I’m talking with Lily Bloomberg, founder of Peace from Within, anxiety coach, and school psychologist about Intrusive Thoughts. If you don’t know what intrusive thoughts are, pay attention. If you have struggled with intrusive thoughts as a side effect of your anxiety/OCD/ADHD, listen up. This is a transformative conversation and will hopefully be very liberating for lots of people.

I am talking with Mr. Lloyd Brown about Bipolar Disorder. He is the founder of 2Polarities, a non-profit that offers opportunities and empowerment to those struggling with bipolar or other mental health disorders. Mr. Brown is a former special education teacher and has struggled with his own bipolar diagnosis so he created a community that would help hold accountable and empower others like him.

Melissa Gallagher gave a phenomenal TED Talk last year about the creation of Emotion Monsters, her invention to help her children discuss big emotions. In this episode we talk about what some of those Big Emotions are, how to discuss them, and how to process them with your child. I hope you find it as fun and helpful as I did!

Brian Stefan is the founder of We Can Talk About Suicide. He's a therapist, consultant, trainer, and social worker specializing in suicide, suicide bereavement, and crisis counseling. He also was once an intelligence officer with the US Department of Defense and an intelligence analyst with the FBI and is a member of the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center - the very first “suicide hotline” in the US. We discuss what you should do if you or someone you love is contemplating suicide.

We are discussing emotion centers of the brain with Killian Kleffner, a neuroscience researcher and all around fantastic human. In this episode we geek out on all the different parts of the brain, their functions, and how their functions apply to your everyday life. I truly found this conversation fascinating and enlightening. I hope you understand you, and your child’s, brain a little better after listening to this.

Psychosomatic Response when our bodies show physical symptoms as the result of a mental health cause. Dr. Swathi Krishna is a Pediatric Psychiatrist on staff at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In this episode she shares physical symptoms your child may be exhibiting that may be linked to mental struggles. This is a wealth of information for understanding how kids process and manage stress.

PANDAS: Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome - Dr. Eric Fier is a pediatric psychiatrist and he specializes in the link between infections like strep and the sudden onset of disorders such as OCD, and he has for nearly his entire career. This is a syndrome that is often misdiagnosed and even more often misunderstood. Dr. Fier perfectly explains it and gives parents the tools they need to identify and treat it. This may be the most essential episode to share with others this entire season.

Ashely Lingerfelt is a child and perinatal therapist who specializes in working with kids ages 0-6 and new and expecting parents. In this episode she shares so much information about how to best support our child’s mental health during those pivotal first three years. I found her relatable, helpful, and fascinating. 

Rachael & Cyla Hoffman are the cutest mother/daughter duo on the planet and co-hosts of a podcast everyone needs to subscribe to RIGHT NOW, She Sounds Like Me. They cover a variety of topics together and their relatable, lovable personalities will suck you in! They were the perfect fit for an idea I’ve had since the start of The Kid Factory, which is to ask a kid and a mom a few questions to gain insight on each of their perspectives. 

Jared Yates-Sexton is an author, professor, political analyst, and all around brilliant and important human. His book “The Man they Wanted me to Be: Toxic Masculinity and a Crisis of Our Own Making” is the book we all need to read… and you shouldn’t judge it until you read it. This topic is steeped in controversy but I don’t think it should be. Our boys, and our men, need us in a way they aren’t given the tools to explain. I’m so grateful for Jared’s willingness and transparency on this topic.