Podcast
Talking About Kids
Hosted by R. Bradley Snyder · EN
Talking About Kids is a weekly podcast for parents, educators, and direct service providers that explores the latest information on issues impacting children and adolescents, from preventing bullying to unlocking creativity. Hosted by R. Bradley Snyder, author of The 5 Simple Truths of Raising Kids, each episode presents a new topic and introduces listeners to authors, academics, and visionaries from around the globe.
11episodes
Episodes
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How to organize your photos to bring your family closer together with Megan O’Hare
1w ago00:38:52Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailFamily photos can help build resilience in kids by connecting them with their heritages or reminding them of times when they felt competent, safe, and loved. In the digital age, we create more family photos than ever, but, ironically, we seem to be appreciating them less. My guest this episode, Megan O’Hare, teaches adults how to organize and keep their photos safe and how to convert them into formats that kids enjoy accessing and sharing. Megan and I discuss her tips for starting – what might seem to be – the herculean task of sorting digital photos and her professional insights on common mistakes and misconceptions about creating and storing photo archives. More information about Megan and her service, The Photo Project, is at talkingaboutkids.com.
Transcribe →How 12 years of mentoring benefits kids with Jorie Das
2w ago00:33:47Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailResearch shows that mentoring improves health, mental health, and other outcomes for mentees. But these outcomes can be compromised and even worsened when mentor relationships are brief, inconsistent, or inadequately supported. Jorie Das, my guest this episode, is the Executive Director of Friends LA. Like all Friends of the Children chapters, the mission of Friends LA is to provide every child involved in the child welfare system with a single, trained mentor for the entirety of their primary, middle, and high school years. How does Friends LA get mentors to make such a commitment? It pays them. Jorie and I discuss this model, its benefits, and the effect it is having in her region. More information about Jorie and Friends LA is at talkingaboutkids.com.
Transcribe →How to bring the benefits of camp experiences to more kids with Shawna Rosenzweig
3w ago00:38:30Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIt is Shawna Rosenzweig’s vision to bring the benefits of structured outdoor experiences to all kids. If she is seeing farther than some, it is because she stands on the shoulders of the benevolent 100-year-old giant that is Camp Fire. Shawna and I discuss how outdoor experiences boost self-efficacy and equality, Camp Fire’s pioneering legacy, the hallmarks of great outdoor programs, and how to bring those programs, or elements of them, to the kids in your life. More information about Shawna and Camp Fire is at talkingaboutkids.com.
Transcribe →How correcting clubfoot improves the lives of kids with Daphne Sorensen
4w ago00:37:43Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailI have spent decades trying to help kids thrive. Unfortunately, the adversities children and youth face are varied and persistent, and the victories over them are few and far between. Consequently, when I encounter an intervention that dramatically improves the lives of kids efficiently and universally, I get excited because we all need a win sometimes. MiracleFeet provides technical and financial support to a network of local partners in 38 countries to provide best-in-class treatment of clubfoot. As you will hear from MiracleFeet’s CEO, Daphne Sorensen, the organization’s cost-effective approach has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids by removing the barrier to success that this painful and debilitating condition otherwise creates. More information about Daphne and MiracleFeet is at talkingaboutkids.com.
Transcribe →How executive functioning coaches help neurodivergent kids with Norrine Russell
Jun 100:36:25Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailInterest in executive functioning coaches for neurodivergent kids has grown considerably over the last five years, which is both exciting and worrisome. It is exciting because coaches promise to help students plan, organize, focus, and manage their emotions and tasks. It is worrisome because there are no degree, training, or licensing requirements to be an executive functioning coach. To help me parse this and to gain a better understanding of executive functioning coaches, how they work, and what to look for in a coach, I asked Norrine Russell to come on the podcast. Norrine has decades of experience in youth development, and her firm, Russell Coaching, has been working with neurodivergent students since well before the recent boom. More information about Norrine and Russell Coaching is at talkingaboutkids.com.
Transcribe →Memorial Day Episode: Poppies for remembrance
May 2500:04:06Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this mini Memorial Day episode, I look at poppies as a symbol of remembrance that you can share with the kids in your life. A link to “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae is at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes return next week (June 1, 2026).
Transcribe →How homeopathy can help families with Marcus Fernandez
May 1800:51:21Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailThe science is clear: A one-size-fits-all approach to education or mental health does not work. But what about physical health? I am hearing more and more parents complain about the healthcare their children receive. At the same time, I am being overwhelmed with ads for potions, diets and supplements that promise to cure everything instantly. This is why I was eager to speak with Marcus Fernandez. Marcus has spent three decades advocating for preventative, homeostatic approaches to physical health. He is the Principal of The Centre for Homeopathic Education and the author of several works, including Homeopathy at Home: Everyday Treatments for Common Complaints. I asked Marcus to define what homeopathic medicine is, when and for whom it is appropriate, and how to distinguish between, what he refers to as, “evidence-based” approaches and the exploitive, false promises that crowd our inboxes and social network feeds. More information about Marcus, including links to the The Centre for Homeopathic Education and his book, is talkingaboutkids.com.
Transcribe →How storytelling builds resilience in kids with Candace Lee and Eric Newman
May 1100:35:25Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailThe children’s middle grade action and adventure novel, George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer: A Scouting Legend, was written by long-term collaborators Candace Lee and Eric Newman. Bringing it to fruition was an act of resilience, so it is not surprising that resilience is theme in the book and a skill the authors hope the book fosters in its readers. Candace, Eric, and I discuss this, the importance of scouting and exploration, and the depth of the world they created. More information about Candace and Eric, including a link to their book, is at talkingaboutkids.com.
Transcribe →What quality out-of-school-time programming does for kids with Kevin Cripe
May 400:37:12Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailKevin Cripe changed the culture of his under-resourced school in Modesto, California, with an afterschool program devoted to…chess. Kevin and I discuss his motivation for starting the program, how he did it, and, importantly, why he chose chess. I believe the lessons Kevin learned in the process can benefit all out-of-school time (OST) programs. More information about Kevin – including information on his books, how to engage him as speaker, and a picture of one his many chess champions with an enormous trophy – is at talkingaboutkids.com.
Transcribe →Why we need to rethink how we teach grammar with Patty McGee
Apr 2700:32:56Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailGrammar. If the thought of it makes you anxious, you are not alone. My guest this episode, Patty McGee, wants to change that by changing how we teach the subject. The pedagogy that she prescribes in her excellent book, Not Your Granny’s Grammar, is not necessarily new (Patty bases her recommendations on evidence-informed practices). However, solid pedagogy, like Patty’s, is rarely applied to subject of grammar. Patty and I discuss this, her book, and tips for reducing grammar anxiety. More information about Patty and her book is at talkingaboutkids.com.
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