The Brain Possible

Jim Sporleder retired in 2014 as Principal of Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA. Under Jim’s leadership, Lincoln High School became a “Trauma-Informed” school, gaining national attention due to a dramatic drop in out of school suspensions, increased graduation rates and the number of students going on to post-secondary education. These dramatic changes at Lincoln caught the attention of Jamie Redford, who spent a year filming the documentary, Paper Tigers, which tells the Lincoln story. The documentary was released at the May 2015 Seattle International Film Festival and received positive reviews. Jim is currently working as a trauma-informed coach/consul...

For more than two decades, Trent McEntire has been helping people gain back their mobility – a story he knows well. Born with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy, Trent experienced pain and stiffness every day from the time he was a child. However, Trent's creative problem-solving abilities kicked in transforming his movement capabilities to participate in his love for sports. What Trent discovered to repair his own body became the foundation for what would be his life’s work. 

 For more than 20 years, Trent has taught his transformational neuro-movement methods and tools to thousands of clients and moveme...

Over the past 15 years, Dr. Jody Carrington has assessed, treated, educated and empowered some of our most vulnerable and precious souls on the planet. She is a child psychologist by trade, but Jody rarely treats kids. The answer lies, she believes, in the people who hold them. Especially when kids have experienced trauma, that’s when they need big people the most. Some of her favourites include educators, parents, first responders, and foster parents. Jody has shifted the way they think and feel about the holy work that they do.

Her first book, Kids These Days: A Ga...

Liza Blas is a speaker, coach, and the host of the Very Happy Stories podcast. She brings hope, empowerment, and validation to parents raising kids with unique challenges. Liza delivers inspiring stories and shares her best practices through her podcast, speaking engagements, and personal transformational coaching. Her stories are inspired by her personal experience navigating the complex conditions of her two children, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, ASD, Tourette’s Syndrome, and Lyme disease.

Cass and Len Arcuri are the hosts of the Autism Parenting Secrets podcast and the founders of Warrior Parent Coaching. Their mission is to empower parents to transform into Warrior Parents who are better equipped to find answers that are right for their unique child. They believe the greatest gift a parent can give their child is their own transformation into a stronger, calmer, more capable, and more loving version of themself. So much more is possible when the parent transforms first! 

Cass understands the body’s innate power to heal and specializes in the healing power of...

Dr. Pejman Katiraei is a board-certified pediatrician who is also boarded and fellowship-trained in integrative and holistic medicine. He completed his undergraduate at UCLA and then obtained his osteopathic medical degree at Western University of Health Sciences. He completed his pediatric residency at Loma Linda University, where he stayed on Pediatric Chief Resident, and then as teaching faculty for over 4 years while he founded the Loma Linda University Wholistic Medicine Clinic. Dr. Katiraei (Dr. K) also completed two fellowships in integrative medicine, one with the University of Arizona. Dr. K's second fellowship was in Endobiogeny, a European systems biology...

Nichole Perkins is the founder and CEO of PrimaFoodie, a modern lifestyle and wellness brand aimed at making nutritious, clean living accessible for everyone. PrimaFoodie publishes inspirational and informative content centered around holistic health, healing foods, accessible low FODMAP and SIBO-friendly recipes, and advocacy for an equitable food system.

A self-described “food warrior,” Nichole started on a journey of healing through food more than seven years ago after struggling with various autoimmune conditions. Frustrated by the lack of answers provided by western medicine, she changed her healing trajectory and took autonomy over her health. Through voracious research, real...

In today's episode, we learn about Help Hope Live from Outreach Manager, Sonny Mullen. Help Love Live is a national, non-profit organization that helps to facilitate fundraising for medical expenses not covered by insurance.  With a personal connection to Help Hope Live’s mission, Sonny uses her experiences to connect with individuals in the disability community with the goal of helping them raise money for their medical care and expenses.

Allie is an occupational therapist specializing in sensory integration. Allie is the founder of Play 2 Progress and the author of Play to Progress: Lead Your Child to Success Using the Power of Sensory Play. She uses the science of child development and the joy of play to boost childrens’ confidence and enhance development within all areas of their life, from social and emotional to physical and academic. Allie believes that the best way to support children is by arming their parents, from inception, with the knowledge and skills necessary to encourage their child’s development for success through childhood and...

Today on The Brain Possible podcast, we have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. James Greenblatt, a pioneer in the field of Integrative Medicine. Dr. Greenblatt has treated patients since 1988. Specifically, Dr. Greenblatt has seen 1000s of children and adults struggling with symptoms of ADHD, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, impulsiveness, and often irritability. Rather than simply prescribing medication for their ADHD symptoms, he tailors remedies to his patients' individual needs, detecting and treating the underlying causes of the condition. In his book Finally Focused, he provides proven natural and medical methods to treat such problems as nutritional deficiencies or excesses, dysbiosis...

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has been working with children, teens, and their families for 20 years. She has been helping children and teens build their coping skills throughout her career in a variety of settings, including schools, mental health clinics and in her private practice. She is the author of several books, including the bestselling Coping Skills for Kids Workbook and the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook.  Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, CNN, Huffington Post, and The Skimm® Newsletter. Janine lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two children. 

Dr. Robert Melillo is one of the world’s most sought after and respected experts in Developmental Functional Neurology, Brain Imbalances, hemispheric integration, and the diagnosis and correction of most neurobehavioral disorders and learning disabilities. He is also a successful businessman and entrepreneur and has developed many successful businesses. In 2006, he created Brain Balance Achievement Centers which has approximately 150 centers and has helped tens of thousands of families. He is a prolific author and brain researcher, he has published one major textbook titled Neurobehavioral Disorders of Childhood an Evolutionary Perspective. He has co-authored approximately 20 chapters in other texts on va...

Charles R. Solis, Jr. and Conceição Solis are the co-founders and directors of the REACH Family Institute, an educational organization specializing in teaching parents how to “parent with the brain in mind”. REACH serves children of all levels of ability from all segments of society. REACH focuses specifically on work with children with special needs and, under REACH's umbrella, BrainFit Kids focuses on work with "well" children.  Charles has degrees in Biology and Human Development and 46 years of experience teaching parents how to dramatically transform their children’s lives through enhanced brain development.  Conceição studied nursing, speech therapy, and...

Charles Barth is a founding member of School of Lunch, Inc, heads up Slow Food Ventura County, a non-profit dedicated to supporting local food systems and artisan producers. He has served on the CDFA/Certified Farmers Market Advisory Committee and operates Wildwood Heritage Provisions, sourcing foods directly from farmers and artisan producers in the SoCal region. He has led citizen science projects in schools utilizing Continuous Glucose Monitors(CGMs), teaching chefs, students, staff, and parents the direct effects of food and lifestyle on blood glucose levels. His mission is to help as many as possible establish deep-rooted, ancestral-based healthy...

As a preschool teacher for 25 years, Carol observed many children with sensory processing differences, ADHD, and mild autism. To help them become more competent in their work and play, she learned to identify their sensory processing challenges and steer them into early intervention.  In her writings and workshops, she explains SPD's effect on children’s learning and behavior, and suggests fun and functional "In-Sync" activities. Her first book in the "Sync" series, "The Out-of-Sync Child," has been translated into 15 languages, including Spanish and Chinese, and has sold one million copies.   Her most recent publication, with Joye Newman, is a cale...

Charlie Hartwell is the Managing Partner of Bridge Builders Collaborative, a group of highly successful investors who have been investing in start-up companies in the space of mental health, consciousness, and spirituality. Some of their investments include Pear Therapeutics, Insight Timer, Headspace, and Happify Health. A Harvard Business School graduate, Charlie has served and led organizations in 14 different industries, including starting a nonprofit in the slums of Kenya in 1986 that has now served health care to several million patients. Maureen Pelton, MSSW, is a social scientist and spiritual teacher with 36 years of professional experience as a Holistic Psychotherapist, Executive...

Rupa Mehta is a teacher, entrepreneur, author, and all-around health advocate. Rupa Mehta is here to talk about the importance of social-emotional learning, but with a bit of a twist. Rupa is the founder of the Nalini Method and NaliniKIDS, unique and revolutionary workout regimens which combine physical and emotional exercises for optimal health. As a fitness instructor, Rupa saw firsthand that encouraging her clients to work through their emotions while working out resulted in strengthening their bodies and minds, and knew that kids could benefit from this approach as much as adults. And now, in response to the...

Laura Sheehan is a former Pedi ICU and Neonatal ICU nurse for 15 years and for 18 years a family Upper Cervical Chiropractor. Her chapter in Pediatric Chiropractic has some interesting case studies of children exhibiting neurological challenges who were helped with the Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic evaluation and adjustment. She loves babies and children of all ages and supports and salutes parents who think outside mainstream media and medicine.

Dr. Laura Graye, founder of Medigraytion, LLC*, is a metaphysician and visionary scientist practicing the art of medical intuition. She has clinical practices in Boston and Nashville and is the creator of Walk the Talk: Shifting Your Consciousness One Step at a Time, 90-minute conscious therapy sessions walking around Boston Harbor (MA) and Radnor Lake (TN). Since she was a child, Laura has had a voracious appetite for exploring consciousness. Today she devotes herself to helping others witness and optimize the remarkable magic of vibrational medicine; the powerful role energy plays in our reality and how we all can...

After doctors made her daughter ill with psychiatric drugs for her bladder infections, Dr. Mary Ann Block went to medical school at the age of 39 to save her. She not only learned what doctors learn but also what they don’t learn. This knowledge helped her think outside the box and save her own mother from metastatic, “terminal” lung cancer. In her medical practice, working with those diagnosed with ADHD and Autism, she invented Clarity Chair, a medical device that helps improve cognitive symptoms such as remembering, focus, behavior, communicating, listening, coordination, self-stimulation and improves the symptoms of Traumatic Brain...

Michelle Perro, MD, is a veteran pediatrician with over thirty-five years of experience in acute and integrative medicine. More than ten years ago, Dr. Perro transformed her clinical practice to include pesticide and health advocacy. She has both directed and worked as attending physician from New York’s Metropolitan Hospital to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Dr. Perro has managed her own business, Down to Earth Pediatrics. 

Christine Muldoon is a former educator turned Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and mom of 3. Using ancestral nutrition and conscious parenting, Christine specializes in educating and supporting families in perinatal and childhood nutrition. She is the founder and creator of Nourish the Littles, an online community that offers parents education with an online course and one-on-one consultations related to nutrition and feeding families nourishing foods. She believes nourishing the body goes beyond just food.

Kathleen is a mother to three boys. When her children were struck by autoimmune issues she became aware of the dangers that exposures to toxic chemicals pose in our children’s environment. For many years, Kathleen has been doing her part to encourage communities to eliminate children’s exposure to toxic pesticides on school grounds and in parks. With the help of scientists and medical professionals, she led the movement in Irvine, CA by starting with the schools, and then working with a group to approach the city. Kathleen is a founding member of Non Toxic Communities, an Accredited Orga...

Dr. Mara is an educational psychologist turned root cause medicine practitioner. Dr. Mara specializes in prevention of chronic illness and neurodevelopmental disorders with pre-conception nutrition, as well as healing neurodevelopmental disorders and other chronic illnesses, and stealth infections such as Lyme, Mold, and Heavy Metal Toxicity.

Speech-language pathologist Kelly Vess is the author of "Speech Sound Disorders: Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment" with Thieme Publishers. Kelly has spent 18 years as both a therapist and researcher "at the drawing board" in an ongoing quest to create best practices for preschoolers.  

Her research and experience show that maximally effective practice is possible, even in the face of today's real world in-person and virtual constraints. Kelly also serves as an off campus clinical instructor for local universities. Along with these graduate students, she is always researching best practices.

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Speech S...

Kerry Magro is an award winning national speaker and best-selling author. Kerry has become a rolemodel in the disabled community. Non-verbal at 2.5 and diagnosed with autism at 4, Kerry has overcame countless obstacles to get to where he is today.In May of 2019, Kerry received his doctorate in Educational Technology Leadership from New Jersey City University to become Dr. Kerry Magro. He currently is CEO and Founder of KFM Making a Difference, a non-profit corporation focused on disability advocacy and housing.

Randy Gomm has a history of being an adrenaline junkie--a story we hear in this podcast. But his greatest obstacle was not faced on any mountside, in any rapids, or in any firefight. He experienced pain so significant that he had to leave work, eventually being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It turned out, though, that he was high in both toxins and heavy metals.

He used an infrared sauna as part of his recovery and became so passionate about how it helped his healing that he created a company, Radiant Health, to share the technology with therapists, doctors...

Katie Jackson--mama warrior and functional nutritionist--on her journey with her daughter and her calling to whole food nutrition

Katie Jackson is a nutritional therapy consultant, restorative wellness practitioner, certified personal trainer, and functional nutritionist from Wisconsin. We’re excited to speak with Katie because she has a special story and mission--one that is steeped in her passion for empowering parents with that sought-after combination of knowledge and hope. 

Besides the titles we mentioned earlier, perhaps the greatest doesn’t come with fancy credentials: Katie is the mother of four teenagers, one of whom suffered a brain...

Dr. Natasha Beck MPH, Psy.D is a parenting expert and founder of Dr. Organic Mommy, an online resource focused on pregnancy, parenting, and non-toxic living. We are fascinated by her journey and inspired by what she shares with her followers and community. Dr. Beck has a wealth of knowledge on parenting and healthy living, and our focus today will be where those two collide the most: in the kitchen.

Is it possible to get your kids to care about healthy food? How? Why is that so important in the first place? Can you engage your kids...

Yafa Crane Luria, an ADHD pioneer since 1984, has dedicated her life to helping those with ADHD and their families. As a person with ADHD herself, she coaches parents that there is nothing wrong with their children or their parenting. At The Brain Possible, we strongly resonate with this message.

Yafa is the author of "How To Train Your Parents in 6 ½ Days" and the Amazon Kindle Best Seller: "Getting Schooled: 102 Practical Tips for Parents, Teachers, Counselors, and Students about Living and Learning with ADHD." Her most recent book is "Six-Word Lessons for Parenting Your Child with ADHD: 100 Lessons t...

On this episode of The Brain Possible Podcast, we had the opportunity to speak with Sameer Bhide, author of the new book One Fine Day: Overcoming Adversity and Embracing the New Normal with Grace and Gratitude. In it, Sameer shares his remarkable journey of how he survived a rare, massive hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 47, what therapies and treatments he pursued to help him heal, and the mindsets he kept/lessons he learned along the way.

We are grateful Sameer is here today to share his story with us--and you. Enjoy.

On today’s episode of The Brain Possible Podcast, we had the opportunity to speak with Professor Claudia Gray, a pediatrician based in Cape Town, South Africa with a subspecialty in allergology. Professor Gray is currently working in the UK as an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Cape Town as well as a specialist in her own practice, the Kidsallergy Centre. In her work, she examines all aspects of pediatric food allergies and has a keen interest in the particular correlation between food allergy and eczema. 

We know food is so important, and we kno...

Navigating social situations without anxiety or emotional overload can be a challenge for even neurotypical kids and their parents. Throw in some of the challenges exceptional kids face, especially around regulating emotions and connecting interpersonally, and the stakes get higher. A seemingly small outing can feel anything but small.

In this podcast, we have the opportunity to chat with an expert in this field: Elizabeth Sautter, author of Make Social and Emotional Learning Stick: Practical Strategies to Help your Child Manage Emotions, Navigate Social Situations and Reduce Anxiety. Elizabeth is also a mom, a speech therapist, and...

When we say it is our honor to speak with Matthew and Carol Newell, it truly is. Those of you who know our story know that we took our son Carter to The Family Hope Center--founded by the Newell’s--to receive therapies. We believe in what they do, and we are excited they are sharing it on a wider scale in their new book, Healing Your Child’s Brain. 

In this podcast, we’ll unpack a little of the wisdom the book holds. How can you create an empowering context for your child’s life? How do you evalu...

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Heather Boorman, the founding director of Boorman Counseling in Western Wisconsin. Heather is the author of The Gifted Kids Workbook and a blogger/podcaster at The Fringy Bit, where she shares her journey of homeschooling her three kids with twice exceptionality, or 2e. In this conversation, we’ll learn more about what 2e means, why Heather has dedicated her life to this work, and what it means to her family and perhaps even yours.

At The Brain Possible, we are dedicated to exploring all the paths to healing--and what that healing looks like. As we continue our journey, we’re delighted to speak with Jodi Cohen. Jodi is the author of Essential Oils to Boost the Brain and Heal the Body: 5 Steps to Calm Anxiety, Sleep Better and Reduce Inflammation to Regain Control of Your Health. She is also the founder of Vibrant Blue Oils, where she has helped over 50,000 clients heal from brain-related challenges, including anxiety, insomnia, and autoimmunity. On this podcast, she’ll share her wisdom with us on how essential oils...

If you’ve listened to our podcast in the past, you know we’re always especially delighted to speak with parents of exceptional children who are also experts dedicated to helping other families. We’re excited to bring you that powerful combination again as we speak with Margaret Webb.

Margaret is a certified Master Life Coach, parenting coach, former teacher, wife, and mother to a 17 year old son who is autistic. She’s been sharing the strategies that have worked for her family for twelve years in her course “Parenting the Child You Didn’t Expect While You Were Exp...

On this episode of The Brain Possible Podcast, we had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Melnia Roberts--author, naturopathic doctor, and one of the top biological medicine practitioners in North America. She specializes in treating digestive issues, chronic conditions, and cancer . . . but that’s not all. She’s also a huge proponent of healing the gut, balancing hormones, detoxifying the body, and building healthy children--topics we all care deeply about here at The Brain Possible. In this conversation, we learn what we can do to optimize our brain health and physical health.

On this episode of The Brain Possible podcast, we’re delighted to speak today with Dr. Rudrani Banik, a healthcare entrepreneur, functional medicine doctor, and founder of Envision Healthy NYC. Dr. Banik is an expert in all things eyes, combining principles of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine to treat and manage conditions ranging from dry eye all the way to macular degeneration and even multiple sclerosis. Here, we learn about her unique approach, including how to optimize nutrition for eye health and what we need to know about digital blue light exposure--something that’s especially important as we’re all be...

We started The Brain Possible Podcast last year and have worked hard to bring the voices of this community--practitioners, parents, therapists, nutritional experts . . . and even, in one case, musicians--together to share their insights. This year, we plan to do more of the same. We’re delighted to speak today with Dr. Eric Zielinski, the author of The Healing Power of Essential Oils and The Essential Oils Apothecary. You may have also seen him online at NaturalLivingFamily.com, a site he started in 2014. Dr. Z is an expert in all things essential oils--how they fit into the natural health approach, ho...