Explore every episode of the podcast The Uplift Kids Podcast

How do you help kids navigate puberty wisely? In this episode, Michelle (marriage and family therapy associate), Amanda (school psychologist), and Jon (curriculum creator) talk about how to talk about puberty with kids.

“Education is not the filling of a pail," wrote the poet William Butler Yeats "but the lighting of a fire." How do you help kids find a love of learning that can serve them throughout their whole lives? How do you this while helping kids build the discipline they'll need to overcome difficult challenges with learning?

School psychologist Amanda Suarez and marriage family therapy associate Michelle Larsen give insights about these questions, interviewed by Jon Ogden, writer and curriculum creator.

See the full lesson for members:

https://upliftkids.org/lessons/education/

What do you do when your kid says, "I'm bored!" — and how does boredom relate to spirituality? In this episode, the Uplift team explores the best ways to navigate feelings of boredom at home.

If you're a member, check out the full lesson at: UpliftKids.org/lessons/boredom

If you're not a member, start a free two-week trial: https://upliftkids.org/join/membership

Finding the balance between structure and flexibility in the morning routine helps everyone feel prepared for whatever comes their way. In this episode, Amanda, Jon, and Michelle share their own struggles to make mornings work as well as small ways they find connection.

https://upliftkids.org/lessons/mornings/

Wisdom is when we can discern what is the best way forward, especially as it relates to two good things. It's easy to tell your kid to be kind. But what about being kind *and* honest? Wisdom is when we can discern what's appropriate in any given moment.

In this followup episode to last week's conversation about spiritual parenting, the Uplift team discusses specific ways to implement spiritual parenting at home.

See the guide at UpliftKids.org/Resources

Spiritual parenting is the practice of helping your kids connect with awe, love, and purpose. This episode explores why it matters and how to implement it at home.

See the full guide here.

We all benefit when we appreciate the beauty and complexity of our diverse minds. Hear about the direct experiences the Uplift team has had working with neurodiverse kids.

By becoming calm enough to listen to your anger, you’ll hear what it’s trying to tell you. In this episode we explore practices to navigate angry feelings in a healthy and mature way — showing how at its core, dealing with anger can be a spiritual, transformative practice.

When we know what depression is, we can be better prepared if it surfaces.

See the lesson (for members).

See the article from Drew Hansen, Uplift Cofounder.

By learning to work with our feelings, we can better connected to life. (Note that this lesson is a followup to our lesson on naming emotions.)

Get our free Uplift emotions chart: https://upliftkids.org/emotions

Access our full lesson library here: https://upliftkids.org/join/membership

In this episode, Amanda Suarez (school psychologist and conscious parenting coach) and Michelle Larsen (marriage and family therapy associate) talk to Jon Ogden about how kids can learn to name and feel all emotions instead of pushing them away.

This episode is slightly longer and showcases a change in our approach. We'll be iterating even more in future episodes!

Here is our emotions chart: https://upliftkids.org/emotions

And here is the lesson: https://upliftkids.org/lessons/naming-emotions/

Crushes are part of growing up. With practice we can handle these feelings with kindness and respect for oneself and others.

Members can see the full lesson at:

https://upliftkids.org/lessons/crushes

Attachment to material possessions clutters our lives and distracts from what brings joy. In this episode, Amanda Suarez, school psychologist, and Michelle Larson, marriage and family therapy associate, talk about materialism, minimalism, and trends — and how spiritual health can help us live more fully.

By making your home a place where discussions about spirituality feel safe, you open the possibility for more profound moments of connection.

Knowing the patterns of life can help us grow with grace. Hear how to help kids set out on an "adventure" of learning and growth and give them a deeper sense of inner confidence.

Remembering our past challenges can help us through our current ones.

We feel more free and whole when we’re consistently honest. In this episode, the Uplift Team discusses how to explore honesty together in a balanced (gentle and firm) way.

When we’re aware of what’s present, we make better choices about how we live our life. In this discussion, the Uplift Team discusses mindful strategies including the technique of see, hear, feel.

When we have true curiosity we are less judgmental of ourselves and others. In this episode we talk about how to curious alongside kids as well as how to be curious with ourselves — and how both approaches lead to love.

When we feel and alleviate the suffering of others, we find meaning and happiness in life. This lesson contains scenarios, activities, and curated videos that highlight the power of compassion.

https://upliftkids.org/lessons/compassion/

Mindful eating is a wisdom practice that can help us be in tune with our bodies, enjoy meals more fully, and draw closer together.

When we focus on our breath, we reduce stress and lay the foundation for additional meditation techniques. In this episode, we talk about ways to engage kids in meditative techniques — even without ever using the word "meditation." If you're interested in exploring a meditative practice of your own, we recommend the checking out the podcast Mindfulness+ by meditation teacher Thomas McConkie.

Caring for our bodies supports physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Get activities, curated videos, checklists, and more in our member lesson on hygiene:

https://upliftkids.org/lessons/hygiene/

When we reflect deeply on wisdom, we awaken to a sense of fullness and wonder in life. In this episode we talk about wisdom texts from around the world as well as a wisdom approach to texts — a practice that might be thought of as devotional reading, wisdom reading, scripture study, sacred reading, or something else. The goal is to celebrate words that open the heart.

When we’re free from distraction and able to focus, we learn more effectively and live more fully.

When we practice deliberately and achieve our heart’s desire, we experience deep joy. Explore how to improve our thoughts and behavior.

When we stick with something we care about, even through difficulty or boredom, we develop grit.

When we practice courage we learn how to stand up for ourselves and other people. We might still feel fear, but we can put our courage in front of that fear.

Each of us has unique strengths. Before we can give them to the world, we must find and develop them.

By setting intentions and creating the right plans and systems, we can get what we want.

When we cultivate hope we can navigate hard times without despair. As Amanda Suarez says, "When I think about the way real deep transcendent hope shows up, it's a fundamental trust in life — that life will support us, that life will hold us through the ups and downs. So deep hope really has no object. There's no need for a certain outcome. There's no need to reach a certain place."

https://upliftkids.org/lessons/hope/

Always treat others with dignity and kindness — especially those who are least fortunate. In this episode, Amanda, Michelle, and Jon talk about personal experiences with kindness and how kindness and achievement go hand in hand.

By reflecting on what makes us feel alive, we discover purpose in life and improve our well-being. This episode explores how to find many purposes depending on what makes you feel alive.

Nature is a powerful way to restore wellbeing and reconnect — to family and to something bigger than family. In this episode, the team at Uplift Kids discusses how to make nature practice a regular part of life with kids.

When we give, we feel closer to others and to our highest self.

Humility is courageous. It opens the door to learning and growth. In this episode we explore ways to help kids see that humility is the opposite of self-loathing or self-boasting. It's the key to growth.

In the daily grind of life, we can lose sight of what we have, not realizing the magic that each moment offers. Gratitude helps us love what's here.

As we carve out moments for stillness and contemplation, we get clarity about what matters most in life.

When we’re intentional about our influences, we’re intentional about who we become. This lesson helps families build a creative lineage or wisdom council that can be a source of stability and guidance in life. See the lesson: https://upliftkids.org/lessons/role-models/

Telling family stories gives us strength in hard times. This episode can help you spark conversations in the home about the stories that matter most to your family.

Find insights from the world’s wisdom traditions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity, Stoicism, Sufism, and more.

Any virtue held too tightly becomes a vice. In this episode, we explore polarities: complementary opposites that rely on each other like the in-breath and the out-breath.

Forgiveness is a gift we can choose to give others and ourselves. In this episode, the Uplift Kids team talks about why forgiveness matters and how to keep boundaries in the process.

When we embody fairness, we receive what we need while making sure there’s enough for others. Hear ways to respond when kids say, "That's not fair!"

Today we're talking about the intersection of psychology and spirituality — sometimes known as transpersonal psychology. Hear direct insights from Amanda Suarez, school psychologist, and Michelle, a marriage and family therapy associate, about how spirituality informs their work in helping people find meaning, purpose, and awe.

When we recognize the qualities of a good friend we also learn how to be a good friend. See the full lesson for scripts and prompts to help kids learn how to find, keep, or (when appropriate) end a friendship.

https://upliftkids.org/lessons/friendship/

When we see ourselves and other people for who we truly are, we embody an attitude of respect.

The skill of self-advocacy helps us to know what is important and communicate our needs with love and respect. Hear why this topic matters more than you might realize.

As we practice being direct and kind, we develop an empowered mindset and stand up for ourselves and others. See the full lesson for the chart referenced in this episode: https://upliftkids.org/lessons/bullying/