A kid can go from “safe” to “silent emergency” in seconds and Sarah Quillen has seen enough pools, parties, and parenting blind spots to say it out loud. Sarah is a beloved local swim teacher known as “Miss Sarah”, and she joins me to explain how she teaches real swimming skills fast, why she makes kids go under early, and what her two-week swim boot camp looks like when the goal is confidence plus safety. If you’ve been searching for swim lessons for toddlers, water safety for kids, or drowning prevention advice that doesn’t sugar-coat reality, you’ll get practical takeaways you can use right away.

We also go beyond the pool. Sarah shares why social media makes her brain hurt, how even “safe” apps can feed kids toxic messaging through targeted ads, and what a training-wheels approach looks like when you know your child will eventually be online. We talk about honest parenting conversations, including an age-appropriate sex talk story that is both hilarious and deeply useful, plus how to build trust so kids come to you instead of hiding things.

The thread through it all is being real: modelling empathy, owning your mistakes, apologising to your kids, and following through on boundaries even when it is hard. Sarah’s blunt motto about kindness lands because it is not performative, it shows up in how she lives, how she helps people, and how she tries to break old patterns in her own home. If you want a conversation that feels like a friend telling the truth while still giving you tools, press play.

If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a parent who needs encouragement, and leave us a review on iTunes so more people can find Stacked Keys Podcast.

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff

Tea can be a beverage, sure. It can also be a doorway back to yourself. I’m joined by Sunny Dillard, a watercolor teacher, poet, and tea curator whose work blends Persian tea culture, slow living, and creative practice into something that feels both grounded and brave.

We talk about how her love of tea began in childhood with a grandmother who used herbal blends as medicine and as a way to offer real attention. From there, Sunny shares the story behind her name, the symbolism of the sun in Persian mythology and Sufi tradition, and why identity can be a living choice rather than a label you inherit. We also get into her definition of strength, shaped by Iranian women and the daily practice of resilience, hope, and kindness even when the world feels chaotic.

A big theme is intuition as “witnessing what you know” a decision-making tool that joins reasoning with the heart. Sunny connects that to creativity as survival: watercolor painting, literature, poetry, journaling, music, and tea rituals as practical tools for mental health, community, and self-expression. If you’ve ever thought art is “only for talented people,” or you’ve felt fear and self-doubt freeze you in place, you’ll love how she teaches students to show up, stay with the discomfort, and leave surprised by what they made.

If you want watercolor classes, tea blending workshops, or a gentler approach to mindfulness and slow living, this conversation will give you a clear starting point. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff

A jiu jitsu hobby can change your fitness, your confidence, and your friend group, but buying a pro grappling franchise is a different level of commitment. We’re sitting down with Lauren Barone, the force behind the Philadelphia Phenoms and the first female franchise owner in the Pro Grappling Federation (PGF), to talk about what it really looks like to build a team inside a fast-growing submission grappling league.

Lauren takes us from her early love of martial arts to finding Brazilian jiu jitsu as an adult, then jumping into the deep end of combat sports entrepreneurship. We get into why the PGF rule set pushes constant action, how the league is expanding, and what “success” means when you’re building something season by season instead of chasing overnight wins. She also shares the part most people never see: wearing nine or ten hats across marketing, contracts, sponsorships, budgeting, and athlete communication while still showing up calm on camera.

We also talk athlete support and leadership in practical terms, from covering six weeks of Airbnb housing and rental cars to team meals, uniforms, gym access, and recovery perks. And because this is combat sports, we don’t skip the hard stuff: fear, uncertainty, injuries, and how you protect your heart while still caring deeply about the people you’re backing.

If you’ve been curious about the PGF, women in sports leadership, or the business side of jiu jitsu, hit play and come hang with us. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves grappling, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff