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In this episode, Rylie Heck speaks with Andrea Mancuso about parental well-being and how that can connect to their children's mental health. Andrea was a School Psychologist for the New York City Public Schools for over 14 years. She served the NYC school system and supported thousands of children and their families during that time. Much of Andrea's work emphasizes awareness and acceptance, proactive self-care and effective communication between parent and child. Throughout her years working with parents, she has found it to be exceptionally important for parents to open up to the possibility of locking arms with trusted professionals to best support their children. Andrea also works hard to empower parents to take care of themselves to the best of their ability. It takes a village; And the village must be healthy to be impactful with the care of vulnerable children.

Andrea is a highly skilled consultant and dynamic facilitator. As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Andrea is experienced with both development and high-performance coaching. She is certified in Emotional Intelligence (EI) assessment and is currently the host of The V Spot Podcast. Andrea attained Advanced Certification in Mental Health Counseling in 2022, a Master of Science in Education (M.S. Ed.) in Therapeutic Interventions and a Professional Diploma in School Psychology from Fordham University in 2007.

GUEST INFORMATION/LINKS:

Website: www.iamandreamancuso.com
Instagram: @iamandreamancuso
YouTube: Intentional Healing & Wellness

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In this episode, Sophia Mills talks to Brandin Bryant, NFL player and children’s book author. Born in Nebraska, Brandin is not only an accomplished NFL professional with an impressive 8-year career on the field but also a passionate advocate for mental performance. Brandin has recently added "author" to his resume with his debut book, where he shares his wisdom on the transformative power of a growth mindset and the crucial role of education in an athlete’s life. His dedication to inspiring young athletes has taken him to universities nationwide, where he speaks about building a successful mindset both on and off the field.

GUEST INFORMATION/LINKS:

Instagram: @EL_Sacko @BrandinsBooks

Website: www.BrandinsBooks.com

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In this Heart to Heart episode, Tonya Cajuste tells a story of a child who is struggling with self image issues and peer pressure and how their family worked through these challenges. Join in to understand the impact of struggling self-esteem for your child and learn some ways to navigate scenarios like this one.

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In this episode, Sophia Mills talks to Karen M. Ricks, a Christian wife, Worldschooling mom, nomadic chef, and a certified yoga instructor. Teaching for over 25 years, she has been a Montessorian since her own preschool days. She holds Montessori teaching certifications for guiding children from infancy through elementary. She has cooked professionally, in restaurants, commercial kitchens, and private homes on four different continents over the last decade and a half.

After 10 years of teaching in central Japan, where Karen founded and operated her own international Montessori school, she sold it all to begin a nomadic life of full-time travel with her family. Karen spreads her message of embracing a Slow Food Lifestyle, a lifelong love of learning, and education for peace by teaching people of all ages how to #PLAYwithYourFood and why they need to share that gift with those they love. You can learn more about her, her family’s edible exploits, and the lessons they are learning on their Culinary Worldschooling Adventures as they gallivant around the globe over at Our Kitchen Classroom. com.

GUEST INFORMATION/LINKS:
Website: https://OurKitchenClassroom.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ourkitchenclassroom
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenm.ricks/ (#OurKitchenClassroom) YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ourkitchenclassroom
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@YogaWKaren #PLAYwithYourFood Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WePLAYwithOurFood/
Subscribe to Our Kitchen Playground: https://ourkitchenclassroom.com/subscribe-to-our-kitchen-playground/

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In this Heart to Heart episode, Tonya Cajuste tells a story of a child who is overwhelmed with academics and how her family worked through these challenges. Join in to understand the impact of academic pressures and learn some ways to navigate scenarios like this one.

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In this episode, Sophia Mills and Sofia Scher interview Dr. Michelle Alden. Dr. Alden is a parent coach, licensed professional counselor in Idaho, and author. She has developed a program used in Idaho to help parents who have youth with severe behavior and mental health issues. Dr. Alden's passion is helping adoptive families to work through the challenges. She have worked with at-risk kids for more than 20 years, the last 10 years specifically in the homes and coaching parents navigate difficult situations directly in their homes. Dr. Alden's believes, like John Bowlby - an attachment expert - said, "if we love children, we must cherish their parents."

Dr. Alden wants to empower parents to parent and a key is giving the parents the tools and skills they need to help their children to work through and overcome the challenges they are facing. She offers parents the skills they need to build a bridge to the family they want and be in charge in their home and with their children.

GUEST INFORMATION/LINKS:

Main Website: healthyfoundations.co (not .com)
Coaching resources: parentingchallengingkids.com
Book: Parenting Emotionally Distressed Kids

The Playroom for Parents (entry level parent coaching group)
Courses for professionals and parents with ADHD Kids
The Parenting Bridge podcast

Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthyFoundationsFamilyProgram
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthyfoundationsfp/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@healthyfoundations7631
LindedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-michelle-alden-24558656

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In this episode, Sophia Mills interviews Jenniel Taylor, a Psychotherapist, Life Coach and Founder of the Shades of Trauma Healing Podcast. She has a passion for helping adults heal from the impacts of childhood trauma using a judgment-free, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed approach. To provide a holistic therapeutic plan, Jenniel utilizes talk therapy, spiritual applications, and somatic (body awareness) interventions to support clients. She embraces joy, playfulness, and laughter in her personal and professional life and encourages her friends and clients to do the same.

Taylor understands the impacts of adverse childhood experiences on children's development, and uses the ACEs questionnaire with every client intake. Taylor has studied with the Arizona Trauma Institute to become a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist, and has specific training in Parenting Traumatized Children.

GUEST INFORMATION/LINKS:

Resources referenced in the epsiode: Coregulation Games to Play With Your Children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTV8GKrQjqo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4RPzy2GA_U

Podcast: Shades of Trauma Healing https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shades-of-trauma-healing-childhood-trauma-trust/id1697943321
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shades_of_trauma_healing/.
Email: support@shadesoftraumahealing.com

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In this episode, Sophia Mills and Rylie Heck speak with Julie McGue, an adult adoptee, identical twin, and author. At the age of 48, a breast biopsy brought to light the limitations of closed adoption, sparking a quest to uncover her birth circumstances, family medical history, and genealogy. Beyond her writing, Julie is a mother, grandmother, and an identical twin, embracing the myriad roles and experiences life has offered her. She has a lifelong passion for storytelling and has filled countless journals and binders with narratives and reflections from her experiences. She writes about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it.

Julie has published two award-winning books, Twice a Daughter is about the five year search for birth relatives. Belonging Matters is a collection of essays about adoption, family, and kinship. Her third book, a prequel to Twice a Daughter, comes out in Feb. 2025. Julie McGue takes us on a gripping exploration of her profound adoptee journey through a medical crisis within the confines of closed adoption, discovering personal identity and voice while weaving resilience and inspiration from every challenge faced.

GUEST INFORMATION/LINKS:
https://juliemcgueauthor.com
www.facebook.com/juliemcguewrites
www.twitter.com/juliermcgue
www.instagram.com/julieryanmcgue
www.Goodreads.com/julieryanmcgue
www.linkedin.com/in/julie-mcgue-a246b841