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Are the apps on your phone "sticky?" Do you find yourself going back to a certain app again and again every waking hour? when did you last have an actual conversation on your phone? Our guest today is here to help us unpack some of these questions and introduce us to a phone that us making tech human again. Joe Hollier is the  co founder of the Light phone. From their website it is a phone to be used as little as possible. Things we discuss on the podcast :  Making tech humane again with the Light phone The stickiness of an app – how many hours a day does someone spend on your website /app The Light Phone – drawing the line in the sand as far as what apps are necessary and what will never be on the phone  Gaining control back over your day What a smart-phone free school felt and looked like for a year Purchase a light phone :  https://www.thelightphone.com/

Lynn Mcloughlin brings years of experience in various roles within the school system including serving as a superintendent. She is a lifelong educator, author, podcast host and motivational speaker.   Her vision is to cultivate confidence, empathy, responsibility, and self-awareness in children, equipping them with the skills to regulate their emotions in a positive way. Things we discuss in the podcast:  Ø  Taking a proactive versus reactive approach to children’s emotional wellbeing Ø  Navigating wellbeing within the school system Ø  Promoting children’s wellbeing in the early years Ø  The power of story telling and mental wellbeing Ø  Through her book series the Power of Thought – how to teach kids emotional vocabulary – Really answer the question - what am I feeling? Resources to find Guest :  https://lynnmclaughlin.com/ Order her Book Series - The Power of Thought  https://www.amazon.ca/What-Thinking-True-Power-Thought/dp/1775001784/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1J3HXWW6Y9T0P&keywords=Lynn+McLaughlin&qid=1683219955&sprefix=lynn+mclaughlin%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-2

To honor Autism awareness month which is marked in April ; today we get to hear from Natalie Pelto. When her son was 3, he was non-verbal and like any reasonable parent she begun seeking all kinds of support to rule out/ rule in among other things -  autism. From speech therapy to OT -  This finally  led her to a personal journey of lifestyle modification for about 4 years - which included diet, time outdoors and reducing inputs that cause inflammation including environmental toxins, problematic screen time etc.  The results are in. He begun speaking, he is thriving in school and has an active social life which Natalie shares about.   Things we talk about in the podcast :  1.)    Lifestyle modifications – what makes it hard to change our lifestyle  2.)    Broad definition of autism - the role of environment, diet, toxins etc 3.)    Nutrition and the role of inflammation in increasing toxin levels 4.)    The microbiome – what is it and why does it matter? 5.)    The role of inflammation in increasing toxin levels in our system Resources to reach Natalie:   The website is www.blueliferx.com My Instagram is www.instagram.com/rebellespectrum www.blueliferx.com/autismwebinar to sign up for free education on how we supported autism + access to all the free challenges I run throughout the year through email.

Our guest today, Melissa Nobbs, was gracious and so kind to share her son Aidan's story.  Things we discussed in this podcast:  -          The evolution of challenges – how online challenges are different from the simple truth or dare from the 80s and 90s -          The human desire to be seen to be heard and accepted how it plays into online challenges -          Demographics behind online challenges and why middle school is a high risk time  -          Aidan Nobbs beautiful story -          How kids are always pinging and dropping us breadcrumbs into their lives. -          Why it is important to allow kids to make mistakes, make them early and make them often Resources and parent resources around online challenges :  Eric's Cause - https://www.erikscause.org/  Mason's Message - https://www.facebook.com/masonsmessage/

Our guest today, Jen Hardy is a mum of seven who brings years of experience adn clarity to the parenting scene. Things we talk about in the podcast :  -          Navigating homeschooling for 20+ years  -          Tips and tricks for managing a home- even with a chronic illness -          Navigating the family dinner table - answering the persistent question, “what is for dinner?”, making the family dinner engaging -          Setting and holding boundaries when it is easy to be a “slot machine.” -          Thriving as a parent in your fifties -          Raising a child with special needs and what it means for their learning journey -          Finding your tribe - Creating a support system / “a village” to help in parenting Resources : The Hardy Mom -  https://hardymom.com/

This was such a short, practical conversation which is what I feel so many of us need when there is so much information out there as far as navigating media and screentime.  Brenee Brown has a quote I love, 'to be clear is to be kind." Alex is clear with her media management tips and was so kind and gentle in sharing it through this conversation.  Some things we discussed :  1.)    Hiding like counts on your profile – how to do it and the benefits. 2.)    A 4-step process of interacting with media in a more mindful way 3.)    The impulse behind phone checking and what to do about it 4.)    Navigating the newborn days when there is a lot of time spent “just sitting.” 5.)    Understanding screentime research – how to sift through the data Alex website - https://mindfulwithmedia.com/ Blogpost - 30 Productive things to do while holding a baby instead of social media - https://mindfulwithmedia.com/30-productive-things-to-do-while-holding-a-baby-instead-of-social-media/ Hiding the number of likes on your social media - How to hide the number of likes - https://mindfulwithmedia.com/how-to-hide-the-number-of-likes-on-instagram-2022/

Today on the podcast it was an honor to chat with Keeana Saxon, founder of kidogo productions - an online platform that is geared towards curating content that promotes diversity and representation in children's media.  "Kidogo" is a Swahili word that means "small" and Keeana is someone who always goes after the small people, those in the margins. From her years as a lawyer, to teaching piano, completing the Boston Marathon, Keeana is multi-talented and multi passionate mum who keep representation at the heart of all she does. Some things we talked about in the podcast :   - Diversity in media and what is means for children's content   - The A.I.R acronym A - uthentic I - Inclusive and R - epresentation   - Explicit and Implicit biases of depiction of characters in children's shows.  Website - kidogotv.com Instagram @kidogoproductions

Emily Cherkin also known in the digital sphere as "The screen time consultant," shared her insight from her years as a teacher and now parent educator and digital wellness educator with parents, mental health professionals etc.  Some of the things we discussed in this episode:  -          The role of relationships in fostering kids tech use -          The power of “living life out loud” while using technology -          Technology in schools – the idea of “skills before screens.” -          Parental controls : why strong parent-child relationships are a better option -          The role of big-tech and what needs to happen at a macro-level Emily article on parental controls :  https://www.thescreentimeconsultant.com/which-parental-controls-do-i-recommend-none-d83c77309120sourcerss-43e8070c4854------2 To gain more resources from Emily website you can visit it here - https://www.thescreentimeconsultant.com/