EP - 185 4 Tips To Elevate Your Relationships Today
Release Date: 06/08/2024
EP - 209 The Sweet Journey of Ricky Dickson
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Cool Grandpa Ricky Dickson is joining me to discuss his experience as the CEO of Blue Bell Ice Cream and being a father and a very cool grandpa. Recently, Ricky published his book One Scoop At A Time, which is an excellent book about his time at Blue Bell, from writing a marketing paper for a school project to becoming CEO and guiding Blue Bell through one of its most challenging experiences. Ricky's book combines lessons of leadership, faith, and fun. We talk about how Ricky wrote this book to help tell his story and the story of Blue Bell and, maybe more importantly, as a legacy for his...
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EP - 208 Daddying: More Than Just Fatherhood
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Allan Shelin from DADvocacy Consulting Group (DCG) joins this week's conversation. We get to know Allan and his experience as both a father and grandfather. Allan also shares his work as a principal at an elementary school in New York City and as an advocate for education and now for Daddys everywhere. We discuss his philosophy on education, the creation of the National Elementary School Center, and the concept of 'daddy' as a nurturing process. We also discuss Allan's challenges in publishing his book on fatherhood. We talk about how great films can impact fostering father-child...
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EP - 207 Documenting Our Veteran's Stories
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Bob Abate is on a mission to listen to and capture the stories of WW II veterans from New York City and the surrounding area. We discuss Bob's memories of being a small boy when World War II ended and the celebrations that were going on around him that he didn't understand at the time but grew to appreciate as he grew older. Bob and I also talk about his early years going through the Naval Academy and his academic career after leaving the Navy. Bob started his passion for collecting veteran stories when he noticed that one individual who had been a heck of an athlete before going to Vietnam...
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EP - 206 Grandparenting Wisdom: Tips for Connection
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
This week's episode is our monthly one-on-one conversation. For our discussion, I have chosen to share a few questions and topics I recently had from grandparents. The first question concerns spoiling the grandchildren. Our second topic is the importance of knowing basic first aid and CPR, primarily pediatric CPR. The third topic is creating an enjoyable connection with the grandchildren as a Long-Distance Grandparent during Thanksgiving and the Holidays when you can not be there in person. I also share my thoughts about how we, as grandfathers, can help our grandchildren connect with the...
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EP - 205 Breaking Generational Cycles
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Doug Morneau joins us for an engaging conversation. Doug shares his experiences and insights as a grandfather, discussing the importance of family relationships, the impact of technology, and the value of spending quality time with grandchildren. He reflects on his upbringing, the lessons learned, and how he aims to create a nurturing environment for his grandkids. Doug emphasizes the significance of community support and the role of faith in family life and offers practical advice for new grandfathers. Once you have listened to this conversation, be sure to share it with a friend who would...
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EP - 204 Cars and Grandpas
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Michael Platt from Platt Motors sits down with us to share the remarkable story of his grandfather and the car business he started. You will enjoy hearing how Michael's grandfather started one of the earliest used car dealerships in New Jersey. Michael shares his earliest memories of going to auctions and seeing his father and grandfather work as direct-to-consumer sales and wholesale brokers. Michael and I talk about the nostalgic pull that cars can have with grandchildren remembering their grandparent's vehicles and how that nostalgia can contribute to people buying cars that remind them...
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EP - 203 Being an Engaged Grandpa
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Andre Renna shares his experience as a grandfather with us. We learn about Andre's reaction to learning that he would become a grandpa for the first time and how he was very excited to meet his grandchildren. I ask Andre about being a grandfather in the same community as his children and grandchildren. Andre shares with us how being close to his grandchildren is a blessing, but at times, it can also be difficult. We learn about Andre's background growing up in Brooklyn, NY, with his extended family very close by and having that shared experience of living and growing up next to his...
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EP - 202 How We Can Support Moms
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
This is our second panel or round table discussion on The Cool Grandpa Podcast. I like to call these activities Cracker Barrels. I think I like that term because it is what we used in Scouts and because it is a fun nostalgic term for people getting together informally and sharing important and sometimes not-so-important information. We have four wonderful guests joining me to give their thoughts on how fathers and fathers-in-law can support moms. After all, the old adage that if mom isn't happy, no one is happy is more true than we might like to admit. This event's participants are Dr....
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EP - 201 Good Seer, Good Sayer
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Neil Taft joins our conversation this week to talk about being a Caring Grandparent. Specifically, we learn how Neil, a great-grandfather, is leading the charge to help all grandparents build and maintain incredible relationships with their grandchildren. Neil's mission is to enhance Grandparents' bonds with their Grandchildren by building solid and meaningful connections. Neil believes that stories and shared experiences can strengthen the grandparent/ grandchild bond. You are going to love how Neil has worked hard to develop and maintain his relationships with his children,...
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EP - 200 Four Years of Fun and Learning
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
In this episode, I am taking a victory lap with my good buddy, Steve Ownes, from the Fascination Street Podcast. In this fun conversation, Steve interviews me on my podcast. We discussed my motivations for starting this podcast and why I have kept this project going for over four years. Steve also talks to me about my children's book and where the heck the follow-up books are. We have a blast discussing the journies we have both been on, and we include some fascinating accounts of folks we have interviewed. I hope you enjoy this conversation. Please like and subscribe to the podcast if...
info_outlineThis week, we have another chance to have a one-on-one conversation. In this week's episode, I share four tips you can implement immediately to enhance your relationship with your grandchildren.
Our first tip is to help our grandchildren learn to give and receive compliments. Remember that when complimenting our grandchildren and people generally, we want to be timely and specific. Too often, we can fall into the trap of discounting or dismissing compliments for different reasons. A great way to help our grandchildren learn to be both polite and generous with their praise is to model how to give and receive compliments.
Tip two is to write down or document important information about your grandchildren. We all want to keep birthdays and other information about our grandchildren straight, but it can become challenging to keep this in our minds, especially when we end up with multiple grandchildren. Writing down information in a notepad or an electronic document is a great way to help keep track of what is first and foremost in our grandchildren's lives. It is also fun to track how their tastes and preferences change.
Our third tip is to become a fantastic listener. We all desire to be heard and listened to. It is one way that we feel we matter to people close to us. Being an active listener vs. an active fixer might be a tough challenge for cool grandpas. After all, we all desire to jump in and correct what might be an obstacle to our grandchildren's desires. This notion of fixing everything needs to take second place to truly listen to our grandchildren's hopes, dreams, and even their pain.
This episode's fourth and final tip is to express love in and around the grandchildren. Remember that they are always watching how you interact with your spouse, your adult children, and your child's spouse or partner. How you touch, talk, and interact with close family members is how the grandchild will associate love. A great way to express love is to talk about how much you love members of your family AND your love towards your friends and others outside your family. This explicit and implicit conversation will help to demonstrate what you and your family consider love for family and friends.
If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, share, and subscribe to this podcast. If you would like to work with me on increasing your influence and relationship as a grandparent, don't hesitate to contact me. Let's talk about whether my current coaching program might fit you.
Links
To sign up for Grandparents Academy's Grandparents Week, you can use this link: https://training.grandparentsacademy.com/a/2147832178/ikxv5HFd.
If you would like to watch this episode, you can check it out on YouTube by clicking this link: https://youtu.be/0HPhJUCG8Mg