34 | The Traveling Millers

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In 1998, Tony and Jenn Miller set out for a year of travel with their four children.  They never came back.

In the last six years, the Millers have visited 30 countries, ridden elephants, ridden camels and logged thousands of miles on bicycles.   They manage to do some schoolwork too.

I caught up with Jenn in Australia and we had a lovely conversation about life on the road.

For more about the Millers, visit their website: http://edventureproject.com. You can also check out http://dreamreboot.com to learn more about Jenn’s online course.

 

33 | Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso: Listening to the Spiritual Wisdom of Children

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Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso has spent a long career engaging children and adults in the sacred texts and practices of Judaism.  In 1974, she became the second women in the United States to complete rabbinical ordination. She and her husband, Dennis, served as co-rabbis at the Congregation Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis until her retirement earlier this year. They were the first practicing rabbinical couple in Jewish history.

Rabbi Sandy is the mother of two adult children and a grandmother of three. Her rabbinical work and her status as a women and mother, have led her to press into a deeper understanding of the spirituality of children.  She has written numerous children’s books and is a a sought after speaker on topics related to the spirituality of children, religious traditions in family life, and spiritual storytelling.

In our interview, Rabbi Sandy shares about her life as a mother and rabbi. She also reflects on what she has learned about the sacred from the many children that she has interacted with throughout the years.

To contact Rabbi Sandy or to learn more about her books, visit her congregation’s website: http://bez613.org/about-us/staff/rabbi-sandy-sasso/

 

32 | The Abundant Life of Emily Plank

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Emily Plank is the mom/author/educator behind the popular blog: Abundant Life Children. She loves to write and in her work she integrates her training in child development with her lived experience mothering three young children. Emily has tremendous experience working with young children and their families. She has been in the field of education for over a decade, filling such roles as educator, mentor, and family child care provider.

Emily values play, spaciousness, respect for children as persons, and a posture of openness. Her presence is warm and gracious.

She and her family are in the midst of their own developmental transition. Earlier this year Emily closed her center and she and her family are preparing to spend several months travelling abroad through a semester at sea.

Her writing has been instructive and encouraging to many and it was a pleasure to chat with her here on Parenting Reimagined.

31 | Rewriting the Rules: Lea Woodward’s Location Independent Life

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Lea Woodward is not afraid of living  life on her own terms. She and her husband, Jonathan, left successful corporate jobs  to build web-based businesses that would allow them to work from anywhere.  They pioneered the location independent lifestyle-  roaming the globe from Panama to Thailand to Dubai and many places in between.

Lea and Jonathan now have two young children and they are in the midst of recalibrating how to travel, parent, stay married and still get their work done.   We had a great conversation about constantly re-visioning  how to “do” family. For more about Lea and her work, check out LeaWoodward.com and locationindependent.com.

 

30 | The Science of Parenting: A Conversation with Dr. Alan Kazdin

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Dr. Alan Kazdin is the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University and the director of the Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic. His research has focused primarily on the treatment of aggressive and antisocial behavior in children. In 2008, he was named President of the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Kazdin has worked on approximately 700 publications including 48 scholarly books. He recently completed The Everyday Parenting Toolkit, his second book for a popular audience. His work on parenting and child rearing has been featured on CNN, NPR, PBS, BBC, and he has appeared on Good Morning America, ABC News, 20/20, The Dr. Phil Show, and the Today Show.  

And now Parenting Reimagined. 🙂

In our conversation, Dr. Kazdin and I talk about his work with the Yale Parenting Center and his recent book. He is wonderfully warm and humble as he reflects on what he has learned from a lifetime of working with families and studying the science of behavior change.

For more about Dr. Kazdin and his work, check out alankazdin.com.