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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: November, 2015
Nov 30, 2015

For this episode, I talk with my friend Heather Greenwood-Davis about taking her kids out of school for the year and travelling the world as a family, hitting 29 countries on six continents. Heather is a travel writer whose work has appeared all over the place, including Oprah magazine and National Geographic Traveller, and many other top-notch publications as well. She also writes a great blog called Globetrotting Mama. Heather and I talk about how she and her husband pulled off an around-the-world trip with two boys in tow, but more importantly, about realizing your dreams and living a no-regrets life.

Show Notes

Sponsor:

Ooka Island

This episode of The New Family Podcast is brought to you by Ooka Island, a reading program so fun your kids won't even realize they're learning at all. To get an exclusive 30% discount for listeners of The New Family podcast only at ookaisland.com/newfamily by midnight Nov. 30, 2015. Listening later? You can try the first level for free at ookaisland.com/newfamily.

Nov 26, 2015

For this episode, I talk with my friend Karen Green. Karen and her husband Chris have made the kind of bold change in their lives that a lot of people fantasize about but aren’t quite prepared to actual make happen. Karen was born and raised in Canada’s largest city, Toronto, but a few years ago she and Chris packed up and moved to the country, not just to a little commuter village outside of the city but fully 300 kilometres away to a place Karen lovingly refers to as “the cornfield.” Karen is a writer with a really great blog called The Kids Are Alright and she joins me to talk about moving to the country for a quieter life surrounded by family.

Show Notes

Ooka Island

This episode of The New Family Podcast is brought to you by Ooka Island, a reading program so fun your kids won't even realize they're learning at all. Try the first level for free at ookaisland.com/newfamily.

Nov 23, 2015

For this episode, I chat with New York business journalist and mom of two Emma Johnson. Emma is the host of a podcast called Like a Mother with Emma Johnson, and she’s also the woman behind the popular website Wealthy Single Mommy. Is Wealthy Single Mommy a contradiction in terms? Hell no! Emma explains how she overcame the initial hangups she had when her marriage ended—that becoming a single mother meant being a welfare mom who would always struggle financially and in life in general. When she launched her blog geared to other professional single moms, the response was incredible. The number one challenge Emma's readers share with her is fear about running into financial problems. So Emma recently launched an online course called How Not to be a Broke Single Mom, as well as a dynamic Facebook group called Single Mom Society. Emma’s message is empowering and inspiring to all moms, regardless of their circumstances.

Show Notes

Sponsor:

Ooka Island

This episode of The New Family Podcast is brought to you by Ooka Island, a reading program so fun your kids won't even realize they're learning at all. Try the first level for free at ookaisland.com/newfamily.

Nov 18, 2015

For this episode I’ve got a guest with an incredible story to tell. David Knapp-Fisher is a traveller, writer, speaker and dad from Victoria, B.C. He shares how his son Tristan’s diagnosis with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy crystallized and accelerated his goal to see the world with his son. He and his wife, Paula, made incredible sacrifices to take their son on an epic trip to Europe while Tristan was still well enough to go. The trip—and what happened when they got home—were life changing events that David has shared in his popular TEDx talk. Hear how his family has made experiences a priority over material things in this inspiring conversation.

Show notes

Nov 16, 2015

In this episode I’m joined by psychotherapist and parenting educator Andrea Nair. Originally a high school teacher, Andrea decided to change careers and become a family therapist because she was fascinated by the dynamic between her students and their parents. But when she became a mom herself she realized she had lots to learn about getting through some of those long days with little kids, and some massive lifestyle changes to make to get the family life they wanted. Today Andrea is a respected voice among parenting educators, an author, a blogger and woman behind a new app called Taming Tantrums: Parenting solutions to reduce toddler freak outs. Andrea drops some incredible value bombs on helping our kids manage those big emotions at any age from toddler to teen.

Show Notes

Nov 12, 2015

For this episode, I speak with mom and step-mom Jackie Gillard. Jackie is a writer with a great blog called “My Papaya Jambalaya: Random thoughts on life in a second marriage with a blended, transracial, adoptive family.” She and I chat about her unique journey to motherhood, first with becoming a step-mom and then, following unsuccessful fertility treatments, through international adoption. Jackie wrote a beautiful contribution to the 1,000 Families Project on our website, thenewfamily.com. And it’s actually one of the posts that helped us get nominated for best blog in the Canadian Online Publishing Awards. Jackie opens up about the triumphs and challenges of life in a trans-racial blended family, including how she handles some of the crazy comments from strangers. And you won’t want to miss the story of the first moment she met her daughter.

Show Notes

Nov 9, 2015

In this episode I’m joined by psychologist and parenting expert Susan Newman. Susan is the author of 15 books including The Case for the Only Child as well as Parenting an Only Child: the Joys and Challenges of Raising Your One and Only. She and I chat about the pressure on families to have more than one child, as well as the negative assumptions that singletons grow-up spoiled and selfish. Susan makes the argument that despite the fact that single-child families are on the rise, attitudes about only children remain stuck in the past. She points out some significant benefits to having just one, including increased financial resources, career advantages for moms, and close bonds between parent and child. In fact, she calls the single-child family, “The New Traditional Family."

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Show Notes

Nov 5, 2015

Sara Lanthier joins me in this episode to talk about her journey to become a mom without a partner. Sara is a mother to seven-year-old Will, and she blogs about single motherhood at urbanmoms.ca. We talk about how she came to decide to become a “choice mom”—and on how picking a sperm donor is a little like online dating only without all the awkward coffee dates. Sara speaks candidly about the good and bad parts of going it alone as a parent, the importance of having a great support network around you as a single parent, and on just how critical it is to remember that the sun will always come up in the morning.

Show Notes

Nov 2, 2015

In this episode I’m joined by psychiatrist and father of seven Dr. Stephen Camarata. He’s the author of The Intuitive Parent: Why the Best Thing for Your Child is You. The professor of psychiatry from Vanderbilt University encourages parents to take a collective deep breath and learn to trust our instincts again. He busts the myths that have sent parents into a panic over wiring our children’s brains in the early years, and created a massive industry of products, videos and apps that promise to help us turn our children into little geniuses. In reality, it’s the simple kind of every day interactions with our children that they need most, he says. Learn why Dr. Camarata is encouraging us to forget about one-size-fits-all parenting models and tune into our intuition and common sense instead.

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Show Notes

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