Spawned Parenting Podcast with Liz of Cool Mom Picks

It is so tough to navigate the college search and admission process -- emotionally, practically, financially. (Eep!) It completely stressed me out, and I'm a pretty Type B mom. So learn from my mistakes! To kick off a new year of Spawned, we're lucky to be getting super helpful tips from Alyse Levine, one of the foremost college counseling experts in the country. She's not only worked with high school students at all levels, she's the former assistant director of undergrad admissions at Washington University in St. Louis. In other words, she's got an invaluable perspective you're going to want to hear. (Also, she's really nice!) - Liz Thanks to our sponsor Premium Prep, the renown college counseling program that's helped guide 93% of their students into one of their top three choices. Spawned Listeners: Save up to $1000 on a Premium Prep program through this link, or by mentioning Spawned. (Take that offer, worth it!) Follow Spawned: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Join: Spawned Podcast FB Community Find Cool Mom Picks: Instagram, Facebook, Threads Find Liz Gumbinner: Instagram, Facebook, Substack, Threads Find Alyse Levine: Website, Facebook, Instagram Shownotes from today's episode: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of such a tough year, we're looking to find all the holiday joy where we can, and make fun for our kids -- but why do moms always seem to be the people behind the fun, and not part of the fun? Liz is joined by Margaret Ables, co-host of the fabulous What Fresh Hell parenting podcast to commiserate, and we're offering smart tips (eg stop trying to make things perfect!), sweet family stories, plenty of laughter, and a lot of compassion for moms feeling overwhelmed right now. Thanks to our sponsor Disney Villainous: Intro to Evil for creating a wonderful screen-free game that's actually fun for adults, right along with our tweens and teens. Check out the new Disney100 limited edition, which is a great gift for Disney super-fans! Follow Spawned: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Join: Spawned Podcast FB Community Follow Cool Mom Picks: Instagram, Facebook, Threads Follow Liz Gumbinner: Instagram, Facebook, Substack, Threads Follow Margaret Ables and What Fresh Hell: Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Group, Adalyst Media Shownotes from today's episode: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all say we want to raise kids who are happy, healthy, and can be their authentic selves. So what happens when your kid is becoming someone who's really different from what we had imagined? That's the story Kate Brookes tells in the wonderful Transister: Raising Twins in a Gender-Bending World. She's incredibly forthcoming, funny, reflective, and supportive, whether you're raising kids who defy traditional norms of gender and sexuality--or are just individuals in their own way. Really, this is a meaningful conversation for any parent whose kids are on a path to be their own selves, and I'm grateful for Kate's time, her honesty, and her humor through it all. - Liz Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Find Liz Gumbinner: Substack, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Post Find Kate Brookes: transistermom.com, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Find Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Surgeon General issued his recent advisory on social media and the health of our kids, I knew author, columnist, and adolescent digital media expert Dr. Devorah Heitner would be the perfect person to ask for guidance and reassurance. And wow does she come through! Here, she offers incredibly helpful, specific tips about what we can do as parents to keep our kids healthy on social media-- and what we should not do (no spying!) -- with Devorah's trademark non-judgmental, common sense, research-based wisdom to help us all navigate some tricky stuff we may not know a lot about. Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Follow Liz Gumbinner: Substack Twitter, Instagram, Post Find Devorah Heitner: Substack, Instagram, Amazon, devorahheitner.com Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author, podcast host, and psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour shares her insights and thoughtful advice on raising emotionally connected and resilient teens and discusses the impetus for her newest book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. Visit Cool Mom Picks for show notes, and follow us on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have wanted to talk with best-selling author, TED Talk phenom, and "professional troublemaker" Luvvie Ajayi Jones for so long! With the release of her wonderful new children's book, Little Troublemaker Makes a Mess, it's the perfect time. We discuss what it means to make good trouble, tips for talking to kids when they break the rules, and why to teach our children that it's not only possible to recover from big mistakes, it's important not to let those mistakes define us. Also, be sure to stay tuned for Luvvie's own story about good intentions gone very, very, very wrong. I'm still sweating thinking about it! - Liz Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Follow Liz Gumbinner: Substack Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Post. Find Luvvie Ajayi Jones: Professional Troublemaker Podcast, LuvvLetter newsletter, Instagram. Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of our all-time favorite guests, Dr. Ken Ginsburg, is back to chat about his newest book, Congrats—You're Having a Teen! and debunk some of the most common myths about parenting teenagers. Dr. Ginsburg's insights and work have changed the way we parent our kids, so let's just say if there's an episode of Spawned to listen to, it's this one. Thanks to our sponsor, Camp Tuku, a wonderful camp for kids located in the beautiful Catskills Mountains. You can learn more about them on their website! Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Show notes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Michelle Icard chats about her book "14 Talks By Age 14," sharing how parents can approach the difficult conversations we know we need to have with our kids. Find Michelle's helpful book, wherever you buy your books. Follow us on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And for show notes, visit CoolMomPicks.com. About our sponsor, Camp Tuku: If you have a child age 6-14, Camp Tuku is where “nature meets joyful minds.” This exceptionally beautiful sleepaway camp rests in 1,000 acres of pristine wilderness in the Catskill Mountains of New York, surrounded by stunning lakes, breathtaking waterfalls, and miles of hiking trails. Learn more on their website! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all want to raise kind, generous, caring, empathetic kids -- who turn into great adults. So we turned to the perfect guide: Parenting author, science columnist and researcher Melinda Wenner Moyer. She shares so much science-backed data and turns it into parenting strategies, we can all put to use in our own families immediately. We think you'll love this episode! - Liz + Kristen Graciously brought to you by Camp Tuku, a stunning sleep away camp for kids 6-14 in the Catskill Mountains of NY. It's a place where "nature meets joyful minds," combining all the fabulous traditional summer camp activities with mindfulness practices to engage the heart, body and mind. Special Offer: Spawned listeners get a $50 discount on registration with code cmp23uutk. Expires 3/31/2023 Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Follow Liz Gumbinner: Substack Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Post Follow Kristen Chase: Amazon, Instagram, Twitter Find Melinda Wenner Moyer: How to Raise Kids Who Aren't A**holes (Amazon), Website, Substack, Twitter, IG Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prioritizing and organizing your life, your family schedule, and especially your time is something a lot of moms (like, uh me!) can use help with. Take a listen for some terrific tips from Sarah Hart-Unger, host of Best Laid Plans podcast and co-host of Best of Both Worlds. She shares her genius "nested goals" approach, offers advice for list-making, talks organization vs prioritization, gender imbalances in time management -- and even finding peace in the chaos. This is the interview I needed! Maybe you need it too right now. - Liz Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Follow Liz Gumbinner: Substack Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Post, Spoutible, Find Sarah-hart Unger: Best Laid Plains, Best of Both Worlds, Shubox.com Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a mixed-race Chinese American, I've struggled to feel a sense of belonging. I grew up feeling more accepted by the German (white) side of my family. Then, as I got older, I learned more about the Chinese side of my family and felt a connection to the experiences of Asian Americans. Just recently, especially as I was editing my book, A Thousand Miles to Graceland, I've found myself somewhere in the middle; not necessarily feeling Chinese, and yet, also not White, either. Thankfully, I'm not alone, and more and more mixed-race Americans are sharing stories to help highlight what it's like. That's exactly what author Lauren Kung Jessen does in her debut novel, Lunar Love, a sweet enemies-to-lovers rom-com that celebrates the deep-rooted family legacies that shape us and how these traditions evolve into our own. Lauren, like me, is a mixed-race Chinese American, and also, like me, has written a book featuring mixed-race Chinese Americans (and Chinese Americans). On this episode, we chat about how we identify, and the challenges we've faced in finding the right language to do so, as well as how we experience whiteness, and why these stories (like our novels) are so important for people like us (and well, everyone). And stay tuned for a couple of surprises that I think you'll really love. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Show notes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the invention of smartphones (and tablets), keeping track of our digital memories (think photos, videos, scans), has become more difficult than we might have expected. In this episode, David Vaskevitch, CEO of Mylio Photos, shares the challenges that he experienced with digital memory preservation, and how families can make it a whole lot easier. Find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, along with our show notes at CoolMomPicks. Thanks to Mylio Photos for sponsoring this episode. Save 20% off your year subscription through this link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've talked to so many incredible guests in 2022 -- film directors, authors, journalists, political pundits, activists. So we thought we'd share some of our favorite quotes and thoughtful advice in this fun look back at what we've learned over the past year here. If there's one you want to hear more about, you're already on your podcast app! Just click through to the Spawned library, scroll down, and take a listen! Thanks so much for joining Kristen and me this year - as with parenting, we're all in this together and we couldn't do it without you. - Liz Thanks to our sponsor Mylio Photos for offering our listeners 20% off when you subscribe. It's the easiest way to curate, organize, and safely preserve all your photos from all your different devices. Hurry, it's a great deal! Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Follow Liz Gumbinner: Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Post, Substack Follow Kristen Chase: Twitter, Instagram, Amazon (her new book is coming out!) Shownotes, links from this episode: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe Engineer: John Bowen | Producer: Elissa Makarowitz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've talked to so many incredible guests in 2022 -- film directors, authors, journalists, political pundits, activists. So we thought we'd share some of our favorite quotes and thoughtful advice in this fun look back at what we've learned over the past year here. If there's one you want to hear more about, you're already on your podcast app! Just click through to the Spawned library, scroll down, and take a listen! Thanks so much for joining Kristen and me this year - as with parenting,...

Moms are so busy trying to make fun for everyone over the holidays, sometimes we forget that we're supposed to be having fun too! How do we do that without adding "have more fun" to our to-do lists? Margaret Ables, co-host of the fabulous What Fresh Hell parenting podcast is joining me to offer smart tips, sweet stories, a lot of laughter, and a lot of compassion for moms Going Through It right now. - Liz Thanks to our sponsor Mylio Photos for offering our listeners 20% off when you subscribe. It's the easiest way to curate, organize, and safely preserve all your photos from all your different devices. Hurry, it's a great deal! Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Follow Liz Gumbinner: Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Post, Substack Follow Margaret Ables and What Fresh Hell: Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Group, Adalyst Media Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've discussed the sex talk on Spawned a few times, however, if your school district is like mine (and many across the country), they are making sex education an optional, home-taught module. That means, we need to be more invested than ever in ensuring our kids are getting comprehensive sex education. That's what Andrea Brand's new book, “Stop Sweating & Start Talking," can help with, and a lot more. *Note, while this episode is marked explicit, it is due to the topics, which are for parents only, not due to questionable language. Thanks to our sponsor Mylio Photos, for helping us organize, safely share, and preserve our photos, videos, and documents in one place. Save 20% when you sign up through our link. Find us on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just when I thought I was pretty aware of what I needed to know about teens and sleep, I got my hands on Lisa L. Lewis's book The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, And How Parents And Schools Can Help Them Thrive and I realized there was so much I didn't know. That was all solidified during this episode. Whether you have teens or not, Lisa's research for this book uncovered why sleep is so important for teens (hint: their brains are growing!), why they're not getting enough sleep, and what we can do to ensure that they are getting it, and it is so important for parents to hear. We also talk about: sleep debt, how long teens should be sleeping, why teens want to stay up later (it's biological!), why early school start times are so bad, how we can help to better manage their schedules (school classes included) to help them get more sleep, and a whole lot more. Our sponsors: BabyGate, a handy app that kid-proofs your phone. And, Mylio Photos, a smart way to get your photos, videos, and documents organized and preserved safely. Don't miss our special offer! Follow us on social: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's been the impact of Covid on kids? On mothers? How about on education? On class division? On our careers? On healthcare? Today I'm welcoming back author and NPR Education Reporter Anya Kamenetz who researched it all and put it into the must-read book The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Kids' Lives....and Where We Go Now. Her fascinating point: The systems that failed our families, especially the most vulnerable, have been in the making for decades. Wow. But.. she also talks about the negatives that are slowly turning out to be positives. Speaking of positives, I mentioned at the top of the show that I thought I had Covid but...false alarm! Just a cold. Sniff. (Apologies if I am saying "Adya" instead of "Anya." D'oh.) - Liz Thanks to our sponsor Dell offering our listeners early Black Friday tech deals through this link through Nov 27! Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram Follow Liz Gumbinner: Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon Follow Anya Kamenetz: Instagram, Mastodon Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're like Kristen and in the throes of perimenopause, then you're probably wondering why no one talks about it. Well, that's about to change as Kristen chats with Dr. Makeba Williams, a physician who specializes in the healthcare needs of midlife and menopausal women. She answers all of Kristen's burning questions, which might just be yours too. Make sure you're following us on social media: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And check out links to our Cool Picks of the Week over on our Podcast page at CoolMomPicks.com. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I will never think about yoga, supplements, activated charcoal or bath salts the same way after speaking with Rina Raphael, author of the utterly fascinating new book The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care. How did wellness go from a legitimate health need to a $4.4 trillion industry? What's the role of wellness influencers in all this? Why are we so desperate to find salvation in a fancy (probably pink) bottle -- and why it makes perfect sense that we fall for it? Rina breaks it all down wonderfully, with humor, well-researched insight, and a lack of judgment that I (as someone who loves my CBD for sleep) really appreciate!- Liz Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram Follow Liz Gumbinner: Twitter, Instagram Follow Rina Raphael: Twitter Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices