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The New Family Podcast

The New Family Podcast is the show that explores what families really look like today and the issues that matter to us most. Twice a week we interview some of the most compelling people whose stories represent the many forms family can take today. And we chat with top parenting experts with great insights on the challenges of raising kids in these interesting times. This podcast comes from the creators of the popular website, thenewfamily.com, which explores and celebrates modern family life. Our series, the 1,000 Families Project, tells the first-person stories of people with families of every shape and size. In this show we interview some of the most interesting people who contribute to the #1000families series, as well as authors, family therapists, parent educators and other experts with practical advice to share that's relevant to families of every kind.
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Now displaying: October, 2015
Oct 29, 2015

In this episode I’m joined by mom of three Daniela Kelloway, who was featured on the cover of Toronto Life magazine under the headline “Power Wives and their House Husbands.”  Daniela is the founder and CEO of an arts and entertainment public relations firm called Clutch PR, and her husband, Tim, is a stay-at-home dad. She and I chat about the experiences and circumstances that led to Tim stepping in as primary caregiver, and the fact that society still doesn’t seem to be entirely comfortable with men looking after babies. Daniela speaks candidly about the way family and friends called their arrangement into question, and on how women in high-powered careers face far more scrutiny for their long hours and work travel then men. We also chat about how this isn’t the only way her family has broken the mold, given they used to spend half the year living in the West Indies. Daniela encourages other families to forget what anyone else says and design the lives they want.

Show Notes

Oct 26, 2015

In this episode I’m joined by mom of four Samantha Kemp-Jackson. Samantha works in corporate communications in Toronto, and she writes a great blog called Multiple Mayhem Mamma. The incredible thing about Samantha’s story is that her children are a whopping 24 years apart. Yes, her kids range in age from six to 30, and in this episode she tells us what that’s like, from having a baby at just 19 to having surprise identical twins at 43. Sam shares her unique viewpoint on how parenting has changed since she first became a mom in the 1980s. We talk about the way technology has not only shaped a culture of immediacy and constant monitoring in families, but become a default source of entertainment—both a blessing and a curse.

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Show Notes Page

 

Oct 22, 2015

In this episode I chat with the authors of The New ‘I Do’—Reshaping Marriage for Skeptics, Realists and Rebels. Susan Pease Gadoua is a licensed therapist with an expertise in marriage and divorce, and she’s also the author of the best-selling book Contemplating Divorce. Vicki Larson is a longtime journalist, columnist and blogger whose work has appeared everywhere from The New York Times to The Huffington Post. We have a very interesting conversation about the groundbreaking territory explored in their book, including the much-needed alternatives to the one-size-fits-all “till death do us part” marriage that people are quietly refining for the 21st century. From the parenting marriage to the safety marriage and more, you won’t want to miss this thought-provoking interview.

Show Notes

Oct 19, 2015

In this episode I chat with Sean O’Donnell, a father of two from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and the man behind the hilarious website Sean’s Big Gay Blog—Observations of a Gay Dad. Sean’s the author of a new book called Which One of You Is the Mother? The Absolutely Positively True Adoption Story of Two Gay Dads. Sean and I chat about the process he and his husband, Todd, went through to adopt two boys at ages seven and five, including the incredible moment when they met their first child. We talk about what’s involved in domestic adoption, helping the kids acclimate and some of the unusual things people say to gay adoptive fathers!

Show Notes

Oct 15, 2015

In this episode I to talk to author Karma Brown about her remarkable journey to motherhood. Diagnosed with cancer when she was still in journalism school, Karma and her brand-new boyfriend were confronted with the decision to freeze embryos before her chemotherapy and radiation began. We discuss the incredible role her sister played in helping Karma and Adam, now her husband, to  become parents. We chat about what it was like to be expecting but not pregnancy, and the nosy things people say to you when you’re a mother of one.

Show Notes

Karma's Book Come Away with Me

Oct 12, 2015

In this episode I chat with Katherine Woodward Thomas, the marriage and family therapist who coined the phrase “Conscious Uncoupling.” (No, in fact, it wasn’t Gwyneth Paltrow!) She’s been helping people find a peaceful way forward through divorce in a popular online course by the same name since 2011. Katherine’s highly anticipated book Conscious Uncoupling: 5 Steps to Living Happily Even After just hit bookstores recently, and it’s already a New York Times bestseller. Katherine offers a road map for getting through the tough transitions of separation and divorce, which allows us to move forward in a healthy way, both for our own emotional health and the well-being of our kids. This is a must listen for anyone who has ever been affected by divorce or had a friend or family member going through the same.

Show Notes

Conscious Uncoupling: 5 Steps to Living Happily Even After

Oct 8, 2015

In this episode I to talk to Natasha Chiam, a writer, speaker and activist from Edmonton, Alberta. She’s a mom of two and author of the blog The Stay At Home Feminist. Are “feminist” and “stay-at-home mother” contradictory terms? No way! Natasha and I have a candid chat about the complicated feelings parents wrestle with when making decisions about whether or not to work outside the home, and we talk about what it takes to bring up politically-aware kids who hold feminist ideals.

Oct 5, 2015

In this episode I chat with Julie Cole, who’s not only a mom of SIX children, but vice-president and co-founder of Mabel’s Labels, the market leader in durable personalized labels for all the stuff kids lose. Julie and I chat about how a busy household like hers works, the weird things people say when they find out you have six kids, and the stuff we can ALL learn from the way big families operate. Julie’s got great advice on cultivating self-sufficiency in our children, about tailoring parenting to kids’ individual needs, and about nurturing a community you can count on.

Oct 1, 2015

In this episode I talk to Kari Svenneby, a mom born and raised in Norway, who’s passionate about encouraging families to spend time together outdoors. She’s the founder and CEO of ActiveKidsClub.com, a grass roots community and website that helps connect children and adults to the outdoors. She’s also a classically-trained chef and library scientist! Kari brings a Nordic sensibility—and hardiness—to family life. On the weekends her family can be found hiking, biking or swimming in Lake Ontario. In the winter, they’re avid cross-country skiers. We talk about the different ways Scandinavian and North American cultures approach physical risk for children. And Kari shares her advice for keeping your family active all year round, even if you're not a huge fan of winter.

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