Tag: Mentor

EP – 86 Where Two Worlds Meet

Our conversation with Jerry Witkovsky and Deanna Shoss

This week we are joined by two passionate individuals whose goal is to build bridges of understanding and communication between Grandparents and Grandchildren. Jerry Witkovsky and Deanna Shoss join us to discuss their new book, Where Two Worlds Meet.

Jerry joins our conversation as a leader in developing organizations and programs that impact the lives of his community. Since his 1997 retirement, Jerry has focused his considerable energies on grandparenting facilitation—helping multigenerational families work (and play) together to create a rich family life. He has partnered with JCC and YMCA to create a writing prompt program serving over four hundred grandparents on three continents and a virtual improv program with UK’s Nursery Theatre. He currently spearheads many school-based programs designed to strengthen connections between grandparents and their teenagers.

Deanna Shoss is a marketer, writer, and interculturalist based in Chicago. As Founder and CEO of Intercultural Talk, Inc., Deanna inspires people to learn, create, and contribute across their lifespans. She takes an intergenerational approach that combines online communication platforms such as websites/blogs, social media, and video with tried and true practices such as partnership building, email marketing, and in-person events. Deanna writes for the National Diversity Council and is the Tech Columnist for Grand Magazine. She speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and French and is a certified group fitness instructor. Learn more at interculturaltalk.com.

In our conversation, we discussed what motivated Jerry to write his book and how he and Deanna became connected and are working hard to deliver this timely message of getting grandparents engaged with their grandchildren. We also discuss how grandparents can be a part of the solution in helping grandchildren through complex mental and emotional issues.

Where Two Worlds Meet is an enjoyable read full of fantastic tips and examples that will help you become more intentional and involved with your grandchildren, please follow the links above and below to learn more about the work that Jerry and Deanna are doing and to order your copy of Where Two Worlds Meet.

If you know someone who would enjoy hearing this conversation, please forward this podcast episode to them. Sharing episodes like this one is the best way to help others learn about Grandfathers’ critical role in their families lives. Please remember to ‘like’ and subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t done so already.

Links

Click HERE to go to the website for Where Two Worlds Meet

Click HERE to read the article, Why American Teens Are So Sad

Click HERE to visit Deanna’s company Intercultural Talk

Click on this link to learn more about Peekabond.

Click on this link to learn and sign up for Readeo.

EP – 81 Grandpas as Coaches

A one-on-one with you

This episode is another one-on-one conversation with you and me. I open up the conversation with a quick trip report from my last trip to Virginia the week before Easter. I spent a lot of time with my grandson, who is almost four years old. I confess that spending multiple days with him wore me out physically and mentally.

It has been a long time since I chased toddlers around a playground and museum for hours at a time. I also forgot that three-and-a-half-year-olds don’t just play 20 questions; they play 120 questions and tend to compress those questions into a 25-minute car ride.

It was a great trip being around my grandson and granddaughters, but it was also nice to hand them off at the end of the day and have some time to recharge my batteries before the next round of adventures.

I also want to talk to you about grandfathers taking on the role of a coach in our relationship with our grandchildren. You might think of being a coach in other terms, such as teacher, mentor, guide, or another title. Use whatever title makes sense to you, but grandfathers ARE leaders AND motivators for our grandchildren and children.

We dive into what are some good characteristics of a good coach. Good coaches are made up of the following attributes:

Understands Life and Leads by Example

Sponge for Knowledge

Shares the Knowledge

Deeply knows the player (grandchild)

Energizes and Motivates Others

Good Listener

After listening to this episode, I hope that you think about the attributes of the good coaches and mentors you had in your life. Do you intentionally practice and take on the attribute of a coach when it comes to your relationship with your grandchildren?

Links

Click HERE to listen to my one-on-one show about being a cheerleader.

Peekabond

Readeo