As the world opens up to traveling again, can you make your travel experiences more meaningful? This week’s guest will show you how! Jessica Blotter is a speaker and journalist who specializes in sustainable and regenerative tourism. After witnessing extreme poverty on a vacation to Belize, Jessica launched a movement in 2016 called Kind Traveler, which allows travelers to positively impact the communities they visit — and enjoy incredible experiences as well. In this episode, she explains why it’s so important to travel kindly, and every trip you take can make a difference.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What sustainable and regenerative tourism is and why it matters.
• The role that giving back plays in creating a more positive travel experience.
• How you can embrace sustainable tourism in your own travels.

Music education typically focuses on teaching students who want to be musicians or music teachers, but this week’s guest sees it as a vehicle for teaching an entire spectrum of social emotional learning skills. Nadine Levitt is a mother, former opera singer and the founder of WURRLYedu, which uses music to teach children about things like empathy, collaboration, impulse control and so much more. In this episode, she explains how music can help change the way young learners look at the world and broaden their understanding of complex emotions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How her career as a performer led Nadine to create Wurrlyedu.
• How music can help children learn critical life skills.
• Why using music for social emotional learning is particularly important in our current environment.

Laughter and humor feel good, but have you thought about how much good it can do? This week’s guest, Dr. Shepherd Siegel, is a musician turned educator whose recent research has centered around the idea of play, playfulness and humor as a driving force of change. His latest book, Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Love: How Tricksters through History have Changed the World, looks at the trickster archetype and the role it plays in social change. On this episode, he talks about the importance of finding fun and humor in our lives — and how to reclaim those habits as adults. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s important to explore fun and playfulness.
• The importance of discovering humor in dark times.
• How to get more humor and playfulness in your life.

It’s summertime, and that makes it a great time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. But this is about more than working on a killer tan; this week, Laura Allen and Courtney Crim from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, talk about the amazing power of nature. Laura and Courtney developed the course The Natural Environment and Well-being, and on this episode, they explain why it’s so important to get outside every day and what nature is doing for your mind, body and spirit.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The mental, physical and emotional benefits of spending time in nature.
• Tips for getting more nature in your life — even if you live in an urban area.
• How much time you should spend outside every week.

Summer is all about fun and happiness, so this week, we’re looking at how to make this your family’s happiest summer yet.  On this week’s episode, educator and children’s emotional health expert Maureen Healy talks about how to do that! Her new book, The Happiness Workbook for Kids, looks at how to navigate the difficult times we’re in and create fun, positive experiences for children. In this episode, she talks about some of the things we all can do to make this summer happier – and healthier – for the whole family.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The importance of teaching emotional health to children.
• How positive emotional health makes us happier.
• Ideas for where to start making this summer your happiest yet.