So excited to welcome Gavin Lodge- one of my new co-hosts here on On it Together! Gavin and I had the pleasure of chatting with Kitty Stalsburg, the Executive Director at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc and Katie Czap, a community member, wildlife conservationist, and mother to two children who ride at High Hopes.

If you've ever wanted to know about therapeutic riding and why horses might be a positive fit for people of all ages- check it out!

Our Guest- Kaitlin Brown- is a wealth of information about youth gaming, gambling, and potential problems and addictions. She's a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Director of Programs and Services for the CT Council on Problem Gambling.

If you want to learn a little more about gaming and gambling and how parents and adults can develop positive strategies for healthy youth development- this episode is for you!

What a great conversation with Betsy Groth, APRN/pediatric mental health and Arianna DelMastro, LOLHS graduate and Wheaton student. These two amazing guests helped unpack resiliency for children of all ages….as well as resiliency for adults. How do we help raise our families to embrace grit, empathy, authenticity, and their ability to cope and self soothe in an environment of adversity? Truly a stepping stone in prevention.

Guests Marisa Giarnella-Porco from the Jordan Porco Foundation (www.rememberingjordan.org) and Brynn McGlinchey, a L/OL graduate and entering college junior, joined Margot and I to talk about transitioning from High School into College. We chatted about mental health, suicide prevention, supporting yourself/others, and how to support your child during this exciting and challenging time. Enjoy!

If you have a student entering Kindergarten at Mile Creek or Lyme School- this episode is for you! Kelly Enoch and Jim Cavalieri joined me in a great episode about what to expect next year for your child and how you can support them this summer.

This episode features a great conversation between John Daviau, Prevention Consultant and Expert and Martha Shoemaker, parent, retired educator and Co-Chair of our Local Prevention Coalition. Margot and I joined them to talk about marijuana, our youth, legalization in CT, and the impact on families and community.

So excited to release this new Pod from LYSB and the Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition! A place to hear from youth and professional speakers about all things related to parenting, being a kid, and all things in between. Join us!

Victoria Adams joined us for a great conversation about vaping and its impact on youth today.

I was excited to chat with our High School and Middle School Assistant Principals and two High School Students about the impact of social media on L/OL youth. Take a listen!