Sometimes the best thing we can do for our kids is not rush in to help. Magalie Del Angel joins Ginny Yurich to share what she’s seeing firsthand at TimberNook Kauai, where kids climb trees, get covered in mud, work through disagreements, make friends, take risks, and discover just how capable they really are. Magalie shares the unforgettable story of a little girl who kept calling for help from a tree until she figured out how to get down by herself and a boy who spent days on the edges of play before finding his way into the group. We talk about why adults often step in too soon, what children learn when we give them time to struggle, and how outdoor play creates so many opportunities for confidence, resilience, problem-solving, and independence that are increasingly hard to find in childhood. Magalie also shares how she discovered TimberNook through the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast and turned that inspiration into a thriving program for families on Kauai. This one is such a good reminder: our kids are capable of far more than we realize.

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What is glyphosate—and how might one of the world’s most widely used herbicides be affecting our health and the environment?

Ginny sits down with MIT senior research scientist Dr. Stephanie Seneff, author of Toxic Legacy: How the Weedkiller Glyphosate Is Destroying Our Health and the Environment, for a wide-ranging conversation about her research into glyphosate and its potential effects. Dr. Seneff explains why she became interested in the chemical, its relationship to the gut microbiome, and her theories connecting glyphosate exposure with a range of chronic health concerns.

They also explore glyphosate’s potential environmental impact, including concerns surrounding soil health, pollinators, monarch butterflies, amphibians, and the broader food web. Dr. Seneff discusses the use of glyphosate on crops, including its use as a pre-harvest desiccant, and shares practical ways families can think more carefully about food and chemical exposure.

The conversation closes with a hopeful reminder of the value of sunlight, time in nature, walking, and reconnecting with the outdoors.

Get Stephanie's book here!

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Kids are struggling in numbers we’ve never seen before, and Dr. Robert Melillo believes we’re missing a crucial piece of the story. In one of the most fascinating conversations I’ve had, we talk about what’s happening inside the developing brain, why movement and sensory experiences matter so much, the surprising importance of primitive reflexes, what crawling and other early milestones have to do with later development, and why screens may interfere with processes the brain desperately needs. Dr. Melillo has spent more than 30 years studying children with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, learning challenges, and developmental delays, and his work offers parents something deeply needed: hope. I took 15 pages of notes on his book Disconnected Kids before this interview, and I truly believe this is information every parent and educator should know. Learn more about Dr. Melillo at DrRobertMelillo.com and pick up a copy of Disconnected Kids

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Somewhere along the way, getting into the “right” college became proof that childhood had gone well. Ana Homayoun, author of Getting In Is Not Enough, joins Ginny Yurich to challenge that faulty finish line and look at what actually prepares kids for a good life. They talk about adaptability, focus, friendship, executive functioning, perfectionism, energy, free time, and why kids need room to build their own blueprint instead of spending childhood checking all the right boxes. This conversation is a reminder that our kids need more than an impressive college résumé. They need the skills and confidence to find their way in a world that keeps changing.

Learn more about Ana Homayoun: https://anahomayoun.com

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MIT professor and bestselling author Sherry Turkle has spent more than four decades studying our relationship with technology. Now she says we’ve entered a fundamentally new era: one where artificial intelligence isn’t just helping us think—it’s asking us to form relationships with it. In this conversation, Sherry joins Ginny to discuss her new book, Artificial Intimacy, and why AI companions, chatbots, and even AI-powered toys pose unique risks for children.

They explore how outsourcing reading, writing, conversation, and emotional connection can “de-skill” young people, why solitude and boredom are essential for developing empathy, and what happens when friction-free relationships with machines begin replacing messy human ones.

Sherry also explores AI friendship, grief technology, privacy, and why parents still have the power to push back. A timely conversation about protecting childhood, human connection, and the experiences that help us become fully human.

Get Sherry's book here!

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In this uplifting conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with bestselling author and artist Ruth Chou Simons to explore the ideas behind her new book, This Moment Matters: 100 Ways to Cultivate a Grace-Laced Life. Drawing from nearly two decades of motherhood, creativity, faith, and family life, Ruth shares practical ways to embrace limitations, simplify everyday routines, cultivate delight, create a welcoming home, and invest intentionally in the people who matter most.

They discuss everything from protecting unscheduled family time and putting phones away at the table to hospitality, creativity, exercise, and finding beauty in ordinary moments. Ruth also shares how small, consistent choices can help us stop chasing more and become more present to the life already in front of us. It’s an encouraging conversation about grace, intentionality, and remembering that the seemingly ordinary moments of our lives truly matter.

Get Ruth's book here!

** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them out below: 

• My Green Mattress: Visit www.mygreenmattress.com  and save 15% on your order during their Labor Day Sale. Plus, use code 1000hours for an additional $10 off your cart total when you purchase any mattress.

• BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month.

• Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns

• IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership

• Whisker - Take care of your cats while taking an additional $50 off bundles with code 1000HOURS when you shop www.whisker.com/1000HOURS 

• Looking for guided adventures that will blow you away with their attention to detail? Head to www.exploreworldwide.com and tell them 1KHO sent you!

• Muzzle Sleep Tape - Go to MuzzleSleep.com and use code 1000HOURS for 10% off. 

• Zenni Optical- Go to www.zenni.com/podcast  and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order, plus free shipping on all U.S. orders over $65.

• Active Skin Repair - Don’t forget to put this in your first aid kit! Visit ActiveSkinRepair.com and use the code 1000HOURS to save 20% on all Active Skin Repair products.

• Boll & Branch - Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/1000hours  with code 1000hours

• Ka’Chava - Go to https://kachava.com and use code 1000HOURS for 15% off your first order.

• Hey Polo - Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to heypolo.com/1000hours or use code 1000HOURS and get 70% off your first year!

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Four forgotten hunting rounds turned a five-day vacation into a 70-day fight to get home. Ryan Watson traveled to Turks and Caicos with his wife and friends expecting a few restful days away.They had those but as they were headed home Ryan and his wife found themselves facing a possible 12-year prison sentence after ammunition Ryan didn’t know was buried in the lining of his luggage was discovered at the airport. Ryan joins Ginny Yurich to tell the unbelievable story behind Turks and Chaos. This episode includes everything from the jail cell to the fear of missing his children’s entire childhood to he strangers who risked their own possessions to help him, and to the faith that carried his family through 70 days of uncertainty. It’s a story about how quickly an ordinary life can change and how a nightmare can strip away everything that doesn’t really matter and teach you about what does.

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No one actually knows how many people are missing in America’s wilderness. In this gripping conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with professor, journalist and The Cold Vanish author Jon Billman to explore what he calls the nation’s “silent mass disaster.” The silent mass disaster is about the people who vanish in national parks, forests, mountains, and other wild places. They talk about those who went missing and the families and searchers who refuse to stop looking. They discuss baffling disappearances, a father who gave up everything to search for his son, the astonishing abilities of search dogs, and what all parents should know before heading into the backcountry with their families. But this isn’t a conversation meant to make us afraid of wild places. It’s about respecting how vast they still are, being prepared when we enter them, and remembering the people who keep searching when everyone else has gone home. As Jon says, “It’s a good thing to find missing people.”'

Grab your copy of The Cold Vanish !

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Popularity matters across our entire lifespan but it’s only a certain kind of popularity matters. Today, you get to learn what kind of popularity that is! Dr. Mitch Prinstein has spent decades studying what makes people liked, accepted, influential and connected, and his research also includes why popularity matters. Ginny talks with Mitch about the crucial difference between status and likability. You’ll learn why the “cool kids” of childhood don’t necessarily fare better later in life and why being more likable to can affect your health, relationships, and career. They also explore what happens in the adolescent brain that makes approval feel so important, raising likable kids, and the hundreds of small opportunities we have every day to become more likable.

Mitch is the author of Popular and Likeability and host of That Popular Podcast.

Learn more about Dr. Mitch Prinstein and all he has to offer here

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Let's talk about the energy you bring into a room! It changes more than you think and Jon Gordon is here to let us know that we can actually learn to change it. The bestselling author of The Energy Bus (and 31 other books!) has arrived to talk about optimism, dealing with adversity, and just how far out your energy permeates. Jon shares his own remarkable shift from a negative, stressed-out young dad whose marriage was falling apart to someone who has spent the last two decades teaching millions of people a different way to approach life. You're going to learn about raising resilient kids and becoming your own greatest encourager. Jon shares simple habits that can change the atmosphere of an entire family. Even when you can’t control what’s happening around you, you still have tremendous influence over what you bring to it.

Learn more about Jon, his books, and his free resources at JonGordon.com,.

Get your copy of The Energy Bus (over 12,000 reviews on Amazon), The Energy Bus for Kids (this one includes dealing with bullies), and The Power of Positive Habits.

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Some families produce not just one high-achieving child, but several and Susan Dominus spent years trying to understand why. In this episode, Susan joins Ginny Yurich for a deep dive on the families she studied for The Family Dynamic. They explore topics like the surprising influence siblings have on lifelong success, why letting kids struggle can actually help them thrive, the role of screens and environment, and the shadow side of extraordinary achievement. They discuss historical families like the Brontës to current families who have raised world-class athletes, musicians, and entrepreneurs. They even discuss Susan’s own family!

Grab a copy of The Family Dynamic here .

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