Incorrigible to Incredible: Some Dog Lessons

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Some relationships are more difficult than others. Sometimes a friend or even a child can be difficult to handle. They can try your patience and seem incorrigible. Can we learn some tricks from our four-footed friends? My guest this week on Family First says absolutely! Charmaine Hammond is an international transformational speaker, author, and radio host, helping people live inspired, resilient lives, and she is a leading trainer in corporate North America, helping transform workplaces.

Charmaine Hammond is the award winning and bestselling author of On Toby’s Terms and Toby The Pet Therapy Dog – and his hospital friends, and also Bounce Forward. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul - What I learned from the dog. She is now coauthoring a new book GPS Your Best Life. Her book On Toby’s Terms is currently in development to become a major motion picture! Get your whole family to listen in. Charmaine will be sharing Toby’s lessons!

To hear the program, simply click on the link above or on this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 pm PT, 2 pm MT, 3 pm CT, 4 pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Charmaine Hammond, MA, BA, is an expert in Conflict Analysis and Management and opened Hammond International Inc. in 1997, a mediation and training company. For the past 8 years she has been speaking and consulting with business and community organizations. Prior to owning her own business Charmaine worked as a Contract Specialist for Government, was the Executive Director of several not for profit organizations, worked with municipal government in their contract management, and served as a Correctional Officer, Child & Youth Care Worker.

Charmaine’s passion for speaking led her to be the host of three radio shows: “Corporate Conversations with Charmaine,”  “PAWsitive Radio,” and “Your Book as a Business.” She has been featured on CBC, CTV, Global TV, 820 CHAM, Alberta Prime Time News, in many major newspapers including Metro News National Canada, US and New York, and in various magazines. She also supports many pet and children related charities and events as a result of her work with Toby.

To hear the program, simply click on the link above or on this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 pm PT, 2 pm MT, 3 pm CT, 4 pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

 

Randy Rolfe Take Home Tips: Our pets have personalities, stresses, and emotions just as we do. By watching our animal friends and paying attention to how to respond to their needs, we can learn to be more responsive to each other's! Having a pet is a great way for children to learn empathy for others when they have your good example to follow. So see that when you interact with your pets, you are modeling compassion and attention to their needs, not just for shelter and food, but also for attention, companionship, appreciation, and respect. 

Energize and Focus for the Fall Season!

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Energizing Your Family’s Fall Season!   

Does the end of summer have you feeling drained? Many parents look forward to the summer to do things with the children and be free of school and sports schedules. But then by the end of summer they are looking forward to the discipline of the school day and week, only to find the readjustment stressful and even overwhelming.

This week health author, fitness expert, and award-winning pharmacist Sherry Torkos returns to Family First as our guest to share great practical tips for making that readjustment with greater ease and with confidence that you are protecting your family’s health and well-being. Sherry Torkos has researched a number of critical health issues and is gifted at making the scientific information accessible to the general public through her many books on various aspects of health. As a mother herself, she has explored many child health issues. She now will share some quick energy dos and don'ts that will get you and your children feeling energized for fall.

To hear the program, simply click on the link above or go to this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 pm PT, 2 pm MT, 3 pm CT, 4 pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Sherry Torkos is a pharmacist, author, certified fitness instructor, and health enthusiast who enjoys sharing her passion with others. Sherry graduated with honors from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1992. Since that time she has been practicing holistic pharmacy in the Niagara region of Ontario. Her philosophy of practice is to integrate conventional and complementary therapies to optimize health and prevent disease. Sherry has won several national pharmacy awards for providing excellence in patient care. As a leading health expert, she has delivered hundreds of lectures to medical professionals and to the public.

Sherry Torkos is frequently interviewed on radio and TV talk shows throughout North America and abroad on health matters. Sherry has authored 16 books and booklets, including The Canadian Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, The Glycemic Index Made Simple, and most recently, Saving Women’s Hearts. 

To hear the program, simply click on this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 pm PT, 2 pm MT, 3 pm CT, 4 pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Randy Rolfe Take Home Tips: There is such a thing as too busy! Be clear about your true priorities and when things get too hectic, cut back on the less important things. When we are feeling stressed, we are often tempted to skimp on self-care, like sitting down to eat, taking a walk, taking a leisurely shower or bath, choosing a healthy snack. But when things get wild, these activities become even more important because they allow your body to take a break and refuel, relax, regenerate. Forcing yourself to go, go, go when you are getting signals of overload mean that you will be forced to stop, probably when you can't afford to. What will stop you? Pain, accident, exhaustion, or a cold or flu. Chronic stress results in immune depression and you are more vulnerable than usual. So take extra care of yourself and urge family members to do so when the days get hectic!

 

A Special Appeal! 4 Days Left!

This is a special appeal for your support for my weekly online radio show Family First, now reaching 47,000 families every month and still growing! I invite you to become a Friend of Family First and to help me reach more people who would like to support the program.   Please hurry! There are just 4 days left until the close of my Campaign! Capign closes October 5 at 12:59pm PT.   Please click on this link www.indiegogo.com/friendsoffamilyfirst where you can see a video about the show and about my campaign to raise funds to continue the program well into its second year. If you own a business, please contact me to find out about how to become an advertiser or a sponsor for Family First within a budget which fits your marketing needs. If you know someone who might like to advertise or to sponsor the show, please also let me know.   Meanwhile, please go to www.indiegogo.com/friendsoffamilyfirst  and see all the great thank you perks available for any contribution, from $6 on up. Thank you for any help you can give.

Each weekly program costs several thousand dollars to produce and I have already invested over $25,000 of personal funds towards making the program the success it has become. The Voice America Network too has given great professional and financial support for my program.   Many shows today ask that guests contribute to the costs of production. So far I have avoided doing so because I want to feel free to feature any expert I believe deserves the attention of my audience, even if they are just getting started in their marketing and do not have a lot to invest. Instead, I am seeking sponsors and advertisers large and small.   Currently I am running a fun campaign to enroll "Friends of Family First" through the popular crowd-sourcing website www.indiegogo.com. Indiegogo has proven to be an effective way to attract support from a large crowd of people, who each can give a little toward a great cause that appeals to them. In effect I am seeking hundreds of sponsors, who each contribute what they can and receive fun and valuable thank you gifts in return.   Family First reaches over 47,000 families every month, after just 16 months on the air, and the audience is still growing each month! As a way to get information out to families which they don't hear on conventional media, Family First is unsurpassed. I am proud of the superb guests it has attracted and of the thousands of families who have discovered its value and told their friends to tune in.   Here are some ways you can help me to continue to bring families around the world experts who have unique, highly qualified, and powerful insights to help families survive and thrive today and in turn do their part in making this a happier, healthier world. I am most grateful for any support you can offer.   (1)   You can become a "Friend of Family First" by going to http://www.indiegogo.com/friendsoffamilyfirst. It just takes a moment to choose which perk level you want and your thank you gifts will be on their way with my deep appreciation! Levels start at $6 and go up to $1,000, so every one can help! The Campaign close date is October 5 so please hurry! (2)   You can recommend to your contacts that they can become a "Friend of Family First." Urge them to go to http://www.indiegogo.com/friendsoffamilyfirst, where they can show their support for an important service for families and in return receive some wonderful thank you gifts! No contribution is too small, or too large! The Campaign close date is October 5 so please hurry! (3)   You can become a sponsor or advertiser on Family First! Please contact Senior Executive Producer Nathan Jett of the Voice America Network at 480-553-5768, or give me a call. Nathan will customize a package big or small for you, to fit your marketing goals and your marketing budget. (4)   You can refer me to an organization you believe in which might be interested in becoming a sponsor or advertiser on Family First. Please call or email me with their information and I will connect them with my Senior Executive Producer. (5)   You can tune in and also urge your contacts to tune in Friday afternoons or any time on demand to Family First, at http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first, to hear an engaging, informative conversation about a different topic each week on how to help their families to become happier and healthier right now.

Please hurry! There are just 4 days left for the Campaign at Indiegogo for you or your contacts to become a Friend of Family First! Go to www.indiegogo.com/friendsoffamilyfirst.   Please contact me with your questions or comments, at randyrolfe@randyrolfe.com. I appreciate any support for Family First which you can give and look forward to reaching more families with the message that prepared, holistic, responsive, and spiritual parenting can change the world! Randy Rolfe's Take Home Tips: Prepared, holistic, responsive, and spiritual parenting can change the world! Think before you speak, give extra hugs and smiles, and relax in confidence knowing your child wants to have your attention and approval and will respond positively to them (sooner or later!).

Can Separation or Divorce Be a Less Costly, Healthier Process?

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Making Divorce a Healthier Process

At least half of our nation’s families have been touched by divorce. The high costs and stress on family members of completing the divorce process is legendary, especially if the process involves litigation. Is there another way? My guest this week on Family First is Crispino M. Pastore, Esq., whose mission is to help his clients avoid costly and destructive litigation.

 

Pastore founded the Main Line Family Law Center in 2011, together with his wife Sharon Pastore, after his years of conventional family law practice left him feeling that his hands were constantly tied as he witnessed the destructive nature of the litigation process. He now employs a uniquely integrated approach to assisting clients in resolving their separation and divorce matters. Using expert divorce and parenting mediators, life coaches, therapists, and financial planners, he can assure his clients that their settlements will be fair and reasonable while ensuring that all of their rights and interests are protected.

To hear the program, simply click on the link above or go to this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1pm PT, 2pm MT, 3pm CT, 4pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Cris Pastore brings to his practice over 18 years of legal experience and perspective. A graduate of Villanova Law School, he has previously represented private family law clients in all phases of domestic law litigation, from child and spousal support to alimony, custody matters, equitable distribution, protection from abuse, and adoption matters.

When Mr. Pastore discovered a better way to help his separating and divorcing clients, he dedicated his career exclusively to mediation. He served as managing attorney for a prominent regional divorce mediation firm where he personally handled hundreds of mediation cases while being responsible for hiring, training, managing, and inspiring a team of attorney-mediators. Now as Main Line Family Law Center’s attorney-mediator, the goal of his practice is not only to assist his clients with these same principles in mind, but to revolutionize this area of practice by generating widespread community awareness of the great value of mediation.

To hear the program, simply click on the link above or go to this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1pm PT, 2pm MT, 3pm CT, 4pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Randy Rolfe Take Home Tips: As a former practicing litigation attorney as well as a family therapist, I know there are ways to ease the transition from married to separated and divorced.  Always choose an attorney who puts the total welfare of the family and children ahead of mere dollar amounts. My work is focused on preventing family trauma, but if separation is inevitable, there are still many ways to prevent additional pain and stress around the process. Counseling, mediation, and other ancillary services are well worth the investment.

What Peace Day Means for Family

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Our children are exposed daily to news of violence, war, fleeing refugees, children orphaned by conflict. How do we help empower them to believe they can be part of making the world a safer, fairer, more peaceful place? This is one of the goals of the September 21 celebration of the United Nations International Day of Peace, a day of ceasefire and non-violence celebrated world wide. My guest on Family First this week is Lisa Parker, who helped to found Peace Day Philly in 2011, believing that Peace Day holds a great opportunity for cities across the world, including Philadelphia. She serves as coordinator of the initiative for 2012, and is Co-Chair of the CITIES Peace Team, an international sub-committee of the International Day of Peace NGO Committee at the United Nations. The CITIES Peace Team shares models, practices, and resources related to Peace Day observances and helps increase connectivity of cities across the world that promote and/or organize observances for Peace Day.

To hear the program , simply click on the link above or go to:http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first this Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

Lisa Parker is a Philadelphia native and a social worker by training. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in 1986 and a Masters Degree in social service program planning and development in 1993. Lisa has worked in various social services, educational, mental health, and public health programs in Philadelphia and especially with children, youth, and families, and with refugee populations. Lisa also has experience in the areas of non-profit consulting and anti-bullying activities in schools, as well as with visual and expressive arts. .In addition to her work with the Peace Day Initiative, Lisa is also a Representative for Global Education Motivators (GEM) to the United Nations Department of Pubic Information (DPI). GEM is a Philadelphia based non-profit that uses video conferencing to encourage a greater global perspective, especially among high school and college youth, through a wide range of intercultural dialogues and exposure to the work of the United Nations.  

To hear the program , simply click on the link above or go to:http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first this Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

 

Randy Rolfe Take Home Tips: Our children learn primarily by imitation. How do we resolve conflicts within our own home? It's a good idea to think about your patterns of interaction because these are the models our children take with them when they go to school, to work, create a home, or operate in the larger arenas of public and global affairs. Do we take time to hear the points of view on all sides? Do we avoid passing judgment or demeaning the party we disagree with? Do we stay patient until a mutually agreeable solution appears? Do we have cooling off periods if the emotions are running rampant? Do we use respectful language and tones? Our example goes a long way to creating a more peaceful home and world.

What Happens When a Loved One Is Very Sick?

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Most of us know someone who is hospitalized with medical treatment for a serious condition. Each patient and each family has their own unique needs for comfort and care. My guest this week on Family First has 30 years experience giving personalized nursing care. Listen to her stories this Friday at 4 PM ET, 3 PM CT, 2 PM Mt, 1 PM PT, or any time afterwards by going to this link! 

Episode Title:  What Can The Dying Teach Us About Living?

As our population ages, an ever bigger proportion of our population will be dealing with end of life issues. What can we learn from the experience of those dying? What can they teach us about life as well as about death, and how can we help to make their transition more peaceful and love-filled? My guest this week on “Family First” is Becki Hawkins, author of the new book TRANSITIONS: A Nurse’s Education About Life and Death.

 

Becki Hawkins is a natural storyteller and a great listener and she brought those gifts with her as she sat by the bedside of seriously ill or terminally ill patients for more than 30 years, as an oncology and hospice nurse. It is her compassion and warmth that encouraged so many of her charges to share their heartfelt thoughts and experiences with her. On “Family First” she will share what she has learned from her experiences and also reveal a kind of blueprint for how to help our loved ones to go through their end of life transition in peace, grace, and love.

To hear the program, simply click on this link::http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

Becki Hawkins became a nurse’s aide at age 19, which inspired her to earn her degree in nursing. Unusual for someone so young, she chose to start her career in the Oncology Unit in a large city hospital. She progressed to Outpatient Oncology, Hospice, and eventually became a Hospice Chaplain. Upon retirement in the 1990s, she began to volunteer her services for hospice patients.

 

Becki was also instrumental in the care of various family members. She loved the opportunity to work with the patients and their families, but she didn’t quite know how to face the reality of not being able to “save” every patient. After seeing the stress it left upon her and hearing the stories, her husband suggested she begin journaling. She began to write about what she was hearing, witnessing, and feeling. By 1986, she started penning a column in a local newspaper called “Beyond Statistics,” which became syndicated and led to the creation of her book, Transitions: A Nurse’s Education About Life and Death.

To hear the program, simply click on this link::http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

Randy Rolfe's Take Home Tips: Authenticity is most important when dealing with a sick loved one. Those who are hospitalized know that something serious is happening. Be gentle and loving and authentic. In discussing the situation with younger family members, keep the language and ideas age-appropriate. Take time to choose your words carefully. Avoid frightening them or dumping your more complext feelings on them. Think your answers through before you get questions. Or if you already have a child asking a question, ask them to let you get back to them about it and then follow up within an hour or two. Children know when you are sad or preoccupied so be sure to let them know what it is about and that it is not about them.

What Buy USA-Made Can Mean to You

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Are social media a distraction and obsession or can they be a force for positive change? Will our children waste time and energy and become sleep deprived searching yet another site, or go into debt consuming whatever is advertised online, or will they find a way to use this new tool to make their world a better place? My guest this week on Family First is dedicated to making social media an instrument of change. Sarah Mazzone is a Registered Nurse, active blogger, new mother, and leader in the movement to live simply and buy what is needed from American manufacturers and from one’s local community.

Sarah Mazzone developed her growing blog, “made in usa challenge.com,” to build on her love for writing and her desire to explore American consumerism and associated issues. Sarah specializes in health and wellness, informatics and technology, and research and writing. Find out how to build your family’s health and our nation’s economy by being conscious consumers and communicators.

To hear the program, simply click on this link::http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

Sarah Mazzone, RN, BSN, is editor in chief of Made in USA Challenge, where she explores conscious consumerism from an economic, environmental and human rights perspective. Sarah highlights products made in USA that help strengthen our economy, protect our environment, safe-guard our families from toxins and minimize our exploitation of developing countries. She has developed her site into a resource for concerned consumers to find the best products made in America as well as to generate a dialogue about consumerism. She also collaborates with businesses to promote ethically made products manufactured locally, and creates social media marketing strategies to help connect Made in America businesses and consumers. As a Registered Nurse, she has worked both in the hospital and outpatient setting, specializing in patient education. She currently works in the healthcare informatics industry, obtaining critical data measures and reporting patient outcomes. 

To hear the program, simply click on this link::http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or

 

Randy Rolfe's Take Home Tips: Voting at the voting booth is just one of the ways we affect the direction of our society. How we vote with our dollar matters too. If we read labels when we buy things for our family and try to favor those sources we are most comfortable wtih from a perspective of green living and supporting our local communities and country, we can have a profound effect all together. And we will be setting a good example for our kids of living according to our values and beliefs in our everyday life as well as in our larger efforts.