Talking About Kids

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The benefits of preparing and sharing homecooked meals with kids are many. Unfortunately, our schedules and other pressures often prevent us from doing it deliberately and more frequently. My guest this episode, Maegan Zelner, is the Chief Operating Officer of Raddish Kids, a company committed to bringing cooking and baking activities to all families. Maegan and I discuss her perspective on the benefits of shared cooking and baking experiences, the obstacles that prevent some families from enjoying these experiences, and her tips for overcoming those obstacles. More information about Maegan and Raddish Kids is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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This is the fourth and final summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids for 2026. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Jeff Kirchler. A link to information about Jeff's recommendation is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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This is the third summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Jessica Flowers. Links to information about Jessica and her recommendation are at talkingaboutkids.com.

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This is the second summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Tom Reardon. Links to information about Tom and his recommendation are at talkingaboutkids.com.

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This is the first summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids, and, for the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. The first recommendation comes from Mary Arredondo. A link to it is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Family photos can help build resilience in kids by connecting them with their heritages or reminding them of times when they felt competent, safe, and loved. In the digital age, we create more family photos than ever, but, ironically, we seem to be appreciating them less. My guest this episode, Megan O’Hare, teaches adults how to organize and keep their photos safe and how to convert them into formats that kids enjoy accessing and sharing. Megan and I discuss her tips for starting – what might seem to be – the herculean task of sorting digital photos and her professional insights on common mistakes and misconceptions about creating and storing photo archives. More information about Megan and her service, The Photo Project, is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Research shows that mentoring improves health, mental health, and other outcomes for mentees. But these outcomes can be compromised and even worsened when mentor relationships are brief, inconsistent, or inadequately supported. Jorie Das, my guest this episode, is the Executive Director of Friends LA. Like all Friends of the Children chapters, the mission of Friends LA is to provide every child involved in the child welfare system with a single, trained mentor for the entirety of their primary, middle, and high school years. How does Friends LA get mentors to make such a commitment? It pays them. Jorie and I discuss this model, its benefits, and the effect it is having in her region. More information about Jorie and Friends LA is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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It is Shawna Rosenzweig’s vision to bring the benefits of structured outdoor experiences to all kids. If she is seeing farther than some, it is because she stands on the shoulders of the benevolent 100-year-old giant that is Camp Fire. Shawna and I discuss how outdoor experiences boost self-efficacy and equality, Camp Fire’s pioneering legacy, the hallmarks of great outdoor programs, and how to bring those programs, or elements of them, to the kids in your life. More information about Shawna and Camp Fire is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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I have spent decades trying to help kids thrive. Unfortunately, the adversities children and youth face are varied and persistent, and the victories over them are few and far between. Consequently, when I encounter an intervention that dramatically improves the lives of kids efficiently and universally, I get excited because we all need a win sometimes. MiracleFeet provides technical and financial support to a network of local partners in 38 countries to provide best-in-class treatment of clubfoot. As you will hear from MiracleFeet’s CEO, Daphne Sorensen, the organization’s cost-effective approach has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids by removing the barrier to success that this painful and debilitating condition otherwise creates. More information about Daphne and MiracleFeet is at talkingaboutkids.com.

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Interest in executive functioning coaches for neurodivergent kids has grown considerably over the last five years, which is both exciting and worrisome. It is exciting because coaches promise to help students plan, organize, focus, and manage their emotions and tasks. It is worrisome because there are no degree, training, or licensing requirements to be an executive functioning coach. To help me parse this and to gain a better understanding of executive functioning coaches, how they work, and what to look for in a coach, I asked Norrine Russell to come on the podcast. Norrine has decades of experience in youth development, and her firm, Russell Coaching, has been working with neurodivergent students since well before the recent boom. More information about Norrine and Russell Coaching is at talkingaboutkids.com.