New Episodes Every Wednesday

Episodes

Episode 89 | How to Talk with Kids About Disabilities with Dr. Brittany Ferri
Oct. 5, 2021

Episode 89 | How to Talk with Kids About Disabilities with Dr. Britta…

For today's 12 minute talk, I'm interviewing Dr. Brittany Ferri. She is an occupational therapist, and she has a passion for talking with kids about disabilities. Brittany talks about her program, Social Fly, a social and m...

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Episode 88 | [Repost] Life On Pause: Cancer Survivors Share Their Stories
Sept. 29, 2021

Episode 88 | [Repost] Life On Pause: Cancer Survivors Share Their Sto…

It's an incredibly rare experience to sit next to someone else who "gets" what you're going through… exactly. That's what support groups are for, right? Well, today you're getting an inside look into what young adults who hav...

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Episode 87 | Lisa and Brady's Story - A Mom and Son Discuss Their Past Cancer Experience
Sept. 28, 2021

Episode 87 | Lisa and Brady's Story - A Mom and Son Discuss Their Pas…

I connected with one of today's guests, Brady, through our shared alma mater, Penn State University. He has dealt with cancer not once, but twice, and he agreed to come on the podcast with his mother, Lisa. I'm so honored t...

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Episode 86 | Starlyn's Story - Quadruplets in the NICU
Sept. 21, 2021

Episode 86 | Starlyn's Story - Quadruplets in the NICU

I'm so excited to have my friend Starlyn on the show today! She and her husband have struggled with infertility for years, and she is here to share the miraculous story about having one embryo and ending up with four babies....

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Sickle Cell Anemia in Children: A Mother's Advocacy Journey
Sept. 14, 2021

Sickle Cell Anemia in Children: A Mother's Advocacy Journey

It's another day in September, which means we are going to be recognizing National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood disorder in which blood cells may become sickle shaped and harden, cau...

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Childhood Cancer: Support and Wisdom from Parents Who've Been There
Sept. 7, 2021

Childhood Cancer: Support and Wisdom from Parents Who've Been There

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Over the last four-and-a-half years, I have had the opportunity and honor to interview many parents who are a part of a club that they didn't ask to be in. There is a common bo...

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Episode 83 | How to Talk to About a Friend or Classmate's Cancer
Aug. 31, 2021

Episode 83 | How to Talk to About a Friend or Classmate's Cancer

When it comes to talking about cancer with kids, there is no one that compares to Holly Senn (Certified Child Life Specialist at Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital). We're going to share some tips for parents, teachers, an...

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Episode 82 | Taraneh's Story - A son with cleft palate
Aug. 24, 2021

Episode 82 | Taraneh's Story - A son with cleft palate

My guest this week is Taraneh, sharing her story about having a son with cleft palate. In this episode, we talk about… [2:24] Taraneh's background and her family [3:54] Taraneh's pregnancy and birth experience with her son [5...

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Episode 81 |How to Support Your Kids for Back to School
Aug. 17, 2021

Episode 81 |How to Support Your Kids for Back to School

This episode is sponsored by SmileMakers. Use code ONCALL20 for 20% off your order of smile making stickers, toys, patient supplies, and more! This episode is also sponsored by Magic Mind, the World's First Productivity Drink...

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Episode 80 | Bonnie's Story - A son with Type 1 Diabetes
Aug. 10, 2021

Episode 80 | Bonnie's Story - A son with Type 1 Diabetes

This episode is sponsored by SmileMakers. Use code ONCALL20 for 20% off your order of smile making stickers, toys, patient supplies, and more! Meet Bonnie, her husband and her three adult children. Bonnie calls herself "the r...

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Preparing Your Child for Surgery: What to Say and How to Help
Aug. 3, 2021

Preparing Your Child for Surgery: What to Say and How to Help

Answering parent questions in a 12 minute talk. This episode is sponsored by SmileMakers. Use code ONCALL25 for 20% off your order of smile making stickers, toys, patient supplies, and more! Katie, Certified Child Life Specia...

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Episode 78 | Kara's Story - A son with a brain tumor and the journey after resection
July 27, 2021

Episode 78 | Kara's Story - A son with a brain tumor and the journey …

"For me, it's balancing supporting him in full honor of his disabilities and making sure I am advocating for him AND relating to him as fully capable and strong." Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with mom of four,...

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Episode 77 | How Can Music Therapy Help my Child
July 20, 2021

Episode 77 | How Can Music Therapy Help my Child

Answering parent questions in a 12 minute talk. Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Christine Bomberger, Music Therapist at Cleveland Clinic Children's . We talk about: +Why music therapy should be a staple in e...

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Episode 76  | Cortney's Story - A daughter with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
July 13, 2021

Episode 76 | Cortney's Story - A daughter with Hypoplastic Left Hear…

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Cortney Given, Life Coach and Host of the Mindset for Medical Moms Podcast . Cortney could have never guessed that the high school paper she wrote HLHS would be given to her s...

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How to Talk to Kids About Death: Child Life Expert Guidance
July 7, 2021

How to Talk to Kids About Death: Child Life Expert Guidance

Answering parent questions in a 12 minute talk. Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Lauren Holley, CCLS and Professor discusses the topic: How to Talk to Kids About Death. We talk about: +How to concretely expla...

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Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS): Navigating Diagnosis and Daily Life
June 29, 2021

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS): Navigating Diagnosis and Daily Life

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Jessica Patay, Founder and Executive Director of We Are Brave Together. Her own story as a mom of a child with special needs began in 2003 when her second son, Ryan, was born ...

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Episode 73 | Should Kids Go To Funerals?
June 22, 2021

Episode 73 | Should Kids Go To Funerals?

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Lauren Holley, CCLS and Professor answers the question and discusses the topic: Should Young Kids Go To Funerals? We talk about: +How to assess whether or not your child is re...

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Episode 72 | Laurie's Story - A son with Fanconi Anemia and Tetralogy of Fallot
June 15, 2021

Episode 72 | Laurie's Story - A son with Fanconi Anemia and Tetralogy…

"It was a life or death... that was our life and we rose to the occasion." Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Laurie Strongin from Hope for Henry. We talk about: +How parenthood started out with hearing the new...

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Episode 71 | How To Tell Your Kids That Mom Has Cancer
June 8, 2021

Episode 71 | How To Tell Your Kids That Mom Has Cancer

Answering Parent Questions: How Do I Tell My Kids that I Have Cancer? Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist gives you tips, language and things to consider when you're telling children about a cancer diagnosis in the family....

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Episode 70 | Sara's Story - Telling Your Child You Have Cancer
June 1, 2021

Episode 70 | Sara's Story - Telling Your Child You Have Cancer

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Sara Olsher, mom, cancer survivor, and owner of Mighty and Bright. Not only does Sara talk with us about getting diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34, but she also ta...

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Episode 69 | Liza's Story - A daugther with Lyme Disease
May 18, 2021

Episode 69 | Liza's Story - A daugther with Lyme Disease

Episode 69 | Liza's Story - A daugther with Lyme Disease "I don't think I would have ever done the work on myself had it not been for my daughter's struggle." Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Liza Blas from V...

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Episode 68 | Child Life Specialists Talk About How They Support Transplant Families
May 11, 2021

Episode 68 | Child Life Specialists Talk About How They Support Trans…

"Being a child life specialist with this population is not just about supporting them through their hospital experience, its about preparing them for the rest of their life." Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with ...

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Episode 67  | Todd and Morgan's Story - A son with Biliary Atresia and a liver transplant
May 4, 2021

Episode 67 | Todd and Morgan's Story - A son with Biliary Atresia an…

"We had to learn everything we could because our son's life was literally on the line." Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Todd and Morgan who just a few weeks after the birth of their first child were faced wi...

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Episode 66 | How to Support Siblings of Children with Medical or Special Needs
April 20, 2021

Episode 66 | How to Support Siblings of Children with Medical or Spec…

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist is interviewed and asked about ways to support children of chronically ill or medically complex children. Questions that Katie discusses include: +How to have hard conversations with chi...

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