Helping Families Be Happy Podcast Por Familius arte de portada

Helping Families Be Happy

Helping Families Be Happy

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With help from guest authors, experts, and community and business leaders, the Familius Helping Families Be Happy podcast explores topics and issues that connect families to the nine habits of a happy family: love, play, learn, work, talk, heal, read, eat, and laugh together.Copyright 2020 All rights reserved. Crianza y Familias Relaciones
Episodios
  • Celebrating Independent Book Publishing with Lee Wind of the IBPA

    Celebrating Independent Book Publishing with Lee Wind of the IBPA
    Mar 18 2026
    In this episode, Christopher Robbins speaks with Lee Wind, Chief Content Officer for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), about the vital role independent publishing plays in bringing diverse voices and stories to readers. They discuss IBPA's history and mission, the advantages of mission-driven publishing over purely profit-driven models, and how independent publishers create communities around their content. The conversation also addresses the concerning trend of book banning and censorship, and IBPA's innovative "We Are Stronger Than Censorship" program that buys and donates two books for everyone book challenged. Lee provides valuable advice for aspiring authors and publishers, emphasizing the importance of professional development and community collaboration in the independent publishing world. Episode Highlights 00:00:10: Christopher Robbins introduces the Helping Families Be Happy podcast and himself as co-founder of Familius, husband, father of nine, author, and various outdoor enthusiast based in California's Central Valley. 00:00:59: Introduction of guest Lee Wind as Chief Content Officer for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the largest trade association for publishers in the United States. 00:01:13: Lee's personal mission described as writing books that would have changed his life as a gay Jewish kid and teen, including his award-winning non-fiction books "No Way They Were Gay" and "The Gender Binary Is a Big Lie." 00:01:35: Discussion of the "We Are Stronger Than Censorship" program that buys and donates two books to offset every one book challenged, run by IBPA with the American Library Institute and over 75 industry partners. 00:01:59: Lee expresses enthusiasm about joining the podcast to discuss book publishing. 00:02:12: Christopher shares his history with IBPA, having served on the board and participated in strategy that helped the organization grow. 00:02:34: Lee explains IBPA's origins in 1983 when about a dozen Southern California publishers pooled resources to send one representative to a major New York trade show. 00:03:27: Discussion of how IBPA has evolved while maintaining its core mission of advocacy, education, and tools for success to level the playing field for independent publishers. 00:04:15: Lee emphasizes the importance of independent publishing to prevent four or five corporations from deciding what everyone reads, highlighting the diverse and mission-driven approaches of independent publishers. 00:05:21: Christopher encourages the audience to explore independent books, music, and film as sources of exceptional content. 00:05:35: Christopher shares a personal memory of Jan Nathan, IBPA's founder, inviting him to dinner in 1990 and being welcoming and encouraging to him as a young industry newcomer. 00:06:20: Lee discusses how mission-driven independent publishers differ from corporate publishers focused solely on financial bottom lines, using examples like Patagonia and Just Us Books. 00:06:53: Christopher compares this to Familius's philosophy that revenue is simply fuel for the mission. 00:07:26: Lee explains how independent publishers understand the power of community and niche markets better than corporate publishers, with four out of five books in bookstores from corporate publishers but that fifth book representing hundreds of different independent voices. 00:08:38: Discussion of the advantages of direct-to-consumer sales for publishers vs. sales through major retailers like Amazon, where publishers don't own the customer relationship. 00:09:31: Lee cites Brandon Sanderson's successful Kickstarter campaign as an example of authors leveraging their platform and community. 00:09:45: Christopher mentions that Brandon Sanderson teaches at his alma mater BYU and that his niece has been one of Sanderson's test readers. 00:09:56: Lee shares that some of Brandon Sanderson's BYU lectures on topics like world building are available on YouTube. 00:10:15: Christopher discusses how Famis provides value to nearly 50,000 engaged subscribers through biweekly free content about helping families be happy. 00:10:45: Christopher acknowledges the highly competitive nature of the book industry, particularly regarding physical shelf space where getting one book on a shelf means removing another. 00:11:14: Lee shares IBPA's motto "helping each other achieve and succeed" and explains that bookstore sales are actually a small portion of most publishers' revenue. 00:12:09: Discussion of how quality books naturally generate word-of-mouth marketing and how AI- generated content makes quality even more important. 00:12:48: Christopher introduces the topic of book banning and censorship through Famis's book "Down with Lime Books," expressing his discouragement with how some have weaponized religion to deny people their own voice. 00:13:59: Lee agrees that while parents should have input into what their own children read, they shouldn't control what other ...
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    21 m
  • See Your Children in the Stars with Kelly Conroy

    See Your Children in the Stars with Kelly Conroy
    Mar 4 2026
    In this episode, host Christopher Robbins welcomes Kelly Conroy, a picture book writer and poet who is the cousin of Jan and Stan Berenstain, creators of the Berenstain Bears. Kelly discusses her new children's board book "I See You in the Stars," which explores the twelve signs of the zodiac in a fun, educational way for families. The conversation delves into how Kelly was inspired to create a rhyming guide to help people memorize the zodiac signs, similar to learning the 50 states alphabetically. Kelly shares fascinating astronomical facts about how the zodiac constellations work, including the surprising detail that you cannot see your own birth constellation during your zodiac period because the sun blocks it from Earth's view. The episode emphasizes learning together as a family and finding positive attributes in each zodiac sign to build self-esteem and connection to the universe. Episode Highlights 00:00:10: Christopher introduces the Helping Families Be Happy podcast and welcomes guest, Kelly Conroy, a picture book writer who is 50% silly fun-loving kid and 50% analytical former actuary, and cousin to the creators of the Berenstain Bears. 00:01:39: Kelly thanks Christopher for having her on the podcast. 00:01:40: Christopher asks Kelly about the inspiration behind her children's book "I See You in the Stars," which explores the signs of the zodiac. 00:01:53: Kelly explains she's always been fascinated by stars, astronomy, and astrology from a place of curiosity rather than expertise, and was inspired by a song that helps people memorize all 50 states alphabetically to create a similar rhyming system for the zodiac signs. 00:02:33: Christopher shares that he used to know all 50 states but couldn't name all 12 zodiac symbols anymore, though he knows he's a Sagittarius and has noticed common traits among people with that sign. 00:02:56: Kelly humorously notes that Sagittarius was the hardest sign to find positive aspects for, describing them as strong-willed and focused on doing what they want, which are great qualities but not always easy for others, relating it to her oldest son who is also a Sagittarius. 00:03:18: Christopher agrees that every Sagittarius he's met is very strong-willed and finds ways to do what they want, though these traits can be tempered. 00:03:32: Kelly adds that Sagittarians are also honest and funny, which is what she focused on in the book. 00:03:37: Christopher asks Kelly to explain how she added descriptions and characteristics to make the zodiac rhyme work in her book. 00:03:53: Kelly describes her process of starting with just the signs, then adding details like describing Scorpio as having a "forceful tale," and eventually expanding to include symbols, positive characteristics, and seasons as readers wanted to know more about their signs. 00:04:35: Christopher asks Kelly to help explain where the zodiac sign symbols come from and what they represent. 00:04:49: Kelly explains that the zodiac starts with Aries on the first day of spring, and the way zodiac signs work is that the constellation is opposite the sun from Earth's standpoint, meaning it's the one you can't see during that period. 00:05:48: Christopher realizes and confirms with Kelly that during his birth month in November, he cannot see the Sagittarius constellation because the sun blocks it. 00:06:21: Kelly clarifies that while you can't see your constellation during your sign period, astrologers say "the sun is in Sagittarius" during that time. 00:06:34: Christopher finds this information really interesting and realizes most people probably didn't know this fact, which also explains the relationship between zodiac signs and seasons. 00:06:47: Kelly confirms that Sagittarius is a fall sign, with winter starting in December. 00:06:48: Christopher asks Kelly about the most interesting things she learned during her research about the zodiac or people's interest in their signs. 00:07:07: Kelly shares that more people were excited to learn about their signs than she expected, and if she left out details of any sign, someone with that sign would ask about it, noting that the book applies to everybody rather than having separate books for each sign. 00:07:53: Christopher asks for confirmation that Kelly said Sagittarians have a personality trait of being funny. 00:07:57: Kelly confirms that Sagittarians are honest and funny. 00:08:00: Christopher jokes that he knows a few Sagittarians who aren't funny at all but acknowledges he is funny so it works for him. 00:08:13: Kelly clarifies that astrology isn't a science like chemistry. 00:08:14: Christopher asks Kelly what sign she is. 00:08:16: Kelly reveals she's a Gemini, the twins, and explains they can have high and low emotions, describing herself as usually either hyper or asleep. 00:08:29: Christopher asks if Kelly has enough information to quickly go through each sign and give the key attribute for each. 00:08:39: Kelly goes through all ...
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    12 m
  • Using DNA Testing for Ethnic Ancestry

    Using DNA Testing for Ethnic Ancestry
    Feb 18 2026
    In this episode, Christopher Robbins interviews Richard Hill, the first adoptee to identify his birth family through genetic genealogy. Hill is the author of Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA .They discuss DNA testing for ethnic ancestry, exploring why results often surprise people due to the randomness of DNA inheritance and thousands of years of human migration and mixing. Richard explains the differences between major testing companies' databases, recommends 23andMe for ethnicity testing based on his research, and addresses common questions like why Native American ancestry often doesn't show up in tests. The conversation emphasizes that while ethnicity results are interesting, the real value lies in genetic matching for genealogy and finding biological relatives. Episode Highlights 00:00:09: Christopher Robbins welcomes listeners to the Helping Families Be Happy podcast and introduces himself as co-founder of Familius Publishing, husband, father of nine, and Central Valley California resident. 00:01:12: Richard Hill shares that he has been married for 57 years and lives in Michigan with his wife and two cats. 00:01:14: The episode focuses on DNA testing, ethnicity, family history, and available resources and strategies for exploring roots and branches, aligning with Familius habits of Learn Together and Love Together. 00:01:45: Richard thanks Christopher for having him on the podcast to discuss DNA testing. 00:01:47: Christopher asks Richard to explain what DNA testing for ethnic ancestry is. 00:01:51: Richard explains that over 53 million DNA tests have been done by companies like Ancestry, 23andMe, Family Tree DNA, and MyHeritage, with about half at Ancestry which has the biggest database. 00:03:31: Christopher asks how people get tested and why many are surprised by their results. 00:03:39: Richard describes the testing process involving ordering a kit online, either spitting saliva into a tube or rubbing cheek swabs, then sending it back for results in a few weeks. 00:04:33: Richard explains the randomness of DNA inheritance, noting that while you get 50% from each parent, which 50% is random, meaning you may not get an even 25% from each grandparent. 00:05:32: Richard discusses how ethnic groups have been mixing for thousands of years, using Vikings as an example of migration patterns that occurred over a thousand years ago throughout Europe. 00:06:20: Christopher summarizes that different company databases and DNA randomness explain why siblings might see different results. 00:06:38: Richard confirms that each child is a different conception with a different random mix, so siblings might get vastly different percentages from the same grandparents. 00:07:09: Christopher asks why Native American ancestry often doesn't show up in DNA tests despite family histories suggesting it. 00:07:21: Richard explains that Native Americans originally migrated from Asia 10-20,000 years ago, but have been mixing with Europeans for 400-500 years, diluting the distinctive DNA signature. 00:08:47: Christopher asks which companies Richard recommends for ethnicity testing given the different databases. 00:09:04: Richard describes his popular presentation comparing DNA ethnicity estimates using his wife as a test subject since she is 50% Croatian through her father's parents. 00:10:14: Christopher asks why this information is important beyond curiosity and what people can do with it. 00:10:32: Richard emphasizes that genetic matching for finding relatives and common ancestors is more important than ethnicity results, though ethnicity can provide clues about which family branch connects you to matches. 00:11:16: Christopher asks where listeners can find Richard online. 00:11:34: Richard shares his website: DNAfavorites.com. 00:11:38: Christopher concludes by thanking Famis for support, encouraging listeners to subscribe and leave reviews, and reminding them that one step at a time they can make the world a happier place. Key Takeaways DNA inheritance is random, meaning siblings can receive vastly different percentages of DNA from the same grandparents, leading to surprising ethnicity results.Ethnicity estimates are not as accurate as genetic matching because they're based on reference populations that vary by company and are affected by thousands of years of human migration and mixing.Native American ancestry often doesn't appear in DNA tests because most Native American populations have mixed extensively with Europeans over the past 400-500 years, diluting the distinctive genetic signature.Different DNA testing companies have different databases and reference populations, which significantly impacts ethnicity results; 23andMe currently provides the most accurate ethnicity estimates based on comparative testing.The primary value of DNA testing lies in genetic matching to find relatives and trace family trees rather than in ethnicity estimates, which serve more as interesting supplemental...
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    12 m
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