Episodes

On today's episode of the podcast, Katie interviews Rylee Neal who decided to become a Child Life Specialist from her past experiences being hospitalized with a heart condition called tetralogy of fallot. An experience with a Child Life Specialist during one of her hospital stays lead her to pursue the field of Child Life. Katie and Rylee have some great conversation about scars, our feelings and how as Child Life Specialists or parents we constantly are looking to better ourselves. You will lea...

Katie along with co-host Mijha from Jambo books interview Dr. Kate Lund, TedEx speaker, clinical psychologist and hydrocephalus warrior. She brings an incredibly important perspective as provider, patient and parent. Dr. Lund shares with us how the support she received throughout her childhood had a positive impact on her life and journey with hydrocephalus. From her wise words and experiences, you will leave this episode feeling empowered with actionable things you can do today. This message is...

[Child Life 101] How to Support Kids in PainAs a child life specialist, I know that pain can significantly impact children. It can affect them physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively. Research has shown that uncontrolled pain can lead to long-term effects such as stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as changes in brain function and delayed recovery. Helping children cope with pain can be particularly challenging as they may not be able to articulate what they're feeling or under...

On today's episode of the podcast, Katie interviews Courtney Morey, Mother to Annie who was diagnosed with Trisomy 21, AVSD and Pulmonary Hypertension. Katie and Courtney have such great dialogue and raw conversation in this episode. Courtney shares the positive impacts on her marriage and the questions that arise when receiving a life altering diagnosis. Sharing about her journey of self discovery along the way and how it has changed her view on life, this episode will leave you feeling validat...

Today in [Child Life 101] we are answering the question we get ALL THE TIME:WHAT IS CHILD LIFE?!You've asked and now we're answering.Did you know that SO many of the parents on our podcast haven't ever even met a child life specialist before our interview?!Our goal during this series is to help people understand what child life is all about by getting rid of any misunderstandings or roadblocks.What do child life specialists do?Why is play an essential component of child life services?...

On this week's episode, Katie and Co-Host Serheen Noor Ali from Hello Sleuth interview Dr. Kelly Fradin about building trusted relationships with your child's pediatrician. Dr. Fradin shines a light on parent and patient experiences through being a physician in public health and in private practice. She touches on ways to have productive conversations with your child's pediatrician to create a lasting and effective relationship.[4:00] Introductions[6:45] Barriers her patients were experienci...

I'm SO excited to share a new podcast series we are starting at Child Life On Call![You can watch this via a screencast on YouTube here]Child Life 101 is a new 10-week podcast series dedicated to all things related to all things child life specialists and the important role they play in the lives of children and families.This series was born from some of the questions I've gotten over the past 6 (almost 7!) years that we've been producing Child Life On Call.Each week we will cover a new t...

Today we have another Dad on the podcast. Katie interviews Oliver Bernier, father of Emilio and filmmaker, about his son's unexpected diagnosis of down syndrome. You will learn what inspired Oliver to create a film to educate and empower parents of children with Down syndrome how to navigate the school system and be the best advocate for their child. Oliver's passion to educate parents about the importance of inclusivity will shine through as he shares an inspiring message.[3:45] Introductions...

Katie and Cortney Given, host of the Mindset for Medical Moms Podcast, interview Leah Ward about her son Jackson and his journey with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS.) Leah shares the ups and downs of being a heart mom. Jackson received the gift of life through a Heart Transplant after he went into heart failure and was placed on the Berlin Heart for several months. Leah and Cortney's conversation (Cortney is a heart Mom too!) with Katie will leave you feeling inspired to live in each mome...

On today's episode of the podcast, Katie interviews Lo Nigorish, certified IBCLC Lactation Consultant and Host of The Milk Making Minutes Podcast. Whether your journey consisted of breastfeeding or not she shares how lactation consultants can assist with feeding the NICU and beyond. Lo shares her heart and mission behind supporting families. Whether you are a parent of a baby in the NICU or a clinician, you will not want to miss this episode.[4:21] Introductions[6:05] Parents are experts[7...

Katie, along with co-host Serheen Noor-Ali from Hello Sleuth interview Kelsey Ward, mom to Scarlett who was diagnosed with gastroparesis and hereditary spherocytosis as an infant. Kelsey shares the ups and downs of what it means to be a medical mom and how Scarlett's diagnosis strengthened her marriage. Body confidence is something near to Kelsey's heart. She shares about how she empowers Scarlett to be proud of her g-tube and scars. This episode is packed with great dialogue and you will get at...

April is Child Abuse awareness month. We have reposted this episode to bring awareness and give you tangible tools to speak with your kids about child abuse.Today's guest expert is my mother, Jane Donovan, who is a child abuse advocate. She is here to provide tangible ways to make this concept less scary and to empower kids and parents. We want to leave you feeling confident about how to teach kids about child abuse.In this episode, we talk about…[3:50] Jane's background and her passion for...

Katie interviews Emma Springer, mother to Sage who was born with Trisomy 18. Emma shares her journey to parenthood and how they learned of Sage's diagnosis. Prior to Sage being born, Emma was a pediatric nurse. Emma shares the struggles she went through in Sage's first few months to find care options. She opens up about how being on social media can be so empowering but also shares some of the challenges go along with it. Through Emma, you will get to know the joy that Sage carries with her each...

On todays episode of the podcast, Katie along with co-host Mijha Godfrey from Jambo Books, interview Kayla Gunderson, who's daughter was diagnosed with Ollier's disease. You will get to hear how Kayla navigated her daughter's diagnosis just weeks after giving birth to her son and her valuable perspective as a nurse and former Child Life Specialist. We talk about navigating grief, the support of her spouse and loved ones and what Claire has taught Kayla along this journey.[4:47] Mijha shares ab...

Katie along with Co-host Cortney Given, host of the podcast Mindset for Medical Moms , interviews Dana who had micro-preemie twins at home. She bravely shares her story and how she and her husband acted quickly with the unexpected home birth. Dana shares how she navigated the long NICU stay and the moments to come afterward. You will get a glimpse into their life today and what it looks like to manage their medical care. Dana's journey to advocacy and letting others into your life during challen...

Katie has a co-host, Serheen Noor Ali from Hello Sleuth on today's episode where we hear Jodi's story of developing HELLP Syndrome and having a premature birth. Jodi walks us through her birth story along with those first moments meeting her daughter. She speaks to the joy we find in the unexpected and will leave you inspired to embrace where you are today. You will get to know Jodi's heart behind the creation of Fllrish.[5:40] Full circle of relationships[6:07] The crash course of becoming ...

On today's episode of the podcast, Katie interviews Ryan who's son has Becker's Muscular Dystrophy. Ryan tells the story of the road to diagnosis for his son Jack and how their family coped along the way. Hear about what fueled Ryan to start an organization to help fund research to change the lives of children and adults with Muscular Dystrophy. This episode is filled with inspiration, hope and the raw perspective of a father advocating for his son.[4:20] Ryan Introduces himself[7:24] They n...

On today's episode, Katie meets with Kristen McNeely, a Licensed family therapist who is in expert on Anxiety in Children. Kristen shares the importance of how we respond to anxiety as parents and caregivers, helping children understand what anxiety is and how we can help them navigate their feelings. This episode is full of ways to support your child through anxious moments and knowing when to get them help.[4:12] Kristen introduces herself[5:45] Seeing more behavior disorders that are mani...

podcast, Katie interviews Crystal Polk, a Social Worker and Licensed Therapist speaks about the dual role parents of medically complex children hold as caregiver and parent. Crystal specializes in working with families who have children with special or medical needs. She gives parents practical things they can do today to start on the path of healing.[3:30] Crystal introduces herself[6:00] Identifying the differences between caregiving and parenting[8:30] Acknowledging the stages of grief...

On this week's episode of the podcast, Katie interviews Michele Benyo, a Certified Grief Specialist who helps families navigate the loss of a child with a focus on sibling relationships. Michele experienced the loss of her 6 year old son due to cancer. Michele shares how her daughter still maintained her relationship with her son in the midst of several long hospitalizations and how she processed the loss of her brother.*trigger warning-- this episode talks about loss and grief *[4:15] Michel...

Travis shares how they discovered his daughter's cystic fibrosis diagnosis at age 4. Just months earlier, Travis learned his half sister was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. He shares how the journey impacted his life on a professional and personal level creating the foundation, Piper's Angels to help support families dealing with a Cystic Fibrosis diagnosis.[3:50] Introductions[6:43] Showing signs of respiratory issues[8:11] Chest X-Ray to determine the cause of the Cystic Fibrosis[8:37]...

On this episode, Savannah shares what it means to have wreck-less hope. Through her traumatic birth, having micro preemie twins and receiving a cerebral palsy diagnosis for one of the twins, Savanah explains how her twins have changed her outlook on life and how she cherishes the little things life has to offer. Savannah opens up about maternal mental health and how it affected her. It is her mission to help other moms experiencing a traumatic brith feel not alone through the gift of artwork and...

On this episode of the podcast, Lenora from BetterSpeech shares about virtual speech language pathology services and how they can be beneficial for not just the child but for the family. Lenora explains how making a connection with the child positively impacts the progress of speech therapy. This episode is informative of what a virtual session would look like and provides valuable insight to parents seeking out virtual therapy services.[2:50] Lenora introudces herself[3:59] How she got star...

This episode is full of tangible truth about what it means to be a caregiver and advocate. Kelly shares about her daughter's epilepsy diagnosis and how it changed her entire world. After a normal pregnancy and delivery, Adelaide wasn't gaining weight and had low muscle tone which was the beginning of her epilepsy diagnosis. Kelly became involved in CURE Epilepsy's mission and shares how Adelaide's spirit lives on through the work she does today.**Trigger warning: Kelly talks about her daughter...