Episodes

  • EP - 178 Support for Grandparents with Generations United

    EP - 178 Support for Grandparents with Generations United
    Apr 19 2024
    Raising children can be a tough row to hoe. No matter what age you are, there are a lot of demands on your time, energy, knowledge, and patience when dealing with children. Not only do you need to manage the children, but you also need to manage their schedules, diets, hobbies and interests, friends, and education. I am worn out just thinking about and writing these sentences. Well, this week, we are going to discuss Grandfamilies. Grandfamilies are made up of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members who are raising strong, successful children. Jamarl D. Clark and Mr. Robert Brown joined our conversation this week to discuss two important topics. First, we will learn how Mr. Brown and his wife became the guardians and then the parents of their three young grandsons. Second, we will learn about Grandfamlies and Generations United. After Robert shares his touching story of the day in 2006 when his grandsons lost their mother and father in a shooting one Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we get into a great discussion about the aftermath of that horrible event and how the community and his former employer rallied around him and those affected by the shooting. Robert and Jamarl discuss the local and national resources available to family members responsible for caring for and raising grandchildren. Jamarl D. Clark, the Assistant Director of the National Center on Grandfamilies, discusses how his organization and other local and national entities support Grandfamilies and the work that so many people do to keep family members, including young children, together. Once you have listened to this important episode, please share it with your family, friends, or acquaintances interested in learning more about Grandfamilies and Generations United. Links Click on this link to visit Generations United: Click on this link to view Jamarl D. Clark's bio information: You can click on this link to follow Generations United on Facebook: If you are on Instagram, you can use this link to follow Generations United: Generations United also has videos for you to watch on YouTube:
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    1 hr
  • EP - 177 Grandchildren Choose What is Quality Time

    EP - 177 Grandchildren Choose What is Quality Time
    Apr 12 2024
    Lee Ostler joins the conversation this week to talk about his relationship with his grandchildren. We are fortunate to hear Lee talk about building and nurturing relationships with both grandchildren and now great-grandchildren. We discuss how our identities change from being known as 'Dad' to becoming 'Grandpa.' While we enjoy the change that comes from having grandchildren, it is a bit of a mixed bag of emotions and our place within the family. Many men, when envisioning themselves as suddenly older, wonder about the value they have with their friends, family, and even professionally. Lee talks to us about the importance of building bonds and relationships with our grandchildren, starting when they are young. We also talk about the importance of having different kinds of activities with the grandchildren because we don't know what moment will be a quality moment for them. The grandchildren pick and choose which event or which time with grandpa will be impactful for them. You will enjoy hearing Lee's insights and stories about his experience as a grandfather. After you have listened to this episode, please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app. It would be great if you could share this conversation with three friends and family members. Links Lee's email should you want to connect with him: leeostler@gmail.com If you would like to check out what Roland is doing with the Hearts of the Fathers foundation, you can click on this link to learn more: Check out Grandparents Academy if you haven't already done so by using this link:
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    54 mins
  • EP - 176 One To Ride The River With

    EP - 176 One To Ride The River With
    Apr 5 2024
    He was a man to ride the river with. A long time ago, someone could get no higher compliment than to be known as one to ride the river with. It seems that this phrase came about during the time of the frontiersmen and cowboys. When exactly, no one seems to know. It might have been during the early days of the Oregon Trail or soon after that. When it came to be, it doesn't matter, but it is a phrase that at once captures the imagination of a time long gone. What I like about this phrase is that it conveys much information about a person when used. For example, if a group of cowboys was being pulled together to drive cattle north to the rail heads after the U.S. Civil War, having someone use that phrase to describe you might be all that was needed to get a very scarce job on a cattle drive. Crossing a river with wagons, cattle, or horses is dangerous. There are many hazards in a river, from soft, muddy bottoms that could get a horse or cattle stuck to deceptively fast-moving currents that could float a wagon or push the livestock down the river, where they might drown. With these many hazards, someone with experience and a good head on their shoulders was of value to any group that had to travel far. Unlike Tom Sawyer, who saw his funeral, we will not be so lucky to learn what our family and friends truly think of us. I think, therefore, we could use a phrase such as one to ride the river with as something to aspire to. This phrase encapsulates the idea that a person to ride the river with was dependable, knew a thing or two about navigating hazards, was honest, and would work well with others to complete the task. While I will not dwell too long on my eventual demise, I will try to live or continue to live a life that when my time is over, I might earn the praise of one to ride the river with. I'll consider it a bonus if this or something like it is how my grandchildren talk about me and my influence on them and their families. What phrases or thoughts, past or present, inspire you to keep going, learning, and trying to lead a good life? I want to learn more about what motivates you to be the best you can be. If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please share it with your friends and family and discuss living up to an aspirational phrase or saying. Links If you would like to watch this episode, you can click on this link to watch it on YouTube:
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    15 mins
  • EP - 175 A Mind To Care

    EP - 175 A Mind To Care
    Mar 29 2024
    Simon Gidney from A Mind To Care joins us to discuss his organization and the tools he is developing to help caregivers and those needing memory and behavior care. Simon discusses how, with over 40 million unpaid caregivers in the United States, many of these caregivers need tools to help engage and, for lack of a better word, manage the loved ones in their care. We discuss Simon's background as a corporate lawyer specializing in corporate restructuring and what caused him to pivot into helping caregivers and people suffering from memory and dementia issues. On one of Simon's business trips, he met a man who was heading home to help take care of his father, who had early-onset Parkinson's. Simon and I talk about how he took over this early startup business, retooled through the COVID pandemic, and relaunched A Mind To Care. Simon and his team have developed several products that we discussed that caregivers can use not only for people with dementia and other cognitive issues but also for anyone who could respond and engage with these tools. The leading product that A Mind To Care sells is a memory or activity board that can be easily carried and set up and comes with magnetic dry-erase sheets. We also discuss the importance of helping and recognizing caregivers, many of whom are unpaid. Many of these caregivers are family members, friends, or perhaps members of a church congregation that supports the person in need. To help support the caregivers and keep track of how they and the people they care for are doing, Simon has created the great book . Simon's book is "a 52-week check-in caregiver journal for self-reflection, cultivating gratitude, nurturing well-being, and mastering stress management on your compassionate caregiving journey." You will enjoy this conversation with Simon, and if you are in a position of taking care of a loved one with memory and cognitive issues, I recommend that you check out Simon's website and see if any of the tools and other resources he has would work for you and your situation. Simon has been generous and provides three FREE copies of his book, Caring for the Caregiver, to the first three people commenting on our conversation. So, please leave us a comment here, on Facebook or LinkedIn, or even email us, and we will be happy to send you a FREE copy of his book. Once you have listened to this conversation, please be sure to share it with three friends or family members who would enjoy learning more about Simon and his organization, A MIND To Care. Links Here is the link to Simon's website, : You can connect with Simon on Facebook by using this address: If you are on X, you can connect with Simon and his team at A Mind To Care is also on Instagram, and you can follow them by using this address: If you would like to email Simon and his team, I am sure his team would like to hear from you:
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    38 mins
  • EP - 174 Keeping Memories Not Stuff

    EP - 174 Keeping Memories Not Stuff
    Mar 22 2024
    Matt Paxton is joining our conversation this week to discuss how we can keep AND share valuable memories but let go of stuff that doesn't serve us anymore. You might recognize Matt from the television show or its current show, . Matt is also an author, speaker, and all-around good guy. In this conversation with Matt, we talk about how Matt started cleaning up homes for a living and why his first few home clean-ups were not easy from the practical side and also from an emotional side. You will love hearing Matt talk about his grandfathers, Russell James Paxton and Linwood Lewis Luck. There is no doubt about these two gentlemen's impact and lasting legacy on Matt, his family, and even Matt's staff. We discuss the differences between the generations regarding what they value, how they prepared for uncertain futures, and how having an understanding heart helps Matt and his team find the treasures often hidden in the strangest places. You might be surprised to learn that adults in their 40s and 50s frequently have to go through both parents' and grandparents' possessions as we lose members of the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers. Each of these generations has different values and items that they either collect or hoard. Matt does a great job of discussing the differences between hoarders and collectors. He also shares the demographic breakdown of who makes up hoarders, what often causes hoarding, and how hoarders need help emotionally and physically to let go of items that usually provide a deep sense of security. I have provided links to Matt's webpage, book, talks, a great clip of Matt on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, and other resources below, so be sure to check those out. Matt and his team are casting for the next Legacy List season, and I have provided a link to that application process in the show notes. Once you have listened to this show, please share it with three friends and family members who will enjoy hearing Matt's story and who could possibly use some inspiration to pass on the memories and not the stuff. Links To visit Matt's website, click on this link: If you want to check out and apply to be on Matt's show, use this link: This clip from the Jimmy Kimmel show that includes Matt is great. Also, a quick view of how Matt works. This is a great video of Matt's TEDx talk: Here is the link for Matt's book, . This is a great book to help you organize and downsize the stuff in your life. You can connect with Matt on Facebook by using this link: If you would like to connect with him on Instagram, you can use this link: You can follow Matt on LinkedIn by using this link: Matt is on X (formally known as Twitter), and you can follow him using this link: .
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    1 hr
  • EP - 173 It's Their Turn

    EP - 173 It's Their Turn
    Mar 15 2024
    Cynthia Kane from It's Their Turn joins this week's conversation to discuss the importance of excellent communication between parents and grandparents. Cynthia brings her background as a genetic counselor to help parents and grandparents who are daily caregivers to their grandchildren align with the adult children's caregiving expectations. As we discuss Cynthia's background in leading complicated AND clarifying conversations, we learn that unsaid expectations or assumptions often lead to a relationship breakdown. We also discuss how grandparents usually strongly desire to know their grandchildren and be known by them. This desire can sometimes lead grandparents to use old information and assumptions about childcare. These assumptions and information are not wrong, but when it comes to new health and safety information, they can inadvertently lead to negative outcomes. Why it might seem that we are talking primarily about what grandparents need to do to increase their knowledge and understanding of current safety and caregiving information, we talk about how parents need to be sure not to make assumptions that grandparents want to be full-time child caregivers. Often, grandparents may have other expectations and plans for their time that may not involve being a full-time, daily babysitter. The misalignment of expectations causes friction in the parent-grandparent relationship. Cynthia is passionate about working with people to ensure they are on the same page regarding being respected and heard and recognizing their value. Cynthia's group, It's Their Turn, provides tools and resources that people can use to help with conversations between parents and grandparents. She also collaborated with our mutual friend, DeeDee Moore, at More than Grand by providing an advice blog for new parents and grandparents. Once you have listened to this intriguing conversation with Cynthia, please be sure to connect with her using one of the links below. Also, please share this conversation with three family members and friends who would enjoy Cynthia's wisdom and insights into building great communication bridges. Links Use this link to visit : You can use this link to visit : This link will take you directly to Cynthia's blog, called : Cynthia has a great article in the Bay Area Parent, starting on page 20. You can use this link to access this online magazine:
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    47 mins
  • EP - 172 Live Life In Crescendo

    EP - 172 Live Life In Crescendo
    Mar 8 2024
    Cynthia Covey Haller joins us to discuss the book Live Life In Crescendo, which she and her late father, Steven Covey, wrote. We discuss the idea for the book and how it came about. Cynthia shares with us how her father thought that expanding a person's life was the eighth habit that would lead to a successful life. For those unfamiliar with the musical term, Crescendo means increasing loudness or intensity. The opposite of Crescendo is Diminuendo, which means a decrease in loudness or intensity. It is great to hear Cynthia's story about how she and her father came to start this book together and the path it took for Cynthia to complete and then publish it. You are going to enjoy listening to the fantastic stories that Cynthia shares about everyday people who chose to live in Crescendo and not diminuendo. If you feel stuck or have plateaued in your life, reading this book and listening to Cynthia will inspire you to look around you for opportunities to grow and grow your significance. You might feel that you are not wealthy enough or have enough influence to have much of an impact on your family, community, or a cause that you feel deeply about, but as the examples in this book point out, you need to start with yourself and the world around you. Live Life in Crescendo calls on all of us as we reach the second half of life to look to live our lives for a larger purpose. If that task falls to you, that purpose could be to raise your grandchildren. It could also be volunteering at a local reading center or other organization that needs your unique talents and gifts. Living a life in Crescendo also means continuing to grow yourself, your talents, and your abilities. This can be accomplished by taking up a new hobby, starting a new profession, or taking classes at your local university or community college. There are many ways to grow yourself, such as pouring your increase into the cups of those around you who need your wisdom, wit, and experience. After you have listened to this conversation, please share it with three family members or friends who would enjoy listening to Cynthia talk about the process of writing this important book, as well as those who need to hear this message of not fading away but building from where ever they are into a Crescendo. Links Click on this link to order this book through Amazon: . Here is the link to Cynthia's LinkedIn profile should you want to reach out and connect with her:
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    59 mins
  • EP - 171 Creative Thinking with Dan Miller

    EP - 171 Creative Thinking with Dan Miller
    Mar 1 2024
    49 mins