Brad Montague on seeking out “joy rebels” and making hope a habit

by Cool Mom Team | Spawned Podcast

“Joy rebels.” Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful thing to teach our kids to be? If you think so too, you’re going to love my conversation with NY Times best-selling author and illustrator, director, dad, and all-around excellent human, Brad...

12 excellent children’s books to start conversations about prejudice and discrimination.

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids, Doing Good

While I’ve seen such a beautiful swell of love, support and compassion for all kinds of people all over my social media through the years, I’ve also talked to lots of moms who are wondering how to talk to kids about prejudice, racism, antisemitism,...

Kids, social media, and mental health: Devorah Heitner on what we’re getting wrong and how to fix it

by Liz Gumbinner | Spawned Podcast

This episode is a must-listen for all parents of kids who have smartphones, especially if you’re worried about the impact of social media on mental health. And isn’t that all of us, these days? Dr. Devorah Heitner a renowned author and expert on kids and...

Answering teens’ (brutally honest!) questions about college admissions | An Insider Guide to College Admissions

by Liz Gumbinner | Spawned Podcast

For our final podcast in our Insider Guide to the College Application Process, I thought we’d do things a little differently.  This week, we gathered questions that teens themselves gave us about college admissions and applications — and I’m joined...

How do you know if a college is a good fit? 7 questions to ask | An Insider Guide to College Admissions

by Liz Gumbinner | Kids

We’ve received so many questions from parents regarding the college admissions process, and we couldn’t address them all in our Insider’s Guide to College Admissions podcast series. I want to get to them all! So we are kicking off a Q&A series...

Jonathan Van Ness: On his new children’s book, and creating a culture of acceptance for kids who are different.

by Liz Gumbinner | Books for Kids, Spawned Podcast

This week on Spawned, I had the best time speaking with the one and only Jonathan Van Ness!! They’ve just released an amazing new picture book, Gorgeously Me!, which is already making waves as a #1 new children’s book on Amazon. Our chat was not only fun...

The Definitive Guide to Gen Z Slang: Written by actual teens who think all the other guides to Gen Z slang are mid.

by Liz Gumbinner | Kids, Tips + Tricks

When we asked our readers about your favorite Gen Z slang words, the second most popular answer was low-key. But that’s only because the first most popular answer was what the heck are you talking about? So I reached out to my teens and their friends to put...

A grade-by-grade guide to college admissions: What to do when (and why not to panic) | An Insider Guide to College Admissions

by Liz Gumbinner | Spawned Podcast

I’m so happy to be back with Alyse Levine, one of the foremost college counseling experts in the country, to continue our Insider Guide to the College Application Process. This week, we took a cue from you, our readers and listeners, who wrote in to ask what you...

Brad Meltzer on Empathy, Kindness, Magic, Transformation, and That One Guy in the Restroom That One Time

by Liz Gumbinner | Spawned Podcast

This week, I’m talking to #1 New York Times bestselling author, Brad Meltzer, fresh off his viral commencement address at The University of Michigan about empathy, transformation, growth, compassion, and…magic. (Were you thinking I’d be covering that...

How to help kids identify and develop their interests | An Insider Guide to College Admissions

by Liz Gumbinner | Spawned Podcast

In January, I interviewed Alyse Levine, one of the foremost college counseling experts in the country, about de-stressing the college application process. It was so well-received, that we’ve partnered to create An Insider Guide to the College Application...