Advertise on podcast: Parenting Portal with Joanna Port

Dorothy Klock, MD is a Board Certified Family Physician. Dr. Klock holds a BS from UCLA, earned her MD from Albany Medical College, and completed her Family Medicine residency at Brown University-Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.  Dr. Klock has over fifteen years of clinical experience in the Los Angeles area, including 13 years in the Department of Family Medicine at Kaiser Permanente,  and she served as a medical advisor for the entire run of the hit TV sit-com Scrubs.  Dr. Klock leads parenting seminars regularly, offers parent-child puberty classes, group workshops for kids and teens, and is available for private parenting consultation. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25+ years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parentingportal.com

Margaret Grundstein was raised in Detroit, attended the University of Michigan and then headed east, first to Goddard College for a Bachelor’s in History and then to Yale to graduate with a Master’s in Urban Planning in 1970. With the ink still wet on her diploma, Margaret headed west, dropping out to live communally in the woods of Oregon, an adventure she writes about in her first memoir, Naked in the Woods; My Unexpected Years in a Hippie Commune, published by Oregon State University Press in 2015. Five years later, having dropped back in, Margaret created a niche that fit her life as a single parent, the owner/director of a preschool in Venice, California which she still runs today. Margaret also has a private practice as a psychotherapist in Los Angeles. Ten years ago she added a third career, writing. Margaret’s second book, Not Dead Yet: The Life and Loves of a Septuagenarian, a collection of eight personal essays, is presently looking for a home with a publisher. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25+ years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parentingportal.com

Mindy Podolsky Owens is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s Degree in Nutrition. She also has a certificate in adult weight management. Her broad and extensive experience includes nutritional consultation, designing and managing a nutrition consult service for a Chicago Health Maintenance Organization, developing a grant-based weight management program for childhood obesity at La Rabida Children’s Hospital, establishing and implementing a weight management program for a chain of health clubs in London, England, and managing a thriving private practice, consulting individuals and families on weight loss, healthy eating, healthy pregnancies and "creating healthy homes." Mindy has counseled obesity clinic participants in Detroit, Michigan, children with Type I Diabetes at the American Diabetic Association’s Diabetes Camp in Illinois, and patrons of the Canyon Ranch Health Spa in Tucson, Arizona. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25+ years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parentingportal.com

Charlotte Reznick, PhD, is author of The Power of Your Child's Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success and contributing author of the chapter "Imagery as a Therapeutic Tool with Children" in Transformative Imagery: Cultivating Imagination for Healing, Change and Growth. She is a child educational psychologist and a former UCLA Associate Professor of Psychology. Dr. Reznick has a 30-year meditation practice and is the creator of Imagery For Kids: Breakthrough for Learning, Creativity, and Empowerment, a mindful coping skills program. In addition to her private practice in Los Angeles, she creates therapeutic meditation CDs, blogs for Psychology Today and Huffington Post, is a frequent media consultant, and teaches workshops internationally on the healing power of children's imagination. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25+ years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parentingportal.com

Dr. Grogan is a practicing pediatric orthopedic surgeon in the west Los Angeles area. He has seen over 45,000 patients in his career. Dr. Grogan graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in Biology and received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Grogan’s orthopedic training has included an orthopedic residency at UCLA plus several orthopedic fellowships in pediatric orthopedics, trauma, and NIH sponsored joint replacement surgery. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25 years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parentingportal.com

Dr. Soheil Simzar, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, specializes in skin cancer surgery and cosmetic dermatology. He began his medical studies at Van Nuys Medical Magnet High School, graduating in the top 1%. He received his Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from University of California at Los Angeles, Doctor of Medicine at UCLA, and was a Resident Physician in Internal Medicine at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. At Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, he continued his Residency in Dermatology and was served as Dermatology Chief Resident, while also accomplishing a Preceptorship by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery in Cosmetic and Surgical Dermatology. After his specialty training, Dr. Simzar completed a fellowship in advanced dermatological procedures and surgery including neuromodulators, fillers, sclerotherapy, scar treatments, and laser surgery. He is a clinical instructor of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and teaches medical and surgical dermatology to the dermatology residents and medical students. He was awarded UCLA’s Dean’s Honor List and a recipient of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Preceptorship Award. Dr. Simzar is an experienced researcher, has authored in numerous prestigious medical publications, and has presented at national conferences. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25 years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parenting portal.com

Donna Holloran earned her BS in Psychology and Child Development before moving to California and earning a MSW from UCLA. She is also certified in Infant Mental Health.  Donna founded Babygroup in Santa Monica, California, in 1996 and there maintains her practice as a parent educator and child development specialist. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25 years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parenting portal.com

Richard and Lois Reinis are grandparents 16 times over. They share some lessons learned through the 24 years of grandparenting. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 26 years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parenting portal.com

Stephanie Demery is a licensed marriage and family therapist in West Los Angeles, working with children, adolescents, and families. She specializes in working with childhood disorders that include depression, anxiety, PTSD, learning challenges, low self-esteem, conduct disorders, autism, ADD and ADHD, addiction, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. She's certified in EMDR therapy. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25 years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parenting portal.com

Rachel Zaslansky Sheer is co-owner and co-founder of The Grapevine Agency established in 2005. Specializing in permanent placement of executive/personal assistants, home staffing and management, utilizing the highest standards of recruiting. Prior to becoming a recruiter, Rachel was an Executive Assistant to Kevin Huvane, Managing Partner of Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Before joining Huvane’s team, Rachel worked for two Talent Agents in the Motion Picture Department of CAA. Rachel graduated from University of Maryland with a BS in Psychology and a concentration in Women’s Studies. Originally from Chappaqua, NY, Rachel relocated to Los Angeles in 1998. She lives in Brentwood with her husband and two children. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25 years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parenting portal.com

Julie is a licensed psychotherapist working with infants, children and adults, exploring attachment, mindfulness and empathic communication. Her background is in infant mental health and child psychology, with a specialization in baby and child sleep issues. She created the content and curriculum for the Wright Parent & Me classes in Los Angeles. Julie trained at Cedars Sinai Early Childhood Center and co-founded a program for parents and babies from 0-3 at LA Child Guidance Clinic. She believes development is optimized and relationships thrive when there is an emotional connection. Her background also includes the “school of life,” as the mother of an adult son. Julie co-authored two books, The Happy Sleeper; A Science-Backed Guide to Helping Your Baby Get a Good Night’s Sleep – Newborn to School Age and Now Say This: The Right Words to Solve Every Parenting Dilemma Penguin Random House. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25 years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parenting portal.com

Hedieh Naydawood, MS CCC-SLP is a Speech Language Pathologist in private practice, specializing in early intervention. Her trainings to the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles Universal Preschool, North Lost Angeles, and Westide Regional Centers have focused on the benefits of relationship-based speech and feeding therapy. Host Joanna Port is Director at Crestwood Hills Preschool. She has a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Social Work from USC.  For the past 25 years she has worked with families and children, as a therapist, an elementary school teacher, and as a parent consultant. Find out more at parenting portal.com