Raising the Next Gen Podcast

This episode discusses self-harm and suicidal ideation in teens — listener discretion is advised, and if you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional or crisis line.

Some kids don't feel sad; they feel like they're on fire. Host Sonia Dong speaks with Katie K. May, founder of Creative Healing Teen Support Centers and author of *You’re on Fire, It’s Fine* about teens ...

Many support networks for moms can be overwhelming, especially when there’s a five-hundred-person group chat where you can ask a question but never really be known. This episode with Jiemi Gao, Founder of Nori, looks at what gets built when you design for the opposite: one-on-one and small group conversations that are focused and meaningful. The distraction of algorithm and ads are absent, so you’re never pulled toward ...

What happens when life doesn't follow the plan you carefully mapped out? Sonia sits down with Kena Paranjape, founder of Supernova, to explore how life's biggest challenges can become catalysts for growth, healing, and deeper self-discovery.

Kena shares her journey through caregiving, grief, motherhood, and rebuilding her life after loss, revealing how those experiences shaped the woman, leader, and parent she is today.

Together, t...

What if career success isn’t about choosing the “right” path early, but learning to stay curious, adaptable, and aligned with who you are becoming?

In this episode of Raising the Next Gen, Sonia speaks with career psychotherapist and speaker Jodi Tingling about helping teens, young adults, and professionals navigate career decisions with more clarity and less pressure.

They discuss why career paths are rarely line...

What if one of the most powerful things you could do for your kids costs absolutely nothing? In this episode, host Sonia Dong sits down with Marcia Agius, founder of the Kindness Circle, to explore how families can weave intentional kindness into everyday life.

Marcia shares how her own parents modelled kindness and how that inspired her to launch a 52-week kindness challenge that grew into a thriving community movement.

Sonia and ...

If you've ever felt like you're holding up the entire household on your own, this episode is for you. Business consultant and simplicity expert Erin Binns joins host Sonia Dong to talk about how to streamline life at home. From rethinking the after-school activities to getting kids involved in chores and meal planning, Erin shares practical, low-pressure strategies for parents who are ready to stop doing it all.

You'll also hear wh...

What if learning and doing well in academics (and life) meant doing less, not more? In this conversation between host Sonia Dong and Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer, founder and CEO of Awakened Learning, we learn how to unpack what it really means to support your kids as learners without the burnout.

Dr. Deena shares how she went from high school teacher to pioneering holistic learning strategies that serve learners of all ages, backgrounds...

What does it actually mean to rest? In this episode, host Sonia Dong chats with Karen Choi, founder of Balm, to explore why so many of us feel exhausted even when we think we've rested. Drawing on Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's framework of the seven types of rest, Karen unpacks what kind of labor we're doing every day as parents, and what real recovery looks like for each.

Sonia and Karen explore how to model rest for our teens and tw...

What’s “normal” and what warrants concern? Host Sonia Dong sits down with psychologist Nadia D'Iuso to explore the real challenges parents face as their children move through adolescence. Whether your teen is struggling with stress, anxiety, academic pressure, or peer relationships, this conversation offers a compassionate glimpse into the adolescent mind, as well as and actionable tools to help you support them. ...

Inspired by rising inflation and her desire to give her sons a head start, Jane Kwan chats with host Sonia Dong to share practical strategies parents can use to open money conversations with their kids. From budgeting at the grocery store to explaining needs vs. wants, she breaks down key tools like TFSAs, RESPs, and index funds in approachable terms, and offers tips on how to introduce her book and workbook without making it feel ...

In this episode, host Sonia Dong explores the world of teen and young adult coaching with Sandi Huminek, a certified life coach who is passionate about helping the next generation thrive. We discuss the difference between coaching and therapy, what it looks like when parents, teens, and coaches work together, and why leading with curiosity can transform your relationship with your child.

About Sandi Huminek

Sandi is a certified li...

What does it really take to raise confident, emotionally grounded teenage boys? In this episode, host Sonia Dong sits down with Edmund Chien, a retired finance professional, public speaker on behavioural finance, and military veteran.

Edmund shares how studying attachment theory transformed his own parenting and why he parents by "steering vs. stifling". He also shares examples and tips from his lived experiences treating his teena...

Before a child can walk on their own, they fall about 2,500 times (2012 study from New York University’s Infant Action Lab).

And every single time, we cheered them on. So why do we expect our teens and tweens to get it right on the first try? In this talk, speaker and host of Raising the Next Gen podcast Sonia Dong shares a powerf...

In this episode, Sonia welcomes Kimberly Snider, a strategic leadership coach and team builder, for an engaging conversation about raising resilient children. They discuss mindset management during unexpected challenges like airline strikes, the power of maintaining optimism, and how family travel teaches valuable life lessons.

Kimberly shares insights from raising two sporty teenagers, exploring how competitive sports build charac...

In this episode of Raising the Next Gen, host Sonia Dong welcomes Tara Downey, owner of Tru Insurance & Investments, to discuss financial literacy for teens and young adults. Tara shares her journey as a single mom navigating financial challenges while raising three children, now aged 20-27.

She reveals practical strategies for teaching money habits from childhood through university, including the saving-spending rule she insti...

Sonia is joined by Yetty Williams on Raising the Next Gen for a conversation about raising digitally savvy kids. As a digital parenting coach and social entrepreneur who helps families navigate raising children in a highly connected world, Yetty is passionate about supporting parents to parent intentionally in the digital age.

Yetty introduces the idea of parents as the “first algorithm,” shaping how kids interpret the ...

In this episode of Raising the Next Gen, Sonia is joined by Julie Cober, a certified executive leadership coach who supports female founders and senior leaders navigating career transitions. Julie reflects candidly on balancing executive leadership with motherhood. They talk about how it's never too late to repair a relationship and why apologizing to our children matters. They also discuss the powerful shift from parenting to...

In this episode of Raising the Next Gen, Sonia is joined by educator and children’s author Krishana Johnson-James for a heartfelt conversation about confidence, creativity, and helping kids embrace challenges. Krishana shares how her lifelong love of writing and teaching led to her books Planting a Song and There’s No One Just Like Me.

They explore how stories can help children navigate performance anxiety, build positi...

What happens when you accidentally leave your phone at home? In this solo episode, I share how a simple morning school drop-off became an unexpected lesson in presence and freedom. After forgetting my phone on the kitchen counter, I had to decide whether I'd turn back for it in a panic, or continue on without it. I chose the latter, and this episode is about the internal dialogue that went on in my head, the noticing of my tech hab...