Parent Footprint With Dr. Dan

On this Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episode, host Dr. Dan and Phil (our podcast audio engineer and Dad of two daughters) answer your listener questions about April and Autism Acceptance Month (April is also Stress Awareness Month), sensory disorders, a parent’s cancer diagnosis, and more. Each month Dr. Dan answers questions listeners submit about parenting (and sometimes adulting, too!) on our Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episodes. Please email your parenting questions to us at podcast@drdanpeters.com or DM us on social media. We read every question and we want to consider yours for a future bonus episode. Our new bonus episodes drop in our regular podcast feed that last Tuesday of every month. Follow us @parentfootprintpodcast (Instagram, Facebook) and @drdanpeters (Twitter). Listen, follow, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Wondery, Amazon Music, or wherever you like to listen. Remember you can hear every episode one week early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in the @WonderyMedia App.

Dr. Dan interviews the beloved Instagram star Pie Lady Books Stephanie Hockersmith on today’s episode about her pie art, her inspiring journey to health, mental wellness, chronic illness, and finding joy. Listeners will instantly love our guest today Stephanie Hockersmith, a viral sensation beloved by thousands and known as Pie Lady Books on Instagram and other social media. Stephanie is a Mom, wife, and booklover and she was diagnosed over a decade ago with Celiac Disease, with neurological implications that put her in a wheelchair. At that time looking for solace and healing, she turned to her two favorite things: reading and gluten free baking. Today she is beloved by authors and readers and the media for her incredible pie art. Recently, Stephanie Hockersmith posted a moving Reel on Instagram telling her followers about her heath journey and how she took her therapeutic pastime and healed herself in the process.   Dr. Dan and Steph talk about her pie art (featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America,

Dr. Dan interviews the one and only Mary Louise Kelly of NPR’s All Things Considered about her new memoir and parenting book It. Goes. So. Fast:: The Year of No Do-Overs.   This unforgettable episode is an honest look at Mary Louise’s parenting journey as well as her famous career as a journalist. Listeners will connect deeply with Dr. Dan and Mary Louise’s conversation about the year before her oldest son goes to college –  the year she calls her year of no do-overs and the inspiration for her book. Soccer games, family dinners, Mom guilt, deadlines, travel, tears, illness, and joy are all part of today’s riveting discussion. Listeners will love hearing Mary Louise Kelly’s iconic voice on Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan and will love hearing her personal story (one that we don’t often glimpse on her daily NPR broadcast) even more. Mary Louise’s honesty, humanity, humor, and authentic examination of parenting will deeply affect parents everywhere – this poignant episode will stay with listeners for a long time.

Dr. Dan interviews CEO/Founder of Girls with Impact Jennifer Openshaw about the organization’s work to provide leadership education for under-resourced young women. This interview is inspired by the recent celebrations for Women’s History month and International Women’s Day. Guest Jennifer Openshaw speaks to Dr. Dan about leadership and her organization’s mission to train the next generation of female leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators in order to drive equity, diversity, and economic growth.  Dr. Dan explores how Jennifer’s passion for advancing girls comes from her own life story: at the age of 14, she took on her first “real” job as a maid in a motel while her mother worked two full-time jobs as a waitress to support the family. Today, Jen has built five new organizations, authored three books, and provided financial tools to a half-million consumers. Jennifer’s passion is contagious – this episode about Girls With Impact will empower future female leaders (and their parents). For more information and

On this new bonus episode, Dr. Dan and Laura (our podcast producer, twin mom, special needs parent) answer your listener questions about kids lying and telling tall tales; quitting piano lessons; the return of summer camp; balancing introverts and extroverts in your family; and whether you should police your tween’s fashion choices. Every month Dr. Dan answers your questions about parenting (and sometimes adulting, too!) on our Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episodes. Please email your parenting questions to us at podcast@drdanpeters.com or DM us on social media. We read every question and we want to consider yours for a future bonus episode. Follow us @parentfootprintpodcast (Instagram, Facebook) and @drdanpeters (Twitter). Listen, follow, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Wondery, Amazon Music, or wherever you like to listen. Remember you can hear every episode one week early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in the @WonderyMedia App. For more information: www.exactlyrightmedia.com www.drdanpet

Dr. Dan interviews former ballet dancer Alice Robb about ballet and her new book DON’T THINK, DEAR: On Loving and Leaving Ballet. Dr. Dan and Alice’s honest conversation about body image, perfectionism, diet culture, and more will resonate with all parents - not just dance parents. In 2023, ballet is one of the most popular extra-curricular activities for young girls, and for some, it will take root as a lifelong obsession. Few will ever dance professionally but they will be shaped by the life lessons learned in the studio: discipline, silence, submission, and more.   Dr. Dan and Alice explore how researching and writing her book (part memoir, part journalistic reporting) can help girls and women of all ages because it explores unrealistic body expectations, disordered eating, body dysmorphia, how to succeed in a world where men are still (mostly) in charge, being judged solely on your appearance, social media, self-esteem, and ultimately helping the next generation of women survive in a culture that perpetua

Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan celebrates our 200th episode today!  Parent Footprint is a family and so today Dr. Dan celebrates you – our podcast family! We thank every listener, every parent, every guest, and every individual on our podcast journey. We also want to say a very special thanks to our podcast parents - Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff, the founders of Exactly Right (and co-hosts of My Favorite Murder) for inviting us to be part of the Exactly Right podcast network.  To celebrate our 200th episode we have a special guest today – Dr. Dan interviews the powerful, passionate, disability advocate Meg Zucker about empathy, parenting challenges, her incredible journey (including her own parents), and what it means to live an extra-ordinary life. This conversation will make you cheer, inspire you to smile, and change how you view differences. Born with ectrodactyly (a genetic condition characterized by missing or malformed toes and fingers, which she passed down to her two sons), Meg shares her per

Dr. Dan interviews Kelly Smith, host of the meditation podcast Mindful In Minutes, founder of Yoga For You, and mom. Kelly uses yoga and meditation to find calm, reduce anxiety, and mindfully parent. On today’s episode Dr. Dan talks to Kelly about using meditation and yoga to foster mindfulness. Kelly shares her personal story with Dr. Dan about how her mom’s cancer diagnosis first led her to yoga many years ago – that experience changed her life’s path. Now as a mom herself, Kelly shares with Dr. Dan how her practices can help parents navigate the often turbulent path of  parenting.  This episode gives listeners great advice on how to be the best version of ourselves using mindfulness techniques.  Visit Kelly online at her website www.yogaforyouonline.com, on Instagram, and on her podcast Mindful in Minutes  Email your parenting questions to Dr. Dan podcast@drdanpeters.com (we might answer on a future episode). Follow us @parentfootprintpodcast (Instagram, Facebook) and @drdanpeters (Twitter). Listen, follow

Dr. Dan and Jessica Grose (opinion writer at The New York Times, author, founding editor of Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter) discuss and examine the unrealistic expectations we place on mothers and her new book Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood. Dr. Dan and Jessica (mother of two daughters) discuss her parenting experiences, mom burnout, self-care, motherhood myths, double-standards, and more. This provocative episode pulls apart our ideas of American motherhood to explore how we can make parenting more humane for ALL parents. For more information about Jessica Grose visit her website www.jessicagrose.com and follow her on Instagram. Email your parenting questions to Dr. Dan podcast@drdanpeters.com (we might answer on a future episode). Follow us @parentfootprintpodcast (Instagram, Facebook) and @drdanpeters (Twitter). Listen, follow, and leave us a review on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Wondery, or wherever you like to listen! Don’t forget, you can hear every episode one week e

On this new episode, Dr. Dan and Phil Rossi (our podcast audio engineer, Dad of two daughters) answer your listener questions about peer pressure and disturbing videos; messy bedrooms; men and mental health (prompted by a Black History Month article about mental health/fathers); babies and earrings; and newborn names. Every month Dr. Dan answers your questions about parenting (and sometimes adulting, too!) on our Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episodes. Our virtual mailbag is filled with your listener questions every month. Please email us at podcast@drdanpeters.com or DM us on social media. We read every question and we want to consider yours for a future bonus episode. Follow us @parentfootprintpodcast (Instagram, Facebook) and @drdanpeters (Twitter). Listen, follow, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Wondery, Amazon Music, or wherever you like to listen. Remember you can hear every episode one week early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in the @WonderyMedia App. For more information: www.exact

Dr. Dan welcomes Barbara Rosenblat (Orange is the New Black’s Miss Rosa) (and Winnie-the-Pooh!) to the podcast today to discuss storytelling, creativity, audiobooks, acting, and of course life lessons and wisdom (think Zen and The Tao of Pooh) from Winnie-the-Pooh. Currently, Barbara is the narrator of Winnie-the-Pooh, a new podcast from AudioFile Magazine for kids and kids at heart. Barbara brings her passion and iconic voice to this episode to discuss how this classic story empowers children. She shares what she discovered when she connected with Winnie-the-Pooh late in life (and not in her own childhood) and how Winnie-the-Pooh can bring us all a bit of Zen along with lessons of resilience, conquering fear, and our shared humanity regardless of our age. Barbara Rosenblat is a prolific audiobook narrator earning AudioFile Magazine’s Golden Voice lifetime achievement recognition. She has been described as having a gift that "is to audiobooks what Meryl Streep is to film” and her other acting credits include

Dr. Dan is excited to welcome an inspiring parenting advocate, mom, and social media star to today’s episode: viral phenomena Beth Leipholtz joins Parent Footprint to talk about inclusion, raising a deaf son, and so much more.  Dr. Dan also talks to Beth about her work as an  accessibility advocate who believes in creating a more accepting world for our children.  As the hearing mother of a deaf child, Beth is raising her son, Coop, bilingually in both hearing and Deaf cultures. She shares her parenting journey on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, where she has built a community of more than 1 million people around disability inclusion.  Beth is inspiring and passionate – and honest. Beth tells Dr. Dan how raising a deaf child over the past three years has taught her family so much, especially about inclusion and accessibility. As a result, she decided to write a children’s book about this parenting journey. The book The ABCs of Inclusion is unique because all the illustrations and characters are real

Dr. Dan returns to a very personal topic on today’s new episodes: dyslexia. Dyslexia has touched Dr. Dan and his family. Dr. Dan’s always speaks honestly and openly about this topic and today he brings back popular podcast guests Dr. Fernette Eide and her husband Dr. Brock Eide (founders of the nonprofit Dyslexic Advantage) to talk about the updated version of their paradigm shifting book The Dyslexic Advantage. Drs. Fernette Eide and Brock Eide discuss the dyslexic mind, their strength-based approach to dyslexia, why dyslexia should be viewed as a learning/processing style and not a disorder, the gifts of dyslexia, new research and more with Dr. Dan. This is a must-listen-to, informative, and inspiring episode for educators, parents, caregivers, employers, and those who process things through a dyslexic lens. Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide are international experts in the fields of dyslexia, co-founders of the nonprofit Dyslexic Advantage, and founder of the social purpose company Neurolearning. For more infor

Dr. Dan and guest Mike Rucker talk about fun today on the podcast - including a discussion about Mike’s book The Fun Habit: How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life. Mike offers the latest compelling scientific evidence about the concept of fun and teaches us all how to make having fun a habitual and authentic part of our daily life. This episode is for anyone seeking joy, happiness, and specific ways to build fun into an actionable and effortless habit. For parents, kids, and everyone craving a more enjoyable and fulfilling life. Dr. Mike Rucker is an organizational psychologist, father, husband, and author. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, mindbodygreen, and more. Learn more at www.MichaelRucker.com.  Email your parenting questions to Dr. Dan podcast@drdanpeters.com (we might answer on a future episode). Follow us @parentfootprintpodcast (Instagram, Facebook) and @drdanpeters (Twitter). Listen, follow, and leave us a revi

Welcome to 2023’s first Sitting Down With Dr. Dan Bonus Episode #19! On this new episode, Dr. Dan and Laura Rossi (our podcast producer, twin mom, and a special needs parent) answer your listener questions about jellyfish parenting, teens having s*x when parents are in the house(!), school refusals, and when it is ok to leave kids home alone. Every month Dr. Dan answers your questions about parenting (and sometimes adulting, too!) on our Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episodes. Our virtual mailbag is filled with your listener questions every month. Please email us at podcast@drdanpeters.com or DM us on social media. We read every question and we want to consider yours for a future bonus episode. Follow us @parentfootprintpodcast (Instagram, Facebook) and @drdanpeters (Twitter). Listen, follow, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Wondery, Amazon Music, or wherever you like to listen! Don’t forget, you can hear every episode one week early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in the @WonderyMedia App.

On this episode Dr. Dan and Dr. Dana Dorfman (parenting expert and author) discuss worry and anxiety as well as her new book WHEN WORRY WORKS: How To Harness Your Parenting Stress And Guide Your Teen To Success. This episode focuses on the growing national teen mental health crisis: achievement pressure. Dr. Dan and Dr. Dorfman also address how parents inadvertently and unknowingly exacerbate worry and anxiety by overlooking their own parental achievement anxiety and offer solutions and advice. For over 30 years, Dr. Dana Dorfman has studied achievement anxiety in parents and their kids, both academically and in her practice. For more information visit her website www.drdanadorfman.com. Email your parenting questions to Dr. Dan podcast@drdanpeters.com (we might answer on a future bonus episode). Follow us @parentfootprintpodcast (Instagram, Facebook) and @drdanpeters (Twitter). Listen, follow, and leave us a review on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Wondery, or wherever you like to listen! Don’t forget, you can

How do we give our children our best effort 365 days a year? Today host Dr. Dan has a great conversation with guest Deborah Farmer Kris, PBS Parent's national columnist, child development specialist, education journalist, parent educator and the author of the “All the Time” picture book series.  In this episode, Dr. Dan and Deborah focus specifically on awe and wonder. What exactly is awe? What do we know about the benefits of awe? Is feeling awe within our control — or does it just “happen” to us unexpectedly?  How do we help teenagers experience more awe? What about awe and screens?  Deborah and Dr. Dan discuss her fascinating research about what kids need to thrive and how she translates that research for parents and caregivers in order to make it simple, practical, accessible, and actionable.  Children are worth our best effort 365 days a year and this episode will inspire and awe parents!  Find more about Deborah, her research, and her books on her website www.parenthood365.com.  Be sure to listen to thi

Dr. Dan interviews health journalist, author, parent Chelsea Conaboy about her book Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood.  This interview - like Chelsea’s book - explodes the concept of “maternal instinct” and tells listeners a new story about what it means to become a parent.  Conaboy talks to Dr. Dan about the changing, parental brain – and offers revelations that will enlighten and educate.  On today’s episode we learn that new parents undergo major structural and functional brain changes, driven by hormones and the deluge of stimuli a baby provides. These neurobiological changes help all parents—birthing or otherwise—adapt in those intense first days and prepare for a long period of learning how to meet their child’s needs. This provocative interview shatters many myths and changes the parenting paradigm. It’s a powerful listen for all parents and caregivers. Chelsea Conaboy is a health and science journalist. She was part of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer prize–winning team fo

Dr. Dan welcomes back parent and author Laura Zigman to discuss parental grief, Well-Child Syndrome, sibling loss, and her book Small World. Laura Zigman grew up in the shadow of her parents’ grief after her oldest sister died.  In her just released novel Small World, Laura fictionalizes and writes poignantly about her own childhood as a typical sibling of a disabled sister who died. Despite the fact that Laura Zigman (and her sister Linda Zigman barely knew Sheryl), Laura’s childhood and her entire life were defined by this loss.   Dr. Dan and Laura honestly discuss the many ways typical siblings experience disability, sibling loss, and parental grief.  The concept of Well-Child Syndrome and supporting “well” or typical siblings is still not widely discussed. Today’s episode reveals the desperate need for mental health support for siblings and entire families – not just parents - when dealing with disability, illness, death, loss, and grief.   This episode also addresses guilt, pain, and other complex emotio

Dr. Dan interviews Deanna Singh, host of the Uplifting Impact podcast, Diversity Equity & Inclusion Expert, and champion for marginalized communities. Dr. Dan and Deanna discuss how and why we should approach the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion in a positive light with our kids. Deanna’s enthusiasm, curiosity, drive, and passion will energize listeners. Deanna is the author of American Girl's first-ever advice book on race and inclusion,  A Smart Girl's Guide: Race and Inclusion: Standing up to racism and building a better world, and she has written several other children's books showcasing accurate reflections of what we see in our homes and communities by highlighting children of color. Deanna Singh offers enlightening advice today for all ages and explains why she released her newest book Actions Speak Louder: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming an Inclusive Workplace.  Today’s episode is an essential discussion about marginalized communities and ways to speak to our children about race, building a b