Why kids struggle, succeed, regulate, connect, and grow based on the environments adults build around them. We focus on the systems around kids, not just the moments with kids. Hosted by Sarah Habib & Eric Elias.
Sarah has spent a decade turning mindfulness from a buzzword into a measurable classroom outcome. Her curriculum — now active in 45 schools and reaching 2,000+ students every week — was validated by a 2019 University of Cincinnati study showing real gains in social competence and reduced conduct problems. She founded The Calm Caterpillar in 2022 after earlier leadership roles at Nielsen and TIBCO, and holds certifications from Mindful Schools and Z-Health alongside a BA from Tufts. She's not theorizing. She has the receipts.
Eric is the voice of every parent sitting at the kitchen table wondering if they're getting this right. His job is to ask the questions out loud that everyone else is Googling at midnight — and to push back when the answer isn't that simple. The chemistry is real. They disagree on air.
At what age do you start? When do you stop? Is location tracking about your kid’s safety — or your own anxiety? The uncomfortable conversation every parent needs to have.
Your kid has a smartphone. You can’t un-ring that bell. What are the actual rules, tools, and conversations that matter now?
Every parent has an opinion. We bring the evidence. From executive function to standardized scores — what we actually know vs. expensive marketing.
PIPs, evaluations, merit pay, tenure — the systems meant to improve teaching quality and what the research says about whether they work.
Group chats run at 2am and nobody’s supervising. What’s actually happening to kids’ social development — and what can parents realistically do?
Social-emotional learning has become a political lightning rod. We cut through the noise and find what actually works for building emotionally resilient kids.
Real questions. Honest answers. No parenting influencer energy. Just the conversations that actually matter.