This week on Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, your host Dr. Sarah Adams has a fascinating conversation with fellow pediatrician and podcaster, Dr. Mike Patrick. They cover all of the questions parents find themselves asking, like: “Why is it so hard to know who to trust with our kid’s health these days?” or “How do you know when to call 911, versus calling your pediatrician?” and many, many more. Dr. Mike has been promoting health literacy his entire career in pediatric emergency medicine, hosting the podcast Pediacast for twenty years.

Resources:

Nationwide Children's Hospital

Pediacast Podcast

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Check out previous episodes of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah wherever you get podcasts.

We want to hear from our listeners! Email us: growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com

Have questions about today’s episode, or anything else related to the health and wellness of your family? Write us an email or upload a voice memo, to growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com and we’ll try and address your questions or play your questions on an episode.

To record and email a voice memo, use your phone's built-in recorder (like Voice Memos on iPhone or a similar app on Android), tap the record button, speak your message (holding the phone like a call), stop recording, then use the “share” icon to select your email app, fill in details, and send the attached audio file. Alternatively, draft a new email and use the attachment icon to add the saved audio file directly.

About Our Podcast:

Looking for a place to educate yourself and your family on how to live your best lives? Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, where we discuss general health and wellness, parenting, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. As both a pediatrician and a mom, I have unique insight on how to grow healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.

The success of the family starts from the top, by helping parents and caregivers address tough questions and everyday concerns. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, and more –and let’s grow up together!

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IG: @growingupwithdrsarah

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TikTok: @growingupwithdrsarah

This podcast is produced by GTS Media, LLC & Audivita Studios

In this episode of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, pediatrician Dr. Sarah Adams chats with her very own son, athletic trainer at Marshall University, Ben Adams. The mother & son duo discuss everything from staying safe when playing high-impact sports and how to best recover after an injury, to avoiding burnout when young athletes are under more pressure than ever before. Dr. Sarah asks when parents should worry about their kids or teens, and when they can take a breather, or a back seat, trusting they’re in good hands with their kid’s athletic trainer. Ben’s advice goes beyond tips and tricks for physical health, equally considering how emotional wellbeing is necessary for your child, teen, or young adult’s happiness and success.

Resources:

Athletic Training at Marshall University:

https://www.marshall.edu/athletic-training/

Reduce Youth Concussion Risk:

https://news.uoregon.edu/reducing-youth-concussion-risk

Parental Concern About Concussion:

https://www.medstarhealth.org/news-and-publications/news/parents-showing-major-concerns-about-concussions-in-youth-sports-according-to-new-survey#:~:text=More%20than%2090%25%20say%20youth,sports%20without%20written%20medical%20clearance.%22

Youth Sports Specialization:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6616450/2025/09/11/youth-sports-specialization-parents-young-athletes/

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Check out previous episodes of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah wherever you get podcasts.

We want to hear from our listeners! Email us: growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com

Have questions about today’s episode, or anything else related to the health and wellness of your family? Write us an email or upload a voice memo, to growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com and we’ll try and address your questions or play your questions on an episode.

To record and email a voice memo, use your phone's built-in recorder (like Voice Memos on iPhone or a similar app on Android), tap the record button, speak your message (holding the phone like a call), stop recording, then use the “share” icon to select your email app, fill in details, and send the attached audio file. Alternatively, draft a new email and use the attachment icon to add the saved audio file directly.

About Our Podcast:

Looking for a place to educate yourself and your family on how to live your best lives? Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, where we discuss general health and wellness, parenting, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. As both a pediatrician and a mom, I have unique insight on how to grow healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.

The success of the family starts from the top, by helping parents and caregivers address tough questions and everyday concerns. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, and more –and let’s grow up together!

=======================================================

IG: @growingupwithdrsarah

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TikTok: @growingupwithdrsarah

This podcast is produced by GTS Media, LLC & Audivita Studios

Rob Scheer grew up in the foster care system and, like so many youth aging out of care, was handed a black trash bag at eighteen to carry everything he owned. That moment became the foundation for a national movement. Rob is the founder of Comfort Cases, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring dignity to children in any phase of foster care.

On Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, we often talk about how the environments children grow up in shapes their sense of safety, belonging, and self-worth. Today’s guest embodies that conversation in one of the most powerful ways I’ve ever encountered. Thank you to CNN Hero Rob Scheer for joining us. Listen to the full episode to learn about his work, and what you can do to help kids in foster care right now.

#fostercare #mentalhealth #childhood #selfworth #belonging #family #familysupport #support #raisingkids #raisingteens #helpingothers #charity #heroes #cnnheroes #growingupwithdrsarah #parenting #parentingsupport #nonprofit #inspiring #inspiration #ellenguest #tedtalk #tedx #newsworthy

……………………………………………………………..

Relevant Links:

Comfort Cases: https://comfortcases.org/

Rob Scheer on Ellen: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4139078343083210

Rob Scheer on CBS News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILmwmeNHj-o

Rob Scheer’s TEDx Talk: https://comfortcases.org/press/rob-scheers-tedx-talk-life-in-a-trash-bag/

Check out previous episodes of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah wherever you get podcasts.

We want to hear from our listeners! Email us: growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com

Have questions about today’s episode, or anything else related to the health and wellness of your family? Write us an email or upload a voice memo, to growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com and we’ll try and address your questions or play your questions on an episode.

To record and email a voice memo, use your phone's built-in recorder (like Voice Memos on iPhone or a similar app on Android), tap the record button, speak your message (holding the phone like a call), stop recording, then use the “share” icon to select your email app, fill in details, and send the attached audio file. Alternatively, draft a new email and use the attachment icon to add the saved audio file directly.

About Our Podcast:

Looking for a place to educate yourself and your family on how to live your best lives? Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, where we discuss general health and wellness, parenting, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. As both a pediatrician and a mom, I have unique insight on how to grow healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.

The success of the family starts from the top, by helping parents and caregivers address tough questions and everyday concerns. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, and more –and let’s grow up together!

=======================================================

IG: @growingupwithdrsarah

========================================================

TikTok: @growingupwithdrsarah

This podcast is produced by GTS Media, LLC & Audivita Studios

In this episode of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, Dr. Sarah Adams sits down with therapist and divorce coach Karen McNenny to talk about something many families experience but rarely discuss openly: how to have a “good divorce.” Together they explore how parents can move through separation with intention, compassion, and a focus on protecting their children from unnecessary conflict. Karen shares practical insights on shifting the language we use around divorce, avoiding the common trap of putting kids in the middle, and creating thoughtful co-parenting plans that support stability across two homes. They also discuss options like mediation, creative living arrangements during the transition, and why it is never too late to improve a co-parenting relationship. Drawing from her own story and years of coaching families, Karen offers hope that while divorce is painful, it can also become a healthier new chapter for parents and children alike.

How to learn more about Karen McNenny:

https://www.karenmcnenny.com/

- The Good Divorce Show podcast with Karen McNenny

More resources:

- Conscious Uncoupling: 5 Steps to Living Happily Even After by Katherine Woodward Thomas

- Kids in the Middle Kids In The Middle is a non-profit agency that helps families transition to a new way of life before, during, and after separation and divorce for the sake of creating healthier futures for all involved.

Have questions about today’s episode, or anything else related to the health and wellness of your family? Write us an email or upload a voice memo, to growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com and we’ll try and address your questions or play your questions on an episode.

Leave a voice message: To record and email a voice memo, use your phone's built-in recorder (like Voice Memos on iPhone or a similar app on Android), tap the record button, speak your message (holding the phone like a call), stop recording, then use the share icon to select your email app, fill in details, and send the attached audio file. Alternatively, draft a new email in Gmail/Outlook and use the attachment icon to add the saved audio file directly.

Email to: Dr.Sarah@gmail.com

ABOUT Dr. Sarah:

Looking for a place to educate yourself and your family on how to live your best lives? Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, where we discuss general health and wellness, parenting, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. As both a pediatrician and a mom, I have unique insight on how to grow healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.

The success of the family starts from the top, by helping parents and caregivers address tough questions and everyday concerns. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, and more –and let’s grow up together!

Check out previous episodes of “Growing Up with Dr. Sarah” at www.growingupwithdrsarah.com

=======================================================

IG details: @growingupwithdrsarah

========================================================

TikTok details: @growingupwithdrsarah

This podcast is produced by:

GTS Media, LLC

Audivita Studios

Send comments to growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com and we’ll try to address your questions or play your questions on an episode.

In this episode Dr. Sarah Adams sits down with life coach Lauren Nanni to unpack why so many women get stuck in “restart culture” and how to finally build habits that last. Together, they explore the trap of all-or-nothing thinking, perfectionism disguised as discipline, and the myth that motivation has to come first. Through honest conversation about motherhood, marathon training, and messy real-life routines, Lauren shares practical strategies like starting smaller than you think, planning around your current season of life, habit stacking, and creating consistency within inconsistency. With insights from both coaching and pediatric science, this episode offers a sustainable path toward self-trust, emotional steadiness at home, and rhythms that work in real life, not just on Mondays.

Leave a voice message: To record and email a voice memo, use your phone's built-in recorder (like Voice Memos on iPhone or a similar app on Android), tap the record button, speak your message (holding the phone like a call), stop recording, then use the share icon to select your email app, fill in details, and send the attached audio file. Alternatively, draft a new email in Gmail/Outlook and use the attachment icon to add the saved audio file directly.

Email to: Dr.Sarah@gmail.com

ABOUT Dr. Sarah:

Looking for a place to educate yourself and your family on how to live your best lives? Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, where we discuss general health and wellness, parenting, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. As both a pediatrician and a mom, I have unique insight on how to grow healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.

The success of the family starts from the top, by helping parents and caregivers address tough questions and everyday concerns. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, and more –and let’s grow up together!

Check out previous episodes of “Growing Up with Dr. Sarah” at www.growingupwithdrsarah.com

=======================================================

IG details: @growingupwithdrsarah

========================================================

TikTok details: @growingupwithdrsarah

This podcast is produced by:

GTS Media, LLC

Audivita Studios

In this episode of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, pediatrician Dr. Sarah sits down with Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, to explore how one small act of service building a bed for a child sleeping on the floor sparked a nationwide movement addressing child bedlessness. Luke shares how something as simple as a bed can transform a child’s sleep, dignity, school performance, and emotional well-being, while Dr. Sarah highlights the science behind why safe, restorative sleep is foundational for healthy development. Together, they discuss the hidden scope of need in communities across the country and how community service not only changes children’s lives but also restores purpose and joy in the adults who step up to help, reminding us that when we meet children’s most basic needs, we strengthen their sense of safety, possibility, and hope. If you want to volunteer check out: shpbeds.org

Resources:

Sleep in Heavenly Peace: shpbeds.org

Returning the Favor with Mike Rowe a FaceBook original show

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16brchsXZP/

CarePortal - https://www.careportal.org/ connect people who can help with people who need help.

Leave your questions for Dr. Sarah: Write us an email or upload a voice memo, to growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com and we’ll try and address your questions or play your questions on an episode.

Leave a voice message: To record and email a voice memo, use your phone's built-in recorder (like Voice Memos on iPhone or a similar app on Android), tap the record button, speak your message (holding the phone like a call), stop recording, then use the share icon to select your email app, fill in details, and send the attached audio file. Alternatively, draft a new email in Gmail/Outlook and use the attachment icon to add the saved audio file directly.

Email to: Dr.Sarah@gmail.com

ABOUT Dr. Sarah:

Looking for a place to educate yourself and your family on how to live your best lives? Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, where we discuss general health and wellness, parenting, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. As both a pediatrician and a mom, I have unique insight on how to grow healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.

The success of the family starts from the top, by helping parents and caregivers address tough questions and everyday concerns. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, and more –and let’s grow up together!

Check out previous episodes of “Growing Up with Dr. Sarah” at www.growingupwithdrsarah.com

=======================================================

IG details: @growingupwithdrsarah

========================================================

TikTok details: @growingupwithdrsarah

This podcast is produced by:

GTS Media, LLC

Audivita Studios

In this episode of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, we’re joined by Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, a leading pediatric infectious disease specialist, to cut through the confusion surrounding childhood vaccines, especially the hepatitis B vaccine given at birth. Together, they explore why the newborn period is such a critical window for prevention, how hepatitis B can quietly cause lifelong infection when exposure happens early, and why universal newborn vaccination has proven far more effective than risk-based approaches. In this episode the pediatricians share decades of public health lessons, explaining how gaps in prenatal care and fragmented health systems make targeted strategies difficult, and how a simple birth-dose vaccine has prevented chronic disease and cancer for millions.

The conversation also addresses common parent concerns about vaccine safety, immune system “overload,” and mixed messages from policy changes. This episode offers clear, compassionate explanations about how modern vaccines are more precise than ever, why vaccines are designed to prevent the most severe outcomes (not just infection), and how early immunization protects entire communities. Above all, this episode emphasizes trust: trusting the science, trusting long-term data, and trusting the relationship between parents and their child’s doctor. It’s a hopeful, grounded discussion that empowers families to make informed decisions with confidence.

#vaccination #immunization #infectiousdisease #newborns #childhoodvaccineschedule

Have questions about today’s episode, or anything else related to the health and wellness of your family? Write us an email or upload a voice memo, to growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com and we’ll try and address your questions or play your questions on an episode.

Check out previous episodes of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah wherever you get podcasts.

We want to hear from our listeners!

To record and email a voice memo, use your phone's built-in recorder (like Voice Memos on iPhone or a similar app on Android), tap the record button, speak your message (holding the phone like a call), stop recording, then use the “share” icon to select your email app, fill in details, and send the attached audio file. Alternatively, draft a new email and use the attachment icon to add the saved audio file directly.

Email us: growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com

About Our Podcast: Looking for a place to educate yourself and your family on how to live your best lives? Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, where we discuss general health and wellness, parenting, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. As both a pediatrician and a mom, I have unique insight on how to grow healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.

The success of the family starts from the top, by helping parents and caregivers address tough questions and everyday concerns. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, and more –and let’s grow up together!

=======================================================

IG: @growingupwithdrsarah

========================================================

TikTok: @growingupwithdrsarah

This podcast is produced by GTS Media, LLC & Audivita Studios

Trigger Warning: This episode includes conversation about vulnerable children, self-harm, and suicide ideation.

What do you do as a parent who suspects their child may be thinking about self-harm? In this powerful and practical episode of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, host Dr. Sarah Adams tackles one of the hardest but most life-saving conversations a family can have.

This episode focuses on Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM), a free, evidence-based approach that teaches families and professionals how to reduce access to the tools most commonly used in suicide attempts, such as firearms and dangerous medications. Research shows that limiting access to lethal means can literally save lives, while still respecting a child or teen’s rights and autonomy.

Dr. Sarah is joined by Sherry Blair, Youth Suicide Prevention Supervisor, and Dr. Georgette Constantinou, Pediatric Psychologist, who lead this crucial work through CALM. Together, they offer clear guidance for parents and caregivers on how to intervene when a child may be at risk, how to collaborate on safe storage, and how to ask the tough questions that many adults fear but that can save a child’s life.

This episode equips listeners with practical tools, language, and reassurance. Lethal means counseling matters, and asking directly about suicidal thoughts can be an act of love that keeps a child safe.

At its core, this episode reinforces a simple but profound message parents can share with their children: I love you, and your safety is my number one concern.

#mentalhealth #suicideprevention #selfharm #firearmsafety

Relevant links

1. CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) https://www.calmamerica.org/
2. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) afsp.org/get-help/
3. Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide (SPTS) sptsusa.org
4. Suicide Prevention Resource Center: SPRC_Talking_About_LethaL_Means_Resources.pdf
5. Akron Children’s page : Suicide Prevention https://www.akronchildrens.org/pages/Suicide-Prevention.html
6. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) www.apa.org/depression-guideline/patient-health-questionnaire.pdf

Leave a voice message: To record and email a voice memo, use your phone's built-in recorder (like Voice Memos on iPhone or a similar app on Android), tap the record button, speak your message (holding the phone like a call), stop recording, then use the “share” icon to select your email app, fill in details, and send the attached audio file. Alternatively, draft a new email in Gmail/Outlook and use the attachment icon to add the saved audio file directly.

Email to: growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com

ABOUT Dr. Sarah:

Looking for a place to educate yourself and your family on how to live your best lives? Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah, where we discuss general health and wellness, parenting, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. As both a pediatrician and a mom, I have unique insight on how to grow healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.

The success of the family starts from the top, by helping parents and caregivers address tough questions and everyday concerns. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, and more –and let’s grow up together!

Check out previous episodes of “Growing Up with Dr. Sarah” at www.growingupwithdrsarah.com

=======================================================

IG details: @growingupwithdrsarah

========================================================

TikTok details: @growingupwithdrsarah

This podcast is produced by:

GTS Media, LLC

Audivita Studios