025: Tapping into Creativity and Why Woodworking Helps Kids Learn Real Life Skills with Anika Gandhi

I interview a LOT of different people in a myriad of professions, but I’ve never come close to having a woodworker on the show before!

“What would we talk about - how to build things? That won’t go well on a podcast in someone’s ear…” I thought.

Do not worry my friends, because Anika and I are both moms, so we dig into woodworking as an analogy for parenting and life skills, and I know you’ll be inspired to make time for a creative pursuit after this!

We talk about:

• How Anika went from being an engineer and scientist to breaking boundaries as a female woodworker on YouTube
• Why the best way to get started with woodworking is…just to get started :)
• How her engineering background helped Anika be a better woodworker and the MYTH of right-brained/left-brained work
• The incredibly valuable life skills kids (and adults) learn while building projects - problem-solving and patience are biggies but wait until you hear the most important skill!
• The two tools you’ll need to buy to get started - a very low barrier to entry!!
• All about confidence, failure, and great parenting
• Why Anika sees failure as an opportunity
• The importance of carving out time for creative hobbies as parents (and modeling all sorts of skills for our kids)

Let’s grab a power drill and get building!

Resources We Mention for Exploring Creativity

• Why we need to let our kids fail
• Find Anika online here
• Watch her on YouTube
• Follow her on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok
• Free Guide: Power Tools Simplified

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!