Helping Families Be Happy
With help from guest authors, experts, and community and business leaders, the Familius Helping Families Be Happy podcast explores topics and issues that connect families to the nine habits of a happy family: love, play, learn, work, talk, heal, read, eat, and laugh together.
Episodes
Host Christopher Robbins interviews Alicia Pace, author of the children's board book "How to Potty Train a Dinosaur," exploring how humor and creative perspective-shifting can transform the often-stressful potty training milestone into a joyful family experience.
Pace shares her personal journey of discovering that relinquishing control and letting children take the "teacher" role—rather than being taught—dramatically r...
Laurie Duersch, a book editor and two-time brain tumor survivor, joins host Christopher Robbins to discuss her new picture book The Book Machine, which celebrates children's innate creativity and imagination. The episode explores how boredom fuels creativity, why parents should embrace "failure" as learning, and how to cultivate creative confidence in children by allowing experimentation, praising effort over results, and creating ...
Host Christopher Robbins interviews author Deborah Williams about creating meaningful bedtime routines that prioritize security over perfection. Williams shares insights from raising nine children and observing her grandchildren across two vastly different family schedules—one highly structured, one flexible—revealing that consistency in love matters far more than rigid routines. Through charming anecdotes about unconve...
Raising Nature Lovers: Why Every Child Needs a Bird Book
Christopher Robbins hosts a conversation with Zev Labinger, a visual artist, musician, and ecologist, about the newly published book "Hear Them Sing: Songs and Calls from North American Birds." Labinger, who immigrated to Israel in 1986 driven by his passion for ornithology, shares how his lifelong fascination with birds—beginning in fifth grade—shaped his c...
Phyllis Harris, author-illustrator of the wordless picture book Claude, joins host Christopher Robbins to discuss how inspiration strikes during life's mundane moments—bike rides, driving, mowing—when the mind is free from digital distractions.
Harris reveals that her debut picture book was inspired by Claude Monet's paintings and her own dog, Brinkley's, interruptions while she works, ultimately teaching readers that p...
Finding Hope After Suicide Loss
In this powerful episode, host Christopher Robbins speaks with Lisa Sugarman, author, mental health advocate, and three-time suicide loss survivor. Lisa shares her profound journey of discovering at age 45 that her father—whom she believed died of a heart attack when she was 10—actually died by suicide. The conversation explores how language shapes stigma aroun...
In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy podcast, host Christopher Robbins welcomes author Tracy C. Gold to discuss her picture books "Call Your Mother" and "Call Your Father." Tracy shares insights from writing these books, which celebrate the importance of staying connected with parents across generations. The conversation explores how to avoid stereotypes about parental roles, emphasizing that fathers are e...
Central Park: Adventures Through the Seasons
Join host Christopher Robbins as he explores the magic of Central Park with librarian and author Christina Ergenay in this delightful episode about urban green spaces and seasonal adventures.
Through discussion of Ergenay's beautifully illustrated children's book "Central Park: Adventures Through the Seasons," listeners will discover why urban parks are essential sanctuaries in bustling...
A Walk in the Forest with Cathy Goldberg Fishman
Host Christopher Robbins welcomes children's book author Cathy Goldberg Fishman to discuss her new book, A Walk in the Forest, which celebrates trees from around the world and their cultural significance. Fishman, a former teacher and bookstore owner, shares her thoughtful selection of representative trees for ten countries—including the sequoia for the United States, the banya...
In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy podcast, host Christopher Robbins interviews New York Times bestselling author Richard Eyre about his latest book, "The Grandparenting Blueprint." Richard, a father of nine with 34 grandchildren, shares his insights on modern grandparenting and the importance of teaching life lessons to grandchildren.
The conversation explores the "12 secrets" Richard has developed to pass on to his ...
In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Dutton, a middle school digital media teacher, photographer, and sneaker enthusiast with over 400,000 Instagram followers. Andrew shares his journey from childhood basketball player captivated by athletic footwear to becoming a recognized sneaker photographer and collector. He discusses how he integrates his passion for sneakers into his teaching, using them as conversation starters and crea...
In this episode, Christopher Robbins speaks with Lee Wind, Chief Content Officer for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), about the vital role independent publishing plays in bringing diverse voices and stories to readers. They discuss IBPA's history and mission, the advantages of mission-driven publishing over purely profit-driven models, and how independent publishers create communities around their content. The co...
In this episode, host Christopher Robbins welcomes Kelly Conroy, a picture book writer and poet who is the cousin of Jan and Stan Berenstain, creators of the Berenstain Bears. Kelly discusses her new children's board book "I See You in the Stars," which explores the twelve signs of the zodiac in a fun, educational way for families.
The conversation delves into how Kelly was inspired to create a rhyming guide to help people memorize...
In this episode, Christopher Robbins interviews Richard Hill, the first adoptee to identify his birth family through genetic genealogy. Hill is the author of Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA .They discuss DNA testing for ethnic ancestry, exploring why results often surprise people due to the randomness of DNA inheritance and thousands of years of human migration and mixing. Richard explains the differen...
In this inspiring episode, former world surfing champion Shaun Tomson shares his powerful methodology for finding purpose and transforming mindset during challenging times. Tomson discusses the creation of his book,"The Surfer and the Sage," co-written with philosopher Noah benShea during COVID-19, which addresses the widespread feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, and disconnection. He introduces "The Code" - a transformative ...
In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy Podcast, host Christopher Robbins speaks with award-winning author Jessica Spear about the critical challenges of social media and AI safety for teens and preteens. They discuss the irrefutable data showing how social media is negatively impacting youth mental health, the emerging concerns around AI companions and chatbots that teens are using for emotional support, and practical str...
In this episode, host Christopher Robbins interviews Christopher Mannino about his new book "Making It Up: A Revolutionary Way to Bond with Kids Through Play." Mannino shares how parents, teachers, and caregivers can strengthen their relationships with children through just 10 minutes of daily imaginative play using improv techniques. The conversation explores the two pillars of Mannino's method: improvisation skills for engaging w...
In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy Podcast, host Christopher Robbins speaks with Paul Mandelstein, author of "The World's Best Dad During and After Divorce," about navigating the holidays as a divorced or separated parent. Paul emphasizes reframing divorce as creating an "extended family" rather than a "broken home" and stresses that holidays should focus on the children's wellbeing, not parental conflict. He provides...
You Deserve Flowers with Devon Blow
In this episode, host Adina Oberman interviews Devon Blow, a dynamic artist and illustrator from Los Angeles who specializes in illustration, design, writing, and social justice advocacy. Devon discusses her debut book "You Deserve Flowers," a pocket-sized collection of affirmations and poetry that originated from a therapy assignment focused on self-affirmation. The conversation explores Devon'...
Celebrating Christmas Around the World
The podcast episode of "Helping Families Be Happy" features host Christopher Robbins and guest Stephanie Campisi, an Australian author based in Southern California. The discussion revolves around global Christmas traditions, inspired by Stephanie's book, "12 Little Elves Save Christmas." The book takes readers on a journey through various countries' unique festive customs, celebrating the dive...
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