Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Mom and dad.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us their inspiring stories, learn about products that
could make both you and your child's life easier and
more fun. And of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh
about what's happening in their child's world. Motherhood is a journey.
Thanks for joining me onmine. Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm
Michelle Jerson. So this summer, as we plan our vacations,
(00:34):
what about a vacation that not only entertains but educates also.
The Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri
has been voted America's best aquarium overall six times, and
for good reason. I'm very happy to have on the
show with me today, Michael Daniel. He is the director
of Animal Care at the Johnny Morris Foundation Conservation Attractions.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Thank you so much for joining me.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Michael, so tell us about Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Wonders of Wildlife is a three hundred and fifty thousand
square foot facility that is part natural history museum and
part aquarium, and we explore with our guests everything from
the major national parks down through the swamp lands of
the southeast and the Amazon Rainforest to learn about animals
(01:24):
and habitats that cover the entire.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Spectrum I hear.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
The guests can get up close and personal through several
immersive experiences.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
What are they sure?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
So we have some wonderful touch exhibits where folks get
to touch a stingray or to maybe see what a
sea urchin feels like. But if you want to go deeper,
if you want to dive in, you can join us
in one of our sharp dives and are out to
see exhibit where you are a special dive helmet that
(01:56):
you stay dry from about the middle of your neck
to the top of your head. But you go down
about eight feet underwater with some of the dive team
and you see sand tiger sharks that swim by, giant
goliath groupers that weigh four hundred pounds swimming up to
investigate you while you're learning about them.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Tell us about wonders of Wildlife's conservation efforts, including the
recent release of sea turtles that your team rescued and rehabilitated.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Conservation is our main mission here at Wonders Wildlife. We
want to inspire the future generations of conservationists and that's
through our exhibits, our messaging, and our education components. But
sometimes we get the chance as a team to also
directly help a given animal out. And over the last
(02:46):
five years, Wonders of Wildlife has been able to rehabilitate
and successfully release more than sixty sea turtles, and this
past year we had nineteen sea turtles that were impacted
by this past year's cold stun event. And cold stunting
is when powerful winter storms come in off the ocean
(03:10):
and crash into the coastline and temperatures of both air
and water fall rapidly. When turtles are in shallow near
shore areas and that happens, they begin to have problems.
They are cold blooded their marine reptiles, so that cold
water starts to kind of shut them down. They get pneumonia,
and without help from folks like our teams at Winners
(03:32):
of Wildlife, they'll die. So we brought these nineteen turtles
to Springfield right and we spent the next several months
rehabilitating them. And we were so pleased and privileged to
be able to do that and then release them back
into the ocean just here recently, and it's a wonderful experience.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
So how can we everyday people play a role in conservation?
Speaker 4 (03:57):
You know?
Speaker 3 (03:58):
I think the first step is to find your inspiration.
Come visit a facility like Wonders of Wildlife or another
amazing animal care facility, or go take a hike and
start learning about the things around you. But get curious.
And once you find those items that inspire you, that
spark your curiosity about some sort of animal, that should
(04:21):
balloon out into how do we protect the environment that
animals in? And we then can look at our little
daily task. Do we turn the water off while we're
brushing our teeth instead of leaving it running? Are we
recycling products? Are we being smart about the products we
consume that are better or not for the environment? And
(04:42):
all of us looking at those little steps and finding
your curiosity and your inspiration will lead to a really
big impact on our wildlife and our wild places.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Michael Daniel, thank you so much for joining me today
on Passport Mommy. Is that time of year to dust
off those barbecues? And aren't the grilling And so I
am so happy to have with me today Erica Roby.
She's one of the country's leading female pit master. She
is an award winning artist in the field of barbecue.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Thank you so much for joining me today, Thank you
for having me. I'm happy to be.
Speaker 5 (05:15):
Here with you.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Thank you my pleasure. So let's talk about barbecue.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
What are the differences between popular barbecue styles across the
US and what's your favorite?
Speaker 6 (05:24):
So I live in Texas, so you know Texas barbecue's
my favorite. Salt and pepper. Let the meat show and
talk for itself. But on this recent barbecue tour across
the country, we started in the Carolinas and having a
brisket that's actually cooked over hickory wood.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
That was mind blowing.
Speaker 6 (05:41):
And then the vinegar and the mustard sauces that were
used throughout the cooking process and you know, served on
the side later. It really added a level of complexity
that I hadn't experienced on beef before. Then we drove
on up to Kansas City and you know, you got
your tomato, your brown sugar, your little notes of pepper
(06:02):
in the barbecue sauce, those sticky sweet beautiful beef burnt
ins at people Crave. I loved the sweetness and how
it played with the brisket. And they also slice their
brisket very very thin, which is a throwback to.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You know, their railroad days. Then we headed on.
Speaker 6 (06:18):
Out to California, the Central Coast and that's where Santa
Maria Barbecue is.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Saw that it was.
Speaker 6 (06:24):
Salt and pepper and garlic, so I'm thinking Texas.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So I'm like, Okay, I like this.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
But then they're basting their meat, their try tips, their ribbis,
their New York Strip steaks. They're basing it with a
red wine vinegar and olive oil or butter or even
beef tallow with crushed herbs in there sometimes and they're
smoking all of their.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Beef over red oak and red oak smoke and beef.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
It was the most epic combination that I had on
my barbecue journey.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
It is absolutely delicious. Well that sounds phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
As you're talking, I'm like, I need to hit the
road this sum to have a barbecue road trip because
that sounds amazing. So what are you currently grilling? What
are you working on?
Speaker 6 (07:09):
So right now I'm working on my latest recipe, which
I call meat me in Kansas City, and it is
a pastrami smoked brisket flat. So I'm using pickling spices
as my rub for the brisket flat, and then I'm
also doing my epic Carolina flat stack, which is sliced
brisket smoked over hickory, piled high with a vinegar tangy coleslaw,
(07:34):
and then topped with a mustard barbecue sauce over a
toasted brioche. Then heading over, I have my New York
strip that I cooked Santa Maria style using my salt, pepper, garlic.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
I added a little bit.
Speaker 6 (07:47):
Of a Kreole salt to it just to put my
own flare in there, but then cooking that over red
oak and basting it throughout the cooking process.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Why is brisket so popular right now? And how can
we prepare it at home? Because when I think of brisket,
I think, oh, that's probably gonna be really complicated, you.
Speaker 6 (08:04):
Know, And I say that that is the biggest swindle
in barbecue history. Brisket is actually one of the most
simplest meats to actually cook, because, first of all, brisket
is king.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
If you know how to do a brisket.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
You get instant street cred and respect from everybody on
the block.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Right.
Speaker 6 (08:21):
But here's the secret. You're gonna take your brisket. You're
gonna coat it in salt and pepper. You're gonna get
your smoker.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Set at two twenty five.
Speaker 6 (08:31):
You're gonna put it on there, and then guess what,
You're gonna shut the lid and you're gonna forget about it.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
You're gonna go about your life, do all the things
that you needed to do if.
Speaker 6 (08:39):
And then you're gonna come back to that brisket. You're
gonna take the temperature of that brisket. If it is
one sixty five or higher, you're gonna wrap it up
in foil a butcher paper and put it right back
on that smoker.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Shut the lid again for a few more hours.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
Go watch your favorite TV shows, Go do whatever you want.
Open it back up. Take the temperature. When the temperature
of that brisket hits between two two hundred and two five,
I love the two five for me personally, that's when
you're going to take it off, let it rest, get
your friends and family over and start slicing it and
serving it. It's actually the most simple meat to prepare.
It's just people do not have patience to allow it
(09:15):
to do its own thing and cook without looking.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
At it right right, Is it ready yet? Is it
ready yet?
Speaker 4 (09:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Never do that.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Oh that's terrific.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And tell me about the work that you do with
Operation Barbecue Relief.
Speaker 7 (09:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (09:29):
So I'm actually heading up there in June for a
camp for children that have lost a parent in the
military and or spouses that have also lost a military spouse.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
And it's really beautiful because.
Speaker 6 (09:43):
We go out and we use barbecue as the universal
welcome at and we go into disaster areas like the
tornadoes that just hit, and we feed people and we
don't stop feeding people, and we take care of people
through our love for barbecue to make sure that they
have a meal, to make sure that they know, like,
keep on fighting, don't give up no matter what's happening. Sit,
(10:06):
have fellowship, eat with us, and then you're going to
get back up on your feet and we're going to
fight through this together. So I love Operation Barbecue Relief.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And then Blue Smoke Blair's Barbecue Academy, what is that down.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
On my ranch in Texas?
Speaker 6 (10:18):
I bring people there once a year and I have
a ton of barbecue pitmasters that are legendary, have made
a name for themselves, and we hang out on the
ranch and we learn how everybody else barbecues, and we
just have fellowship and it's a really good time. And
you go back with complete hands on experience learning how
(10:39):
to barbecue because there's no lectures.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
As soon as you walk through the.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
Front gate, you're touching meats and you're cooking for the
entire three days.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Oh how fun.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
All right, So where can we learn more about everything
you talked about today?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You can go to beef It's What's for Dinner dot com.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
There's tons of recipes on there, tons of resources. Is
anything that you hear about today, it'll be on there
and you'll be able to just be that backyard barbecue
hero that you were meant to be.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Erica Ruby.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
I appreciate you joining me today on Passport Mommy. You're
listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson, and you know,
summer is almost here. I can't believe it, and I
know we are trying to plan an epic vacation. I
feel like the kids are old enough that we can
really get out and travel, and you know, it costs
about the same as sending them to day camp, so
(11:33):
why not plan that epic vacation instead. But you know what,
I have not gotten started yet, and I know that
it's going to take so much planning and so much inspiration.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
To just try to figure out, Okay, where can we go?
What do we want to do?
Speaker 1 (11:47):
And I used to be, when I was single, someone
who would just go and maybe show up in a
destination and figure it out. But it's not so easy
these days, especially when you have two kids in tos.
So I'm really happy to have on the show with
me today. Buck list Guide Justin Walter, and he is
the host of the popular travel series Around the World
in eighty Seconds. He guest hosts NBC's Peacock's Global Child,
(12:09):
a show that takes viewers on adventures to exotic places,
and has a blog called your bucket List Guide. Hi Justin,
thanks for joining me today.
Speaker 7 (12:19):
Hi, thanks for having me my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
So tell me about your amazing adventures that you've been
on lately. Give us some inspiration.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (12:26):
Well, I'm all about turning your bucket list dreams into reality.
And I did just that this past year where I
went on a trip around the world, and some of
the highlights was exploring the Galapagos Islands, where the wildlife
was insane, paragliding over the stunning, gorgeous, beautiful city of
Rio de jan Niro, which I fell in love with
(12:47):
that city becoming one of my favorite cities in the world.
And then I did a cultural immersion homestay with a
family in Japan and I absolutely fell in love with them,
cooking meals and just spending time with them on their
farm and it was just so incredible, and I really
want to try and inspire people to travel with connection.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Yes, so let's talk about the homestay that you did
for a second. If somebody wants to get involved in
something like that, where do they get started?
Speaker 7 (13:15):
You know, that's a good question. You know, I found
mine online, and I think if you're looking for a
home stay, that's a great spot to start. Just kind
of search for those and kind of find the trusted
sources that you usually use. And that's what I did
when I did the homestay.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Terrific. And so what would you say are some smart
travel tips?
Speaker 7 (13:34):
Yes, you know, summer is just around the corner, which
is so exciting, and it's the perfect time to bring
those vacation dreams to life. Like you said, whether it's
with the whole family, you're solo traveling, or whatever you
want to travel. You know, when I was in Ecuador,
I stayed at a Wyndham hotel and I loved it.
That's why I do recommend Windom Hotels and Resorts. With
(13:57):
thousands of hotels nationwide, from Microtel and day In to
Super eight and Lakinta, there's likely a hotel by Wyndom
wherever your summer travels are going to take you. And
what's even better is the award winning loyalty program at
Windom Rewards is it's free to join and right now
members can save up to twenty percent on their next trip.
So if you want more information on all of that,
(14:18):
Wyndomhotels dot com check it out.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Yeah, I'm a big fan of Window.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
We stayed in a micro hotel one time and at
first I thought, what is this going to be like?
Speaker 2 (14:26):
And I was really.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Impressed because the accommodations were nice, like they were modern hotels.
They've taken some hotels from other brands. It may have
been run down and they've redone them and made them
really nice, and you have all the conveniences. They're usually
in locations that are very convenient to fun activities and
things that you want to do, and you don't have
to break the bank, so you could save your money
for the actual activities and things that you're doing in
(14:49):
the area.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Exactly.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
I I fully agree with you, and it's a great option.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yes, So what's your favorite vacation destination?
Speaker 7 (14:58):
Oh my gosh, Well, one destination I definitely recommend is
pure Michigan. It's the ideal slow travel destination for summer
where you can recharge and reconnect with family, friends, nature,
and fresh farm to table flavors. You know, soak up
the sun along the freshwater coast and explore award winning
(15:19):
hilltop wineries, fragrant lavender fields, and farmers' markets full of
local fines. When it comes to food, it's all about
bold flavors, fresh produce at James Beard nominated restaurants.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
You know.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
I really say, get inspired to fill your plate and
fuel your soul by checking out Michigan dot org.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
I love it.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
My husband's from Michigan and we've never been, and I
keep thinking Okay, we have to go. And I've met
with the people from Traverse City and I think, oh,
that sounds like a really nice place to go over
the summer. And so I feel like Michigan is one
of those spots where, like you said, you can get
so many different things, and especially over the summer, I
feel like that could be a really nice way to
a nice place to travel to. So what is a
(16:01):
tip for What is a tip for savvy travelers?
Speaker 7 (16:04):
Yeah, I've got two tips for savvy travelers. First, you know,
many people are scared to travel with their jewelry. You
don't have to be, and you don't have to leave
it at home. My tip for that is Jeweler's Mutual.
They offer broad coverage that goes with you even when
you're traveling anywhere in the world, and it's tailored specifically
for jewelry. They're the only insurer with over one hundred
(16:25):
and twelve years of expertise dedicated to protecting jewelry, getting
confidence that if jewelry is lost, stolen, or damaged, they
will work with a jeweler of choice to get it
repaired or replaced. Now, I was on a trip once
rafting and a newly engaged bride to be lost her
engagement rings, so she probably wished she had Jeweler's Mutual.
(16:47):
So I say, be safe, smart and wear your favorite
jewelry on your next trip. And you can find out
more information at Jewelersmutual dot com. And then I think
it's also important to keep up with your personal care
while you're on the road wherever you go. Oh, I
recommend the Life in Wave Special electric toothbrush. It gives
you that super clean just let the dentist fuel thanks
(17:08):
to its unique dual action tech. It combines a sixty
degree oscillation with twenty six thousand vibrations a minute. The
battery get this, it lasts up to fifty hours, which
is amazing for travel, so you don't have to constantly
be charging it. And what I love about it, it's
also easy to pack. Sometimes you know those electric toothbrushes
are so big they don't fit in your toilettre bag. Well,
(17:29):
this one is easy to pack and it comes in
fun six different colors, including limited edition green and purple,
and you can find it for underd ninety dollars on
Amazon or lifeintech dot com.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Awesome, Well, thank you so much Justin Walters.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
I'm Michelle Jerson the Passport Mommy More coming up in
a few.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
You're listening to Passport Mommy.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
I'm Michelle Jerson, and I'm so excited to be reunited
with Nikki Salfer.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
We met last year and had such a wonderful.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Conversation in a cafe in New York City about her company,
Tree of Knowledge Learning Academy. It's based in Miami, Florida,
but this woman travels everywhere between her and her husband
and what they do. It's amazing work and they've helped
so many children around the country.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
And I'm excited to have.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Her back on the show because she's going to talk
to us about her new book, fire Ready Aim. And
just I love the title, and I think this book
is one that every parent should read because I think
it's parents we always want to learn more about our
own children. We want to know what makes them tick,
We want to know which parts of their brain are firing,
(18:35):
which may need some more help.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
And so Nikki, I'm so happy to have you back
on the show today.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Let's first talk about your book, Fire Ready Aim.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Why did you write it?
Speaker 5 (18:47):
I wrote it because many parents would come in and
also professionals and friends and people women in business, and
they would say to me, Nikki, how did you start this?
Why did you start this? And I couldn't really go
into great detail, you know, in my office as I
was seeing them about their kid, and so I felt
like it was important to sort of step back and
(19:09):
share my story and maybe it would bring them some hope.
And I think that's also you know, you come and
you've see an organization that is now located in Cleveland,
New York, New Jersey, Florida, and you say, oh, like,
how did this start? And so that's what the point
of the book was. The beginning was simply how did
we start Tree of Knowledge Urney Academy?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Why we do what we do right?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
And I would love to hear that story. So why
should someone want to read this book? By already Aim?
Speaker 5 (19:38):
Okay? So the book is about a charter school for
special needs kids, and it's written based on letters, weekly
letters that I was writing to a marine that was
in Iraq. And it gives you a sense of what
it's like to run a special needs school and what
it's like for parents of special needs kids. And I
(19:59):
think that parents sometimes a have to just laugh, just
laugh at all the craziness of what this industry has
has brought. You know, all the acronyms and all these
words that they don't know. And you know, you have
a child and until you find out that there's an issue,
like you don't know any of these words, nobody's teaching
(20:20):
this to you. And so it's both humor as well
as the experience of what it's like. And I think
that parents will read it and be like, oh my god,
I know what it's like to sit in that meeting
and be like what is going on? And know what
it's like when I was going through this experience. So
I think it's it was written not only for parents,
(20:42):
but I think you're going to get a very good
special education language terminology experience from it in a very
humor fashion where you can hopefully you'll laugh, you won't
take it too seriously.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Right right, And I do believe you know, I think
we all notice things in our children as they get older.
And I know for me, I always felt like I
was behind where I should be to get my child
if there was a possible diagnosis to get them tested.
I didn't know where to go for that. I didn't
know what I should be doing. And I remember when
(21:16):
my daughter started kindergarten and everybody around me had their
IEPs and had all this stuff in place that they
needed for their child, and I was like, oh my god,
what did I do?
Speaker 2 (21:24):
I didn't do any of this? Does she need any
of this?
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Do it?
Speaker 5 (21:27):
Because when your child was born, nobody gave you a
manual right and anything, let alone, what would happen if
she wasn't at par for her age in social or
reading or nobody gave you a manual? And so I
know so many parents would come in and even hear
the word IEP that you just said, and they'd be like,
why are we talking about peope?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Like what do I say?
Speaker 5 (21:49):
Like what's going on? And the professionals on the other end,
this is what they do all day, every day. So
just assume that somehow you figured this out. But Sesame
Street or any you know TV shows, I don't even
know if kids are watching Sesame Street anymore, but the
new ones that they're watching, they're not talking about any
of this, So you would have no roadmap. You know,
(22:11):
so much of this is federal law, right, and yet
there's no roadmap. Nobody knows anything about this until they
have something.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
That they have to deal with it right exactly.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
So, as a teacher and as a leader, what's one
lesson from your personal experience that you now apply to
how you work with students and staff every day.
Speaker 5 (22:33):
I think the biggest thing that I've learned having been
an experience is to try it's not just love, okay,
because love is important and hope is also very important,
But you actually want to teach a skilly so it's
combining those things. It's very hard because there are amazing
(22:54):
teachers out there that are love and they want to
hug the kids and they're just adorable and they want
to do art with them and all that fun creative
stuff that teachers do, right, But at the end of
the day, we are charged with a mission to make literal,
literate human beings, and we have to go both roads.
(23:15):
We have to be fun and creative, but we also
have to get these kids through skills so that they
can work in the real world and they can participate.
And I think meshing those two are very very important.
So it always has to be a combination of both
and keeping yourself very relevant and learning the rese There's
(23:36):
a lot of research even in the reading. Even in
reading there's tremendous amounts of research based practice and just
lovely women who want to teach you how to read.
So you kind of have to combine both. And I
think over the years, I've learned that yes, you have
to be caring and kids have to like you, and
that pairing relationship is so valuable. But also what I
(23:59):
find is that kids teachers who taught kids a skill,
they will never forget it. And it's not just enough
to do love and hope. You actually have to have
them get through a skill.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Yes, I agree with you, and on the most basics
of level one of the parads. In my daughter's class
last year during recess, every day she would teach the
girls how to braid their hair or how to jump rope,
and I thought, that's wonderful, Like it's clearly not part
of the curriculum, but what a great thing to do.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
So not not every skill is reading a man, right.
There's a lot of very valuable skills. Knitting, for example,
very valuable skill helps with anxiety, helps you make something
makes you feel good, But you got to learn the
skill right.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
So in your book fire Ready Aim, how is It
divided up the chapters, what can we expect when we
read the book, and how has your own personal background
influenced this book.
Speaker 5 (24:55):
The beginning part of the book is my experience how
I started this. It did not start off, even though
I was a tutor since the time I was eight
years old, but I did not start off going into education.
So it talks about the loss that I had a
still birth and how I literally changed my whole perspective
and wanted to make this organization. After that story, the
next part is sort of like the beginning of Tree
(25:17):
of Knowledge, how difficult it was to get an organization
off the ground. And I put a lot of that
in because I wanted to give hope to people. People
have lots of ideas and they think that when they
have this idea, everyone's going to be just like, great,
this is amazing. It doesn't work that way, you know.
So I talk a little bit about the beginning of
just how complicated and difficult it was. The rest of
(25:40):
it is all chapter letters of my weekly experience running
like the management, the employees, the children, the parents, the building,
the fire alarms. It's just like fun, you know, stuff
of what it's like to be in this environment running
a day, and I think the end of it is
(26:02):
a lot about hope, you know, like you can make
it through. You can do this resilience because guess what,
we are losing educators. You're getting very tired. They can
make money doing other things. There's a teacher shortage in
the country. And that was another push for me because
so many women didn't feel valued in.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
This profession right, which is such a shame because they
really are. They spend more time with our kids in
a day than sometimes we do, and it is really
so important and so meaningful the work that they do
on a daily basis. And I think the work that
you do is just absolutely phenomenal because we need someone
like you.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
We need someone like you to.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Help us figure out how can we advocate for our children,
what do they need? And, like we talked about before,
for those of us who don't really know where to turn,
you can take us there step by step.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
So that's also part of the organization was that we
developed like a full roadmap for parents that are having issues,
whether it's do I get my kid tested from the beginning,
do I get them help? Are they going to be tutoring?
Are they gonna need counseling. Are they gonna need aba
we Are they gonna need speech therapy? Are they gonna
need ot? We've crossed the gamut, We're not. I always
(27:23):
tell people it's like full service, Like when you go
into an emergency room, right and they have somebody that's
gonna help you breathe and if somebody's gonna take your blood,
and that's kind of what this is. It's like, we're
gonna stabilize and then there's a lot of other things
you can find everywhere. You can find a good tutor.
You don't have to use us, but it helps get
you stable so that you can then say, okay, this
(27:44):
is a roadmap for my child, and this is how
we can go get help and every and there are
different stages and ages. You know what worked in preschool
a lot. And one of the nice things about having
this organization since since nineteen ninety nine, we've seen families,
families EBB and go oh, and we've lived through COVID.
We you know, we've seen the whole gamut of the
(28:06):
services that a child may need. From early intervention early
I mean we're talking like born with from you know,
from the neo Niku coming straight into doing early intervention
all the way through college.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
Bread right right, And that's incredible.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
And so you have locations in all those places that
you mentioned, correct.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
We have Ohio.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
Cleveland, Ohio is where we started, so we are now
in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio. We then went to Florida
and we're in really basically Miami Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach.
Then we went to New Jersey and New Jersey we
have two offices in Lakewood and in Passaic, and then
we now also are on the Upper West Side. So
(28:49):
we're spreading into New York.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Yeah, that's absolutely fabulous, and I think we need to
spread the word because I think a lot of people
could use you and your services. And you were telling
me also what does your husband do?
Speaker 5 (29:02):
So my husband and I practice together. We did start
Tree of Knowledge together. So he's also the executive director
of Tree of Knowledge, which primarily works with the districts
to provide services so that it's a different thing and
then to us have a private practice. He's a clinical psychologist.
I'm a BCBA and a school psychologist and we sort
of practice together with that's the private market where parents
(29:27):
can use us just for services, and so much of
what we do now is looking at other parents who
have services and just say, okay, where are the holes?
Where can we help you? Where can we consult. It's
not always going to be that we're going to provide
the services, but we can sort of direct parents. Because
we run such a large organization that has close to
one thousand employees, and because we're in private schools, charter schools,
(29:50):
public schools, we sort of really know the educational landmind
as I would say, the field, right, and we can
sort of help parents just you know, sometimes it's even
one phone call, one hour. You know, what do I
need to do? What do I need? Who do I
meet with the school? Should I sign this form that
the parents are you know, the schools asking me to
(30:10):
sign things like that.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, so helpful. So how can we get in touch
with you? How can we get your book? Buyer ready?
Speaker 5 (30:17):
Aim? Okay, so fire ready Aim. Both the book and
the audio are now on Amazon, so you can just
get it on Amazon. And one of the I do
actually the recording of the audio. I love that there's
a lot of like added. You can just tell in
my tone, both in tears and the laughter that are
(30:38):
added that you you get from the audio version. And
I also made the audio version specifically because so many
of my male friends were like, Nikki, I'm not reading
this book, but I'll listen to it on a long drive.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Yeah, you have a very friendly, easy to listen to
you boys. So I think it was great. You voiced
your own book.
Speaker 5 (30:54):
So I voiced my own book. And so that's one
thing that you know that you could do. And if
you need to get a hold of me, you can
email me at nsal fr at Learningtreemiami dot com, or
you can leave a message or a text or a
WhatsApp and two one six two three three zero zero
six four terrific.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
And like you said, you have the learning centers in
those different locations, but if somebody is listening who's not
based in one of those areas, they can still set
up consultations with you, and you can still do things
and help them over Zoom correct correct.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
I do zoom all day every day, even though I
have all these offices, so you know, yeah, it ever.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Works exactly well. Thank you so much, Nikki Salfar. Thank you,
You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I appreciate you joining me today again on passport mommy.
I hope to have you back on the show again soon.
So we have about thirty seconds left. Just tell me
real quickly. Advice for parents on how to balance it
all like you do.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
First of all, that's the misnomer. You don't balance. There's
up unders downs. It's like a seesaw. There's going to
be good days and bad days. The key is accepting
the journey that we're in. There is no balance once.
Even when you think it's balanced, it's not balance. So
as long as you're ready, you know that there's a ride.
And I'll just give one little advice for parents. Go
(32:13):
and take a walk, especially for your New Yorkers. Go
to Central Park. It is so gorgeous. Spend twenty minutes
outside of the nature because you have to manage your
own self before your kids.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Yes, the best advice ever. Thank you so much, Nikki's pleasure.
Thank you, Charts and you're.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Welcome the Passport Mommy. More coming up in a few
you're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. So May
is National water Safety Month and it is so important.
I have two kids, eight and six, and one thing
that we did with them when they were younger is
to give them swim lessons, because I feel like that
(32:51):
is one of the most important things that you could
do for your children. And we started them out at
the YMCA, which was great because they give really excellent
swim lessons for both my kids and it really started
them on a path of feeling confident in the water.
And I love what the YMCA is doing. They have
a campaign going called Phones Down, Eyes Up, and it's
annual Safety around Water program. And you know what, it's
(33:14):
so important because also we could teach our kids to swim,
but as parents, we need to be paying attention when
they're in the water. So I'm really happy to have
with me today Lindsay Mondick. She is the YMCA of
the USA Director of Aquatics Safety.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Why is water safety especially important for children?
Speaker 4 (33:35):
Well, as we go into summer, we know that we're
around water a lot more most of us, and children
are naturally curious, whether it's a backyard pool, a beach,
or even the bathtub, which it takes a moment of
distraction for tragedy to strike. And we know what the why.
It's not just about teaching kids to swim. It's really
about making sure adults around them are fully present and
(33:57):
ready to act. And that's why the YMCA is kicking
off our new campaign called Phones Down, Eyes Up.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Absolutely and so what's new this year?
Speaker 4 (34:04):
So our Phones Down, Eyes Up campaign is just is
really designed to help parents ensure that they're cutting distractions,
keeping families focused around the water, and encouraging families to
designate a water watcher, somebody who's totally distraction free and
as I mentioned, responsible for supervising those kids in the water.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Yeah, I remember.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
I still have memories when I was a lifeguard at
sixteen and some parent just put their baby in the
kiddie pool thinking, oh, it's kitty pool.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
She wasn't watching them at the time.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
I don't know if it was phones or just you know,
talking to other people, and I had to run in
after the baby. And that will always stick with me
because I think as a parent, like you have to
you have to be watching your children, and especially if
you have a home with a pool and you have
their friends over, I mean, you just have to watch
because what are the risks? Would you say that increase
the chance of drowning?
Speaker 4 (34:55):
Well, it's all about layers of protection. Right, you mentioned it.
Lifeguards aren't aren't the only answer to safety. The biggest
protection that we have is us as parents. Right, we
are the ones that should supervise our kids anytime that
they're near the water. And one of the risks for
us as parents is distraction. Whether it's checking a text,
(35:17):
scrolling social media, or if we're at a friend's pool
right cheading with a friend nearby, we want to make
sure we're watching because most drownings happen within ten feet
of safety and that adult and caregiver is nearby. A
second risk is lack of basic swimming skills. You said
that you got your kids enrolled in swimming lessons early.
(35:37):
That's really important, and that's why programs like the Swimming
Lessons and Safety around Water program are so important because
they teach kids those essential skills for survival as well
as booth confidence around the water from a young age.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Absolutely, And so, what would you say is the number
one safety lesson besides us paying attention.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Vigilance vigilance safe lives, whether it's through swimming lessons or
our new phones down, Eyes Up campaign, The why really
wants to make sure kids and adults are confident, but
also somebody is watching. And I really think it's a
simple but powerful message. Put your phone down, stay alert,
and never assume you'll hear somebody if they're in trouble,
(36:21):
because drowning is fast and.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Silent, right exactly.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
And you might even think, even if your kids are
excellent swimmers, I still feel you never know that time
where maybe they just get out of breath, or they
just can do the doggy paddle anymore, whatever they're doing
to try to stay in that deep end or whatever
it is. And so it's excellent advice. I love the
campaign that you're doing. Any other tips parents can do
to help ensure that their children stay safe this summer.
Speaker 4 (36:46):
So designate that water watcher every time kids are swimming,
whether it's a pool, party, beach trip, neighbor's deckyard. Make
sure that somebody is dedicated to only watching the kids, right,
and you can take turns. You know, I do it
with friends in our in our neighbor's backyard. We're taking
turns making sure the kids are being watched. And then,
(37:09):
as I mentioned, make sure that kids have swimming lessons.
The WHY has great programs, it's a great place to start,
but It's not about just teaching kids, it's about making
sure that water safety is a shared family responsibility.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
Yes, I agree, and like you said, those swim lessons,
I think the Why is a fabulous place to start.
Like I said, that's where we started, and you know,
lessons for all ages. You're never too old to start
taking swim lessons. So where can we go for more information?
Speaker 4 (37:39):
So encourage listeners to check out resources at phones downizop
dot org and of course check out the local I'm
Safe for fantastic swimming lessons for all ages and our
drowning Prevention Safety around Water program and as well as
other activities like camps and use sports to keep families
active and safe.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
This summer terrific.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Thank you so much, Lens Deck, I appreciate you joining
me today. I'm passport mommy excellent tips.
Speaker 5 (38:10):
H
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Mom and dad.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us their inspiring stories, learn about products that
could make both you and your child's life easier and
more fun. And of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh
about what's happening in their child's world. Motherhood is a journey.
Thanks for joining me onmine. Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm
Michelle Jerson. So this summer, as we plan our vacations,
(00:34):
what about a vacation that not only entertains but educates also.
The Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri
has been voted America's best aquarium overall six times, and
for good reason. I'm very happy to have on the
show with me today, Michael Daniel. He is the director
of Animal Care at the Johnny Morris Foundation Conservation Attractions.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Thank you so much for joining me.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Michael, so tell us about Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Wonders of Wildlife is a three hundred and fifty thousand
square foot facility that is part natural history museum and
part aquarium, and we explore with our guests everything from
the major national parks down through the swamp lands of
the southeast and the Amazon Rainforest to learn about animals
(01:24):
and habitats that cover the entire.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Spectrum I hear.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
The guests can get up close and personal through several
immersive experiences.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
What are they sure?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
So we have some wonderful touch exhibits where folks get
to touch a stingray or to maybe see what a
sea urchin feels like. But if you want to go deeper,
if you want to dive in, you can join us
in one of our sharp dives and are out to
see exhibit where you are a special dive helmet that
(01:56):
you stay dry from about the middle of your neck
to the top of your head. But you go down
about eight feet underwater with some of the dive team
and you see sand tiger sharks that swim by, giant
goliath groupers that weigh four hundred pounds swimming up to
investigate you while you're learning about them.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Tell us about wonders of Wildlife's conservation efforts, including the
recent release of sea turtles that your team rescued and rehabilitated.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Conservation is our main mission here at Wonders Wildlife. We
want to inspire the future generations of conservationists and that's
through our exhibits, our messaging, and our education components. But
sometimes we get the chance as a team to also
directly help a given animal out. And over the last
(02:46):
five years, Wonders of Wildlife has been able to rehabilitate
and successfully release more than sixty sea turtles, and this
past year we had nineteen sea turtles that were impacted
by this past year's cold stun event. And cold stunting
is when powerful winter storms come in off the ocean
(03:10):
and crash into the coastline and temperatures of both air
and water fall rapidly. When turtles are in shallow near
shore areas and that happens, they begin to have problems.
They are cold blooded their marine reptiles, so that cold
water starts to kind of shut them down. They get pneumonia,
and without help from folks like our teams at Winners
(03:32):
of Wildlife, they'll die. So we brought these nineteen turtles
to Springfield right and we spent the next several months
rehabilitating them. And we were so pleased and privileged to
be able to do that and then release them back
into the ocean just here recently, and it's a wonderful experience.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
So how can we everyday people play a role in conservation?
Speaker 4 (03:57):
You know?
Speaker 3 (03:58):
I think the first step is to find your inspiration.
Come visit a facility like Wonders of Wildlife or another
amazing animal care facility, or go take a hike and
start learning about the things around you. But get curious.
And once you find those items that inspire you, that
spark your curiosity about some sort of animal, that should
(04:21):
balloon out into how do we protect the environment that
animals in? And we then can look at our little
daily task. Do we turn the water off while we're
brushing our teeth instead of leaving it running? Are we
recycling products? Are we being smart about the products we
consume that are better or not for the environment? And
(04:42):
all of us looking at those little steps and finding
your curiosity and your inspiration will lead to a really
big impact on our wildlife and our wild places.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Michael Daniel, thank you so much for joining me today
on Passport Mommy. Is that time of year to dust
off those barbecues? And aren't the grilling And so I
am so happy to have with me today Erica Roby.
She's one of the country's leading female pit master. She
is an award winning artist in the field of barbecue.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Thank you so much for joining me today, Thank you
for having me. I'm happy to be.
Speaker 5 (05:15):
Here with you.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Thank you my pleasure. So let's talk about barbecue.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
What are the differences between popular barbecue styles across the
US and what's your favorite?
Speaker 6 (05:24):
So I live in Texas, so you know Texas barbecue's
my favorite. Salt and pepper. Let the meat show and
talk for itself. But on this recent barbecue tour across
the country, we started in the Carolinas and having a
brisket that's actually cooked over hickory wood.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
That was mind blowing.
Speaker 6 (05:41):
And then the vinegar and the mustard sauces that were
used throughout the cooking process and you know, served on
the side later. It really added a level of complexity
that I hadn't experienced on beef before. Then we drove
on up to Kansas City and you know, you got
your tomato, your brown sugar, your little notes of pepper
(06:02):
in the barbecue sauce, those sticky sweet beautiful beef burnt
ins at people Crave. I loved the sweetness and how
it played with the brisket. And they also slice their
brisket very very thin, which is a throwback to.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You know, their railroad days. Then we headed on.
Speaker 6 (06:18):
Out to California, the Central Coast and that's where Santa
Maria Barbecue is.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Saw that it was.
Speaker 6 (06:24):
Salt and pepper and garlic, so I'm thinking Texas.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So I'm like, Okay, I like this.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
But then they're basting their meat, their try tips, their ribbis,
their New York Strip steaks. They're basing it with a
red wine vinegar and olive oil or butter or even
beef tallow with crushed herbs in there sometimes and they're
smoking all of their.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Beef over red oak and red oak smoke and beef.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
It was the most epic combination that I had on
my barbecue journey.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
It is absolutely delicious. Well that sounds phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
As you're talking, I'm like, I need to hit the
road this sum to have a barbecue road trip because
that sounds amazing. So what are you currently grilling? What
are you working on?
Speaker 6 (07:09):
So right now I'm working on my latest recipe, which
I call meat me in Kansas City, and it is
a pastrami smoked brisket flat. So I'm using pickling spices
as my rub for the brisket flat, and then I'm
also doing my epic Carolina flat stack, which is sliced
brisket smoked over hickory, piled high with a vinegar tangy coleslaw,
(07:34):
and then topped with a mustard barbecue sauce over a
toasted brioche. Then heading over, I have my New York
strip that I cooked Santa Maria style using my salt, pepper, garlic.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
I added a little bit.
Speaker 6 (07:47):
Of a Kreole salt to it just to put my
own flare in there, but then cooking that over red
oak and basting it throughout the cooking process.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Why is brisket so popular right now? And how can
we prepare it at home? Because when I think of brisket,
I think, oh, that's probably gonna be really complicated, you.
Speaker 6 (08:04):
Know, And I say that that is the biggest swindle
in barbecue history. Brisket is actually one of the most
simplest meats to actually cook, because, first of all, brisket
is king.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
If you know how to do a brisket.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
You get instant street cred and respect from everybody on
the block.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Right.
Speaker 6 (08:21):
But here's the secret. You're gonna take your brisket. You're
gonna coat it in salt and pepper. You're gonna get
your smoker.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Set at two twenty five.
Speaker 6 (08:31):
You're gonna put it on there, and then guess what,
You're gonna shut the lid and you're gonna forget about it.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
You're gonna go about your life, do all the things
that you needed to do if.
Speaker 6 (08:39):
And then you're gonna come back to that brisket. You're
gonna take the temperature of that brisket. If it is
one sixty five or higher, you're gonna wrap it up
in foil a butcher paper and put it right back
on that smoker.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Shut the lid again for a few more hours.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
Go watch your favorite TV shows, Go do whatever you want.
Open it back up. Take the temperature. When the temperature
of that brisket hits between two two hundred and two five,
I love the two five for me personally, that's when
you're going to take it off, let it rest, get
your friends and family over and start slicing it and
serving it. It's actually the most simple meat to prepare.
It's just people do not have patience to allow it
(09:15):
to do its own thing and cook without looking.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
At it right right, Is it ready yet? Is it
ready yet?
Speaker 4 (09:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Never do that.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Oh that's terrific.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And tell me about the work that you do with
Operation Barbecue Relief.
Speaker 7 (09:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (09:29):
So I'm actually heading up there in June for a
camp for children that have lost a parent in the
military and or spouses that have also lost a military spouse.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
And it's really beautiful because.
Speaker 6 (09:43):
We go out and we use barbecue as the universal
welcome at and we go into disaster areas like the
tornadoes that just hit, and we feed people and we
don't stop feeding people, and we take care of people
through our love for barbecue to make sure that they
have a meal, to make sure that they know, like,
keep on fighting, don't give up no matter what's happening. Sit,
(10:06):
have fellowship, eat with us, and then you're going to
get back up on your feet and we're going to
fight through this together. So I love Operation Barbecue Relief.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And then Blue Smoke Blair's Barbecue Academy, what is that down.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
On my ranch in Texas?
Speaker 6 (10:18):
I bring people there once a year and I have
a ton of barbecue pitmasters that are legendary, have made
a name for themselves, and we hang out on the
ranch and we learn how everybody else barbecues, and we
just have fellowship and it's a really good time. And
you go back with complete hands on experience learning how
(10:39):
to barbecue because there's no lectures.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
As soon as you walk through the.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
Front gate, you're touching meats and you're cooking for the
entire three days.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Oh how fun.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
All right, So where can we learn more about everything
you talked about today?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You can go to beef It's What's for Dinner dot com.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
There's tons of recipes on there, tons of resources. Is
anything that you hear about today, it'll be on there
and you'll be able to just be that backyard barbecue
hero that you were meant to be.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Erica Ruby.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
I appreciate you joining me today on Passport Mommy. You're
listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson, and you know,
summer is almost here. I can't believe it, and I
know we are trying to plan an epic vacation. I
feel like the kids are old enough that we can
really get out and travel, and you know, it costs
about the same as sending them to day camp, so
(11:33):
why not plan that epic vacation instead. But you know what,
I have not gotten started yet, and I know that
it's going to take so much planning and so much inspiration.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
To just try to figure out, Okay, where can we go?
What do we want to do?
Speaker 1 (11:47):
And I used to be, when I was single, someone
who would just go and maybe show up in a
destination and figure it out. But it's not so easy
these days, especially when you have two kids in tos.
So I'm really happy to have on the show with
me today. Buck list Guide Justin Walter, and he is
the host of the popular travel series Around the World
in eighty Seconds. He guest hosts NBC's Peacock's Global Child,
(12:09):
a show that takes viewers on adventures to exotic places,
and has a blog called your bucket List Guide. Hi Justin,
thanks for joining me today.
Speaker 7 (12:19):
Hi, thanks for having me my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
So tell me about your amazing adventures that you've been
on lately. Give us some inspiration.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (12:26):
Well, I'm all about turning your bucket list dreams into reality.
And I did just that this past year where I
went on a trip around the world, and some of
the highlights was exploring the Galapagos Islands, where the wildlife
was insane, paragliding over the stunning, gorgeous, beautiful city of
Rio de jan Niro, which I fell in love with
(12:47):
that city becoming one of my favorite cities in the world.
And then I did a cultural immersion homestay with a
family in Japan and I absolutely fell in love with them,
cooking meals and just spending time with them on their
farm and it was just so incredible, and I really
want to try and inspire people to travel with connection.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Yes, so let's talk about the homestay that you did
for a second. If somebody wants to get involved in
something like that, where do they get started?
Speaker 7 (13:15):
You know, that's a good question. You know, I found
mine online, and I think if you're looking for a
home stay, that's a great spot to start. Just kind
of search for those and kind of find the trusted
sources that you usually use. And that's what I did
when I did the homestay.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Terrific. And so what would you say are some smart
travel tips?
Speaker 7 (13:34):
Yes, you know, summer is just around the corner, which
is so exciting, and it's the perfect time to bring
those vacation dreams to life. Like you said, whether it's
with the whole family, you're solo traveling, or whatever you
want to travel. You know, when I was in Ecuador,
I stayed at a Wyndham hotel and I loved it.
That's why I do recommend Windom Hotels and Resorts. With
(13:57):
thousands of hotels nationwide, from Microtel and day In to
Super eight and Lakinta, there's likely a hotel by Wyndom
wherever your summer travels are going to take you. And
what's even better is the award winning loyalty program at
Windom Rewards is it's free to join and right now
members can save up to twenty percent on their next trip.
So if you want more information on all of that,
(14:18):
Wyndomhotels dot com check it out.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Yeah, I'm a big fan of Window.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
We stayed in a micro hotel one time and at
first I thought, what is this going to be like?
Speaker 2 (14:26):
And I was really.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Impressed because the accommodations were nice, like they were modern hotels.
They've taken some hotels from other brands. It may have
been run down and they've redone them and made them
really nice, and you have all the conveniences. They're usually
in locations that are very convenient to fun activities and
things that you want to do, and you don't have
to break the bank, so you could save your money
for the actual activities and things that you're doing in
(14:49):
the area.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Exactly.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
I I fully agree with you, and it's a great option.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yes, So what's your favorite vacation destination?
Speaker 7 (14:58):
Oh my gosh, Well, one destination I definitely recommend is
pure Michigan. It's the ideal slow travel destination for summer
where you can recharge and reconnect with family, friends, nature,
and fresh farm to table flavors. You know, soak up
the sun along the freshwater coast and explore award winning
(15:19):
hilltop wineries, fragrant lavender fields, and farmers' markets full of
local fines. When it comes to food, it's all about
bold flavors, fresh produce at James Beard nominated restaurants.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
You know.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
I really say, get inspired to fill your plate and
fuel your soul by checking out Michigan dot org.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
I love it.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
My husband's from Michigan and we've never been, and I
keep thinking Okay, we have to go. And I've met
with the people from Traverse City and I think, oh,
that sounds like a really nice place to go over
the summer. And so I feel like Michigan is one
of those spots where, like you said, you can get
so many different things, and especially over the summer, I
feel like that could be a really nice way to
a nice place to travel to. So what is a
(16:01):
tip for What is a tip for savvy travelers?
Speaker 7 (16:04):
Yeah, I've got two tips for savvy travelers. First, you know,
many people are scared to travel with their jewelry. You
don't have to be, and you don't have to leave
it at home. My tip for that is Jeweler's Mutual.
They offer broad coverage that goes with you even when
you're traveling anywhere in the world, and it's tailored specifically
for jewelry. They're the only insurer with over one hundred
(16:25):
and twelve years of expertise dedicated to protecting jewelry, getting
confidence that if jewelry is lost, stolen, or damaged, they
will work with a jeweler of choice to get it
repaired or replaced. Now, I was on a trip once
rafting and a newly engaged bride to be lost her
engagement rings, so she probably wished she had Jeweler's Mutual.
(16:47):
So I say, be safe, smart and wear your favorite
jewelry on your next trip. And you can find out
more information at Jewelersmutual dot com. And then I think
it's also important to keep up with your personal care
while you're on the road wherever you go. Oh, I
recommend the Life in Wave Special electric toothbrush. It gives
you that super clean just let the dentist fuel thanks
(17:08):
to its unique dual action tech. It combines a sixty
degree oscillation with twenty six thousand vibrations a minute. The
battery get this, it lasts up to fifty hours, which
is amazing for travel, so you don't have to constantly
be charging it. And what I love about it, it's
also easy to pack. Sometimes you know those electric toothbrushes
are so big they don't fit in your toilettre bag. Well,
(17:29):
this one is easy to pack and it comes in
fun six different colors, including limited edition green and purple,
and you can find it for underd ninety dollars on
Amazon or lifeintech dot com.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Awesome, Well, thank you so much Justin Walters.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
I'm Michelle Jerson the Passport Mommy More coming up in
a few.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
You're listening to Passport Mommy.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
I'm Michelle Jerson, and I'm so excited to be reunited
with Nikki Salfer.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
We met last year and had such a wonderful.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Conversation in a cafe in New York City about her company,
Tree of Knowledge Learning Academy. It's based in Miami, Florida,
but this woman travels everywhere between her and her husband
and what they do. It's amazing work and they've helped
so many children around the country.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
And I'm excited to have.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Her back on the show because she's going to talk
to us about her new book, fire Ready Aim. And
just I love the title, and I think this book
is one that every parent should read because I think
it's parents we always want to learn more about our
own children. We want to know what makes them tick,
We want to know which parts of their brain are firing,
(18:35):
which may need some more help.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
And so Nikki, I'm so happy to have you back
on the show today.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Let's first talk about your book, Fire Ready Aim.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Why did you write it?
Speaker 5 (18:47):
I wrote it because many parents would come in and
also professionals and friends and people women in business, and
they would say to me, Nikki, how did you start this?
Why did you start this? And I couldn't really go
into great detail, you know, in my office as I
was seeing them about their kid, and so I felt
like it was important to sort of step back and
(19:09):
share my story and maybe it would bring them some hope.
And I think that's also you know, you come and
you've see an organization that is now located in Cleveland,
New York, New Jersey, Florida, and you say, oh, like,
how did this start? And so that's what the point
of the book was. The beginning was simply how did
we start Tree of Knowledge Urney Academy?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Why we do what we do right?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
And I would love to hear that story. So why
should someone want to read this book? By already Aim?
Speaker 5 (19:38):
Okay? So the book is about a charter school for
special needs kids, and it's written based on letters, weekly
letters that I was writing to a marine that was
in Iraq. And it gives you a sense of what
it's like to run a special needs school and what
it's like for parents of special needs kids. And I
(19:59):
think that parents sometimes a have to just laugh, just
laugh at all the craziness of what this industry has
has brought. You know, all the acronyms and all these
words that they don't know. And you know, you have
a child and until you find out that there's an issue,
like you don't know any of these words, nobody's teaching
(20:20):
this to you. And so it's both humor as well
as the experience of what it's like. And I think
that parents will read it and be like, oh my god,
I know what it's like to sit in that meeting
and be like what is going on? And know what
it's like when I was going through this experience. So
I think it's it was written not only for parents,
(20:42):
but I think you're going to get a very good
special education language terminology experience from it in a very
humor fashion where you can hopefully you'll laugh, you won't
take it too seriously.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Right right, And I do believe you know, I think
we all notice things in our children as they get older.
And I know for me, I always felt like I
was behind where I should be to get my child
if there was a possible diagnosis to get them tested.
I didn't know where to go for that. I didn't
know what I should be doing. And I remember when
(21:16):
my daughter started kindergarten and everybody around me had their
IEPs and had all this stuff in place that they
needed for their child, and I was like, oh my god,
what did I do?
Speaker 2 (21:24):
I didn't do any of this? Does she need any
of this?
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Do it?
Speaker 5 (21:27):
Because when your child was born, nobody gave you a
manual right and anything, let alone, what would happen if
she wasn't at par for her age in social or
reading or nobody gave you a manual? And so I
know so many parents would come in and even hear
the word IEP that you just said, and they'd be like,
why are we talking about peope?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Like what do I say?
Speaker 5 (21:49):
Like what's going on? And the professionals on the other end,
this is what they do all day, every day. So
just assume that somehow you figured this out. But Sesame
Street or any you know TV shows, I don't even
know if kids are watching Sesame Street anymore, but the
new ones that they're watching, they're not talking about any
of this, So you would have no roadmap. You know,
(22:11):
so much of this is federal law, right, and yet
there's no roadmap. Nobody knows anything about this until they
have something.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
That they have to deal with it right exactly.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
So, as a teacher and as a leader, what's one
lesson from your personal experience that you now apply to
how you work with students and staff every day.
Speaker 5 (22:33):
I think the biggest thing that I've learned having been
an experience is to try it's not just love, okay,
because love is important and hope is also very important,
But you actually want to teach a skilly so it's
combining those things. It's very hard because there are amazing
(22:54):
teachers out there that are love and they want to
hug the kids and they're just adorable and they want
to do art with them and all that fun creative
stuff that teachers do, right, But at the end of
the day, we are charged with a mission to make literal,
literate human beings, and we have to go both roads.
(23:15):
We have to be fun and creative, but we also
have to get these kids through skills so that they
can work in the real world and they can participate.
And I think meshing those two are very very important.
So it always has to be a combination of both
and keeping yourself very relevant and learning the rese There's
(23:36):
a lot of research even in the reading. Even in
reading there's tremendous amounts of research based practice and just
lovely women who want to teach you how to read.
So you kind of have to combine both. And I
think over the years, I've learned that yes, you have
to be caring and kids have to like you, and
that pairing relationship is so valuable. But also what I
(23:59):
find is that kids teachers who taught kids a skill,
they will never forget it. And it's not just enough
to do love and hope. You actually have to have
them get through a skill.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Yes, I agree with you, and on the most basics
of level one of the parads. In my daughter's class
last year during recess, every day she would teach the
girls how to braid their hair or how to jump rope,
and I thought, that's wonderful, Like it's clearly not part
of the curriculum, but what a great thing to do.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
So not not every skill is reading a man, right.
There's a lot of very valuable skills. Knitting, for example,
very valuable skill helps with anxiety, helps you make something
makes you feel good, But you got to learn the
skill right.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
So in your book fire Ready Aim, how is It
divided up the chapters, what can we expect when we
read the book, and how has your own personal background
influenced this book.
Speaker 5 (24:55):
The beginning part of the book is my experience how
I started this. It did not start off, even though
I was a tutor since the time I was eight
years old, but I did not start off going into education.
So it talks about the loss that I had a
still birth and how I literally changed my whole perspective
and wanted to make this organization. After that story, the
next part is sort of like the beginning of Tree
(25:17):
of Knowledge, how difficult it was to get an organization
off the ground. And I put a lot of that
in because I wanted to give hope to people. People
have lots of ideas and they think that when they
have this idea, everyone's going to be just like, great,
this is amazing. It doesn't work that way, you know.
So I talk a little bit about the beginning of
just how complicated and difficult it was. The rest of
(25:40):
it is all chapter letters of my weekly experience running
like the management, the employees, the children, the parents, the building,
the fire alarms. It's just like fun, you know, stuff
of what it's like to be in this environment running
a day, and I think the end of it is
(26:02):
a lot about hope, you know, like you can make
it through. You can do this resilience because guess what,
we are losing educators. You're getting very tired. They can
make money doing other things. There's a teacher shortage in
the country. And that was another push for me because
so many women didn't feel valued in.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
This profession right, which is such a shame because they
really are. They spend more time with our kids in
a day than sometimes we do, and it is really
so important and so meaningful the work that they do
on a daily basis. And I think the work that
you do is just absolutely phenomenal because we need someone
like you.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
We need someone like you to.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Help us figure out how can we advocate for our children,
what do they need? And, like we talked about before,
for those of us who don't really know where to turn,
you can take us there step by step.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
So that's also part of the organization was that we
developed like a full roadmap for parents that are having issues,
whether it's do I get my kid tested from the beginning,
do I get them help? Are they going to be tutoring?
Are they gonna need counseling. Are they gonna need aba
we Are they gonna need speech therapy? Are they gonna
need ot? We've crossed the gamut, We're not. I always
(27:23):
tell people it's like full service, Like when you go
into an emergency room, right and they have somebody that's
gonna help you breathe and if somebody's gonna take your blood,
and that's kind of what this is. It's like, we're
gonna stabilize and then there's a lot of other things
you can find everywhere. You can find a good tutor.
You don't have to use us, but it helps get
you stable so that you can then say, okay, this
(27:44):
is a roadmap for my child, and this is how
we can go get help and every and there are
different stages and ages. You know what worked in preschool
a lot. And one of the nice things about having
this organization since since nineteen ninety nine, we've seen families,
families EBB and go oh, and we've lived through COVID.
We you know, we've seen the whole gamut of the
(28:06):
services that a child may need. From early intervention early
I mean we're talking like born with from you know,
from the neo Niku coming straight into doing early intervention
all the way through college.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
Bread right right, And that's incredible.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
And so you have locations in all those places that
you mentioned, correct.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
We have Ohio.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
Cleveland, Ohio is where we started, so we are now
in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio. We then went to Florida
and we're in really basically Miami Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach.
Then we went to New Jersey and New Jersey we
have two offices in Lakewood and in Passaic, and then
we now also are on the Upper West Side. So
(28:49):
we're spreading into New York.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Yeah, that's absolutely fabulous, and I think we need to
spread the word because I think a lot of people
could use you and your services. And you were telling
me also what does your husband do?
Speaker 5 (29:02):
So my husband and I practice together. We did start
Tree of Knowledge together. So he's also the executive director
of Tree of Knowledge, which primarily works with the districts
to provide services so that it's a different thing and
then to us have a private practice. He's a clinical psychologist.
I'm a BCBA and a school psychologist and we sort
of practice together with that's the private market where parents
(29:27):
can use us just for services, and so much of
what we do now is looking at other parents who
have services and just say, okay, where are the holes?
Where can we help you? Where can we consult. It's
not always going to be that we're going to provide
the services, but we can sort of direct parents. Because
we run such a large organization that has close to
one thousand employees, and because we're in private schools, charter schools,
(29:50):
public schools, we sort of really know the educational landmind
as I would say, the field, right, and we can
sort of help parents just you know, sometimes it's even
one phone call, one hour. You know, what do I
need to do? What do I need? Who do I
meet with the school? Should I sign this form that
the parents are you know, the schools asking me to
(30:10):
sign things like that.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, so helpful. So how can we get in touch
with you? How can we get your book? Buyer ready?
Speaker 5 (30:17):
Aim? Okay, so fire ready Aim. Both the book and
the audio are now on Amazon, so you can just
get it on Amazon. And one of the I do
actually the recording of the audio. I love that there's
a lot of like added. You can just tell in
my tone, both in tears and the laughter that are
(30:38):
added that you you get from the audio version. And
I also made the audio version specifically because so many
of my male friends were like, Nikki, I'm not reading
this book, but I'll listen to it on a long drive.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Yeah, you have a very friendly, easy to listen to
you boys. So I think it was great. You voiced
your own book.
Speaker 5 (30:54):
So I voiced my own book. And so that's one
thing that you know that you could do. And if
you need to get a hold of me, you can
email me at nsal fr at Learningtreemiami dot com, or
you can leave a message or a text or a
WhatsApp and two one six two three three zero zero
six four terrific.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
And like you said, you have the learning centers in
those different locations, but if somebody is listening who's not
based in one of those areas, they can still set
up consultations with you, and you can still do things
and help them over Zoom correct correct.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
I do zoom all day every day, even though I
have all these offices, so you know, yeah, it ever.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Works exactly well. Thank you so much, Nikki Salfar. Thank you,
You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I appreciate you joining me today again on passport mommy.
I hope to have you back on the show again soon.
So we have about thirty seconds left. Just tell me
real quickly. Advice for parents on how to balance it
all like you do.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
First of all, that's the misnomer. You don't balance. There's
up unders downs. It's like a seesaw. There's going to
be good days and bad days. The key is accepting
the journey that we're in. There is no balance once.
Even when you think it's balanced, it's not balance. So
as long as you're ready, you know that there's a ride.
And I'll just give one little advice for parents. Go
(32:13):
and take a walk, especially for your New Yorkers. Go
to Central Park. It is so gorgeous. Spend twenty minutes
outside of the nature because you have to manage your
own self before your kids.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Yes, the best advice ever. Thank you so much, Nikki's pleasure.
Thank you, Charts and you're.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Welcome the Passport Mommy. More coming up in a few
you're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. So May
is National water Safety Month and it is so important.
I have two kids, eight and six, and one thing
that we did with them when they were younger is
to give them swim lessons, because I feel like that
(32:51):
is one of the most important things that you could
do for your children. And we started them out at
the YMCA, which was great because they give really excellent
swim lessons for both my kids and it really started
them on a path of feeling confident in the water.
And I love what the YMCA is doing. They have
a campaign going called Phones Down, Eyes Up, and it's
annual Safety around Water program. And you know what, it's
(33:14):
so important because also we could teach our kids to swim,
but as parents, we need to be paying attention when
they're in the water. So I'm really happy to have
with me today Lindsay Mondick. She is the YMCA of
the USA Director of Aquatics Safety.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Why is water safety especially important for children?
Speaker 4 (33:35):
Well, as we go into summer, we know that we're
around water a lot more most of us, and children
are naturally curious, whether it's a backyard pool, a beach,
or even the bathtub, which it takes a moment of
distraction for tragedy to strike. And we know what the why.
It's not just about teaching kids to swim. It's really
about making sure adults around them are fully present and
(33:57):
ready to act. And that's why the YMCA is kicking
off our new campaign called Phones Down, Eyes Up.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Absolutely and so what's new this year?
Speaker 4 (34:04):
So our Phones Down, Eyes Up campaign is just is
really designed to help parents ensure that they're cutting distractions,
keeping families focused around the water, and encouraging families to
designate a water watcher, somebody who's totally distraction free and
as I mentioned, responsible for supervising those kids in the water.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Yeah, I remember.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
I still have memories when I was a lifeguard at
sixteen and some parent just put their baby in the
kiddie pool thinking, oh, it's kitty pool.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
She wasn't watching them at the time.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
I don't know if it was phones or just you know,
talking to other people, and I had to run in
after the baby. And that will always stick with me
because I think as a parent, like you have to
you have to be watching your children, and especially if
you have a home with a pool and you have
their friends over, I mean, you just have to watch
because what are the risks? Would you say that increase
the chance of drowning?
Speaker 4 (34:55):
Well, it's all about layers of protection. Right, you mentioned it.
Lifeguards aren't aren't the only answer to safety. The biggest
protection that we have is us as parents. Right, we
are the ones that should supervise our kids anytime that
they're near the water. And one of the risks for
us as parents is distraction. Whether it's checking a text,
(35:17):
scrolling social media, or if we're at a friend's pool
right cheading with a friend nearby, we want to make
sure we're watching because most drownings happen within ten feet
of safety and that adult and caregiver is nearby. A
second risk is lack of basic swimming skills. You said
that you got your kids enrolled in swimming lessons early.
(35:37):
That's really important, and that's why programs like the Swimming
Lessons and Safety around Water program are so important because
they teach kids those essential skills for survival as well
as booth confidence around the water from a young age.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Absolutely, And so, what would you say is the number
one safety lesson besides us paying attention.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Vigilance vigilance safe lives, whether it's through swimming lessons or
our new phones down, Eyes Up campaign, The why really
wants to make sure kids and adults are confident, but
also somebody is watching. And I really think it's a
simple but powerful message. Put your phone down, stay alert,
and never assume you'll hear somebody if they're in trouble,
(36:21):
because drowning is fast and.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Silent, right exactly.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
And you might even think, even if your kids are
excellent swimmers, I still feel you never know that time
where maybe they just get out of breath, or they
just can do the doggy paddle anymore, whatever they're doing
to try to stay in that deep end or whatever
it is. And so it's excellent advice. I love the
campaign that you're doing. Any other tips parents can do
to help ensure that their children stay safe this summer.
Speaker 4 (36:46):
So designate that water watcher every time kids are swimming,
whether it's a pool, party, beach trip, neighbor's deckyard. Make
sure that somebody is dedicated to only watching the kids, right,
and you can take turns. You know, I do it
with friends in our in our neighbor's backyard. We're taking
turns making sure the kids are being watched. And then,
(37:09):
as I mentioned, make sure that kids have swimming lessons.
The WHY has great programs, it's a great place to start,
but It's not about just teaching kids, it's about making
sure that water safety is a shared family responsibility.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
Yes, I agree, and like you said, those swim lessons,
I think the Why is a fabulous place to start.
Like I said, that's where we started, and you know,
lessons for all ages. You're never too old to start
taking swim lessons. So where can we go for more information?
Speaker 4 (37:39):
So encourage listeners to check out resources at phones downizop
dot org and of course check out the local I'm
Safe for fantastic swimming lessons for all ages and our
drowning Prevention Safety around Water program and as well as
other activities like camps and use sports to keep families
active and safe.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
This summer terrific.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Thank you so much, Lens Deck, I appreciate you joining
me today. I'm passport mommy excellent tips.
Speaker 5 (38:10):
H
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