Understanding Fear and Proven Neurohacks to Help Kids (and Parents) Override Overwhelm | Guest, Dr. Mary Poffenroth, Biopsychologist and Fear Researcher

Our kids are growing up in a world moving faster than any generation before—constant change, information overload, and pressures that can overwhelm even the most resilient young minds. Dr. Mary Poffenroth, a biopsychologist and fear researcher, believes the answer isn't to shield our children from stress, but to give them the neurohacks to navigate it. Drawing from her award-winning book Brave New You and her work with organizations from NASA to Google X, Mary reveals science-backed strategies to help kids of all ages regulate their nervous systems, transform fear into fuel, and build everyday courage. These aren't just coping mechanisms—they're tools that rewire how our children respond to an uncertain world.

Why This Matters: We're raising the most overstimulated generation in history—and traditional parenting advice isn't enough.

• Kids today face neurological challenges previous generations never encountered. Without neurohacks grounded in science, we're asking them to navigate a Ferrari-paced world with horse-and-buggy tools.

• Fear isn't the enemy—suppressing it is. Teaching kids to "be brave" or "push through" actually amplifies anxiety and leads to burnout. Dr. Poffenroth's research and easy-to-follow RAIN Method shows that transforming our relationship with fear—not avoiding it—unlocks courage, creativity, and resilience.

• Small neurohacks create massive shifts. Simple, science-backed techniques can help kids regulate their nervous systems in real-time, turning everyday fears from roadblocks into stepping stones. These aren't just survival skills—they're the foundation for thriving in uncertainty.

HelloBraveNewYou.com
www.marypoffenroth.com

Brave New You book: https://a.co/d/5jkLDR4

Staying Focused in an Age of Distraction | Guest: Erik Qualman, Digital Leadership Expert and Best-Selling Author

What if the greatest superpower in a distracted world isn’t speed, but focus? In an era defined by endless notifications, constant multitasking, and digital overload, the ability to direct our attention has become one of the most valuable skills we can cultivate. In this conversation with Erik Qualman, we explore how focus fuels productivity, creativity, and resilience—and how teaching kids (and ourselves) to harness it can change the trajectory of our lives and work.

Why this matters: Because the quality of our future will be determined not by how much information we consume, but by what we choose to give our attention to.

• Focus is the foundation of digital leadership and intentional living.
• By curating what matters most, we unlock clarity, energy, and impact.
• Kids who learn to master focus early will be better equipped to thrive in a noisy, fast-changing world.
• Attention is our most precious resource—and our ability to align it with purpose is what allows us to create meaningful change.

Meet Your Robot Nanny: Creepy or Caring? | Guest: Faith Popcorn, Futurist.

What happens when our children’s first caregivers aren’t just human, but also machines? From AI-powered Barbie dolls to baby monitors that promise to soothe your child with predictive algorithms, the next generation of parenting tools raises urgent questions about privacy, ethics, and the boundaries of care. In this timely conversation with futurist Faith Popcorn, we explore how families can thoughtfully navigate the rise of AI companions—balancing the promises of convenience and safety with the deeper responsibilities of human connection, values transmission and privacy protection. Looking ahead, how will families evaluate technology wisely and shape it ethically ensuring AI tools uplift rather than replace our essential roles as caregivers and guides?

Why this matters: Because our children’s first experiences of comfort and learning are increasingly shaped by algorithms, not just human relationships.

• AI-powered toys and caregiving tools offer convenience and safety—but also raise critical questions about privacy, dependency, and emotional development.
• Preparing kids to engage ethically with AI means helping them understand both its power and its limits.
• The rise of AI caregivers challenges families to define what authentic human connection looks like in an age of algorithmic empathy.

Link to the Faith Popcorn Website: https://faithpopcorn.com/

Employment is Dead; What Comes Next? | Guest: Deborah Perry Piscione - Future of Work expert and author of "Employment is Dead"

What if the future of work isn’t about jobs at all? In this eye-opening conversation with innovation expert Deborah Piscione, we explore why the next generation must think like innovators, not employees—building career capital through skills, networks, and creative pursuits rather than chasing job titles or climbing outdated ladders. In the future they’ll need a mosaic of experiences, passions, projects and collaborations to thrive, so how do we prepare them for a world where success isn’t defined by employment, but by the ability to continuously create, adapt, and contribute? And how does this shift the conversation on the kind of education that matters most now?

Why this matters: Because the question isn’t what job your child will have—it’s what problems they’ll solve, what communities they’ll build, and what future they’ll help design.

• Helping them cultivate curiosity, adaptability, and collaborative spirit prepares them to thrive in systems we can’t yet see.
• The future of work isn’t waiting for them to apply—it’s inviting them to invent.
• Preparing kids to lead in this future means helping them become lifelong learners, agile problem-solvers, and confident creators of opportunity.

Your Child’s Confidence Begins in the Crib | Guest: Deborah Carlisle Solomon - Ex Executive Director of RIE & author “Baby Knows Best”

What would change if home was every child’s first experience of dignity, respect, and belonging? In this powerful conversation with Deborah Carlisle Solomon, we explore how the earliest moments of life shape a child’s sense of agency, trust, and confidence in themselves and the world. Drawing from the RIE® (Resources for Infant Educarers) approach, Deborah shares how simple, mindful parenting practices—rooted in empathy, autonomy, and reciprocal relationships—can transform our homes into spaces where children feel seen, heard, and valued from the very beginning. Because the way we nurture our babies isn’t just parenting—it’s culture-building, laying the foundation for how future generations will lead, relate, and create.

Why this matters: Because simple, conscious caregiving choices can shift generations; from raising children who comply to raising humans who contribute.

• When parents nurture autonomy instead of control, they raise future leaders who think, feel, and act with empathy.
• The way we parent today shapes the communities and workplaces of tomorrow.
• Because the way we nurture our children in the earliest moments shapes not only who they become, but the kind of world they help create.

Get in Touch with Nancy: @nancygiordano.com

The Future of Education: The Big Opportunity to Flip Things | Guest: MacKenzie Price, Founder Alpha School

What if education wasn’t about preparing kids for tests, but preparing them for life? In a world where the pace of change outstrips any static curriculum, today’s learners crave relevance, purpose, and the freedom to solve real problems that matter with a true understanding of the tools shaping our new world. In this conversation with MacKenzie Price, founder of Alpha School -- a new model of K-12 education that radically redesigns the approach to 21st century learning in the age of AI -- we explore how education can shift from rigid systems to dynamic learning environments where technology empowers, curiosity leads, and teachers become trusted guides in the pursuit of mastery, equipping students not just to succeed in the world as it is but to shape the world as it could be.

Why this matters: Because the most important test our kids will take isn’t on paper—it’s how prepared they feel to shape the future.

• Education rooted in relevance and autonomy prepares students to navigate uncertainty, not just pass standardized tests.
• When learners are treated as capable problem-solvers, they build the confidence to shape—not just survive—the future.
• The world our kids are entering won’t reward rote answers—it will demand bold questions, deep curiosity, and real-world thinking.

Parenting At The Pace Of Change | Guest: Dr Katie Pritchett

Societal wellbeing begins at home, and yet a rapidly changing world puts so much more pressure on the shoulders (and minds) of parents/caregivers today. What does it take to build capacity for constant change and communal thriving? What are we learning about organizational change and leadership adapativity that we can bring into our homes? How can we better support each other as we reimagine Parenting as a generative practice of mutual growth, adaptivity and genuine caring?

Why this matters? Because the way we parent shapes not only our children’s futures but the wellbeing and resilience of society itself.

• Today’s challenges require adaptive, emotionally intelligent parenting, not perfection
• When we treat parenting as a shared practice of learning, growing, and caring—not something we have to get “right”—we create space for real connection.
• Reimagining parenting as a practice of shared growth helps us build families, and communities, better equipped for constant change.

Welcome to the podcast that has been swirling in my heart and head for many years! As a global futurist, technology strategist, and mother to three young adults, I can see how much pressure is mounting on families and children to feel prepared and safe in an era of constant change and uncertainty. So, let’s meet those building the future and get their insights on what lies ahead – from robot nannies and AI-led education to a world of changing work. And let's rethink Parenting and the best ways to support kids in the world of exponential tech, planetary stress, cultural polarization, and work reinvention. Let’s meet the future—and each other—to change the narrative of what is possible ahead.

Why this matters: As exponential technology advances and big cultural shifts are reshaping our world, parents, caregivers, and kids are facing big new questions about what it means to stay aware, curious, and well prepared.

• What are the big shifts we need to be better aware of?
• Who can we trust to help guide us in a polarized world of misinformation?
• How can we reverse the devastating statistics and restore a sense of agency and hope and optimism to our families?