Smart Family Podcast

If you have been around kids and schools, you'll notice that for some kids concepts around math come easy while for others it can seem like a constant uphill battle. Is it true that some of us were just not wired to learn math? Is it how math is taught? Or is there more to it? Today we talk not just about this issue but we also zoom out to the more general life lesson of "getting stuck" and we are joined by an expert in the field - teacher, speaker and author Ben Orlin. At a math teacher Ben saw how kids sometimes get stuck on trying only to get the right answer without "sitting" in the problem and perhaps seeing things from different angles. He brings to life some great examples in history where breakthroughs have emerged from smart people getting stuck and he makes a great point for why this should be something we value and teach to our kids as well. Ben, author of the upcoming Math For English Majors is a genius at making the "hard" things (like math concepts) easy to understand and you will love our conversation.

When you hit a season of disappointment in your marriage, what do you do? Do you tough it out, work it out, or move on? Our marriage experts and Christian church leaders, Ann and Dave Wilson had to face that question more than once. After 6 months, Ann wondered out loud to Dave, "I think we've made a serious mistake." After 10 years of marriage, she confessed to Dave that she no longer had feelings for him. And yet, they've found a pathway forward in their relationship that has them both in love, satisfied and enjoying each other after 44 years together. How did they face their disappointments and forge a better future? We have an honest, probing conversation today about how to make it through a season of disappointment, how to communicate about and meet each other's needs, how to improve your sex life and more.

As parents we all want what is best for our children, but how much stress should we let them experience? Or do we protect them from life's struggles? And how does this tie in with the concept of resilience - this ability for a person to manage the daily stressors in life and maintain an overall healthy mental state. In this episode we speak with scholar, author and speaker Dr Robyne Hanley-Dafoe about the topics of resilience and stress. She has an incredible personal story which she shares with us, and which motivated her llife-long journey to learn more about stress and resilience - how it develops and how we can raise kids who are resilient through the various stressors of life. There are pearls of wisdom throughout this episode you will not want to miss!

If you'd asked me (Toni) about what or who was causing our marital strife during the rough period my husband Carey and I went through, I can assure you I would not have pointed the finger back at me. For a time, I firmly believed Carey was mainly to blame. Only later did I discover how much my own lack of self-awareness and my weaknesses were also at play. In today's episode with my friend and owner of the Covey Wellness Centre, Sarah Covey, we talk about how our journeys in personal growth intersect marriage. We talk about my book, Before You Split, where I chronicle some of the personal challenges Carey and I faced, our learnings, research and perspectives from my work as a divorce attorney. Listen in for practical insights on how to overcome the obstacles that keep you from being more deeply satisfied with your married life.

Are you the parent of a child with a disability? Or do you know a parent who needs support with their child with a disability? Kelley Coleman is an expert on all things related to parenting a child with a disability. Kelley discusses her own experience as a parent but also explains how we can be an advocate, not just for individuals but also for the larger community. She suggests what we should or should not say and what we should or should not do. This conversation is filled with pearls of wisdom from someone who has experienced it all and captured in her book Everything No One Tells You About Parenting A Disabled Child. Join us as we discuss this important topic.