This episode is a grounded reminder that presence is a daily choice. Mark Gillilan shares how entrepreneurship, mindfulness, and outdoor rituals helped him stay connected to his kids while navigating work and life in the digital age. Mark’s breakthrough came when he realized presence isn’t found, it’s chosen. That insight reshaped his work, his parenting, and the way he creates connection every day.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

1. Why presence is a daily choice and how it reshapes both parenting and entrepreneurship
2. How outdoor rituals and shared experiences create deeper connection than perfect schedules
3. What building a business taught Mark about time, attention, and being truly available
4. How to navigate screen time and digital pressure without disconnecting from your kids
5. Why learning new things alongside your children strengthens trust and confidence
6. The quiet power of kindness, flexibility, and playing hooky to create lasting family memories

Featured Guest: Mark Gillilan

Mark Gillilan is the founder of Kyoto Botanicals and a father of two who helps purpose-driven parents rethink time, attention, and connection. His work blends wellness education, nature-based rituals, and transparency in business to model what intentional parenting can look like in the digital age.

Follow Mark Gillilan

https://kyotobotanicals.com

https://www.pinterest.com/kyotobotanicals/

https://www.youtube.com/@kyotobotanicals

https://www.instagram.com/kyotobotanicals/

Meet the Host: Adrienne Giffen

Adrienne Giffen is an executive recruiter, author of Unravel You, and creator of the intergenerational board game Now You’re Talking™. Through her podcast, she invites families and friends to trade screens for stories, sparking heartfelt conversations that bridge generations. Her work is rooted in a passion for helping people rediscover connection, courage, and joy in today’s digital world.

Connect with the Host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennegiffen/

https://unravelyou.com/

https://nowyouretalkinggame.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@NowYoureTalkingPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/nowyouretalkinggame/

Do you ever feel like you and your kids are in the same room, but not really together?START TALKING TODAY : 5 Questions to Spark Real Conversations With Your Kids

In a time of burnout and disconnection, this conversation offers a practical way back to ourselves and each other. Melanie Underwood reveals how food and shared meals can rebuild curiosity, calm, and real human connection - especially for families navigating the digital age.

What You’ll Hear:

1. Why cooking can be one of the most powerful forms of mindfulness, especially if sitting still isn’t your thing
2. How non-judgment in the kitchen builds confidence, curiosity, and trust in kids and adults
3. The simple ways shared meals create community, conversation, and cultural connection
4. Why mistakes (in food and in life) are often the greatest teachers
5. How cooking helps kids develop independence, self-advocacy, and real-world life skills
6. A gentle antidote to burnout that doesn’t involve productivity hacks or perfection

Melanie Underwood’s personal breakthrough moment.

Melanie had a breakthrough moment when she realized:

Cooking wasn’t about precision or perfection - it was a doorway to confidence, mindfulness, and connection.

That’s when she stopped teaching rigid rules and started teaching:

1. curiosity over criticism
2. presence over performance
3. trust over technique

From that moment on, cooking became Melanie’s language for rebuilding human skills - especially for kids and families navigating stress, screens, and burnout.

Featured Guest: Melanie Underwood

Melanie Underwood is a food and mindfulness educator with nearly 30 years of experience and more than 50,000 students taught. She uses cooking as a sensory, non-judgmental pathway to rebuild curiosity, confidence, and connection, helping people strengthen the human skills often lost to burnout and digital overload.

Her approach works everywhere, from Fortune 500 boardrooms and school classrooms to family dinner tables, and has been featured by CNN, People, Food Network, Parents, and more.

Follow Melanie Underwood: https://www.nourishandgather.co/

Under Melanie’s leadership, Nourish & Gather offers:

1. Cooking classes (kids, teens, adults)
2. After-school programs and camps
3. Private and group culinary experiences
4. Mindful cooking and sound meditation sessions
5. Retreats that blend cooking, mindfulness, and personal connection
6. For example, immersive day retreats combining sound baths, mindful cooking, and intentional nourishment.

Meet the Host: Adrienne Giffen

Adrienne...

This episode is an invitation to trust that the idea tugging at you is worth pursuing right now. Steve Clair opens up about betting on his own story, building a brand that inspires kids to dream bigger, and why courage, consistency, and presence are the real markers of success.

What You’ll Hear:

1. How legacy comes alive in the moments you choose to show up and why presence, not perfection, becomes what your family remembers.
2. The stories we tell our kids and ourselves that shape belief, belonging, possibility, and the life we feel allowed to want.
3. Why turning an idea into impact begins with trusting your own voice and how Steve transformed a spark into The GOAT Series, a brand built on grit, heart, and resilience.
4. What the world’s greatest athletes can teach us about parenting, leadership, and living with intention and how those lessons return us to what matters most.

The moment Steve realized legacy wasn’t about success later it was about showing up now. Reading to his kids at night, he saw how their eyes lit up when he told stories of real people who chased greatness with grit and heart. That’s when he knew he didn’t just want to sell something he wanted to build something they could feel, remember, and carry forward.

Featured Guest: Steve Clair

Steve Clair is a New York–based real estate broker at SERHANT., entrepreneur, and creator of The GOAT Series, a children’s book franchise that brings the stories of the world’s greatest athletes to life for kids. With more than 16 years in real estate and a background in brand-building and storytelling, Steve splits his time between closing deals and growing a national kids brand now carried by major retailers. He’s also a hands-on dad, and much of his work is driven by a desire to create meaningful, lasting impact—both in business and at home.

Follow Steve Clair:

https://thegoatseries.kids/collections/books

https://steveclair.me/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveclair/

https://serhant.com/agents/steve-clair?leaseProperty=false

Meet the Host: Adrienne Giffen

Adrienne Giffen is an executive recruiter, author of Unravel You, and creator of the intergenerational board game Now You’re Talking™. Through her podcast, she invites families and friends to trade screens for stories, sparking heartfelt conversations that bridge generations. Her work is rooted in a passion for helping people rediscover connection, courage, and joy in today’s digital world.

Connect with the Host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennegiffen/

https://unravelyou.com/

https://nowyouretalkinggame.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@NowYoureTalkingPodcast

This episode is a gentle but powerful invitation to remember who you are beneath years of conditioning. Caroline Grubb shares the moments and insights that helped her reclaim her voice and choose truth over expectation.

What you will hear:

1. Why your voice is one of your most powerful leadership and visibility assets
2. How unconscious conditioning quietly undermines confidence and decision-making
3. The patterns that cause high-performing women to self-edit, over-explain, or stay silent
4. How reclaiming your voice sharpens boundaries, clarity, and executive presence
5. Turning lived experience into credibility, connection, and real business impact

Featured Guest: Caroline Grubb

Caroline Grubb is a truth-centered mentor who helps people remember who they are beneath years of conditioning. Her work blends reflection, awareness, and courageous honesty to support meaningful personal and professional transformation.

Follow Caroline Grubb

Website: https://carolinegrubb.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_caroline_grubb_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedlobsters

https://nakedlobsters.com/about

Meet the Host: Adrienne Giffen

Adrienne Giffen is an executive recruiter, author of Unravel You, and creator of the intergenerational board game Now You’re Talking™. Through her podcast, she invites families and friends to trade screens for stories, sparking heartfelt conversations that bridge generations. Her work is rooted in a passion for helping people rediscover connection, courage, and joy in today’s digital world.

Connect with the Host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennegiffen/

https://unravelyou.com/

https://nowyouretalkinggame.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@NowYoureTalkingPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/nowyouretalkinggame/

Do you ever feel like you and your kids are in the same room, but not really together?START TALKING TODAY : 5 Questions to Spark Real Conversations With Your Kids https://nowyouretalkinggame.com/start-talking-today/

Now You're Talking is proud to be on the High Vibe Podcast Network. Check out Adrienne’s Gift in the Vault https://highvibepodcastnetwork.com/gifts

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This episode is a grounding reminder that success doesn’t mean much without presence. William M. Donnellan shares what it really takes to raise connected kids, build community, and stay rooted in family values in a screen-saturated world.

What You’ll Hear:

Why presence is the most powerful gift you can give your family

How to set healthy screen boundaries without losing trust or connection

The role family values and culture play in raising grounded kids

Why community-driven businesses create deeper belonging and loyalty

How mentorship and surrounding yourself with good people shape success

Why the small, everyday moments often matter more than the big milestones

Willie reflects on the realization that the moments he once rushed past were the ones shaping his children the most. Understanding that childhood passes in an instant changed everything, how he set boundaries with work, how he approached screen time, and how intentionally he chose to be present. That shift became the foundation for both his family life and the community-centered businesses he’s built.

Resources Mentioned

Book: Good to Great: Jim Collins

Featured Guest:

William M. Donnellan is a values-led entrepreneur and community builder who believes family, culture, and presence are the foundation of real success. Through his Irish pubs and mentorship, he creates spaces where people feel connected, supported, and at home, in business and in life.

Follow William:

https://www.donnellansirishpub.com/

https://www.irlgroup.ca/hospitality

https://www.instagram.com/donnellansirishpub/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-m-donnellan-5627b918a

Meet the Host: Adrienne Giffen

Adrienne Giffen is an executive recruiter, author of Unravel You, and creator of the intergenerational board game Now You’re Talking™. Through her podcast, she invites families and friends to trade screens for stories, sparking heartfelt conversations that bridge generations. Her work is rooted in a passion for helping people rediscover connection, courage, and joy in today’s digital world.

Connect with the Host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennegiffen/

https://unravelyou.com/

https://nowyouretalkinggame.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@NowYoureTalkingPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/nowyouretalkinggame/

Do you ever feel like you and your kids are in the same room, but not really together?START TALKING TODAY : 5 Questions to Spark Real Conversations With Your Kids

This episode is a grounded, honest look at what it means to parent with intention in a screen-saturated world. Pilar MacKay-Smith shares how small, everyday choices rooted in communication, creativity, and connection quietly shape our children’s confidence, values, and sense of self.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why screen time isn’t the real issue — and what matters more
• How open conversation builds trust in a digital-first world
• The subtle ways childhood memories shape how we parent today
• How small, intentional decisions quietly change a child’s future
• Teaching kids that purpose and intent matter more than likes
• How creativity helps families stay connected beyond screens

Pilar’s personal breakthrough moment (it’ll give you chills)

The moment that changed how Pilar MacKay-Smith parents in the digital age came when she realized that trying to control screens was costing her connection.

She noticed that the more energy she spent managing devices and setting rules, the less space there was for real conversation. When she shifted her focus from control to curiosity asking questions, listening without fixing, and creating safety instead of surveillance her children opened up. That’s when she saw that trust, intention, and communication shape behaviour far more than screen limits ever could.

It was a small shift in approach but it changed everything.

Featured Guest: Pilar MacKay-Smith

Pilar MacKay-Smith is a soul-led parent, creative, and guide who helps families navigate the digital age with intention, connection, and heart. Her work blends open communication, creativity, and lived experience—supporting parents in raising thoughtful, confident children beyond screens and social pressure.

Follow Pilar: https://www.instagram.com/planetpili

Meet the Host: Adrienne Giffen

Adrienne Giffen is an executive recruiter, author of Unravel You, and creator of the intergenerational board game Now You’re Talking™. Through her podcast, she invites families and friends to trade screens for stories, sparking heartfelt conversations that bridge generations. Her work is rooted in a passion for helping people rediscover connection, courage, and joy in today’s digital world.

Connect with the Host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennegiffen/

https://unravelyou.com/

https://nowyouretalkinggame.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@NowYoureTalkingPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/nowyouretalkinggame/

Do you ever feel like you and your kids are in the same room, but not really together? START TALKING TODAY : 5 Questions to Spark Real Conversations With Your Kids https://nowyouretalkinggame.com/start-talking-today/

Now You're Talking is proud to be on the High Vibe Podcast Network. Check out Adrienne’s Gift in the Vault

This episode is an eye-opening look at how everyday household products affect our health and our kids more than we realize. Theresa Thomas shares her journey through chemical sensitivity and the simple shifts every family can make to create a cleaner, calmer, healthier home.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why “fragrance-free” isn’t a trend it’s a parenting mindset that protects your family’s long-term health.
• The hidden toxins most people miss in laundry products, cleaners, and personal care items and simple, affordable swaps that make a big difference.
• How trusting your intuition about your body and your kids can be more powerful than any label, marketing claim, or professional opinion.

Theresa’s personal breakthrough moment (it’ll give you chills)

Theresa’s breakthrough came when a doctor dismissed her symptoms, but a simple switch to fragrance-free living changed everything. That’s when she understood: trust your body first.

Featured Guest: Theresa Thomas

Theresa Thomas is an environmental health advocate who helps families reduce hidden toxins in their everyday lives. Her work blends lived experience, practical education, and simple, realistic product swaps that support cleaner homes and healthier kids.

Author Speaker Coach Consultant

From Toxic to Green Consulting

Upcoming Book: From Toxic to Green: The New Parenting

Guide to Maximum Family Health

Connect with Theresa:

Contact: theresa@fromtoxictogreen.com

Web-site: https://fromtoxictogreen.com

FB Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/Theresa.Thomas.From.Toxic.to.Green

FB Group - Going Green Together: www.facebook.com/groups/goinggreentogether/

FB Profile: https://www.facebook.com/theresathomas.ca

IG: https://instagram.com/going_green_together

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-thomas-from-toxic-to-green/

Meet the Host: Adrienne Giffen

Adrienne Giffen is an executive recruiter, author of Unravel You, and creator of the intergenerational board game Now You’re Talking™. Through her podcast, she invites families and friends to trade screens for stories, sparking heartfelt conversations that bridge generations. Her work is rooted in a passion for helping people rediscover connection, courage, and joy in today’s digital world.

Connect with the Host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennegiffen/

https://unravelyou.com/

https://nowyouretalkinggame.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@NowYoureTalkingPodcast

his episode is a heartfelt reminder that connection—not perfection—is what protects and strengthens our kids. Susan Caso shares the practical shifts and everyday moments that transform the parent-teen relationship, especially in a digital world full of noise and distraction.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why connection not correction is the true currency of parenting: How everyday micro-moments shape trust, belonging, and lifelong closeness with your teen.
• The hidden ways digital culture is reshaping our family relationships: And how to create boundaries that strengthen not strain the parent-child bond.
• How emotional transparency becomes an invitation not a risk: Why showing your humanity helps your teen open up, soften, and trust you more deeply.
• The subtle shifts that transform “power struggles” into partnership: Moving from the parent role into the mom-dad role that creates safety, influence, and connection.
• Why modelling matters more than anything you say: How your behaviour becomes the blueprint your children follow especially in the teenage years.

Susan shares the moment she realized that connection—not control—was the most transformative force in parenting. It happened during a vulnerable conversation with one of her teens, when she saw firsthand how emotional transparency opened a door that rules, lectures, and perfectly chosen words never could.

Resources Mentioned :

Author- The Parent-Teen Connection: How to Build Lifelong Family Relationships (available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble).

Featured Guest: Susan Caso

Susan Caso is a therapist, author, and heart-led guide who helps parents and teens build lifelong relationships rooted in trust, belonging, and emotional connection. For more than two decades, she has supported families through some of their most tender moments, offering tools, compassion, and clarity in a world shaped by digital influence and constant change. Her work empowers parents to lead with presence rather than perfection, and to nurture the everyday moments that matter most.

Connect with Susan:

Website: https://susancaso.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susan.caso

Meet the Host: Adrienne Giffen

Adrienne Giffen is an executive recruiter, author of Unravel You, and creator of the intergenerational board game Now You’re Talking™. Through her podcast, she invites families and friends to trade screens for stories, sparking heartfelt conversations that bridge generations. Her work is rooted in a passion for helping people rediscover connection, courage, and joy in today’s digital...