351- Not Another Screen Time Lecture—A Real Conversation About Kids + Tech with The Gamer Educator, Ash Brandin

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today's conversation is one I've been looking forward to for a long time. If you are raising boys or teaching boys, or frankly just care about the humans they're becoming, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Joanna Schroeder and Christopher Pepper, authors of the new book Talk to your Boys. We dig into how boys are being shaped by the culture around them, including what they're exposed to online, what they're learning or not learning about emotions and connection, and how we as adults can show up in powerful, empathetic ways. This is such a rich, important conversation about masculinity, care, vulnerability, and how to raise boys who grow into connected, kind, emotionally healthy men. All right, folks. Let's dive in. Connect with Joanna and Christopher: Joanna: https://www.instagram.com/byjoannaschroeder/ Christopher: https://www.instagram.com/mrhealthteacher/ Talk To Your Boys Book: https://www.instagram.com/talktoyourboysbook Website: https://www.talktoyourboys.com/ Connect with us: Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew  Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Website: seedandsew.org Credits: Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell Co-host: Rachel Lounder Production/editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh Graphics: Kayla Kurkland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are listening to Voices of Your Village, and today's episode is such a grounding one. I got to sit down with my dear friend, Eli Harwood, who you may know as @attachmentnerd over on Instagram, to dive into a topic that comes up so often, school refusal. If you've ever had a kid clinging to the doorframe or break down in tears before drop off, or you've wondered when to push and when to pause, this one's for you. Eli brings her therapist lens and lived experience to this conversation with so much empathy and wisdom and humor. We talk about what's really going on beneath school refusal, how to meet our kids with connection and structure, and why scaffolding their nervous system matters more than forcing compliance. This episode is full of practical strategies and those aha moments that help us show up differently for our kids and ourselves. Y'all, we are so close to Big Kids, Bigger Feelings- my next book publishing. I'm so jazzed for it to get into your hands. We have a couple pre-order bonuses, so if you head over right now to seedandsew.org/book before September 16th, and order that bad boy and pop your order number in, we will send you some bonuses. Alright folks, let's dive in. Connect with Eli: Instagram: @attachmentnerd Website: https://attachmentnerd.com/ Order the book: Raising Securely Attached Kids: Using Connection-Focused Parenting to Create Confidence, Empathy, and Resilience Podcast: https://attachmentnerd.com/podcast Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  TikTok: @seedandsew Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and today's episode is such a treat. I get to sit down with my friend, Ash Brandin, educator, researcher, author of the new book, Power On, to talk all things screen time, video games, and what it really means to raise emotionally regulated kids in a digital world. Ash brings so much nuance and compassion to this conversation. We go beyond the usual screen time debates and dig into what screens are doing for our kids, how we can shift power struggles into collaboration, and how regulation-- not restriction is the key. Ash is phenomenal, and I highly recommend following them over on Instagram at the Gamer Educator. They're my go-to for all things screens and their new book Power On is a beautiful roundup of all this information. This episode is for anyone who's ever wondered, is this too much or How do I actually teach balance. Spoiler alert-- it's not about shame or rigid rules. It's about relationship. All right, folks, let's dive in. Connect with Ash: Instagram: @thegamereducator Website: https://thegamereducator.com/ Order the book: Power On: Managing Screen Time to Benefit the Whole Family Substack: https://thegamereducator.substack.com/ Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  TikTok: @seedandsew Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I get to share a truly special conversation with someone I admire deeply—Lake Bell. You might know her as an actor, director, and creator, but in this episode, we connect as two parents navigating the beautiful, messy work of raising humans—especially kids who don’t always fit the mold. Lake and I dive into what it looks like to parent neurodivergent kids with curiosity and compassion. We talk about the emotional rollercoaster of receiving a diagnosis, the grief and the gifts, and how we can shift from focusing on what’s “wrong” to seeing what’s wonderfully different. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s one of those conversations that reminds me why we do this work—why connection matters more than perfection, and how embracing the whole child, just as they are, can change everything. Lake also has a beautiful children’s book out called All About Brains—and y’all, it’s become one of our favorites on the bookshelf. I love how she illustrates what it looks like to empower kids to understand their brains and bodies and to advocate for themselves with confidence and clarity. All right, village—let’s dive in. Connect with Lake: Instagram: @lakebell Order the book: All About Brains: A Book About People Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  TikTok: @seedandsew Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before we dive in: This episode includes detailed discussions of sex, porn and a brief mention of sexual assault. Please take care while listening. You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re tackling a topic that honestly makes me uncomfortable to even think about discussing with my kids. I’m joined by Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett to talk about how and when to talk to your kids about porn. Dr. Natterson is a pediatrician and New York Times bestselling author of The Care and Keeping of You series, and Vanessa is a bestselling author and puberty educator. Together, they co-authored This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained and host the This Is So Awkward podcast. They are trusted experts on puberty, sex, and navigating those awkward conversations. They’ve developed a groundbreaking health and sex ed curriculum for schools and products like Less Awkward, plus a membership for parents to get their questions answered. What I love about Cara and Vanessa is their mix of science and humor, making tough topics like sex and puberty relatable and approachable. Raising six teens between them, they know this space inside and out, and their honest, practical approach is exactly what we need. Alright folks, Let’s dive in. Connect with Cara and Vanessa: Instagram: @less.awkward Website: https://lessawkward.com/ Order the book: This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained Podcast: This is So Awkward Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I get to hang out with Deborah Farmer Kris, who is a child development expert and the author of Raising Awe-Seekers: How the Science of Wonder Helps Our Kids Thrive, the I See You board book series, and the All The Time picture book series. Her bylines include CNN, PBS Kids, NPR's Mind Shift, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe magazine, and Oprah Daily. She's currently an expert advisor for the PBS kids show Carl the Collector and spent 20 plus years as a K to 12 educator. Mostly she loves sharing nuggets of practical wisdom that can make the parenting journey a little easier. I loved hanging out with Deborah and it's such a rich conversation because awe is something that I don't think we talk enough about. The power of awe for us is huge for our mental health, and we can do so many things in the every day to find awe, and to raise tiny humans who are awe seekers. All right, folks. Let's dive in. Connect with Deborah: Instagram: @parenthood365 Website: https://www.parenthood365.com/ Order the book: Raising Awe-Seekers: How the Science of Wonder Helps Our Kids Thrive Podcast: Raising Awe-Seekers Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and this episode was such a blast. We posted in stories on Instagram @seed.and.sew asking for your questions for Rach and I, pulled some questions directly from you to answer, and it was a blast, so we're for sure gonna do that again. Make sure you're following along @seed.and.sew. Also, if you're not following on your podcast app, make sure you hit follow, and if you can, do us a favor and share this podcast with whomever in your life might benefit from it. Share it with a friend. Share it with a teacher. Share it with a fellow parent, share it with a co-parent or a grandparent. Share it over on social media because as you share, we get to support more people. And y'all, I have a big sign next to me here and all it says is impact. That is what I'm here for, to impact and support as many humans as we can, and your shares allow us to do that. Thank you so much for being a part of this village. Before we dive in, I want to remind you that Big Kids, Bigger Feelings is publishing soon! Rachel and I co-authored that bad boy. Head to seedandsew.org/book to snag your copy. If you get it in pre-order season, you can get a signed copy from me and support a local bookstore at the same time. If you go to seedandsew.org/book, you'll find that link there. All right folks, let's dive in. Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before we dive in: this episode includes discussion of severe car accident injuries. Please take care while listening. You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I got to chat about Car Seat Confidence with Michelle Pratt from Safe in the Seat. I have followed Michelle for so long and she has been so helpful for me in my journey as a parent. Safe in the Seat is every overwhelmed and anxious parents' go-to resource for Car Seat Safety.  As a mom and nationally certified child passenger safety technician, Michelle's judgment-free approach is helping her turn car seat confusion into straight up confidence, and I am here for it. They have a free car seat finder tool, which is incredible, online courses, helpful videos, personalized consults, and daily doses of safety tips and tricks over on the 'gram. I'm so stoked for y'all to have access to this convo and to hopefully get some of those questions answered, like, when do we turn them around? When do we switch to what seat, what matters, and what doesn't. All right, folks. Let's dive in. Connect with Michelle: Instagram: @safeintheseat Website: www.safeintheseat.com Find Your Best Car Seat Tool Blog YouTube Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we get to chat about decreasing stress and increasing gratitude with this one accessible thing. I got to hang out with mother/daughter duo, Kelly Corrigan and her daughter Claire. Kelly is a New York Times bestselling author of four books about family life, the host of her own PBS show and a top 1% podcast called Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Like Claire, she can't stop making— books, paintings, TV shows, podcasts, meals, mistakes. And Claire just graduated from the University at Virginia where she is probably the school's only double major in computer science and drama.  Making is her life: Computer programs, standup routines, screenplays, code songs, algorithms, pizzas. During her last semester, she was interning at a machine learning company as well as a Hollywood production studio, and this mother-daughter duo teamed up to write Marianne The Maker. This is a children's book all about the power of making and really makes a case for how we can tap into creativity to decrease stress and increase gratitude. I love how they expand beyond the arts and how making can show up in so many different ways. Super stoked for y'all to dive into this one and add this book to your shelf.  Connect with Kelly and Claire: Instagram: @kellycorrigan Website: www.kellycorrigan.com, www.mariannethemaker.com Order the book: Marianne The Maker Podcast: Kelly Corrigan Wonders Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village and today we get to hang out with Dr. Richard Orbé- Austin. He's a licensed psychologist, executive coach, and consultant. He works with executives and mid-career professionals to overcome imposter syndrome, identify their best fit career options, and strengthen their leadership skills. He also regularly consults with academic institutions, corporations, and nonprofit organizations on issues related to leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and burnout prevention. He has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Thrive Global, a Diversity Executive, the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, in the Handbook of Racial Cultural Counseling and Psychology. His new book is out now called Your Child’s Greatness: A Parent's Guide to Raising Children without Impostor Syndrome. He is a dad to two daughters living in New York City, and we get to talk about the real, real– what does this look like as a parent, as well as a professional. All right folks, let's dive in. Connect with Richard: Instagram: @smartparentingstrategies Website: www.dynamictransitionsllp.com Order the book: Your Child’s Greatness: A Parent's Guide to Raising Children without Impostor Syndrome Speaker:  TedxTalk: The Impostor Syndrome Paradox Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices