Mojo Mom Podcast: What you need to know about new Facebook rules, and, tech and relationship violence

Confused about Facebook’s new privacy policies? Join the club! Given that the new privacy policy is longer than the United States Constitution, I called on world-renowned internet safety expert, Linda Criddle, for a substantial discussion about this issue. I wanted to talk about what parents need to understand about the recent changes in Facebook’s information-sharing policies, with implications for yourself and your kids. And, we opened up a discussion about the fact that technology is a tool that like any tool can be used for good or bad purposes–and when it comes to relationship violence, technology can become a tool that abusers use to keep tabs on their partner. This is a huge topic to address but we address some of the basic warning signs that parents should look out for.

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Internet safety expert Linda Criddle, president of the Safe Internet Alliance and founder of iLookBothWays.com, returns to the Mojo Mom Podcast to talk about two crucial issues: first, what parents need to know about Facebook’s new privacy policies (or lack thereof, as they sell user data to an ever-widening circle or marketers) and second, an introduction to the risks of technology in the context of teen relationship violence.

I was motivated to invite Linda on the podcast to talk about technology and relationship violence after hearing the May 10 episode of The Diane Rehm Show, which took a broader look at teen relationship violence but also honed in on technology as a tool that abusers can use to control and keep tabs on their partners. Linda Criddle is an excellent expert to continue this conversation, as she has deep knowledge and professional experience in the areas of relationship violence and technology.

Linda is currently working on a guide wtih specific strategeis on Internet Safety for Victims of Violence. When it comes out this summer, the guide will be made available free through Linda’s Website, www.iLookBothWays.com

Linda also contributed a chapter to Amy Tiemann’s latest book, “Courageous Parents, Confident Kids,” teaching parents how to guide their children through the early stages of internet use.

Mojo Mom Podcast with Ellen Galinsky, author of “Mind in the Making”

This week on The Mojo Mom Podcast, I have the pleasure of talking with Ellen Galinsky, President of the Families and Work Institute, about her new book Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. And, since Ellen is also a renowned expert on families and work, I also took the opportunity to talk to her about where we are now in the process of securing work-life balance, or “work-life fit” as she often calls it. Could the recent White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility signal that we are finally reaching the tipping point, where we can expect to see more action on flexible work options, after years of activists and researchers advocating for it?

Listen in to this week’s show:

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Mind in the Making takes parents on an engaging tour of the science of early learning, including many classic experiments that still have relevance today. And, as Ellen emphasizes, it’s never too late to start incorporating this knowledge into your family’s life! You can learn more and see videos of experiments at the Mind in the Making website. They have launched this project into a collaboration between scientists, writers, and a film production team that raises the bar for multimedia productions. I know I’ll stay in touch with their website to see what they come up with next.

Mojo Mom Podcast with “Raising Happiness” author Dr. Christine Carter

On this week’s episode of The Mojo Mom Podcast I am excited to introduce you to Christine Carter, Ph.D., who through her work at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley has gathered scientifically-validated parenting strategies to share with you in her new book Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents. This is a truly thoughtful, even mind-expanding book that has deservedly rocketed to the top of the parenting book best-seller list.

Christine’s advice resonates strongly with my work as Mojo Mom, such as the Raising Happiness chapters “Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First,” “Build a Village,” and “Expect Effort and Enjoyment, not Perfection.”

Listen in to this week’s show:

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I love Christine’s author photo with her girls. They sure look look like they are enjoying being together!

Mojo Mom Podcast with Karen Maezen Miller

Karen Maezen Miller has described herself as an “errant mother, delinquent wife, reluctant dog walker, expert laundress, and stationmaster of the full catastrophe.” She’s a Buddhist priest–but she could also be the Mom next to you in the school carpool line.

You may already know Karen as the author of Momma Zen, and now she has a brand new book Hand Wash Cold–Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life. Her writing will help you enjoy the life you already have, which is such a wonderfully sane and comforting concept–just what all of us need in today’s over-scheduled, distracted world.

She’s my guest on this week’s Mojo Mom Podcast, so I hope you will listen in, and watch her lovely book trailer video, too. You can also learn more about Karen’s work at her newly-redesigned website, www.KarenMaezenMiller.com

Here is this week’s episode of my podcast, which is also available through the iTunes Podcast directory:

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Karen’s book trailer is one of the nicest I’ve seen. I feel better just watching it!

Mojo Mom Podcast with “Free-Range Kids” author Lenore Skenazy

I had a great time talking to Lenore Skenazy this week for The Mojo Mom Podcast. She has so much energy and spirit. Our conversation blew right past the usual half hour mark so consider this a bonus episode!

Listen in:

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This week’s Amy Tiemann talks to kindred spirit Lenore Skenazy, author of the book Free-Range Kids and founder of FreeRangeKids.com.

Lenore has been at the forefront advancing the trend of giving kids more independence and ability to roam and explore. Her work was one of the inspirations for Amy Tiemann to join this cultural conversation with the creation of the new parenting resource, Courageous Parents, Confident Kids.

So join Amy and Lenore for a wide-ranging discussion!

One more bit of resonance: next month on April 19th, the new paperback edition of Free-Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry) will be published the same day as the launch of Amy’s special free digital download offer for Courageous Parents, Confident Kids: Letting Go So You Both Can Grow. Visit MojoMom.com to learn more about Amy’s limited-time offer.

Mojo Mom Podcast with Renee Trudeau and The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal

Renee TrudeauThis week I continue my podcast conversations with Courageous Parents, Confident Kids book contributors, talking to Renee Trudeau about the absolutely essential need for mothers to practice self-care. Renee knows that it’s not always easy to practice self care–we each live that challenge every day, and Renee provides a warm and wise voice to help support and guide us. What I love most about Renee’s work is that she is committed to helping each woman unlock her own potential and talents, and showing us how to work together with other women to bring out the best in each of us.

Listen in to this week’s show:

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Renee Trudeau has written extensively about self-care in her book “The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal,” and her training that teaches women how to form and facilitate their own Personal Renewal Groups. Podcast host Amy Tiemann has also written about self-care as a core principle in “Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family.” So these two have a lot to talk about!

Listen in to find out why mothers in particular have a hard time claiming their own self care as a top priority, why it’s really important to learn how to do so, and how to get started. Then make sure you register on MojoMom.com to reserve a free digital download of the new book that is a collaboration between Amy, Renee, and 12 other experts, “Courageous Parents, Confident Kids–Letting Go So You Both Can Grow.”

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and we’ll send you a free digital download of the new book when it’s released on April 19, 2010.

Mojo Mom Podcast with Balancing Professionals career expert Kella Hatcher

Kella HatcherI’m continuing my series of Mojo Mom Podcast conversations with Courageous Parents, Confident Kids contributors, this week speaking with Kella Hatcher of Balancing Professionals consulting. Kella, collaborating with her business partner Maryanne Perrin, contributed a chapter on “Tools for Career Reinvention” to our new book.

Listen to the podcast now:

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This week Mojo Mom is talking career strategies with Kella Hatcher, who along with Maryanne Perrin is a principal in Balancing Professionals consulting, advocating or a flexible, strategic, sustainable workplace. Kella and Maryanne have also contributed a chapter on career development to the new anthology that Amy Tiemann is editing, “Courageous Parents, Confident Kids — Letting Go So You Both Can Grow.”

Kella and Amy talk about strategies for lifelong career development, on-ramping, putting your best foot forward and getting your confidence back as you craft your own path, which may go “off-road” rather than follow a career ladder. Fortunately, these days more workers are advocating for alternative, flexible work, and that will benefit both Moms and Dads. Workplace change is coming, and we are the pioneers!

Get a digital download of our new book for free! Sign up on www.MojoMom.com

Mojo Mom Podcast with “Switch” co-author Dan Heath

Don’t you love the feeling of having just the right book come into your life at just the right time? That’s how I feel about the new book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. Reading Switch helped me understand with more clarity what my anthology contributors and I are trying to accomplish with our new collaboration Courageous Parents, Confident Kids. There has been a lot written to motivate people to give their kids more freedom and responsibility. Now with Courageous Parents, Confident Kids. we are adding to that conversation by providing toolbox of skills to help parents and families reach that goal.

I highly recommend Switch for anyone who is involved in leadership or change–and that would include all parents! The new book, which is the Heath Brothers’ follow up to their bestseller Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, has just come out this week, and Switch has already rocketed up the bestseller list on Amazon.com. So it is a real pleasure to welcome Switch author Dan Heath to The Mojo Mom Podcast this week.

Listen to the podcast now:

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The Mojo Mom Podcast is all about providing parents with valuable information that applies to all aspects of life. Parents are leaders and change agents. So this week Amy Tiemann welcomes Dan Heath back to the podcast to talk about his brand-new bestseller co-authored with Chip Heath, “Swtich: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.”

Whether you are a PTA volunteer, community organizer, or CEO, “Switch” will change the way you look at change. In this interview, Dan explains the guiding metaphor of “Switch” and inspiring examples of people creating big change in difficult situations.

Listen in, check out the Heath Brothers’ website for more information, and read Amy Tiemann’s full review of “Switch.”

Mojo Mom Podcast with PunditMom, Joanne Bamberger

Pundit MomThis week on The Mojo Mom Podcast I get to talk with PunditMom herself, Joanne Bamberger. Joanne raises a political voice for mothers through several platforms across the blogosphere, on outlets including her own PunditMom blog, with her Mothers of Intention feature, MOMocrats, blog talk radio, and BlogHer. Joanne was also selected to be a member of the inaugural class of the Progressive Women’s Voices program offered by the Women’s Media Center.

And, I am very proud that Joanne has joined my latest project, as one of our team of Courageous Parents, Confident Kids anthology contributors.

So I hope you’ll listen in to this week’s Mojo Mom Podcast, which is part book discussion; and then gets into our personal opinions and a bit of group therapy for (currently) discouraged Democrats trying to get our mojo back.

Listen to the podcast now:

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Amy Tiemann continues her series of interviews with “Courageous Parents, Confident Kids” anthology contributors, this week by talking politics with Joanne Bamberger, creator of PunditMom blog.

In Joanne’s book chapter, she talks about what it means for parents to connect with their political voices, and proclaim their opinions, often using blogs as an outlet. Here Joanne and Amy get right into it, sharing their own opinions about their frustrations with the Democratic Party, politics, and the seeming inability to get anything done, even when one party has the Presidency and majorities in the House and Senate.

Hear what’s on Amy and Joanne’s minds, and then feel free post a comment here to let us know what is on yours!

Mojo Mom Podcast with Equally Shared Parenting

When Marc and Amy Vachon married and started a family, they could not have predicted that their personal commitment to each other to act as equal parenting partners would contribute to a growing social movement. But it has grown into a movement that Marc and Amy cover through their blog and their new book, Equally Shared Parenting. On this week’s Mojo Mom Podcast, the Vachons stop by to talk about their co-parenting strategies and the benefits–for both Moms and Dads–of developing an egalitarian parenting partnership.

Equally Shared Parenting is one of the books I was most looking forward to reading in 2010, and the Marc and Amy did a great job with it. They build on their personal experience, interview other families, and draw on sociological research to show other families how they can move toward an more equally-shared parenting style.

I have learned a lot from Amy and Marc, and I hope you’ll listen in to our conversation on this week’s episode of The Mojo Mom Podcast.

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