Kasley Killam - The Power and Impact of Healthy Relationships

What if something as simple as sitting down for dinner could transform your family's health and happiness? In this episode, we’re joined by Kasley Killam — Harvard-trained social scientist, two-time TED speaker, and author of The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health is the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier. Together, we explore why prioritizing family dinners is more than just a tradition — it’s a vital practice for improving social health, especially for kids. Kasley breaks down how daily connection at the dinner table helps foster emotional resilience in children, supports better work-life balance for parents, and strengthens our overall well-being. With insights drawn from nearly 15 years of research and partnerships with organizations like Google, the World Economic Forum, and the U.S. Department of Health, she explains how human connection is foundational, not optional, for a thriving life. Tune in for practical tips, thought-provoking conversation, and a reminder that the small moments we share around the table might just be the most important of all.   Links:  Newsletter Website TED talk Book Articles Interviews

This week, we're joined by Dr. Laurie Santos, the Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology and Head of Silliman College at Yale University. Dr. Santos offers valuable insights into why modern parenting can feel more overwhelming than ever—and what we can do about it. Drawing on evidence-based research, she shares practical strategies to help parents reduce stress and boost their well-being. From tackling parent guilt to navigating the ever-elusive concept of “time,” we explore the mental health challenges and everyday decisions that come with raising kids today. Tune in for a thoughtful, informative conversation every parent can relate to.   Instagram: @lauriesantosofficial FaceBook: DrLaurieSantos Threads: @lauriesantosofficial TikTok: @drlauriesantos Twitter: @lauriesantos LinkedIn: laurie-santos YouTube: @DrLaurieSantos   Website: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/ Resources for Parents: drlauriesantos.com/parents The Happiness Lab Podcast: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos Newsletter: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/newsletter-signup/ The Science of Well-Being for Parents: https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being-for-parents The Science of Well-Being for Teens: https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being-for-teens The Science of Well-Being: https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being

This week on Parenting for the Present, we’re joined by Dr. Bethany Teachman, Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia. She also leads public research initiatives focused on reducing anxious thinking and exploring how our unconscious beliefs shape our mental and physical health. With anxiety levels continuing to rise, Dr. Teachman helps us rethink the way we view anxiety—not as something to fear or eliminate, but as an emotion that can actually serve a purpose. Learning to tell when anxiety is helpful versus when it’s not is key, and labeling it as terrible or unbearable only makes it harder to manage. We also talk about how social media plays a powerful role in shaping our thoughts and emotional responses, and why it's so important to stay mindful and balanced in our engagement with it. And perhaps most encouraging—Dr. Teachman reminds us that we don’t have to have all the answers. Our kids benefit far more from seeing us model growth and flexibility than from seeing perfection.   Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment's social media handles are:  Instagram: @tyde.uva Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tydeuva Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/104683549

This week, we are joined by Casey Bonano, RD, LD, CEDS-C, the owner and CEO of Dallas Nutritional Counseling. Casey recognizes the importance of her specialty and acknowledges the challenges it presents, but she also finds it incredibly rewarding to help individuals nourish themselves and rediscover the joy in food. In this episode, Casey discusses the difference between picky eating or food preferences and when there may be an underlying issue. She offers valuable insights on how to nourish yourself and your family, while enjoying a balanced approach to food—reminding us that food is not black and white. Casey also addresses common misconceptions about eating disorders and shares advice on how to support loved ones when they first disclose their struggles, creating a guilt-free and shame-free space. To wrap up, she touches on the impact of social media and algorithms on our mental health, encouraging us to approach ourselves and others with a more holistic understanding in this digital age. Be sure to check out Casey on social media @dallasnutritionalcounseling and @feedyourselfandyourfamily for more great tips and insights! Also, check our her socials for more information about her Picking Eating Parent Workshop coming up on April 3rd, 12:00pm - 1:00 pm. 

We hope you're ready for this week's episode of Parenting for the Present! We have a special guest, Alyson Schafer, joining us all the way from Canada! She is an internationally acclaimed parenting expert, speaker, bestselling author, and media personality. We were fortunate to speak with her and hear her insights on parenting. In this episode, we discuss how parenting has evolved over time, what it looks like now, and what it may look like in the future. Based on her extensive work and research, Alyson shares that parents are exhausted, incredibly busy, and burnout is on the rise. She explains that family units are struggling, and something needs to change. Without giving too much away, she believes a future movement will emerge, one that is slower and calmer than the current pace of parenting. If you'd like to learn more about her work, be sure to check out the links below! FB = https://facebook.com/AlysonSchaferParentingExpert   IG = @alysonschafer X = @alysonschafer LI = www.linkedin.com/in/alysonschafer

To kick off Season 8, we’re excited to welcome our "friend," Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD. Eileen is the creator of the Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic podcast, where she answers kids' questions about making and keeping friends. She’s also the author of several books for children and parents, and has delivered an inspiring TEDx talk. This podcast has taught us so much about what it truly means to be a friend. Eileen discussed important topics like conflict, bullying, and how these issues affect not only children but parents too. She explained that we shouldn’t aim for transactional friendships and emphasized that we shouldn’t change who we are to make friends, because "deceit is not a path toward friendship." Tune in this week to learn more about Dr. Friendtastic and all the incredible work she’s doing!   Main Website: EileenKennedyMoore.com Podcast for Kids: DrFriendtastic.com/podcast  TEDx: Is It Bullying or Ordinary Meanness?

We are back with another incredible episode! Today, we have David Yeager, PhD., a professor and co-founder of the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute. Yeager walks us through what it means to have a growth mindset. He touches on the idea of communication and how good communication increases mutual respect. And shares that our brain growth is just like our muscle growth, but hear how on this episode.  Check out his work at https://fuse.prc.utexas.edu/fuse-program-overview, where he works with different teachers, and learn more about how FUSE can improve academic engagement for your students.

Our special guest this week, Larissa May, has some wonderful insight for all of us through her background in social media. She discusses tools and guidelines for technology as we grow with it. She gives us practical tips for parenting, hacking the online algorithm, and the dangers of social media replacing real human connection. Check out the podcast to learn more information!

In today’s episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Jerome Hunter. Throughout our discussion, we explored the concept of family and its varied interpretations, as well as the role of technology and video games in the lives of young boys, including strategies to encourage balance. Jerome also highlighted his dedication to teaching and his passion for developing comprehensive curriculums tailored for younger boys, emphasizing the importance of fostering emotional intelligence and constructive dialogue, even when it's not the norm. He concluded by emphasizing the value of genuine curiosity in conversations, encouraging listeners to focus on truly understanding others rather than merely preparing their next response. We trust you will find this podcast as insightful as we did while absorbing his valuable insights!

We are back with Eli Lebowitz on another incredible Parenting for the Present episode. Today, we hit some very important topics. We hit on acceptance and confidence and how kids with anxiety may be seeing their parents as anxious. Lebowitz catches us up on how he has been training therapists to deal with situations and encouraging parents to talk about problems and get the help they need. He emphasizes the importance of community for kids and parents to know they don’t have to suffer alone.