Episodios

  • 222: How to cultivate Menstrual Cycle Awareness with The Red School

    222: How to cultivate Menstrual Cycle Awareness with The Red School
    Aug 26 2024
    This episode was...unplanned. :-) A couple of months ago I interviewed Dr. Louise Newson on the topic of menopause. Dr. Newson is a medical doctor and focused very heavily on Hormone Replacement Therapy as a treatment that everyone who menstruates should at least consider, and I knew I wanted to do an episode with someone who doesn't hold that belief as well. I found Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer of The Red School, and really appreciated their book Wise Power. As I usually do before recording an interview I read their other co-authored book Wild Power, and I realized there was a 'missing' episode on the topic of Menstrual Cycle Awareness. We can't really talk about being aware of the changes that are happening to our bodies during menopause if we don't know what has happened to our bodies throughout our menstruating years. When I read Wild Power I felt a deep sense of sadness that I was just discovering this now, as my own years of menstruation wind down - but also a deep sense of hope that I can help Carys develop a much closer relationship with her own body than I had with mine. We'll answer questions like:
    • What phases does my body go through each month?
    • How can I start becoming more aware of these phases through Menstrual Cycle Awareness?
    • How can I align my activities with my energy levels, creativity, and arousal - even in the real world, which wants me to go-go-go all the time?
    • How is my inner critic aligned with my cycle, and how can I use its knowledge to help me?
    • How can I navigate Menstrual Cycle Awareness if I've had a difficult relationship with my periods and with fertility?

    I'd encourage you to listen to this episode if:
    • You menstruate and want to better understand how menstruation affects your life
    • You're raising a child who will menstruate and want to prepare them to feel 'at home' in their bodies
    • You love someone who menstruates and want to be better attuned to them
    • You're raising a child who will never menstruate, but you want them to appreciate menstruation and know how to effectively support people who menstruate.

    In other words, everyone will get something out of this episode! ...
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    1 h y 1 m
  • 221: How to advocate for the schools our children deserve

    221: How to advocate for the schools our children deserve
    Aug 19 2024
    How comfortable do you feel speaking up about something your child’s school needs? Have you noticed that some parents seem to feel more comfortable speaking up than others? Have you ever noticed that sometimes rules and policies in school don’t seem to be applied evenly to all students, while squeaky wheels who raise issues that concern them and their children tend to get addressed? If you have, and you’d like to understand more about what you’re seeing and know what to do about it, then this episode is for you. My guest for this episode is Allyson Criner Brown, an award-winning equity practitioner, trainer, and scholar who has worked at the intersections of pre-K-12 education, family, and community engagement, environmental justice, and local government. I also have a co-interviewer joining me, parent Cassie Gardener Manjikian, who asked for this episode after she noticed that the everyday actions she was seeing in her school weren’t matching up with the school’s (and district’s) own goals and plans. In the episode, we answer questions like:
    • What are the valuable ways that parents contribute to their children’s learning, even if they never volunteer in the classroom?
    • What kinds of social challenges happen in schools, and how do these affect our kids?
    • How can I advocate for changes if the Principal doesn’t seem interested?
    • What kinds of tools can we use with teachers and parents if people are on board with doing things differently but just don’t know what to do or how to do it?
    • If I’m the kind of parent who is never going to join the PTA, what role can I play?

    We all have an important role to play in creating the schools our children deserve - this episode will help you to find yours.
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    1 h y 11 m
  • 220: Nutritious movement for your child – and you!

    220: Nutritious movement for your child – and you!
    Aug 12 2024
    A few months ago my daughter had a routine checkup at the doctor, who asked how much screen time she gets in a day (which is more than typical recommendations but way less time than children spend sitting in school). The doctor told her (but really she told me): “You should get more exercise.” Carys isn’t a team sports kind of person. She doesn’t love hiking, and she only really likes biking when friends are with us. Something about the ‘get more exercise’ advice didn’t sit quite right with me, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. Then I found Katy Bowman’s work and suddenly it all made sense. Katy points out that movement and exercise are not the same thing. Even if we aren’t getting enough exercise, what we need far more than exercise is movement. In this episode, we discuss questions like:
    • What, exactly, is movement?
    • What does it mean for our children to move…and how about us?
    • How do we get more of it when our days are already so full? (I know I thought that, but I’ve found ways to incorporate a daily stretching routine without taking any time away from anything else I do. We discuss how in the episode!)

    What children learn through movement
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    1 h y 5 m
  • 219: The skills your child will need in the age of AI

    219: The skills your child will need in the age of AI
    Aug 5 2024
    What your child is learning in school isn’t enough The things your child is learning in school are not the things that are most likely to lead to their success in the future. Who could have predicted the shifts we’ve seen since Chat GPT-3 was released to the public in November 2022? While AI still has its bugs, it won’t be long before these bugs are squashed. We’re going to be using more and more technology in our lives - and our children are going to need different skills to navigate it than we’ve used in our careers. The 56 foundational skills for future success A report from consulting firm McKinsey’s research arm described 56 foundational skills that will help people thrive in the future of work. Eleven of these skills are related to digital fluency and citizenship, software use and development, and understanding digital systems. The other 44 skills have nothing to do with digital knowledge or capabilities. These...
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    58 m
  • Episode Summary 01: Building a better relationship with screen time

    Episode Summary 01: Building a better relationship with screen time
    Jul 31 2024
    Thanks to those of you who completed the recent survey on how I can serve you better, some changes are coming to the YPM world! While most respondents said they loved the length of the episodes because they appreciate how much detail we can get into in that time, a number of people said they had trouble finding the time to listen to longer episodes, as well as share them with others. Our long episodes aren’t going anywhere; I love being able to truly understand an issue and have deep conversations with experts. But I hear you that it can be hard to find an hour to listen! That’s why I’m going to start creating summary episodes. This first one summarizes the last two episodes on the topic of video games - both the conversation with @TheGamerEducator Ash Brandin, and my narrated episode on what children learn from video games. You’ll get my take-home ideas from both episodes in less than 12 minutes! If you’re starting to see the deep learning that children are doing while they’re playing video games and want to support them in having more of these kinds of experiences…but without using screens all the time, the Learning Membership will help you. The membership helps you to support your child’s intrinsic love of learning, while also equipping them with the skills they’ll need to succeed in the age of AI. You’ll learn how to see and follow your child’s interests so you can support them in deep inquiries. You won’t have to drag them through it like you would a workbook or a curriculum (so no need to reward them with screen time!) because they will WANT to learn. They’ll be excited to do it, and they’ll bring you along for the ride. If you already know you’re in, you can sign up for the Learning Membership right now. All the usual stuff applies - sliding scale pricing, money back guarantee. Enrollment will open again soon. Click the banner to learn more! Jump to Highlights 01:26 Introducing today’s episode 02:06 Balancing kids' screen time is a gradual process of sharing responsibility and making adjustments based on their abilities. 03:35 Children are drawn to video games because they meet needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. 03:54 There is no strong evidence that video games cause violence. 05:27 Children can learn about cultural issues like misogyny and violence from video games and other media. 07:19 Video games allow children to actively engage in learning by exploring unique systems and strategies, similar to real scientific thinking. 08:41 Children develop creativity and persistence through video games. 09:18 Invitation to the free You Are Your Child’s Best Teacher workshop
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    12 m
  • 218: What children learn from video games

    218: What children learn from video games
    Jul 29 2024
    Last week, parent Nicole and I talked with @TheGamerEducator Ash Brandin about the challenges we can have when our kids love video games. [insert link to previous episode] I had also hoped to ask Ash a lot of questions about what children learn from video games but we completely ran out of time, so I spent a fun day reading 10 books on the topic at the University of New Mexico library (non-students can’t check out books!). I wanted to know a lot more about:
    • Why do children find video games so attractive? And can we use that information to make the transitions away from screen time easier - as well as support their off-screen learning?
    • Even if video games don’t lead children to violence, are they picking up ideas that aren’t aligned with our values?
    • What useful skills are our children learning from video games, and how is this different from school-based learning?

    Learning Membership

    Do you want to turn your child’s interests into learning opportunities? The Learning Membership is here to help you. Make learning a fun adventure that not only strengthens your bond, but also nurtures your child’s intrinsic love of learning—an essential foundation for success in an AI-driven world.

    Get tools and strategies to support your child’s love of learning and future-proof their success in navigating whatever comes their way. No special skills needed—just a willingness to explore alongside them.

    Enrollment will open again soon. All the usual stuff applies - sliding scale pricing, money back guarantee. Click the banner to learn more!

    Jump to Highlights 00:45 Introduction to today’s episode 04:13 Children are drawn to video games because they fulfill their needs for independence, skill-building, and connection. 13:00 Children learn about gender roles and social behaviors from video games, which reflect societal misogyny and violence. 28:55 Video games foster active learning through problem-solving and experimentation. By connecting gaming identities to real-world learning, children can enhance their educational experiences. 40:00 Children learn best when they are engaged in activities they care about, and the You...
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    58 m
  • 217: How to end the video game struggles

    217: How to end the video game struggles
    Jul 22 2024
    Video games can be tough. Our kids enjoy them so much…but can’t tear their eyes away from them when time’s up without a meltdown. Some games, like Fortnite and Roblox, can be really violent, and aren’t our kids learning bad messages when they play? Plus even if they aren’t playing something violent, they aren’t really learning anything beneficial, right? In this episode with @TheGamerEducator Ash Brandin and co-interviewer parent Nicole, we talk about common struggles parents have with kids who are playing games, including:
    • How to address dysregulation at the end of screen time
    • How to ‘scaffold’ the child’s ability to manage their own screen time
    • The links between screen time and intrinsic motivation
    • Why we can feel OK using screen time to give ourselves a break
    • How to model appropriate screen time use in front of our children

    If summer is rolling on by and you’ve seen your kids do a lot of playing (whether that’s video games or not) and not a lot of activities that look like learning, I’d love to see you in the Learning Membership.

    The Learning Membership is here to help you. Make learning a fun adventure that not only strengthens your bond, but also nurtures your child’s intrinsic love of learning—an essential foundation for success in an AI-driven world.

    Get tools and strategies to support your child’s love of learning and future-proof their success in navigating whatever comes their way. No special skills needed—just a willingness to explore alongside them.

    Enrollment will open again soon. All the usual stuff applies - sliding scale pricing, money back guarantee. Click the banner to learn more!

    Jump to Highlights 01:50 Introducing the topic and guests for this episode 03:17 Moderate video game use generally has neutral or positive effects, contrary to earlier studies linking it to aggression. 07:02 Many studies linking video games to aggression overlook confounding factors like socioeconomic status, trauma, and family...
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    1 h y 12 m
  • 216: Am I in Perimenopause? with Dr. Louise Newson

    216: Am I in Perimenopause? with Dr. Louise Newson
    Jul 15 2024
    How do I know if I'm perimenopausal? A few months ago a member in the Parenting Membership shared a whole bunch of symptoms she'd had, from fatigue to rage to dry eyes. She'd been on a four year journey to figure out what was going on before finding out that she was in perimenopause, and wanted to save other members from the same experience she'd had. That sparked a huge discussion in the community, with other members wondering whether the symptoms they were experiencing were also related to menopause - and whether this was going to be yet another thing they were going to have to educate their doctors about to get appropriate treatment. In this episode we answer questions about:
    • What roles do hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone play in our bodies?
    • What is menopause, and what is perimenopause?
    • What are some of the most common symptoms of perimenopause? (Hint - it isn't hot flashes)
    • What are the benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy, and who should consider it?
    • Is HRT dangerous?
    • What impacts does culture have on the experience of menopause?

    In our next episode on this topic we'll look at a non-medical, holistic approach to menopause. Dr. Newson’s books Preparing for the perimenopause and menopause Menopause: All you need to know in one concise manual The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause Jump to Highlights 01:26 Introducing the topic and featured guest for this episode 03:48 Hormones play a crucial role in menstruation. 08:28 Dr. Newson explores the definitions and challenges of menopause and perimenopause, emphasizing the wide-ranging symptoms and long-term health implications associated with hormonal changes. 12:10 Dr. Newson discusses recognizing perimenopause symptoms amid busy lifestyles and the importance of early awareness, regardless of age variability in menopausal onset. 16:05 Dr. Newson explains how hormonal birth control can obscure natural hormone patterns, potentially leading to misunderstood symptoms like mood changes and reduced energy. 18:26 Women face challenges in receiving timely diagnosis and treatment for perimenopause and menopause symptoms, underscoring disparities in healthcare and the importance of seeking medical help despite societal barriers. 22:46 Hot flashes, often associated with menopause, are not the most prevalent or severe symptom. They result from brain disruptions and vary widely among individuals, with many experiencing cognitive and psychological symptoms instead. 27:28 Perimenopause and menopause often bring cognitive symptoms like memory lapses, tied to hormonal shifts that impact brain function, yet frequently disregarded in medical care and treatment. 33:41 Hormone replacement therapy has been found to be effective in managing menopausal symptoms and offering potential long-term health benefits, despite past concerns about risks associated with older synthetic hormone studies. 44:47 Hormone replacement therapy, especially with natural hormones, is often prescribed long-term for health benefits, contrasting with synthetic hormones implicated in higher risks from the WHI study. 47:43 Dr. Newson emphasizes that while non-hormonal treatments like antidepressants and therapies can alleviate symptoms, they don't address the underlying hormonal deficiency that hormone therapy effectively restores for overall health. 49:41 Jen and Dr. Newson discuss cultural views on menopause, emphasizing the need for accurate medical support over stereotypes or inadequate treatments...
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    1 h y 1 m