Podcasts
Welcome to the Acorn to Tree podcast! Here, we interview guests who offer different perspectives, information and amazing resources to support families.
Family Podcasts
Curtis Curveball Jackson is a podcast host, hip hop artist, and an internet radio DJ. Curveball has a nine year old son named Daniel who was born with autism. Curtis Jackson was born blind due to Glaucoma but lives his best life while facing the everyday challenges of raising an autistic son head on.
Check out his website at:
Family Podcasts
Family Nutrition: Healthy Eating Habits Begin at Home
Baby Steps Nutrition is created and hosted by Argavan Nilforoush, a mompreneur and pediatric dietitian who incorporates all aspects of an integrative care model to health. Parenting and caregiving is a roller coaster and this podcast will inspire and motivate you to take small steps in feeling more empowered in your life.
Family Podcasts
Zack Ballinger
For more than 14 years, Zack Ballinger has been motivating individuals and audiences of all ages – at high schools, colleges, non-profit organizations, civic groups, and corporations – through his presentations, seminars, videos, podcasts, books, and articles.
Family Podcasts
Sandra Trew: Get Real Parental Coaching
As a Parental Coach, I help parents pursue their goals to build a stronger relationship with their children.
Family Podcasts
Self Care for Teachers including meal plans, meal prep, and workout tips
Caitlin McDermott has taught at the elementary level for 8 years.
She is also a NASM Certified Nutrition Coach and Group Fitness Instructor. She is on a mission to help teachers feel re-energized and confident through fitness and nutrition so they can be the best versions of themselves in the classroom for their students
Family Podcasts
Mindfulness with Sara Troy
Sara Troy was born with an incredibly special gift. From an early age, Sara could see the possibilities in others. Throughout her life, she has served both professionally and as a humanitarian in assisting others to live more purposeful, meaningful, and productive lives. When we connect through the soul to an open heart and an ignited spirit, we allow the mind to see in a way that is truly illuminating.
Family Podcasts
Western Governors University Providers Competency Based Online Degree Programs
Richard Benbow is the Regional Vice President (West) of Western Governors University, the nation’s first and largest competency-based university. In this role, Mr. Benbow combines his passion for innovation and information technology with his desire to serve others to provide access to affordable, high-quality education for underserved adult learners throughout the region. He leads a team that executes strategy and operations to optimize student success utilizing the WGU platform and developing partnership relationships which drive value for employers and students.
Family Podcasts
How to Provide Support and Guidance for Young Adults as They Begin the College Selection Process
Kelly MacLean is the president and founder of Kelly MacLean Achievement Center. Her unique
background as a former College Admission Representative as well as a High School Varsity
Soccer Coach provided the basis for the company. Kelly repeatedly witnessed high school
students making mistakes in their college search: often resulting in missed scholarships, lack of
acceptance at their choice schools, or ultimately switching schools/majors. Kelly realized how overwhelming the process is and how costly mistakes can be. Kelly felt their had to be a better
way to help students with their unique path and formed College Recruiting Specialists which
was rebranded in 2019 at the Kelly MacLean Achievement Center. Kelly MacLean Achievement
Center (KMAC) focuses on providing information and resources specific to each student. The
goal is to reduce college expenses while finding the best college fit through strategic preparation
including major selection and career planning, college selection, subject specific tutoring,
ACT/SAT test prep, high school course selection, study habits, time management, FAFSA prep,
admission deadlines, admission essays, scholarships- applications and deadlines, speaking
with and negotiating with coaches,
You can find Kelly on Facebook at
Family Podcasts
How Caregivers can Help Their Child Deal with Being Bullied by Teaching Them Real World Skills to Minimize the Effects of Bullies in their Lives
Nicole is a recovering elementary school teacher, a mom to three super busy kids,
who mostly survives on strong coffee.
At Coffee and Carpool: Raising Kind Kids, Nicole shares the best parenting resources
and strategies for intentionally raising kind kids, creating a stronger family
connection, and bullying prevention.
And since this parenting gig isn’t for the faint of heart, we need everything we can to
make parenting these little people a little bit easier and a whole lot more
enjoyable.
So Nicole often shares ideas for making the holidays more meaningful, back to school
tips, gift guide ideas, and ways to help reluctant learners.
To find wonderful resources for families and teachers please visit Nicole’s amazing
Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store!
Family Podcasts
What IEPs are, inclusive classrooms, scaffolding, pre-teaching and reteaching, advocating for children with special needs
Rebekah Poe discusses what IEP’s are, inclusive classrooms, scaffolding, preteaching and reteaching, advocating for children with special needs and so much more. Please join us as we discuss different topics in special education.
Rebekah Poe is an award-winning special education teacher and national teaching conference presenter with over a decade of experience in the special education field. As an educator, Rebekah focuses on providing equitable education and establishing connections to students of all ability levels in an inclusive setting. She can be found on social media as RebekahPoeTeaching
Family Podcasts
Children Learning about
Kindness and about how to navigate bullies
Nicole Black is again joining the Acorn to Tree Family podcast to discuss children learning about
kindness and about how to navigate bullies. She discusses some of the amazing resources that
she has created to help empower kids and help to support teachers and caregivers of children.
She has a wonderful FREE seminar coming up where she discusses how to teach children to
be kind and how to navigate unkind children they encounter.
Nicole is a recovering elementary school teacher, a mom to three super busy kids,
who mostly survives on strong coffee.
At Coffee and Carpool: Raising Kind Kids, Nicole shares the best parenting resources and
strategies for intentionally raising kind kids, creating a stronger family connection, and bullying
prevention.
Since this parenting gig isn’t for the faint of heart, we need everything we can to make parenting
these little people a little bit easier and a whole lot more enjoyable.
Please check out Nicole’s Instagram and Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store for wonderful
resources!
Nicole Black’s Instagram, Teachers Pay Teachers Store and Website
Family Podcasts
Online Computer Safety and Digital Safety
Lisa Luciano taught technology for 40 years and for three decades specialized in TV Production. It was her dream job. But when the facility (and program Lisa was teaching at ) was eliminated, Lisa was devastated.
The principal of the school then asked Lisa to come up with a new program – digital literacy and to become the school’s library media specialist and completely re-invent the library and turn it into a library media center. The administration and parents felt the skills taught in the Digital Literacy program were so valuable that every student needed to be given this instruction, so the program became required for all students in her middle school to take – even special education and ELL students which she taught for ten years.
Now Lisa offers a comprehensive online program for children, adults, and seniors on her website. You can find Lisa on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Here is her website link.
Family Podcasts
How to Nutritiously Help our Family Eat Better
Emily Dingmann helps parents with weeknight dinners. She has a degree in Nutrition, is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, recipe developer, and mom of two girls, living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
She creates easy, family-friendly recipes and shares nutrition and Intuitive Eating tips for the whole family. She wants YOU and your kids to have a good relationship with food.
You can find her at
@myeverdaytable on Instagram.
Family Podcasts
Strategies to help their neurodivergent child thrive
Lisa Galley is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist and Mum to three grown up children, two who are autistic. She now works as an Autism Family Consultant supporting parents who have received or are waiting for an autism diagnosis for their child. She is passionate about bridging the gap that exists between families being placed on the autism pathway and actual diagnosis. Her role is to provide families with strategies that they can use right now to help their neurodivergent child thrive.
She can be found online via Instagram @school_run_mum_autism, where she shares her professional knowledge and personal experiences of parenting autistic children. Her website is Lisa Galley where parents can contact her to arrange a consultation. She is also available for personal or staff training.
Family Podcasts
How to expand their child’s communication skills so that they can better get their needs met at home
Tiffany Fitzgerald works primarily with toddlers ages 1-3 and coaches parents on how to expand their child’s communication skills so that they can better get their needs met at home, which leads to more joy & harmony at home for the entire family. Tiffany enjoys using her social media platform (@TalkTeaSpeech) to raise awareness about the importance of early intervention & teach other SLPs on ways to incorporate strategies that work during their sessions. She has two courses available right now: one for SLPs who are looking to gain more confidence about Early Intervention – it has all the details (from how to coach parents & voice concerns to how to write session notes). The other course is an introductory course for parents to learn more about EI as well and how to make a smooth transition from EI to preschool, etc.
You can find everything on Tiffany’s Instagram (@talkteaspeech) or her website:
Family Podcasts
How to incorporate nutritious foods into your daily diet
Kelly Carter is a Certified Nutrition Practitioner, Wellness and Mindset Coach, and UGC creator who helps busy humans stay MOTIVATED to feel AMAZING in their bodies. In this podcast we had a wonderful time discussing family nutrition, meal prep and Kelly offered some great tips about how to incorporate nutritious foods into your daily diet. You can learn more about Kelly on her Instagram @kellycarternutrition or you can email Kelly at
contact@kellycarter.ca
