In this episode, we have the privilege of hearing from a divorce attorney who has a fresh take on financial planning prior to taking your vows. Atlanta attorney Aaron Thomas maintains that couples benefit from a meaningful process of financial disclosure and negotiations prior to marrying, because compared with prior decades, the financial implications of marrying these days tend to be more complex. It's more like merging two private corporations than it is starting out with nothing - as our parents and grandparents did. Whether you call it a pre-nup, or a post-nuptial agreement or a collaborative marriage agreement (Toni and Rob's take), we're excited for you to hear more about why it makes sense to follow the process today's expert advocates for.

So pleased to welcome leadership expert Kadi Cole to the podcast. Do you have a child in whom you see leadership potential? Are girls being held back from leadership by thoughts within their own head? If you have a budding leader at home, you will love our conversation with leadership expert Kadi Cole. We examine why risk taking and decision making is so important for kids to experience and learn. Discover why there is a leadership gender gap in certain sectors, but also in leadership education. This episode will be especially empowering for girls who are showing leadership potential as Kadi discusses her own journey to becoming a highly respected and skilled leader. Enjoy!

Wow! Episode 50! And what a privilege to add another expert voice to the podcast. Today we talk with mental health therapist and children's book author Christina Furnival. She speaks from her own experience and research on the topic of boundaries. We shouldn't expect our kids to be friends with everyone - there are limits. In fact setting limits shows others what we value and who we are. How do we teach our kids about setting boundaries? What are the risks if we do not teach them this skill? We also talk about the concept of self-love and filling your home with positivity and growth, rather than negativity.

Ned Johnson has decades of experience as an expert tutor working with teens and parents on standardized test performance. In their book, The Self-Driven Child, he and Dr. William Stixrud share the postures and practices that help kids optimize their performance, while nurturing their relationships with their parents. Hear more about how considering yourself to be a consultant as opposed to a manager makes all the difference. This episode gives you practical strategies to help you release your child into a bright future while maintaining the healthy, strong bond you desire with your child, now and into the future.

We are so pleased to have marriage and family therapist Ron Deal back with us to discuss the blended family. If you are in a position of preparing to blend families with your new partner's family, or adding a step-parent to the mix, what are some pitfalls to avoid and issues to discuss? We ask all the tough questions: What do we call each other? Should we plan a wedding (and how?) What if there's animosity between families? What if kids aren't ready for the transition? This episode dives deep into one of the most common family units out there - the blended family!

When a spouse complains about their partner's level of desire for sex, there are common misunderstandings. Did you know there are different but equally valid types of sexual desire? We loved the opportunity to sit down again with Dr. Michael Sytsma (second-time guest; see also Episode 3) for a science-based and super-practical conversation largely focused on original research he conducted along with fellow researcher, Shaunti Feldhahn (we were honoured to host Shaunti on Episode 9). For example, a couple may easily misjudge that they are further apart in what they want out of their sex life than they actually are. Find out solutions to some of the common mistakes and misconceptions couples struggle with and get on with making your sex life more of what you both want it to be.

"The brain is an organ sculpted by experience." In this episode we sit down with Dr Ed Tronick, a pioneer in the field of child psychology and Dr Claudia Gold, a pediatrician expert and advocate for the study of parent-infant mental health. We've delved into the importance of early experiences before but in this episode we look specifically at one of the most powerful paradigms in child psychology, the Still Face Paradigm, which Dr Tronick discovered. Both Ed and Claudia make powerful arguments for why being able to move from states of mismatch and repair is vital when developing healthy relationships and how this need for repair is wired into babies right from birth. We also discuss how this paradigm relates to trauma and resilience; and how mental health, development and attachment are so closely related.

Whether it's helping your kids with college tuition or having the financial margin to help your kids start off in life, getting your family finances in order is key. In today's culture we are constantly bombarded with messages to spend, spend, spend and accumulating debt, rather than making sustainable decisions for long-term success. Financial expert, author, speaker and podcaster Anthony ONeal shares with us how he went from couch-surfing to financial security. Anthony shares with us some very practical tips on how to manage debt and move your financial position out of the red and into the black. 

"Every teenager is a walking bundle of questions." If you have a teenager - guaranteed! - your teen has questions that may leak out, or remain bottled up. Kara Powell and Brad Griffin of the Youth Fuller Institute did research prompted by their passion to help parents and others who work with young people to better address our teens' tough questions. While your teen's questions may be broad and varied including issues such as the environment or money or social justice, these experts uncovered three questions that every teen is asking, whether or not they're voicing them to you. Kara shares practical advice about the role of empathy in having real conversations about your teen's tough questions. She also provides valuable insights into which critical questions your teenager needs answers to.

"Most things that seem complicated are actually just hard." This is a central idea that grounds Dr. Anita Phillips' work as a trauma therapist and life coach. Marriage is a primary relationship where the impacts of trauma - often trauma that occurred prior to the relationship - show up. And when it does, labelling behaviours and laying blame may come easily for the other partner., However, untangling the deeper causes for the behaviour is hard work. Dr. Anita shares a very compelling analogy using seeds and plants to illustrate the process of getting back to the root of behaviours that are causing stress. There's probably no human alive who is untouched by the impacts of trauma in their circle of loved ones. That's why we bill this episode as one not to miss, and we're grateful to Dr. Anita for sharing her wealth of wisdom.