Conversation Balloons: Recent Episodes
Conversation Balloons
Host Leah Farish interviews experts and friends about all things generational. No matter your age or stage, whether you're growing or growing old, you wonder at, fume at, or love someone in another generation. It might be workplace issues, raising kids, or caring for an elder--We're here to bring understanding, solutions, empathy, and a little fun to intergenerational relationships. Our conversation balloons hover over thorny social problems and pop with insight about how to handle them. Some of our guests are scholarly, some faith-based, some rich only in lived experience.
THIS IS A REPRISE OF EPISODE #6 ON 5.18.22
Professor of Jewish Studies Ilana Horwitz's recent book God, Grades, and Graduation looks at whether students do better in school when they believe in God and belong to a community of faith. Leah explores with this sociologist such factors as parental influence, compliance with school rules, and socioeconomic inequality. "Leah's Quadrant" is revealed, both women discuss atheist kids, and Dr. Horwitz tells us how religious kids fare in college admissions and qualities like empathy, happiness and self-restraint.
Additional resources:
God, Grades, and Graduation, by Ilana M. Horwitz, Oxford University Press, 2022
Veteran homeschooler of five kids and media entrepreneur Felice Gerwitz discusses how homeschooling has changed over the decades, and how to avoid burnout. Podcast swap!: Felice interviewed Leah in this episode of Vintage Homeschool Moms podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmIiG7BAwhc
Additional resources:
Mediaangels.com (founded by Felice Gerwitz)--a publishing company featuring curriculum, science resources, podcasts, and inspirational books
Ultimate Christian Podcast Network--including Felice's own-https://ultimatechristianpodcastnetwork.com/
Herb Bernstein, acomposer, producer, and arranger for hits in many genres, reflects on his memories of stars such as Laura Nyro, Johnny Carson, Julie Budd, and John Denver, all on his 94th birthday. His humility, optimism, and humor give us a wonderful perspective on growing older. We thank him and artist Julie Budd for sharing their song, "Looking Back," found on her CD at https://www.discogs.com/master/3770922-Julie-Budd-Julie-Budd
Additional resources:
Look for Herb's upcoming book, Born at Ninety, coming soon!
Actors Fund, 155 W Hudson Ave., Englewood, NJ, 07631
THIS IS A REPRISE OF EPISODE #56 ON 5.22.24
Former Army Ranger and West Point psychology professor Dave Grossman describes the mayhem violent video games are inflicting upon teens. We discuss mass murder, sleeplessness, and sheepdogs. Granted, it's not an episode for the faint of heart (most kids should not listen), but we end on a surprisingly sweet note.
Additional resources:
Books by Dave Grossman--
Assassination Generation: Video Games, Aggression, and the Psychology of Killing
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society"
On Combat
(For youngsters)--Sheepdogs: Meet our Nation's Warriors
What to do when Communists take over your country? If you're Kim Parker's dad, you build a boat, learn to navigate, and get the family out of there. After that harrowing escape, Kim grew up in the U.S., only to confront social changes that called her to be a leader in her profession, and her faith.
YouTube Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzIenh7QbNU
Additional resources:
Association of Christians in Health and Human Services, achhs.org
Sunday, September 7, is National Grandparents' Day! Grandparents by the hundreds of thousands are raising their grandchildren, with the parents out of the picture due to addiction, incarceration, or other traumatizing events. How are we supporting older folks and kin who step up to this challenge? An expert on "grandfamilies" and kinship families, Jamarl Clark, with Generations United in Washington, D.C., compassionately discusses the all-too-large landscape. Leah pipes up with micro-ideas.
Additional resources:
Generations United -- gu.org
Treatment for transgender kids is a topic as fluid as the gender identity of Gen Z. Adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Miriam Grossman describes the rarely-publicized risks of sex identity changes--medical and psychological--and ways that parents should respond to their trans kids.
Warning: some graphic, but professional, discussion of this sensitive topic.
News update: Since our interview, the U.S. v. Skrmetti case referenced in our show was decided. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld, by a vote of 6 to 3, a state ban on certain pharmaceutical and surgical treatments for transgender minors. The Tennessee law in question was Prohibition on Medical Procedures Performed on Minors Related to Sexual Identity, Senate Bill 1 (SB1).
Additional Resources:
MiriamGrossmanmd.com
Donoharm.org
Tradition or Transition? Episode 39, Conversation Balloons Podcast, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WIX9f5i5wdAbanECrQ5D6
Books by Dr. Miriam Grossman:
Lost in Trans Nation: A Child Psychiatrists' Guide Out of the Madness
You're Teaching My Child What? A Physician Exposes the Lies of Sex Education and How They Harm Your Children
Jean Burk, founder of College Prep Genius, dishes on the tactics about scoring high on standardized tests like the SAT, gap years, teacher recommendations, and whether to guess on multiple choice. Did you know there are no full-ride scholarships for soccer? And that some kids are starting to prepare for college admissions in 6th grade? Before you break out in a cold sweat, listen to this whole episode and share today with a high schooler in your life.
Additional resources:
Collegeprepgenius.com
info@collegeprepgenius.com
Our episodes:
65--"When the Empty Nest Hurts"
58--"How to Get the Most out of College"
37--"Classical Learning for a Change"
Economist Dr. Clara Piano talks about declining birth rates, failed pronatalist policies, "luxury beliefs," and how families benefit cities in ways that singletons don't. Leah tells "a lovely story," since she doesn't know much about economics.
Additional resources:
--"The fertility gap and economic freedom," CE Piano and LR Stone, Contemporary Economic Policy
--"Autocratic family policy," CE Piano, Constitutional Political Economy
--Essays in the Economics of Religion and Family, CE Jace(Piano)
Related Conversation Balloons episodes:
Episode 50: Religious Reproduction with Dr. Eric Kaufmann
Episode 55: Taboo with Dr. Eric Kaufmann
The Children of Men--a novel by PD James
The Two-Parent Privilege--Melissa Kearney
Hans Rosling, Religions and Babies, TED Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_religions_and_babies?referrer=playlist-the_best_hans_rosling_talks_yo&autoplay=true
Timothy Eaton, PhD Education, University of Alberta, inspires and instructs homeschooling parents on how to start their own homeschooling journey. He talks about the 6 roles of a homeschool father, and about how grandparents and other relatives can enrich the students' lives.
Additional resources:
hello@thisgoldenhour.org
Thisgoldenhour.org
Classicalconversations.com
HSLDA.org
https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/homeschooling-101/quickstart-guide-to-homeschooling/
https://ultimateradioshow.com/
Leah swapped chairs with Dr. Eaton and was on his show, This Golden Hour! It's Episode 100 on This Golden Hour. On Spotify it's at https://open.spotify.com/episode/602rQRtgv7b5np4EMxObE9?si=uOVAuVlxSPWNAy89Beu3ew There we talked about part-time homeschooling, how she decided to homeschool, and Leah's work as a lawyer on behalf of home educators.
Military expert Col. Dave Grossman discusses not only African and Middle Eastern child soldiers but also the experience of youthful draftees in Viet Nam. Along the way, we cover Ukraine's fighters, PTSD, video games, female child soldiers, sleep deprivation, chaplains, and how Grossman supports his own deployed grandson. Alert: some troubling content. 2d alert: we're not saying that the U.S. draft system in 1974 is comparable to the kidnapping and conscription of 13-year-olds in Kenyan militias. Hear us out. Translations of the two clips that are not in English are written below or can be viewed on YouTube.
Additional resources:
Books by Dave Grossman:
--On Killing
--On Combat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BynUzqNiMk4
"Helping One Child Soldier at a Time" World Vision, World Vision Canada, 2012
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2018/2/12/what-is-behind-the-rising-number-of-child-soldiers/
"What is behind the rising number of child soldiers?" Inside Story, Aljazeera,2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxjLDSJxfgg
"Iraq: Yezidi Child Soldiers Who Survived ISIS Tell Their Stories" Amnesty International, Fat Rat Films, 2022
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/56-the-grand-theft-of-our-kids-w-dave-grossman/id1620044176?i=1000656382367
Conversation Balloons Podcast, Episode 56: "The Grand Theft of Our Kids" with Col. Dave Grossman
Translation of clip 1:
“So this particular day, we were all dressing up to go to the market. Then we realized the rebels wereall over our compound. They caught up with me and brought me home. My mother had just delivered a baby. They told her they wanted one million shillings or else they would kill me. So they brought 2 big bundles of sticks and they began beating me. They beat me until I was unconscious. They said that I would become a good soldier now that they had taken the civilian spirit away from me.”
Translation of second clip not in English:
“For 4 years, we did whatever they told us to do just to keep them satisfied. And to try to make them trust us so they would not kill us and we could escape from captivity. But in our hearts, nothings was changing. They would teach us that the people we loved were Kafir (infidels). And that we should fight them. Outwardly we were acting like them. Inside, though, we were still holding on to our religion. But they knew that we hadn’t converted to their religion, so they put us in prison. They told us, ‘You are still Yezidis.’” And they hit us with sticks. It was difficult. I begged them, ‘Show mercy. I am young; I cannot handle this beating.’ But they continued to beat me.’…
--When you were released from captivity and got back home,why did you get the tattoo of your mother on your arm?
I love my mother a lot and I want her image to be with me always. ISIS took her away from me and separated us.
--You were so young, you were 13 or 14 years old.
I want her to always be with me. That’s why I got this tattoo.”
A caregiver and media wizard shares why and how her brand of entertainment for dementia patients benefits them and their loved ones. We discuss "simulated presence," "Sesame Street for adults," and how TV can encourage those with mental health issues to take their medication or drink more water. Allyson Schrier, Co-Founder and President of ZinniaTV, is our mindful and inspirational guest. Don't miss her wrenching personal story on our previous Episode 47
Additional resources:
--Zinniatv.com
--Episode 47: Married to Madness? https://open.spotify.com/episode/5TKc9t02tiEF13VkRThOFe
Pediatric sleep specialist Katie Bishop reveals her techniques to ensure that a baby snoozes all night long. From swaddling to sound machines, from co-sleeping to car naps--she's got well-founded and time-tested practical advice for infant care that parents, grandparents, and nannies can use right now!
Additional resources:
www.theearlyweeks.com
Instagram: @the_early_weeks
Erica Komisar tells her pressured New York City patients that their children have a universal, brain-based, irreducible need: their parents, mainly, mom. How to balance this need with career and personal fulfillment? We have to talk! Turns out that being there for babies benefits the parents too
Additional resources:
Komisar, Erica. Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters. 2017
www.komisar.com
attachmentcircles.org
Instagram and X: @ ericakomisar
It's Global Intergenerational Week! So we connect with national expert on shared-site programs bringing seniors and kids together, Dr. Shannon Jarrott, as she describes how the generations can thrive together when retirement centers and daycare, or elder activity sites and schools, can mingle. Physical and emotional benefits accrue to both age cohorts. You'll learn what cyber seniors and memory cafe's are, so tune in! And listen to our future episode about Zinnia TV with Allyson Schrier!
Additional resources:
Generations United -- gu.org
Shared site programs -- sharingourspace.org
ONEgeneration
Senior Enrichment Center-- onegeneration.org
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care --stanncenter.org
Grace Skilled Nursing and Therapy -- gracejenks.com
Jenks Public Schools --jenksps.org
Inverness -- covlivinginverness.org
Holland Hall School -- hollandhall.org
Black scholar and educator and American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Ian V. Rowe on why and how his Vertex schools are shaping low-income young people with moral foundations and optimism. Children in the Bronx are learning the four cardinal virtues and the personal agency which lead them into "the success sequence" that lifts kids out of poverty.
Additional Resources:
Book: Agency: The four point plan (F.R.E.E.) for all children to overcome the victimhood narrative and discover their pathway to power
A certified personal trainer, nurse, and fitness guru brightens the picture of menopause with practical tips and her inspirational outlook. This stage of women's health, often overlooked, prompts a lively chat about perimenopause and "the change."
Additional Resources:
Website: Reneecarls.com
Instagram: @reneecarls
YouTube: Renee Carls
Ukrainian-born Dimitry Toukhcher has created fashion for men in over 25 countries, designing for Hollywood movies and celebrities like Jordan Peterson, Piers Morgan, and Ozzy Osbourne. He spoke to us from his throne beneath the portrait of another client, Alice Cooper, about how he rose from Soviet austerity to the flamboyant success of his clothing brand, LGFG. We also talk about his new book collab. What were his parents like, and how is he raising his four kids? You'll enjoy finding out!
Additional resources:
Dress Like a Boss by Michael Franzese and LGFG Fashion House
LGFGfashionhouse.com
Instagram: @lgfg_fashion_house
Noted psychologist Dr. Josh Coleman outlines the alarming trend of adults breaking off contact with their parents for their own mental health. He has counseled thousands of the parties to this intimate kind of conflict, leading a large percentage to reconciliation. Leah offers practical suggestions for preventing this anguish and drama with specific parenting techniques. They talk about the impact on grandparents and the loss for grandchildren caught in the family feud.
Additional resources:
Dr. Coleman's book--Rules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict
https://www.drjoshuacoleman.com/
Caylee Carullo, experienced teacher and author of The Calm Classroom course (success is 100% guaranteed!), loads us with doable strategies for getting kids to nap, share, and stop the aggravating behaviors. Her insights on giving kids a sense of purpose are spot on!We loved this guest so much that even though there were some sound glitches, we've gotta put this out there!
Additional Resources:
Instagram: @prekteachertips
triedandtrueteacher.com/the-calm-classroom-course -- if you take this fabulous course, enter the promo code Leah for 15% off!
Triedandtrueteacher.com
A useful graphic to visualize personalities: 4 colors represent 4 temperaments. Karen Stubbs uses Kathleen Edelman's theory of the basic wiring of our personalities to demonstrate how parents can understand their children--and improve their behavior. Leah explores common childrearing scenarios with Karen, and she kicks off this episode with a tiny tutorial on the color of your kid. Karen Stubbs is founder of Birds on a Wire Moms, a nonprofit that encourages moms with advice and humor, offering resources such as:
Colors quiz: https://birdsonawiremoms.com/colors-quiz
Curriculum and study guides: https://store.birdsonawiremoms.com/collections/studies
Podcast: https://birdsonawiremoms.com/wiretalk
Additional resources:
Kathleen Edelman's website: https://www.kindwordsarecool.com/
Kathleen Edelman's book on temperaments: A Grown-Up's Guide toKids' Wiring
Florence Littauer: Personality Plus
Birds on a Wire Moms app
A child and family therapist coaches us on connecting with our teens. Amie Anger's practical tips on kids' emotional, physical, and spiritual development in the home are to take notes on!
Find Amie on Instagram @therealparent
Personal trainer and fitness coach Renee Carls talks exercise and other healthy habits for older adults. Encouragement abounds!
Additional resources:
ReneeCarls.com
Instagram @Renee Carls
Conversation Balloons Episode w/ Dr. Gozal about Sleep
Conversation Balloons podcast has hit new levels! Hear some good news in this tiny episode with big feelings in it.
Child play expert Lizzie Assa, founder of Workspace for Children, suggests how parents, grandparents, and teachers can guide kids into independent, creative play with the right toys, play areas, and words. This episode is packed with concrete tips, just in time for Christmas!
Additional resources:
Workspaceforchildren.com
(Lizzie's website is chock full of resources and thoughtful articles:)
Bestselling author Rod Dreher starts our holiday season by describing the wonders and miracles that led him and others out of depression, chronic illness, and unbelief. How to recapture the enchantment ofchildhood? It could involve aliens, the Jesus Prayer, or going on a bus tour of Paris....
Additional resources:
Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age by Rod Dreher
Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
The band Hanson went from child stars in the 90's to dads of teens themselves today as they still record and perform around the world. Isaac Hanson candidly talks about growing up famous and instilling virtue in his kids. Isaac's warmth and humility made him one of our favorite guests!
Additional Resources:
Hanson.net
The hit that started it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHozn0YXAeE
This interview with Dr. Steven Stosny was so packed with insights that Leah was taking notes as he spoke. Abusive anger, violence, compassion, resentment, narcissism, and fear are examined in fresh and practical ways. You may want to listen twice; you'll definitely want to share this episode with those wanting help with marriage, parenting, or intimate relationships.
Additional resources: Compassionpower.org
Love without Hurt
Soar AboveEmpowered Love
How to Improve Your Marriage without Talking about It
Conversation Balloons Episode 60: "Say Less" with Dr. Stosny https://open.spotify.com/episode/7HTwjwzSbCWIqg1fKZDvLt?si=WfjErb6RSGeZBJEoaQykvQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJxOpzD_I-U
Parents, especially moms, may hurt longer and deeper than they expected when they waved goodby to their college student kids. Jodi Silverman guides empty nesters out of sadness or worries over their young adult children launching into college or moving out of the home.
Additional Resources:
Jodisilverman.com
Moms Who Dare Facebook community
Beyond Empty Nest podcast
Marilyn Raichle compares notes with Leah on the benefits to kids of acting lessons and theater projects. Marilyn has been one of America's most successful children's theater producers, while never being an actor and not having children of her own. Find out how she created "an explosion of good will, an explosion of happiness" for kids onstage.
Youth advocate Emma Lembke returns to the show, digging into how and why big tech creates addicts of kids who use social media. Technology, she says, dumbs down Gen Z while it consumes their mental health and privacy. Co-founder of the Log Off Movement, Emma discusses how legislation and lawsuits could protect children from the predatory tactics of Big Tech.
Additional resources:
Episode 59, "Media Mirage" on Conversation Balloons https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jw8ky4z4YGSk6EZcS8NEO
Log Off Movement, logoffmovement.org
Design It for Us, designitforus.org
Tech(nically) Politics, technicallypolitics.org
Socialmediasafety.org
Scrolling2death.com
DeMarco Taylor, Dean of Students at an all-boy school in a predominantly Black neighborhood, outlines their manhood program. How does it avoid teaching toxic masculinity, and how does it give boys what gang life offers?
Additional resources:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/conversationballoons/episodes/61--Rites-of-Passage-Into-Manhood--Part-1-e2mia8r
Crossoverprep.org
Crossing Over into Manhood--
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=8fa3744389&attid=0.0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1802051357277744999&th=19022c29698cef67&view=att&disp=inline
Let's Save our Sons--Conversation Balloons Episode 29-- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cMzsrVq0dZWTW5VrLUCXQ Innovative Schools in a Struggling Neighborhood--Conversation Balloons Episode 52-- https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OWRkTmpeEeIbmPw7lGlc6Niobe Way, "The Crisis of Connection for Adolescent Boys" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ScAvJ0KiyU
Aussie Darren Lewis describes his fatherhood adventure program in Australia--its importance for maturing boys and why creature comforts, ceremony, and grandfathers are important in rites of passage.
Additional resources:
Fatheringadventures.com
Fatheringadventures.com.au/blog
Milestone to Manhood by Steven Arms and David Arms
Connection is more important than communication, and relationship expert Steven Stosny outlines how and why. Long-married Leah personally endorses the insights in this bracing conversation.#Stevenstosny #marriage #relationshipadviceAdditional Resources:compassionpower.comhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/steven-stosny-phd
Youth activist Emma Lembke confides how teen social media addiction led her to disordered eating, sleeplessness, and anxiety, resulting in an unusual kind of rebellion. Now she has founded the Logoff Movement and Design It for Us to reform tech for young people--and we're all better for it.
Additional resources:
Logoffmovement.org
Designitforus.org
Conversation Balloons Episode 51: Kids on Social Media: Positivity or Poison? with Laura Tierney
Jonathanhaidt.com
How to choose a college, how to "design your life," and why dorms with long hallways are a good thing: consultant Elliot Felix equips parents and students with ways to ensure a great return on your college tuition investment.
Additional resources--
Elliot Felix's book: How to Get the Most Out of College: 127 Ways to Make Connections, Make It Work for You, and Make a Difference
Interview with Tami Peterson--Conversation Balloons podcast, Episode 10-- https://open.spotify.com/episode/2hx1Lak0hVaEVznG2AmTUXcollegescorecard.ed.gov
The Give and Take by Adam Grant
Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
The Cost of Inclusion by Blake Silver
Fathers.com has served around 8 million dads over the last 30 years. Board member Grant Goodvin and Leah discuss new research on hormonal and brain changes men undergo when they become fathers, and questions to ask oneself upon entering, or re-evaluating, fatherhood.
Additional resources:
Fathers.com
Fathers.com has been called "a premier American online resource for everyday dads." National Center for Fathering created fathers.com to provide research-based training, practical tips, and resources to help men be the fathers, grandfathers, and father figures children need.
https://www.nct.org.uk/life-parent/bonding-and-caring-for-your-baby/science-behind-dads
https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-magazine/new-fathers-may-undergo-hormonal-neural-and-behavioural-changes#:~:text=%27Fathers%20do%20not%20go%20through,%27
https://www.thebump.com/news/dad-brain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6919930/
Former Army Ranger and West Point psychology professor Dave Grossman describes the mayhem violent video games are inflicting upon teens. We discuss mass murder, sleeplessness, and sheepdogs. Granted, it's not an episode for the faint of heart (most kids should not listen), but we end on a surprisingly sweet note.
Additional resources:
Books by Dave Grossman--
Assassination Generation: Video Games, Aggression, and the Psychology of Killing
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society"
On Combat
(For youngsters)--Sheepdogs: Meet our Nation's Warriors
Social demographics expert Eric Kaufmann, UK professor and Manhattan Institute Fellow, talks about his new book, Taboo, and the rising generation's values. He and Leah trade predictions on racism, bisexuality, school choice, and religion. So just another lightweight chat on Conversation Balloons...
Contact for Eric Kaufmann: On Twitter / X: epkaufm His website: sneps.net
Additional resources:
Taboo: How Making Race Sacred Produced a Cultural Revolution (Forum, May, 2024)
Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth (Profile Books 2010)
The Rise and Fall of Anglo-America (Harvard 2004)
The Orange Order (Oxford, 2007)
Edited by Dr. Kaufmann: Political Demography (Oxford 2012)
Rethinking Ethnicity: Majority Groups and Dominant Minorities (Routledge 2004)
Best-selling biographer and cultural gadfly Eric Metaxas says this generation is in a moment like that in Hitler's Germany. How does he manage to deliver his dire warning with such grace and hope? Listen and learn.
Additional resources:
EricMetaxas.com
SocratesintheCity.com
LettertotheAmericanChurch.com
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Letter to the American Church
Religionless Christianity
A professional counselor faced his own tragedy as the father of young children. Josh Burdette courageously tells the kind of personal narrative no one wants, and Leah hurts in harmony.
Additional resources: Goodshepherdsoulcare.com
Single-sex prep schools in a predominantly-Black part of town? These two principals are educating and leading in groundbreaking ways. Leah relished how candid, creative, and confident they were in this refreshing conversation. Free enrollment is opening soon for next fall--just sayin'...
Additional resources:
Crossoverprep.org
The Social Institute teaches kids in 46 states how to use their social media power for good through its program, #WinAtSocial. Founder Laura Tierney used her social media expertise pioneering ESPN-W and representing companies like Nike, Disney, and Coca-Cola to create a gamified, student-led curriculum that empowers students to use social media wisely, in concert with their families' core values. And Leah holds forth on related topics because Laura is such a good listener....
Additional resources: thesocialinstitute.com and its many resources
WinAtSocial
Conversation Balloons Episode 30: Juvie
Conversation Balloons Episode 36: Educating for the Ages
Demographer Eric Kaufmann lays out the causes and implications of religious people having more babies than non-religious people. A frisky and informative conversation.
Contact for Eric Kaufmann:
On Twitter / X @epkaufm
His website
Additional resources:
Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth (Profile Books 2010)
The Rise and Fall of Anglo-America (Harvard 2004)
The Orange Order (Oxford, 2007)
Edited by Dr. Kaufmann: Political Demography (Oxford 2012)
Rethinking Ethnicity: Majority Groups and Dominant Minorities (Routledge 2004)
Counselor and former p*rn addict Crystal Day is here in a very honest and practical chat about dating and finding the right spouse.
Additional resources:
Websites:
livingonpurposekc.com
sherecovery.com
thefreedomfight.org
Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sherecovery-podcast-with-crystal-renaud-day/id1562758962
Books:
90 Days to Wholeness
Dirty Girls Come Clean
Dating Done Right: Pursuing Relationships on Purpose
Crystal Renaud Day was exposed to porn as a little girl, leading to a dark path of addiction. She reveals ways of escape from the isolation and dependence created by pornography, and how she helps other women who struggle in similar ways. Parents--be aware there is frank (though not explicit) discussion of troubling issues in this interview.
Additional resources:
Websites:
livingonpurposekc.com
sherecovery.com
thefreedomfight.org
Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sherecovery-podcast-with-crystal-renaud-day/id1562758962
Books:
90 Days to Wholeness
Dirty Girls Come Clean
Dating Done Right: Pursuing Relationships on Purpose
Allyson Schrier's husband was descending into dementia. Here's how she grew into caregiving, eventually founding Zinnia TV, programming for those living with dementia and other challenges. Allyson is an award-winning leader in the field of technological and human support for those with cognitive deficits and speaks to us with expertise, yet candidly from the heart as she tells her story. Be aware that some parts of this interview may disturb youngsters.
Additional resources:
thrivingwithdementia.com
zinniatv.com
info@zinniatv.com
C.S. Lewis expert Jerry Root explains the mysterious place that Christmas holds in the beloved children's classic The Chronicles of Narnia. Why is Lewis called a grinch by some? What does Santa Claus have to do with Jesus, and the White Witch with Herod? And where might you meet Mr. Tumnus the Faun on Thursdays at 4:00? It's all here. Merry Christmas!
Additional resources:
By C.S. Lewis (seven fiction books):
The Chronicles of Narnia (particularly The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
Essays (available online):
"What Christmas Means to Me"
"Xmas and Christmas"
"Delinquents in the Snow"
"A Christmas Sermon for Pagans"
By Jerry Root (website):www.drjerryroot.com
(books):
The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis
The Soul of C.S. Lewis
The Neglected C.S. Lewis
The Quotable Lewis
An advocate for true gender equity, Bettina Arndt is an Aussie sex therapist who became a popular media personality and sex expert. Then her years of hearing men confiding their experience in bed, police custody, courtroom, and campus changed her viewpoint. This one's touching, amusing, and truth-filled, but probably not for little ones to hear.
Additional resources:
Books by Bettina Arndt
--The Sex Diaries
What Men Want
MenToo
https://bettinaarndt.substack.com/
https://www.bettinaarndt.com.au
Aging-care mavens Kim and Mike Barnes partake in an informative and heartwarming discussion about how to help our parents in the last stages of their lives.
Additional resources:
--ParentingAgingParents.com
--The Caregiver's Key
Linda Shrewsbury--Harvard graduate, entrepreneur, educator, and dear friend of Leah--explains why handwriting is important, and recounts her breakthrough in how to teach cursive to a special-needs adult who wanted to be able to sign his name. Linda's discovery, Cursive Logic, has become a popular series endorsed by educators and parents alike.
Additional resources:
--Cursivelogic.com
--Campaignforcursive.com
--"Biological and Psychological Benefits of Learning Cursive" by William R. Klemm, PhD, Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/memory-medic/201308/biological-and-psychology-benefits-learning-cursive
--"Digitizing literacy" by Anne Mangen and Jean-Luc Velay, Psychology, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6e17/5bbc271bb87cd7bfb8d4610b6a9955fe40a9.pdf
--"Why Cursive Handwriting is Good for Your Brain" by Christopher Bergland, Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/202010/why-cursive-handwriting-is-good-your-brain
--"Grammar Students Celebrate Handwriting" https://www.genevaschooltx.org/grammar-students-celebrate-handwriting/
--"Gen Z never learned cursive" --https://www.deseret.com/2022/9/21/23363871/cursive-writing-practice-genz-never-learned-cursive--"How cursive can help students" https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/connecting-dots-role-cursive-dyslexia-therapy
--"The importance of handwriting" https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/09/14/the-importance-of-handwriting-is-becoming-better-understood
A father describes the hardship of raising kids in a region where his religion is harshly persecuted. His teenage daughter speaks up about how she handles bullying. Leah says she has thought about this conversation more than any other episode afterwards, and she is attempting to help the family. Names and location are being concealed because of the danger these brave people are facing, even as they offer hope to others.
Parenting coach and communication expert Julie King gets specific and practical on effective talking with squirming, distracted, disgruntled young children. Leah has questions on apologizing, getting kids out the door in the morning, moral vocabulary, and socks that can talk.
Additional resources:
JulieKing.org
Book: How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen by Julie King and Joanna Faber
App: How to Talk: Parenting Tips in Your Pocket
App: Parenting Hero
Book: How to Talk When Kids Won't Listen by Julie King and Joanna Faber
What's it like to raise kids in a persecuting culture? We interview a charming and courageous couple in North Africa and then reap keen insights from Shelli Alaniz of Ananias House about her organization's new release, Through the Eyes of a Child.
If you have trouble understanding the couple, a transcript will be available on YouTube. We bleeped out names and locations that might endanger this dear family.
Additional resources:
Through the Eyes of a Child: Encounters with God in the Middle East, available through Ananiashouse.org
Upcoming: interview with another family on a different continent!
Physician Julia Mason describes the medical steps of gender transition for children, explaining to your astonished host why she opposes each one. Puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex change surgery all have unintended consequences yet are steamrolling through American society without empirical basis, even while being second-guessed in most European nations.
Additional resources:
SEGM.org
Genspect.org
"Reconsidering Informed Consent for Trans-Identified Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults" Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy 2022, Levin, Abbruzzese, and Mason, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35300570/
A day (and evening) in the life of a school principal
and insights into how to relate to your child's principal. Teachers
too will benefit from this freewheeling chat about "rubrics,"
"emotional snacks," and getting sued. William D. Parker is an
award-winning school administrator and just finished 6 years as
executive director of our state Association of Secondary Principals
and Middle Level Association. He consults and speaks around the
country now as an author and podcaster, and director of Principal
Matters, LLC.
Additional resources:
https://williamdparker.com/2023/07/05/pmp351-understanding-how-to-serve-generations-with-will-parker-and-jen-schwanke/
Williamdparker.com
Principal Matters Podcast
Books by Will Parker:
--Principal Matters: The Motivation, Courage, Action and Teamwork
Needed for School Leaders
--Messaging Matters: How to Motivate Students, Inspire Teachers and
Reach Communities
--Pause. Breathe. Flourish: Living Your Best Life as an Educator
Jeremy Tate of the Classic Learning Test expounds upon
the virtues of classical education and the new college entrance exam
that is shouldering out the SAT and ACT. He parries questions about
bullying, Cinderella, and why Latin grammar is a good character
education.
Additional resources:
www.cltexam.com
When you get a young philosopher on your show to talk about education, you just might discuss Rousseau, TV advertising, the panopticon effect, Nazis, Aristotle, and tech lash.
Additional resources:
Heartsoverhexagons.com
Equine therapy for kids is having a moment, and Katie Rogers of Boston Mountain Youth Ranch is especially clear on how and why she facilitates these amazing connections.
Additional resources:
Bostonmountainyouthranch.org
Our kids and grandkids will be shaped by urban plans. What will their cities and neighborhoods look like? Who will decide? Are 15-minute cities and smart cities brilliant and humane, or the latest form of corporate cronyism? Where do churches fit in? Julianne Romanello, philosopher, and consultant on city planning, discusses people who think locally and act globally.
Additional resources:
heartsoverhexagons.com
Hearts over Hexagons YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLuCF3OL3EQiQBrdRQQiIw
Jacques Ellul, The Meaning of the City
Conversation Balloons Episode 21--Interview with urban planning expert Jeff Speck, "Are walkable cities rIght for all ages?"Jeff Speck, Walkable City RulesArticle with diagram: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/03/15-minute-city-stickiness/
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/paved-paradise/
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/15minute-city-falls-short/
Leah talks heart-to-heart with speech and language pathologist Brian Farish in this chat about nurturing the elderly and those recovering from brain injury. Brian's a highly skilled therapist with disarming honesty, humility, and spiritual vitality. We don't say that just because he's the host's kid.
Anxiety in children and teens: Here's a compassionate and practical dialogue about it with Beth Mishkind Roth, a mother and expert in child and adolescent mental health. Mindfulness and imagination, SPACE and monster spray are among the techniques Leah talks about with this sprightly and smart guest.
Additional resources:
Beth Roth can be found at clevelandint.com
Lauren Williams, a certified professional organizer, sorts it all out for Leah: how hoarding relates to OCD, depression, and dementia, how it begins, and how declutterers help hoarders and their families. She even leaves space for hope and humor!
Additional resources:
Casualuncluttering.com
NAPO.net
Childrenofhoarders.com
Digging Out by Michael Tompkins and Tamra Hart
Buried in Treasures by David Tolin, Randy Frost, Gail Steketee
The Hoarding Handbook by Christiana Bratiotis
13 is the new 30 (years old) in Juvie. Hear a juvenile detention nurse depict the emotional and physical needs of her city's toughest kids over the past 20 years, and how those needs have changed. This interview ranges from touching to traumatic; it'll stick in your mind like a shank in your pocket.
It's time we discuss how boys are stigmatized, ignored, and villainized in schools and workplaces.Michael Gurian heads the Gurian Institute, writes best-selling books, and consults and counsels as an expert on the brain science and behavior of males and females. We caught up with him for this interview which is so stimulating, you'll probably want to listen twice.
Additional resources:
Gurianinstitute.com
Michaelgurian.com
Books by Dr. Gurian:
Saving Our Sons
The Minds of Boys
The Minds of Girls
The Purpose of Boys
Raising Boys by Design (written with Gregory L Jantz)
Nurture the Nature
(And about 25 more!)
Parenting coach and author Ruchi Kuval expounds on fostering character in youngsters, while Leah eggs her on. They discuss the deep principles of ancient Jewish wisdom as applied to kids having tantrums, saying "sorry," and discovering silence.
Additional resources:
Podcast:
The Book of Life: Weekly Wisdom with Ruchi Koval
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-book-of-life-weekly-wisdom-with-ruchi-koval/id1548215793
Books :
Conversations with God
Soul Construction: Shape Your Character Using 8 Steps from the Timeless Jewish Practice of Mussar (also available as an audiobook)
Help for women facing unwanted pregnancy is a hot political topic; some nonprofits combating abortion have been the focus of criticism and controversy. Colin LeCroy, co-founder of Life on Belay, has mobilized his legal acumen and advocacy experience to help address the root causes of the abortion choice in smarter ways. No matter your take on abortion, Colin's critique of nonprofits' tendency toward God complexes, territoriality, and subjectivity makes for a bracing listen.
Additional resources:
lifeonbelay.org
Charles Murray, Coming Apart
Marvin Olasky, The Tragedy of American Compassion
Tim Elmore, expert on Millennials and Gen Z, founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, who has appeared in media such as CNN, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Fox and Friends, and Psychology Today, returns to discuss parenting teens today. In this candid interview, you can't see the tears in his eyes, but you hear them in his voice at one point. Always a font of practical information, he includes concrete suggestions for connecting with this unique age cohort.
Additional resources:
Growingleaders.com
TimElmore.com
Generation Z Unfiltered: Facing Nine Hidden Challenges of the Most Anxious Population by Tim Elmore and Andrew McPeak
A New Kind of Diversity: Making the Different Generations on Your Team a Competitive Advantage by Tim Elmore
One of the nation's foremost experts, Dr. David Gozal, describes sleep, and common challenges to a good night's rest, in all stages of adulthood. Leah asks incisive questions of this eminent scholar such as, "Do we need to completely darken the room, or is that what eyelids are for?"
Additional resources:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0238083
https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(19)33470-1/fulltext
https://biospherix.com/cytocentric-visionaries-david-gozal-p2/
Best-selling author Dr. Robert Petterson describes his daughter's faith journey, from Peace Corps to Presbyterian, and Leah suggests that asking for grace from others is the key in fraught relationships. Both have more suggestions for building bridges from one generation to another in this authentic interchange.
Additional resources: legacyimperative.org
16-year-old Jordan Davidson got wisdom beyond his years the hard way: fighting his marijuana addiction. Now age 22, Legislative Affairs and Youth Outreach Coordinator working on Capitol Hill for Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Jordan details his journey out of the smoke, where denial and isolation nearly destroyed him.
Additional resources:
learnaboutsam.org
Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn't Want You to Know by Kevin A. Sabet
poppot.org
Our guest began activism with fighting abortion--now he confronts root causes such as poverty, "marriage deserts," and housing problems. Colin LeCroy, co-Founder of Life on Belay, pours the intellectual foundation for better outcomes for moms in crisis, and their children.
Additional Resources:
lifeonbelay.org
Patrick Brown--Are Marriage and Parenthood Only for the Wealthy? https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2022/11/85947/
Timothy Carney--Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive while Others Collapse
Danielle Del Plato--The Obvious Answer to Homelessness https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/01/homelessness-affordable-housing-crisis-democrats-causes/672224/
Marvin Olasky--The Tragedy of American Compassion
Charles Murray--https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/charles-murray-us-class-society-is-losing-its-exceptional-characteristics
Ross Douthat--Does American Society Need Abortion? https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/14/opinion/abortion-america.html
Are walkable cities ableist utopias? What about strollers on subways, baby seats in Ubers, and Grandma's walker on the bus? Internationally-acclaimed city planner Jeff Speck graciously and sagaciously parries these types of thrusts from Leah, in a conversation that will leave you looking at your city or town with new eyes. Jeff Speck, the 2022 winner of the Seaside Prize, was Director of Design for the National Endowment for the Arts and now heads Specks and Associates as a private design consultant primarily for American cities. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than 5 million times and his book Walkable City was the best-selling city-planning book of the last decade. His Harvard course in the Graduate School of Design is detailed at https://execed.gsd.harvard.edu/walkable-city
Additional Resouces:
Resources by Jeff Speck:
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, Tenth Anniversary Edition, 2022
Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places, 2018
Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, 2001, with Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk
"Nine Keys to Safe Downtown Streets" Public Square, https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2020/01/07/nine-keys-safe-downtown-streets
"Why Walkable Communities are the Best Communities for Older Adults"
https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/livable-in-action/info-2018/walkable-communities-jeff-speck.html
jeffspeck.com
This episode can be found on YouTube in video form here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc_RFQ2x6vE
Our Yuletide surprise is a poignant short story. Read by the charming and talented Abigail Broeker, "The Gifts of the Child Christ" was written in 1882 by George McDonald, whose fiction and faith inspired C.S. Lewis. This Victorian tale is an Ironic, perceptive, but ultimately hopeful portrait of a marriage, a set of parents, a courtship and even an employment relationship that will all converge and mature because of unexpected losses. Okay, it's a tear-jerker--think Charles Dickens at Christmas time!
We were able to simplify the piece for modern ears, since it's in the public domain.
Additional resources:
The Gifts of the Child Christ: Fairy Stories for The Childlike by George MacDonald, edited by Glenn Edward Sadler, Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973.
www.worksofmacdonald.com
www.george-macdonald.com
Sleep expert Dr. David Gozal gives us a good-natured look at sleep in the stages of infancy, childhood, and adolescence. He enlightens us on topics like sleep apnea, co-sleeping, swaddling, and the connection between sleep disorders to nightmares and attention problems in youngsters. Teaser: We are having him back in a few weeks to survey the features of and problems with sleep in young adults, midlife, and the elderly.
Additional resources
https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.201504-0767SThttps://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/ajrccm.183.6.826a
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/45/5/zsac055/6543951
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/baby-sleep/art-20045014https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2022/01/18/kids-teens-more-sleep/
How can grandparents stay close and connected to grandchildren who are being raised with different values? Legacy Imperative, headed by Dr. Robert Petterson,
inspires and guides grandparents in maintaining warm relationships with chilly adult children. In this first of 2 episodes we did with him, Dr. Petterson mentions that 5 million kids in the U.S. are not in touch with their grandparents, and what humility, good listening, and vacations together do to help build bridges.
Additional resources:
Legacyimperative.org
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4615302.Robert_Petterson
https://youtu.be/h6lUdxyHPNU
Tom Lutz hangs with Leah to talk about Millennials in the workplace, why people of no faith should listen to him, burnout and vision, why Pope John Paul II decided to keep his job, "marketplace chaplains," and what's wrong with the film version of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.
Additional resources:
-
Dorothy Sayers, "Why Work?" https://www1.villanova.edu/content/dam/villanova/mission/faith/Why%20Work%20by%20Dorothy%20Sayers.pdf
-
www.convenenow.com
-
Timothy Keller, "Faith and Work" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZUeFYlk-I (includes Spanish translation)
-
Listeners can purchase Tom's book here: Hendrickson Publishing Group | Equipping Christians for Kingdom Purpose in Their Work (hendricksonrose.com) and use the code WORK30 to get 30% off at checkout from 11/2-11/30/22.
Medical marijuana and recreational cannabis are big business, and they want your kids to consume. Ken Finn, MD, a board-certified pain management physician in Colorado and expert on marijuana, speaks with compassion and objectivity to your astonished host.
It's estimated that $4 trillion of church real estate will be distressed in the next 40 years. About 70 churches close every week. But Blake Schwarz, a former Presbyterian church staffer, sees rich opportunity to benefit the church and the needy world in this environment: his doctoral work at the intersection of faith and economics is helping him reimagine church. Leah talks with him about the loss of "third spaces," the rosary, how he inspires young professionals, systemic blindness in Dallas, and why he keeps a "rusty, gnarly pipe" on his shelf.
Thepegasusinstitute.com
Centralcommons.org
A megachurch pastor shares practical wisdom about visiting the elderly and ill, deriving joy and benefit from times that many people find uncomfortable. Skills for such times with the aging, infirm, or dying can be learned, and the time is now!
Additional resources:
Dymer, C. S. Lewis
"There is a Land of Pure Delight" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qElMRKRZNzU
https://www.beliefnet.com/wellness/health/2004/07/advice-on-visiting-the-sick.aspx
Dr. Peirong Lin is Deputy Secretary General for the World Evangelical Alliance. Fortunately for our show, she's also a humble and wise conversationalist. Peirong talks about her upbringing in Buddhism, her view of global Christian age groups, and the life stages of organizations like World Vision.
Additional resource:
Worldea.org
Award-winning national culinary consultant Callie Fowler Farish talks about the many factors that combine to make a school lunch what it is. In feeding thousands of kids per day, she has innovated with food trucks coming to campus, holding tasting events for students, and promoted field trips to understand local sourcing. You will see your child's "lunch ladies" in a new light. Find Callie at fowlerculinary.com.
Additional resources:
fowlerculinary.com
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/schoolnutrition.htm
https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/nutrition-standards-school-meals
https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids
Three 10 to 11-year-olds reveal what they think about bad teachers, getting scared at night, forgiveness, Greek mythology, graphic novels, Kindles, and God. And they have plenty of advice for 7 to 9-year-olds
Tami Peterson evolved from high school guidance counselor to a life architect. From her deep experience in charting college plans and beyond, Tami gives us compassionate portrayals of Gen Z and Millennials and their dreams. Leah talks about folk dance, being a slob, and intercepting report cards. Believe it or not, this was the same conversation. Whether you or someone you love is contemplating a big career change, starting a family, or applying to community college, Tami has practical wisdom for you.
Additional resources:
lifearchitectscoaching.com
"Design Your Life" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29V2xRitBGc
Lennell Haley recounts a life story that includes molestation and assault, but also hope and beauty. If you want to hear what a Black woman's heart feels about growing up and raising kids in Compton and Watts, Los Angeles, where poverty and gangs ruled the streets, don't miss this episode. Hear the surprising thing the police did after Lennell was robbed. Then Lennell reads her poems about angels, buses, and husbands.
An award-winning chef and kitchen designer gets personal with Leah about food, family, and table manners. In this episode, Callie Fowler Farish of Fowler Culinary Concepts gives us a place at her table with her toddler and a "special-special." Family memories, child nutrition training, and biblical ethics have shaped this young mother / renowned professional, and we get a taste of it all. She's promised to come back next time with a macro view of child nutrition and the school lunch industry.
Additional resources:
Fowlerculinary.com
Fighting the trafficking and sexual exploitation of our precious children: this is Kristin Weis's mission at the Demand Project. She and Leah talk about how listeners can thwart the efforts of pimps and molesters. They discuss cartels, the southern U.S. border, sextortion on teens' cellphones, family trafficking, predators at school, the abuse rescue hand signal, and how volunteers can help her organization. Then Leah asks her a grim question that no one has ever asked her. Hear and share this haunting but hopeful interview.
Additional resources:
https://www.thedemandproject.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6XOeVkQYEk
https://www.upworthy.com/international-signal-for-help
https://www.state.gov/national-human-trafficking-prevention-month/ (See links therein)
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/human-trafficking
https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/589336-dangers-of-human-smuggling-and-bidens-border-policy/
Professor of Jewish Studies Ilana Horwitz's recent book God, Grades, and Graduation looks at whether students do better in school when they believe in God and belong to a community of faith. Leah explores with this sociologist such factors as parental influence, compliance with school rules, and socioeconomic inequality. "Leah's Quadrant" is revealed, both women discuss atheist kids, and Dr. Horwitz tells us how religious kids fare in college admissions and qualities like empathy, happiness and self-restraint.
Additional resources; God, Grades, and Graduation, by Ilana M. Horwitz, Oxford University Press, 2022
What do the state of Michigan, ESPN, Indian tribes, LSU's sports program, and Caesar's in Las Vegas have in common? According to Les Bernal of StopPredatoryGambling.org, they want you and your kids to gamble. He connects the dots between state lotteries, online gaming, and the epidemic of child gambling. You can hear the indignation in his voice when he tells us how FanDuel, MGM, Nickolodeon, and state governments are cultivating new gamblers in startling numbers and younger ages than ever imagined, leading to addiction and homelessness. And Leah explains gamblers' licenses.
Josh Lewis, host of Saving Elephants podcast, which connects Millennials to conservative ideas, joins Conversation Balloons to bring us up to speed on conservatism's younger adherents--and why there are not enough of them. He examines factors such as technology, public school faculty, Occupy Wall Street, betrayals by trusted public figures, and a lack of civil education. What's the importance of "thick institutions"? Does he support reparations for slavery? Who are the young women who are lighting the conservative way? Tune in to find out.
Further resources:
--Saving Elephants Podcast and Blog, https://www.savingelephantsblog.com/
--The Russell Kirk Center, https://kirkcenter.org/
--Yuval Levin, https://www.aei.org/profile/yuval-levin/
--Ian Rowe and Nique Fajors--Invisible Men podcast, https://www.invisible.men/
--Ericka Andersen--https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worth-your-time/id1443576278
--Victor Davis Hanson, http://victorhanson.com/wordpress/ , https://pjmedia.com/columnist/victor-davis-hanson/
--(Fun read though not discussed) "Millennials' Political Views Don't Make Any Sense," The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/07/millennials-economics-voting-clueless-kids-these-days/374427/
Pastor of a Methodist megachurch, Jessica tells stories about and muses upon the elders among her congregation. Leah asks how older Christians are different, what they need from church, and what religious organizations need from them. How does aging affect the spirit of the believer, and their friends and families? There were so many surprises and nuggets of wisdom in this conversation that Leah persuaded Jessica to come back soon.
Further resources:
First Methodist Tulsa https://fumctulsa.org
Diane Beals, PhD, a specialist in childhood language acquisition, and Leah reminisce about studying emerging adulthood--whether males age 18-21 feel they are men or boys, and females, women or girls, and why. The new CDC guidelines on child development, the use of religious texts in education, and the difference between a traumatized child and a child with ADHD all come up in their conversation. How can parents help their kids' vocabularies? And what are college students like compared to those in her classroom in the '80's?
Further resources:
"Concepts of Gendered Maturity"-- leahfarish.com, "More" page
Leah picks the lively brain of Tim Elmore, founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta organization taking leadership principles to the next generation. We get vivid portrayals of Gen Z, Millennials, and Boomers: how they communicate, how they want to be compensated for work, and how they view employment, leadership, and job success. Listen in if you want to grasp what "hacking an education" or "reverse mentoring" involve--or if you just want to understand your co-workers better.
Further resources:
Growingleaders.com --including:
Habitudes--https://growingleaders.com/habitudes/
Internships-- https://growingleaders.com/about/join-our-team/internships/
The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership by Tim Elmore
Generation Z Unfiltered by Tim Elmore
John Maxwell Foundation--jmlf.org