For this 250th episode of the podcast we’re taking a look at the state of modern fatherhood. First we’re talking to stand-up comedian, writer and political activist Charlie Demers. He’s one of dozens of notable Canadians who, through interviews

249: How to Keep Math Trauma from Holding You or Your Kids Back

Nov 25th, 2019 22m 3s

Today we welcome Vanessa Vakharia back to the show. Vanessa is the founder of a unique tutoring facility called The Math Guru here in Toronto. She’s a teacher with a Bachelor of Commerce, a Masters in Mathematics Education and the author of a g

248: Examining your own issues so you can parent your best

Nov 18th, 2019 34m 50s

For this episode we speak to child psychologist Dr. Vanessa LaPointe. Vanessa is the author of two books, including her latest Parenting Right From the Start: Laying a Healthy Foundation in the Baby and Toddler Years. But this episode is not ab

247: Connecting youth mental health to incarceration

Nov 11th, 2019 41m 23s

With this episode we’re continuing our exploration into the lives of families affected by incarceration. I’m joined by Andrea Page, the founder of FitMom, one of the first providers of pre- and post-natal fitness classes in the Greater Toronto

246: Parenting When Dad’s in Prison

Nov 4th, 2019 36m 16s

This week begins our foray into the lives of families affected by incarceration. It’s not an easy subject, but it’s one that affects many Canadian families and an even more in the United States, where one in 28 children has a parent who is inca

245: The Many Faces of Solo Moms

Oct 28th, 2019 26m 58s

We’re joined this week by Dr. Marika Lindholm, a sociologist and advocate for the diverse group of women raising kids solo. She’s the co-editor of a new anthology about solo moms. It’s called We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart and Hum

244: A Conversation with Non-binary Activist Jeffrey Marsh

Oct 21st, 2019 31m 37s

This week we welcome Jeffrey Marsh to the show. Jeffrey is one of the world's foremost commentators on non-binary identity and activism. They rose to prominence with inspirational viral videos, first shared on Vine and now on Twitter and Instag

243: Growing Up with Two Moms

Oct 14th, 2019 43m 44s

We’re back to exploring family in its many with this episode, where we’re joined by Emily McGranachan, who tells us about growing up with two moms. Emily’s professional life has also been shaped by her upbringing. She’s director of family engag

242: Mission Critical - Cultivating Community

Oct 7th, 2019 34m 27s

We’re continuing our exploration of what it’ll take to make parenting more sustainable, this week with a focus on how critical it is to cultivate community and share our stories. I’m delighted to welcome Kerrie Lee Brown back to the show. Kerri

241: Preventing Parenting Burnout

Sep 30th, 2019 33m 8s

Start asking around groups of parents, perhaps especially moms, and increasingly it seems we’re hanging on by a thread. With competing demands of work and family, we’re often hovering on the edge of burnout, if not totally fried all ready. Toda

240: Making Parenthood More Sustainable

Sep 23rd, 2019 31m 52s

We kick off the fall with one of several episodes coming up that explores what it will take to make modern-day parenthood more sustainable and less overwhelming. We’ll be looking at the social and economic factors that make caring for a family

239: Raising a Baby Born Too Soon

Jun 24th, 2019 25m 9s

I’m joined for this episode by Tammy Sharrow, a long-time neonatal nurse and associate professor of nursing at Mount Royal University in Calgary. Along with her co-author Karen Lasby, she’s written a new book on life with a premature baby. It’s

238: Olympian Silken Laumann on Raising Kids to Embrace Vulnerability

Jun 17th, 2019 22m 7s

It’s an absolute thrill for me to welcome celebrated, four-time Canadian Olympian Silken Laumann to the show. Many of you will remember Silken’s remarkable story as one of Canada’s most beloved and accomplished Olympic rowers. In 1992 she was w

237: Preparing for your teen to leave the nest

Jun 10th, 2019 33m 49s

The departure for college or university represents a huge shift in our relationship with our nearly adult children. But, wow, can seem that they still have a lot of independence to achieve before they’ll be ready to make do without us. How do w

236: How This Young Man Recovered from Video Game Addiction

Jun 3rd, 2019 37m 44s

I’m joined for this episode by a mother and her adult son. Elaine and Jake Uskoski are here to share their experience with Jake’s video game addiction. They’ve started to share their story to help other families learn to identify where enthusia

235: Stephanie Land on Motherhood and Poverty

May 27th, 2019 34m 10s

It’s my delight to be able to bring you a remarkable and important story today. I’m joined by author Stephanie Land, who has become known for her unflinching writing on poverty and motherhood. Stephanie writes about her years seeking out an exi

234: The Beautiful Thing About Gathering Community

May 20th, 2019 33m 22s

For this episode, we welcome Leisse Wilcox back on the show. Leisse is a writer, coach, speaker and mom of three. She writes a very inspiring blog about personal growth, self-love and more at leissewilcox.ca and uplifts so many others through h

233: Cooking for a More Allergic World

May 14th, 2019 44m 23s

Cooking for a group, sending lunch to school, is a different business these days. Something like 40 per cent of children are affected by life-threatening food allergens, and as my guest for today’s episode has found, many people don’t grow out

232: Helping Kids Navigate Friendships

May 6th, 2019 25m 50s

There are times when the dynamics between our kids and their friends are sort of baffling. When things are going smoothly, everything is great. But when there’s friendship drama and hurt feelings, when friendships break down or there’s routine

231: The New (Digital) Childhood

Apr 29th, 2019 29m 28s

Parents do a lot of hand wringing about the amount of time our kids spend on devices. And there are some good reasons for that. Naturally we want to make sure our kids aren’t leading sedentary lives and that they’re not just playing Fortnite or

230: Money Matters - Realistic Budgeting and Financial Literacy for Families

Apr 22nd, 2019 54m 39s

This is the second of a two-part series Money Matters, which takes a look at some of the financial implications of raising kids today. In this episode I’ve again got two very insightful guests. You may have caught my guest Shannon Lee Simmons’

229: Money Matters - How Financial Anxiety Affects Families

Apr 15th, 2019 37m 11s

This is the first of a two-part series that explores how money matters affect families. I’ve got two amazing guests for this episode. The first is celebrated parenting author Ann Douglas. She has written 30 books, including her latest, Happy Pa

228: Laughing and Crying

Apr 8th, 2019 24m 30s

Long before we learn to speak, we communicate through laughter and tears. That’s because these non-verbal expressions come factory-installed. They’re instinctive, social and key to bonding us with one another, from our earliest days and through

227: Why Confidence Tanks for Girls and Women

Apr 1st, 2019 21m 40s

At least here at home, we see girls picking up academic awards on assembly days at schools and we know that for years, women have been out-graduating men from university. Yet, conversely, there’s still a wide wage gap and under representation o

226: A Healthy Relationship with Food Begins at the Beginning

Mar 25th, 2019 29m 12s

This episode we’re joined by esteemed parenting writer Teresa Pitman. Teresa has been writing about raising kids for more than 30 years, and she’s the co-author of several books, including Dr. Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding and Sweet Slee