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  I’ve been reading a column in our local newspaper, The Spokesman Review for over a year now and I LOVE it. The column, The Full Suburban is created weekly by Julia Ditto. Every time I read I think, “I want to learn to write more like Julia!”  Her tone is conversational and her words are packed with accessible wisdom and so much wit. Finally I did the thing that might actually help me achieve this goal. I invited her on my podcast. I know. Brilliant!





















  
  












  I think you’ll really enjoy our conversation and be able to take away encouragement to pay more attention to what you might consider mundane. Life truly is in the details and the pen is in your hand (shout out to Natasha Bedingfield who opened today’s episode) please don’t leave your life unwritten! Julia mentioned this column as one of her favorites. Here are some others that came up:If mothers were in charge, would wars ever happen?Refocusing on family time in honor of Adam EnglandSelfless cowboy rancher comes with the territory 





















  
  
























  
  



  
    “Finding the funny is better than crying all the time.”
  
  — Julia Ditto




  There is so much more to learn from Julia and her column and I sincerely believe that the more you read what you aspire to write, the more you will be able to. I’m actually doing a follow-up deeper-dive interview with Julia for my membership, Live Your Story. If you’re not yet a member, you can get signed up here. You can read Julia’s bio on her about page!

Writing with Julia Ditto

This podcast is about being present. It is also about playful creativity and other things like curiosity and connection. I’m your host Stacy Julian. I am a life enthusiast, a storyteller and a believer! Helping people document life in doable ways is my jam. I love to talk about people, places, things and solutions and I want YOU to be a part of the conversation. I produce these episodes to inspire you to live life and tell your story—because you have exactly enough time!

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Educational Technology

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Self-Improvement

I love to learn and share about human flourishing and today on the podcast, I’m talking toys, creativity and the genius of play with my guest Anna Yudina, the Senior Director of Marketing Initiatives for The Toy Association. Anna is amazingly energetic, smart and generous and I know you’ll enjoy our conversation.





















  
  














































  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
                

            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  











  Listen to learn more about … The Toy Association, its history and role in researching and providing for the needs of manufacturers, retailers and consumers of toys and entertainment. How toys help meet the needs of trending demographics, like kidults and tweens/teens. An interaction I had with my 3 year old granddaughter, Audrey that illustrates the role of  imagination in healthy development. The Genius of Play, a robust initiative to promote the benefits of play for all people. 





















  
  














































  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
                

            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  





  I hope you’ll visit The Genius of Play and take advantage of the resources curated there. I know you'll walk away feeling more playful and better prepared to encourage and support playful activities that enhance emotional wellbeing. During our conversation Anna shared about the Emotional Wellness Playbook—but there is so much more, including a  YouTube channel and a NEW podcast, Once Upon a Playtime. You can also follow along on Instagram and explore their Pinterest boards. 





















  
  


































  
    
      
        

        

        

        
          
        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        
      
    
  













  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
                

            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  





  The stated Genius of Play mission is:  to provide families with the information and inspiration they need to make play an important part of their child’s day. Through our website and social media channels, parents can find facts, useful tips and expert advice on how toys and play can help kids build confidence, creativity, critical thinking and other skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Plus, you can get ideas on how to keep playtime fun and fresh!





















  
  






  

The Genius of Play


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
                

            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  





  I sat down recently with Jon Ogden, one of the founders at Uplift Kids to talk about the impressive and very helpful resource they’ve created to help parents teach their children values. Our children are growing up with access to global influences—for good and evil—and they are witnessing much division and contentious behavior. 





















  
  






  FREE Two Week Trial HERE





















  
  






  A recent Uplift Kids Instagram post read, We’re too often walled off — from nature, from each other, from our inner compass. At Uplift Kids, we believe that one of the best ways to combat disconnection is through fostering connection at home.





















  
  












  I know you’ll enjoy our conversation and that you’ll be eager to learn more Uplift Kids. As I’ve poked around the website, I’m super impressed with the variety and quality of lesson materials. Jon and I talked through one of the many lessons that are available to members of Uplift Kids—one on Emotional Well Being, brimming color and easy-to-use ideas and illustrations. You’ll see here in the show notes, a chart of emotions, illustrated for children to understand and relate to. It’s clear that much thought and intention goes into these amazing resources. 





















  
  














































  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
                

            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            Click HERE to visit Uplift Kids and learn more!
          
        
      
        
      

    
  


  





  For example, to help kids better manage a range of emotions, you can teach them the acronym,  F-E-E-L, where F: is Find the emotion, E: is for Engage with the emotion (name and locate it in your body) the second E: to help you Express the emotion in a healthy way and finally, L: Love the emotion or consider what it is teaching or how it is blessing you. 





















  
  






  I am so grateful for my faith in Jesus Christ—a sure and solid foundation from which I have taught my children and encouraged qualities like kindness, honesty, forgiveness and charity—but many today are walking away from religious faith, which can leave parents and children feeling untethered. Thank goodness the team at Uplift Kids has created something for these families to turn to as a way to strengthen relationships and to navigate challenging times. You can follow Uplift Kids on Instagram and on Facebook 

Uplift Kids with Jon Ogden

This week I have the privilege of visiting with my good friend, Shaun Brown who has just authored a children’s book, titled, The Best Ideas Come From God. Shaun writes about real people who have acted on heavenly inspiration to do important and historic things, and her much-needed message to the next generation is God loves you and wants to send his best ideas to help you!I know you’ll enjoy hearing about Shaun’s creative process and that you’ll take encouragement to do the things you feel called to do!





















  
  




















































  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
                

            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  





  Children need to know that God will help them in every part of their life. Learning how to listen for guidance from God is so important for safety and peace. Using examples from the lives of Harriet Tubman, George Washington, and others, this book illustrates how God has always helped his children and teaches children how to recognize when God is helping them.





















  
  
























  
  



  
    “Ideas come from God. You cannot command the idea to come, it will come when it’s good and ready.”
  
  — Albert Einstein




  I’m all in on helping Shaun promote this book and its important message!In Shaun’s own words:  Since I was 14, I have known I would one day write books for children.  As a full-time mother, I read a lot of books to children, but never tried to write.  A few ideas came to mind over the years, and I stored them for the future.Eventually, with my own children grown and starting their families, I found I had time to write.  But where to begin.  I made lists, I prayed, I bought books, and I prayed some more – looking for inspiration.  Finally, into my mind came the title of my first children’s book “The Best Ideas Come from God.”   Once I had the title, I searched for ways to tell a story that would help children realize God does love us and he wants to help us.  I wanted children to know how to recognize when God is sending ideas.   Some of my favorite people in history trusted God to guide them, so I decided telling their stories would be a great way to teach the truths I hoped to share … once I started writing, I found I needed someone to illustrate the book. I learned about the site called Upwork – an online marketplace for illustrators, graphic designers, and other very talented people.  I began reviewing the portfolios of different illustrators and found Sonja, from Serbia.  She was amazing to work with, so fast, and so responsive.  I would send ideas and she would create the image I was envisioning.  It was a treat to work with her and I am so grateful for her talents in helping make the book a reality.  I chose to self-publish with Amazon because the only investment was $10 for the ISBN code on the back of the book—plus my time in the writing, layout, and cover design of course!Perhaps one day I will pursue a more traditional path to publishing, but for now I enjoy the process of bringing my books to life myself.  There is incredible satisfaction in holding a book in your hands, that you know you created from beginning to end, with God’s help and the help of people he helped you find along the way. 





















  
  






  Purchase a copy of The Best Ideas Come From God  HERE
Learn more about Shaun and the community newspaper she founded. 
Thanks for listening! 

The Best Ideas with Shaun Brown

A few months back I received an interesting email that resulted in an opportunity to interview Lovre Soric, who is creating an awesome solution set to help us in uniting families across time and miles. 





















  
  














































  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
                

            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  





  Lovre hails from Croatia and works in California. On a trip home he sensed a disconcerting disconnection developing between him and his distant family members. He knew there had to be something better than social media or email to stay connected and to share information and stories with his aging grandparents, mother, father and siblings.  So with his degrees in engineering and business he decided to get to work. Today you get to hear his story and perhaps even help him in his efforts to create a super-cool solution. 





















  
  




















































  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
                

            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            Click on this image or visit https://myroots.io to get started!
          
        
      
        
      

    
  


  





  To learn more and help Lovre, click HERE and visit the Roots Family Newsletter homepage. Enter your email AND then let them know that Stacy sent you, or that you heard about them on Exactly Enough Time. This will result in a three month trial for FREE, so that you can create and personalize a family newsletter experience that works for YOU. I’m going to give this a try with my Hall side. I talk regularly with my sisters, but don’t do a great job staying connected with my brothers AND as the nieces and nephews launch, I definitely want to hear what’s going on in their lives. I’m excited to take this newsletter solution for a test drive and share important feedback. ➡️  IF you have questions, you can email  stacy@stacyulian.com  OR  lovre_soric@berkeley.edu  





















  
  






  I opened today’s episode with the song, Uniting that was performed by Adessa, Chad Truman and the One Voice Children’s Choir at the 2023 RootsTech conference. 

Uniting Families with Lovre Soric

My friend, Jessica Vincent is on the podcast with me today and I’m super excited for YOU because what she has created is quite literally a game changer. 





















  
  






  Jessica is the founder of Positive Sports Communities and is right now hosting a super cool event, called Travel with Your Team Summit that features trainings from a panel of experts on everything from mental toughness and anger management to better sleep and saving on travel. ⚽️ 

Writing with Julia Ditto

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