Frances Fishman sits down with Laura Waldorf Reiss, founder of Kindness Matters, to explore how kindness, emotional awareness, and nervous system regulation can reshape the way we parent, lead, and live. Laura shares how Kindness Matters began, how the programming evolved, and why the work must be consistent and repeated to create lasting impact.

This episode is an invitation to see emotions as signals, build tools for regulation, and practice kindness intentionally, toward ourselves and others.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Kindness Matters was born
  
  
  
• Why the nervous system is at the center of behavior and connection
  
  
  
• Naming emotions and choosing tools like reframing, grounding, and communication
  
  
  
• Why children respond so powerfully to emotional education
  
  
  
• The ripple effect of kindness and the impact we cannot always see
  
  
  
• Partnering with others to expand a mission beyond one person
  
  
  

Find Kindness Matters:

Kindness Matters 365 dot org (KM365 dot org)

Note: Any event dates mentioned in the episode reflect what was said during the recording.

Connect with Laura Waldorf Reiss & Kindness Matters 

🌐 Website: https://kindnessmatters365.org/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindnessmatters365/?hl=en

OR https://www.instagram.com/laurawaldorfreiss/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kindnessmatters365org/

Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase

In Part 2 of Frances’ conversation with Jayme Teplin—former Clinical Director at The Play Base Toronto—this episode goes deeper into Jayme’s clinical journey and what shaped her into the kind of practitioner families and teams feel safe with: compassionate, flexible, and fiercely human-first.

While ABA is still widely associated with “autism treatment” and table-based programs, Jayme shares how her path expanded far beyond that traditional lane—into adult services, dual diagnosis, addiction, mental health, justice-involved populations, brain injury, and complex systems work. And the twist? That expansion began as an accidental job transition… the kind that would make most clinicians panic—yet it became the experience that “blew open” what ABA could truly be when it’s practiced as a science of behavior for humans, not a rigid protocol.

Frances and Jayme unpack what so many clinicians quietly carry: the guilt and discomfort of early training that didn’t always feel right—and the hope that there is a better way. They talk candidly about rapport as the foundation of change, why consent and autonomy matter, what “non-contingent reinforcement” looks like with adults, and how a truly skilled clinician is defined by their soft skills as much as their credentials.

This episode is for BCBAs, RBTs, educators, therapists, parents—anyone who wants to understand what compassionate behavior change can look like when we stop reducing people to diagnoses and start seeing the whole human.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why ABA’s reputation is still tied to old-school, table-based models—and why that’s incomplete
  
  
  
• How Jayme’s work expanded beyond autism into mental health, addiction, justice systems, and brain injury
  
  
  
• The story of the phone call that changed everything (“Surprise—you’re moving to adult complex needs… in 15 minutes.”)
  
  
  
• Why rapport isn’t a phase—it’s the foundation of all change
  
  
  
• What non-contingent reinforcement really means (and why it matters for trust)
  
  
  
• Reading the “small cues” before escalation (and why prevention beats crisis every time)
  
  
  
• The missing pieces in clinician training: attachment, trauma, neurodiversity, and practical competency
  
  
  
• The myth that autistic people lack empathy—and why Frances and Jayme strongly disagree
  
  
  
• The difference between being technically correct vs. being ethically aligned
  
  
  
• Why a credential isn’t the same as clinical wisdom (and what should change in training/testing)
  
  
  

Closing reflection:

Jayme leaves listeners with a powerful check-in for every clinician and helping professional:

“Does the way you’re doing ABA feel right in your heart—and do your clients respond to it?”

If either answer doesn’t sit right, she encourages deep reflection… and trusting your gut to realign.

Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase

In this heartfelt Part 1 conversation, Frances sits down with Jayme Teplin, Clinical Director of The Play Base Toronto, for a powerful episode that blends lived experience with professional insight.

Jayme shares her personal story of growing up neurodivergent in Toronto navigating early diagnoses, struggling in an under-resourced public school system, and eventually thriving thanks to a life-changing private school designed for neurodivergent learners. She opens up about what it meant to learn self-advocacy, understand her brain, and build the strategies that carried her through high school, college, a top-tier master’s program, and ultimately passing the BCBA exam on the first try.

This episode isn’t just about credentials. It’s about resilience, identity, and the deep healing that can come from turning pain into purpose, especially when you dedicate your life to supporting children, families, and systems in ways you once needed yourself.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Jayme’s early experience with diagnoses, labels, and feeling like a “misfit” in the school system
  
  
  
• The private school that helped her “love school again” and the sacrifices her family made to get her there
  
  
  
• Why learning how your brain works can change everything (even when you’re 12 and don’t want to hear it)
  
  
  
• How Jayme learned to self-advocate early: attending IEP meetings, booking accommodations, and owning her supports
  
  
  

Finding ABA “by accident” through a Section 23 classroom model (academics + ABA embedded in school)

In this powerful Play Base episode, Frances sits down with the one-and-only Alley Dezenhouse, founder of Magnificent Minds (MagMinds)—for a conversation that feels equal parts validating, visionary, and deeply human.

Frances shares how Alley’s voice helped her step out of imposter syndrome and into her own truth as a clinician and leader. From there, Alley takes us through her journey: starting in childcare roles, landing in “clinic-y” early ABA environments, and ultimately building MagMinds (founded in 2011) to deliver evidence-based support in spaces that feel like school, because kids deserve to be kids.

Together, they unpack what it looks like when science meets art, when data doesn’t equal meaning, and why the future of education depends on moving beyond compliance and toward trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, nervous-system-aware practice.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why Alley built a school because she hated school—and how that shaped her mission
  
  
  
• The difference between “good data” and real learning (and why some graphs can be misleading)
  
  
  
• The “science in the background, human in the foreground” approach to behavior change
  
  
  
• Why nervous system regulation should be foundational in education and therapy
  
  
  
• What ableism looks like in practice (including the harmful “indistinguishable from peers” mindset)
  
  
  
• How MagMinds trains staff with trauma-informed care + neurodiversity-affirming frameworks
  
  
  
• Why educator perceived competence matters more than checklists for sustainable behavior supports
  
  
  
• Allie’s prediction on where education is heading and why the pendulum may swing before it balances
  
  
  
• A closing reflection inspired by Viktor Frankl: the power that lives in the space between what happens and how we respond
  
  
  

Quote to sit with

“I can’t control what happens—but I can control what happens in the space where I process it.”

Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase

Connect with Allie

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magminds/?hl=en

💻 Website: https://www.magnificentminds.ca/

In this deeply heartfelt episode of The Play Base Podcast, Frances sits down with Rebecca Guez, someone who entered her life at exactly the right moment and quickly became a grounding guide and trusted support.

Rebecca shares how she began as a conscious parenting coach after realizing she didn’t want to yell, punish, or parent on autopilot but also discovered that tools alone aren’t enough when we’re triggered and can’t access them. From there, her work evolved into a powerful, intuitive blend of conscious parenting, emotional healing, nervous system awareness, meditation, energetic protection, and deeper “why am I wired this way?” exploration.

Together, Frances and Rebecca talk about:

• Why triggers are invitations to heal what’s happening within us
  
  
  
• How sensitive and empathic children often “feel” what adults try to hide
  
  
  
• The difference between being sensitive vs. being empathic (and how to tell)
  
  
  
• Why language matters (“I feel anxious” vs. “I am anxious”)
  
  
  
• Parenting as the ultimate mirror: the messy, magical work of repair, growth, and self-trust
  
  
  

They close with a powerful reminder: life isn’t happening to you—you have more power than you think, and staying committed to your inner work is one of the bravest things you can do.

Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase

Connect with Rebecca Guez

🌐 Website: https://rebeccaguez.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaguez

🎙️ Rebecca’s Podcast: https://rebeccaguez.com/podcast/

In this episode of The Play Base, host Frances Fishman is joined in person by Nicole Pekerman, founder of Health Collective and known by many as the “peptide princess.” Together, they dive into what it really takes to create lasting change, from the stories we repeat in our minds to the systems we build in our daily lives.

They discuss:

• Why willpower isn’t the problem and how habit design and systems create sustainable change
  
  
  
• The power of rewriting your internal narrative (and how repetition shapes identity)
  
  
  
• Using gratitude and self-talk to shift mindset, confidence, and behavior over time
  
  
  
• How stress, cortisol, and nervous system dysregulation impact health, sleep, and weight
  
  
  
• Why medications/peptides can be a tool in the toolkit, not a standalone solution
  
  
  
• Practical strategies like tracking, creating friction, and breaking behavior chains
  
  
  

A motivating, heart-centered conversation about health, parenting, nervous system support, and building a blueprint for the life you want starting from the inside out.

Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase

Connect with Nicole Pekerman

🌐 Website: https://healthcollective.us/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthcollective_usa/

https://www.instagram.com/nicolepekerman/

Listen to her on The Healthy Pod

In this episode of The Play Base, host Frances Fishman sits down with Dr. Tay (Dr. Taylor Day), a licensed psychologist, educator, and leading voice in neurodiversity-affirming care. Together, they explore how autism support must extend beyond the child to include the entire family system.

Dr. Tay shares her personal story as a sibling of an autistic individual, her journey from academia to clinical practice, and her passion for reshaping how we approach ABA, assessments, nervous systems, and autonomy. This conversation dives into sibling experiences, trauma within traditional models, PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), low-demand approaches, and why listening, truly listening, is the foundation of ethical, compassionate care.

A powerful episode for parents, clinicians, and educators who are ready to move beyond compliance and toward connection, understanding, and humanity.

Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase

Connect with Dr. Taylor Day

🌐 Website: https://drtaylorday.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.dr.tay/

In this episode of The Play Base with Frances, host Frances Fishman sits down with Anastasiya Boikova, a pediatric occupational therapist and MNRI Core Specialist (Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration). Frances shares how meeting Anastasyia in Florida introduced her to an entirely new approach, one that connected nervous system regulation, primitive reflexes, and developmental foundations in a way that immediately clicked.

Together, they discuss:

• What primitive reflexes are and why some children may have unintegrated reflexes beyond early childhood
  
  
  
• How reflex patterns can impact learning, regulation, sensory processing, anxiety, and motor coordination
  
  
  
• MNRI techniques, including gentle tactile input, deep pressure, and repetition to support nervous system organization
  
  
  
• The role of bonding/attachment as a reflex pattern and how parents can support it at home
  
  
  
• Why Anastasia is shifting her work toward parent empowerment and consistent home practice
  
  
  
• A bigger message: doing inner work, believing in potential, and supporting children through whole-body, whole-family care
  
  
  

An inspiring, eye-opening conversation for parents, educators, and clinicians looking to expand what’s possible in supporting regulation, development, and connection.

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Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase

Connect with Anastasia Boiko

🌐 Website: https://wholesometherapycenter.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholesome_therapy_center/

In this episode of The Play Base, host Frances Fishman is joined by Dr. Sharon Arbel, a clinical psychologist specializing in child development. Dr. Arbel shares insight into her practice, offers practical guidance for supporting children and families, and discusses her highly specialized programs designed to create meaningful, lasting change.

Frances and Dr. Arbel also give a sneak peek into an upcoming collaborative project, rooted in connection, growth, and empowering both children and the adults who support them.

This episode is ideal for parents, educators, and professionals looking to better understand child development, strengthen relationships, and create positive ripple effects through intentional support.

Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase

Connect with Dr. Sharon Arbel

🌐 Website: https://www.arbelassociates.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsharonarbel/

Connect with Empowering Educators Workshops

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweringeducatorsworkshops/

📧 Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Playdate with Frances, Frances welcomes Susana Castro -  office manager of The Play Base, yoga teacher, coach, and passionate advocate for neurodiversity. Susanna shares her journey from Venezuela to the U.S., her experience raising a neurodivergent child, and how understanding her own ADHD transformed both her personal and professional life.

Together, Frances and Susanna discuss:

• Susanna’s role at The Play Base and why holding space for parents is essential
  
  
  
• Her “divorce” from traditional ABA and why she returned through a trauma-informed lens
  
  
  
• The importance of nervous system awareness in supporting children and families
  
  
  
• What it truly means to embrace neurodiversity without trying to “fix” anyone
  
  
  
• Empowering parents through coaching rather than “training”
  
  
  

This episode is a heartfelt and insightful conversation for parents, educators, and anyone seeking a more compassionate, nervous-system-informed approach to supporting neurodivergent children.

Connect with The Play Base

🌐 Website: www.us.theplaybase.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplaybase/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theplaybase