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Episodes
The Power of Mixed-Play to Learn Leadership
Did you know that your child’s leadership skills could be stuck in a bubble? We tend to organize kids’ activities by age—classrooms, sports teams, even playdates. But here’s the problem: same-age groups limit...
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The Young Leader's Secret Skill (How to Lead Up)
Did you know that the best leaders don’t just take orders—they contribute, even when they’re not in charge? Most kids wait their turn to lead, thinking influence comes with a title. But the real secret? Leading Up—the...
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I Saw a Suicide
I begin this episode with a brief summary of a traumatic experience I had a few years ago. The story sets up the theme for parents, preparing their child to lead in a crisis. Imagine your child is at school when a...
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The Power of Play in Young Leader Development
Since February, 2024, our youngest son has been the personal strength and conditioning trainer for none other than LA Dodger, Mookie Betts. If you follow baseball, you know that name. But even the biggest MLB stars...
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Conflict Can Make or Break a Leader—Here’s How to Teach It
This podcast is Chapter 32 in the author's book, My Kid Leads! Most parents try to avoid conflict—but great leaders know how to manage it. Not all conflict is created equal. Some disagreements spark innovation and...
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The #1 Skill Every Young Leader Needs (And How to Teach It)
Every child needs the ability to speak clearly, connect with others, and influence through words—but this skill isn’t often taught. If you want to give your child a huge head start, our latest KidLead Academy Podcast...
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5 Hidden Ways Parents Block Their Child’s Leadership Growth
In this episode, Dr. Alan E Nelson reads chapter 9 from his book, My Kid Leads! He shares five of the more common ways that well-intentioned parents end up shutting down their child's leadership development. By...
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The Leadership Edge: Why Every Child Needs It (Even If They’ll Never Be a CEO)
This podcast represents chapter 7 in Dr. Nelson's book, My Kid Leads! Despite his years of work on identifying leadership talent among the very young (ages 3-15), he believes that every parent should teach their...
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Leadership in Sneakers: Why unstructured play matters
In this session, Dr. Alan E. Nelson provides key insights into the importance of providing unstructured, unsupervised play for kids with friends and neighbors. The reason is that children learn an array of social...
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Developing Your Child's Socio-Emotional Intelligence
In this episode, Dr. Nelson provides practical ideas for parents to develop their child's socio-emotional intelligence (SEI) in the context of leadership training. One of the best ways to increase SEI is through...
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Raising Brave Kids
Leaders must be brave and exude confidence because this influences others. Yet, many kids today suffer from timidity, anxiety, shyness, low self-esteem and fear. In this session, Dr. Nelson addresses practical ideas...
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From Pessimism to Possibilities: Teaching kids to lead with hope
In this episode, Dr. Nelson provides practical and motivational ideas for parents to help their children become optimistic, to see the positive in situations. This is a wonderful lesson for all kids, but it's a must...
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