Parenting with a Story Podcast

The most unforgettable lesson I ever learned in school was when four masked gunmen burst into my high school history class. It was the first day of classes my junior year in a small-town high school in Arkansas in 1983 – Jim Owen’s World History class. Mr. Owen had a reputation for being one of [read more]

Bob Woolley* had been running his Astronomical Adventures program in Arizona for several years. He gave tours of the Grand Canyon and other sites during the day, and at night his guests enjoyed tours of the night sky with his massive homemade telescopes. A tour of the Canyon On one particular tour, Bob and his [read more]

Giving some of what you have to those less fortunate is one way to think about charity. But what if you don’t have anything? Does that mean you can’t be charitable? Of course not. A beautiful example of that from Marvin Abrinica. When Marvin was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, his family wasn’t the wealthiest [read more]

We’ve all heard “It’s better to give than to receive.” But the relationship between giving and receiving is a bit like the relationship between a leader and a follower. Before you can be an effective leader, you have to learn to be a good follower. So it is with giving. You’ll be a more caring, [read more]

HERE’S A RIDDLE FOR YOU: You‘re driving along on a wild, stormy night and along the way you pass a bus stop. There are people waiting for the bus: an old lady who is about to die; an old friend who once saved your life; the perfect man or woman you have been dreaming about. [read more]

Learning to be generous with what we have is difficult for most people. By nature we’re selfish. Our instincts drive us to find food, shelter, and clothing— not for strangers, but for ourselves and our immediate family. Nurturing compassion and generosity for others means demonstrating it through your own behavior, but also celebrating it when [read more]

As is true with many people, Shawn Callahan learned much about what he thinks about work from his earliest job. Only unlike most people, Shawn’s first boss was a former United States Marine, and his father. Shawn’s dad served in the Vietnam War, after which he was assigned a post at the U.S. Embassy in [read more]

The psychologist most responsible for the study of grit, Angela Duckworth, defines it as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” It’s a combination of zeal and persistence even in the absence of encouraging feedback. So grit isn’t just about trying hard. Anyone can try hard . . . once. Grit means continuing to try hard [read more]

“Your word is your bond.” We say that to our children, but what does it really mean? Holly Getter can tell you. At the age of ten she had to stay up half the night doing math just to find out. Holly grew up in Rockford, Illinois, in a time when much experimentation was going [read more]

Albert Einstein once said, “I have no special talents. I have only been passionately curious.” Despite the obvious understatement, being passionately curious clearly does something for us as humans by paving a strong path to learning, which often leads to success. It’s akin to necessity being the mother of invention. If you have an insatiable [read more]

My guest today is Sean Grover. He’s a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist with 20 years experience working with adults and kids. In fact, he has one of the largest private group practices in the US. His work has been featured in Newsweek, New York Magazine, NPR and elsewhere. He’s also the author of a new book, titled: [read more]

If you learn the discipline of self-reliance as a youth, there’s almost nothing you can’t do as an adult. A beautiful example of that is the story of Don Schoendorfer and his personal mission. The inspiration Don and his wife, Laurie, took what would turn out to be the most fateful vacation of their lives, [read more]

Renaissance artist Michelangelo once observed, “The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” I’m convinced that’s true, and perhaps best example of what happens to someone when they set high goals, even if they [read more]

When Vijay was a young boy growing up in Chennai, India, his grandmother shared with him a piece of wisdom that most readers will be familiar with, regardless of where you grew up. She told him that if you put one rotting mango in a basket of good mangoes, soon the entire lot will spoil. [read more]

Being kind to strangers is a good start. But far more impactful is being kind to the people we know and see every day. In fact, if you were to ask someone who’s been on the receiving end of unkindness, odds are it didn’t come from a stranger. It came from a classmate, a coworker, [read more]