, following rules and training their minds and bodies to a 9-5 structure.

We discussed how this traditional model doesn’t apply to 21st century children. Our world has changed! We’re in a new era of technology, and of information, an era that is constantly evolving. And so shouldn’t schooling and education should evolve too? 

Mainstream school didn’t work for either of my children, but it was only during COVID that we took the opportunity to move away from traditional school. 

Something interesting that came up in my discussion with Dr. Beulah is that we have to treat each child as an individual and try to find the form and structure of learning that stimulates and encourages them as individuals. Some children shine in mainstream school – enjoying sports, competition and community. But not every child will thrive in such an environment. 

We also talked about neurodiversity. There are different types of intelligence, different ways of taking in and processing information, and different sensory processes. If we can understand our kids and their diversity, we can nurture their neuro-processing and allow them to come out of their shells. There is no “one-size fits all” approach when it comes to schooling. 

Enjoy listening to our conversation, which challenges our ideas around education and offers alternative approaches we have for educating our children. Let’s learn how to bring out the best in each of our children! 

Connect with Dr. Beulah:

EduExcellence Website: https://www.eduexcellence.co.za/home 

Find out more about EduExcellence’s Eduation Offering: https://www.eduexcellence.co.za 

Dr. Beulah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-beulah-van-der-westhuizen-professional 

Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network.

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In today’s episode I spoke with Naomi Holdt, who is an educational psychologist, speaker, author and a mom. We spoke about many different things regarding EQ, including what it really means to develop emotional intelligence in our kids, the importance of EQ over IQ and how to truly value our children’s emotions.

Emotions are so important in our lives! They inform so much about who we are and how we interact with others. And so it’s vitally important that we, as parents, are actively engaging with our children with care and empathy, teaching them how to process their emotions, allowing them to really feel their emotions and equipping them with the tools to handle them.

If we teach our children to identify and understand their big feelings, especially while they are young, we are undoubtedly equipping them to be intelligent, thoughtful and empathetic adults. And the world needs more adults like that!

Naomi and I chat through all things EQ, big feelings and how to help our kids through it all.

Connect with Naomi:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naomiholdtspeaker
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naomiholdtspeaker/
Website: https://www.naomiholdt.com/

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In today’s episode, I talked with my colleagues, and fathers themselves, Buhle Dlamini, global speaker and expert on why Diversity and Inclusion are essential in business, and Graeme Codrington, an expert on the Future of Work and author of the book “Future Proof Your Child”

For this episode, we turned the focus away from business and onto our children. We discussed the importance of diversity and inclusion in schools and our education system.

Learning about diversity, and having it visibly represented in our schools is extremely important, especially for white children where previous generations have been the perpetrators of racism, colonialism and discrimination against People of Colour.

We discuss the fact that racism is a system that is still operational, despite the fact that we are living 30 years post-apartheid. And in understanding this key fact we hope to engage in conversations with parents about the damaging effects of racism and how we might attempt to solve these problems for our children, and for the future of our country.

While this is a difficult discussion, it is absolutely one that we need to be having. Diversity is at the root of resilience, empathy and innovation and should be an ideal that we are pushing for.

Let us stay committed to this ideal, and work every day towards antiracism and inclusion on all levels.

Connect with Buhle:
Websites: https://tomorrowtodayglobal.com  or  www.buhledlamini.com
Email: [email protected]

Connect with Graeme:
Website: https://tomorrowtodayglobal.com  or www.graemecodrington.com
Email: [email protected]

Graeme’s book “Future Proof Your Child”

• Available on Takealot
• Available on Amazon

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In this episode, I speak with Donna McCallum, aka the Fairy Godmother, who teaches us about money and magic, and how as parents, perhaps we have some mindsets to shift that we haven't realised yet!

Donna is running a workshop on March 17th with Meike Lovemore, called MoneyWise Kids, which will walk parents through good money habits that they can teach their children, including practical tools to implement immediately so that your kids are delighted to learn about money. 

We also spoke about how Donna’s focus, as the Fairy Godmother, is to teach people modern day practical techniques to help you create your best life! If you feel like money and finances are tricky topics to deal with as adults, imagine how overwhelming it must seem to our kids. 

In my conversation with Donna we discussed many ways we can overcome this challenge as parents wanting to be innovative and future-smart. And for those who want the extra guidance, Donna has a Money Magic Program, which is a 9-week long program, that equips you with tools to be financially confident, secure, and ensure financial freedom. So don’t miss out! 

Money is not an easy topic, but in this episode we’ve discussed many different ways to make money something that works for you, rather than against you. 

Connect with Donna:

Email for more: [email protected] 

Details about the MoneyWise Workshop and to Book >>

https://bit.ly/MoneyWiseKidsWorkshop

 Fairy Godmother Website >>   

https://www.fairygodmotherinc.com/

 Details about Donna's 9 Week Money Magic Program >>

https://moneymagicprogram.com

 For more on Money Magic >>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdMNnYWUfWc 

Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. 

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Episode Summary: 

We talk about reframing entrepreneurship and the skills that are most valuable to instill in our children. Some of these skills include self-awareness, confidence, resilience, learning that it’s okay to fail (something some parents could also learn!) as well as, innovation, independence, and critical problem-solving! Without these ‘soft’ skills it becomes almost impossible for us to empower our children to become successful entrepreneurs. 

We need to break away from the conventional mold that has been built, despite how easy it is to slip into. Although our education system is flawed, parents need to understand that the way the system has been set up is not the only way, nor is it the best way, for our children to be set up for success. 

The world of business and the world of work has shifted dramatically, and unfortunately, the schooling system in South Africa has not seen that same shift. But as parents, we have the opportunity to push the boundaries for our children, to open new doors for them, and to help them build the self-confidence and capabilities to thrive and succeed in this new socio-economic climate. 

Be bold enough to allow your children to break out of conventional norms and push boundaries. There are so many pathways and avenues that lead to success that children no longer need to follow ‘traditional routes’. So be brave, be bold! 

Connect with Danie Jacobs and Young Entrepreneurs:

Website: https://www.younge.online 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YEEntrepreneurs 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/yeyoungentrepreneurs/ 

Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. 

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Discover a way of learning, backed by science and research, that is learner-centred and focuses on self-determined, purpose-inspired and personal learning.

In this episode I speak with Bryan Gibson, who is the Research and Design Lead for the learning innovation elements at Learnlife.

Learnlife is leading the education revolution aiming to empower learners, educators, and governments worldwide to take on a fresh approach to learning. Today we chatted about what learning can look like in the modern world. Innovation in learning takes us away from the need for standardized testing, and formal learning settings that haven’t changed much since we, parents, were in school. Rather their approach is to bring in adventure, discovery and curiosity into a new way of learning. 

Enjoy this episode where Bryan highlights how Learnlife is continually pushing the boundaries of what education and learning can be. Learnlife envisions collaborative learning communities that will become the problem-solving champions in a world where agility, creativity, and innovation will be needed to solve future challenges. 

Hopefully this episode will leave you inspired to keep learning, keep being curious and seeking out knowledge - no matter how old you are. 

Connect with Bryan and Learnlife:

Website: http://www.learnlife.com/team

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearelearnlife

Email: [email protected] or [email protected] 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearelearnlife/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/learnlife 

Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. 

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In this episode I spoke with Paul Bushell, who is a psychologist, author and regular commentator on meaningful living, as well as parenting and career development in a constantly changing world. He has written a book called Raising Kids which was brilliant! And his new book Raising Mindful Kids focuses on mindfulness practices that you can bring into your family’s connection time. 

We also speak about how it’s important to be patient and non-judgemental in your mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is precisely that: a practice you have to teach yourself and your kids. It doesn’t happen overnight and you won’t always get it right. But if you are intentional about taking a breath, focusing on meaningful connections with your kids, and taking moments to just be in the here and now, you’ll see how incredibly rewarding it can be.

Connect with Paul:

Website: https://www.bushell.co.za/

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulbushellwellness/ 

Order Paul’s new book - #raisingMINDFULkids

https://www.bushell.co.za/product/raisingmindfulkids-book/

Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. 

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Jude Foulston is joined by Josh Ramsay from Be in Touch  - a digital wellness consultancy and they discuss how families, parents, teachers, and schools can improve their digital interaction and capitalize on the limitless potential of the online world in a safe and productive manner using principles and tools to improve our digital life together. 

Josh highlights some common and obvious problems where parents hand over devices without limit causing detrimental long-term harm to our kids ever-changing futures. 

He clearly and honestly highlights the need for parental controls on our digital lives. 
 
The discussion advises that parental controls start with building a positive and open relationship around digital control and developing a family digital alliance as well as setting education and entertainment goals to every app or software used. 

Jude and Josh insightfully define 3 areas software or tools can reduce harm namely: 

• Monitoring content 
• Managing screen time 
• Filter content and websites 

Maintaining curiosity through the parent/child relationship asking better questions, listening intently and putting kids in the driving seats of their own digital lives.

This episode is brought to you by Bark. The Best Comprehensive Parental Control Tool for Families now available in South Africa. Try Bark for free here.

Thank you for listening and we look forward to your engagement. Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, please would you consider leaving a review and sharing with your network.  

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