The Life Tools Podcast

So happy to be bringing you my first interviewee, Teacher Beia! In this conversation, we cover: forest schools and the benefits of nature and play  traditional schooling and how it can be effective what this pandemic is teaching us about children’s needs the concept of child “readiness” in education and how to recognize when a child is ready to learn something the importance of giving children concrete emotional tools to deal with difficult emotions  the nature of emotions and what “validating emotions” means what adults can do to foster change without resorting to punishment the importance of modeling behavior we want to see in children her advice for parents and teachers (which really applies to everybody!) To follow Teacher Beia on IG: @teacherbeia

If you've been having the same pandemic-related conversations with everyone and you're eager for something different to talk about, here are 11 questions from Tim Ferriss, from his book Tribe of Mentors. The quality of our relationships is, in large part, determined by the quality of our conversations, so here's a great first step. I really think everyone could benefit from answering and asking these questions. Have fun!

One of the most painful states is the state of powerlessness, that feeling that we are incapable of changing our experience or our circumstances. But there is a way to shift this. There is a place that I like to think of as the seat of power within us. And from this place, life becomes an experience of cocreation, of growth and adventure, rather than a long stretch of pain, unpredictability, and frustration. 

When I was younger, someone asked me, "Why do you always have to question things?! Why can't you just quietly follow??" At the time, I didn't have an explanation. I just knew that there were certain things that, when I forced myself to follow them, led me to kicking and screaming inside, or dying an internal death. I also had really low self-esteem and thought, "They're right, why do I have to be so difficult?"   Today, with a much bigger view of things and more experience under my belt, I can explain why, not just for my own personal life, but also for the bigger world of which I am a part.  I can see now that there is great value in asking why, and in wanting to do things differently. 

This week we're talking about an emotion that most people deny, fear, avoid, criticize, and sweep under the rug. We do this because we consider it to be unpleasant, disagreeable, or just plain bad. But when we understand something, it ceases to be so scary. When we see that it has a positive purpose, then it’s something to examine, not to avoid. In this episode, we go into all this and I give you a simple 3-step process that I myself have had to retrieve out of my toolbox recently. It helps me a lot and I hope it does the same for you. 

Here we are, this is the last part of the parenting series! That adults are a role model for children is common knowledge, but it’s surprising how many of us adults are unaware of what we are actually modeling to them. And this is no small thing. Listen through to the end to understand how and where this occurs, and what questions we can ask ourselves to start creating change.  Resources mentioned: movie: https://wisdomoftrauma.com/hub/ article: https://medium.com/@writingaway/what-i-learned-about-teaching-from-a-2-year-old-aea46a31ee18 My IG: @kristinetgo

I'm back (insert happy dance)!! This week is all about respect. What is it? What is respect between an adult and a child? Is it a given that children should respect adults? When do we use this word when we really mean something else? And what is conscious parenting? All this, and of course, homework, but homework that's actually useful;)

Hello everyone! I'm taking another pause from the usual episodes and offering you a mini one instead. This past week has left me completely depleted, I have brain fog that could be food-related, and I have A LOT of work that needs to get done ASAP (It's exam season!). But no worries, you're still walking away with a tool, and a really good one at that! I just don't go full-on with the explanation (maybe another time). Here are the resources I mention: book: Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child: Bradshaw, John: 8601417141380: Amazon.com: Books meditation: (16) GUIDED MEDITATION: Heal Your Inner Child - Healing Love - YouTube

We often call children "good" when they behave a certain way, but have we ever looked deeper into why we do this, what we really mean, and what it does to children? In this episode, we're taking a good hard look at this and as always, I offer self-questions at the end to help you shift this behavior. 

This week is all about empathy. We understand that empathy is valuable in human relationships; we tap into it in our interactions with other adults, but often forget that children are humans, too. Hopefully, you're onboard about the fact that we don't own children (see EP18), because once we've gotten rid of the bias that children are lower than us, empathy (which I believe to be innate) can resurface much more easily.