The Kids Wellness Podcast is your hub for creating happier, healthier lives for children. Hosted by Giselle Shardlow M.Ed., founder of Kids Yoga Stories, this podcast features inspiring guests from all areas of children’s health and wellness. Whether you’re an educator, pediatric therapist, yoga instructor, counselor, parent, or anyone working with kids, each episode offers practical tools, engaging stories, and expert insights to help children thrive emotionally and physically. Join us as we explore easy-to-implement wellness practices to create calm spaces, foster resilience, and support young minds and bodies.
Absolutely Love It!
“Absolutely love Giselle’s new Kids Wellness Podcast! I have been listening on my way to and from work for about a week and a half. The guests provide enriching information and heartwarming methods. Today I was pleasantly surprised to hear #11 is a Mindful Monday edition! I found it so relaxing and brought happiness to my heart to think of all people with gratitude. It recentered my attitude for arriving home.
I can’t wait to listen to the next podcast, as I drive to work tomorrow. Bringing to this community has enriched my soul. Thank you.”Felt Energized!
“I just wanted to let you know that I tuned in to your podcast for the first time today to listen to the all-boy yoga class info. First, I want to tell you how welcoming and uplifting your voice is as the host. You were born for such a platform!!! I immediately felt my energy rise by the time you finished your first two sentences. I was drinking in all of the information from your guest. I totally agree with her observation that kids really want and need to be heard. Thank you for enlightening me on this important consideration when working with our students. I look forward to listening to all of the podcasts.”
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#057 How to Lead Large Group Yoga Assemblies in Schools with Lauren Chaitoff
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Lauren Chaitoff from Yogi Beans as they discuss the ins and outs of conducting yoga assemblies in schools. Lauren shares her expert tips and advice on how to engage and teach large groups of kids effectively.
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#056 How to Cater to 3 Lesser-Known Sensory Systems in Kids Yoga Class with Claire Heffron
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Claire Heffron from The Inspired Treehouse as they talk about the importance of understanding the three lesser-known sensory systems. Claire, an Occupational Therapist, shares insights on proprioceptive, vestibular, and interoceptive sensory systems and provides practical tips for teachers and caregivers.
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#055 Mindful Monday – Feel Good Meditation
In this special Mindful Monday, Giselle guides you through a simple yet powerful practice to help you bring more feel good moments. Whether you’re an educator, parent, or anyone working with children, this meditation is a perfect way to prepare, focus, and manage the day ahead.
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#054 How Occupational Therapy Enhances Social Emotional Learning in Schools with Heather Greutman
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Heather Greutman, founder of Growing Hands-on Kids, as they discuss how to integrate occupational therapy (OT) into social-emotional learning (SEL) programs. Discover practical strategies for enhancing classroom settings and supporting students’ wellbeing and development. Some highlights: -Understanding the role and significance of OT in educational settings.-Differentiating…
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#053 School Trends 2025: 75% of Children Struggle with Self-Regulation with Margaret Rice
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Margaret Rice, founder of Your Therapy Source, as they unpack the results of a nationwide survey with over 1,000 school-based therapists and educators. The findings reveal a growing crisis in self-regulation among children and highlight the urgent need for movement, mindfulness, and play in classrooms. Margaret shares surprising insights from the survey and practical strategies to support children’s focus, behavior, and resilience.
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#052 – How to Create an Inclusive, Accessible, & Trauma-Informed Yoga Class with Larissa Noto
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Larissa Noto of The Lovely Little Lotus Yoga as they talk about an important topic for our community of yoga educators: “How do we ensure that our kids yoga classes are inclusive, accessible, and trauma-informed, so that all children feel seen, heard, and understood?”
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#051 Mindful Monday – Love & Acceptance
In this special Mindful Monday, Giselle guides you through a simple yet powerful practice to help you bring more love and acceptance to your life.
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#050 Be Unapologetically Impatient: Create Change with Courage & Compassion with Dr. Christina Cipriano
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Dr. Christina Cipriano, author of “Be Unapologetically Impatient” and Director of the Education Collaboratory at Yale, as they explore what it takes to create meaningful change—at home, at school, and in our communities.
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#049 Sugar, Autism, and Whole-Child Wellness with Dr. Joel Gator Warsh
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories and Dr. Joel Gator Warsh, a board-certified pediatrician, as they discuss integrative pediatric health, focusing on finding balance between conventional and holistic approaches for children’s wellness.
From sugar and autism to the importance of open conversations, this episode covers practical strategies for supporting children’s health in today’s world.
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#048 How to Make Your Class Multicultural with Leanna Guillen Mora
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Leanna Guillen Mora, founder of All Done Monkey and Multicultural Kid Blogs, as we talk about a popular topic that we hear from our community:
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#047 Mindful Monday – Greet the Day
In this special Mindful Monday, Giselle guides you through a simple yet powerful practice to help you greet the day. Whether you’re an educator, parent, or anyone working with children, this meditation is a perfect way to prepare, focus, and manage the day ahead.
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#046 How to Create an After-School Mindfulness Club with JaTorra Commodore
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and JaTorra Commodore, of Commodore Coaching, as they talk about an interesting topic: “How do we create a successful after-school mindfulness club?” JaTorra shares her story of how she created an after-school mindfulness club after leaving her position as an elementary school teacher after 20 years. With…
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#045 Exploring Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in Education with Athea Davis
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Athea Davis, a leader in Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Co-Secretary of the Coalition of Schools Educating Mindfully (COSEM), to discuss the transformative power of mindfulness in education.
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#044 How to Reduce Anxiety in Early Childhood Classrooms with Colleen Smith
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Colleen Smith of ChildLight Yoga as they talk about an important topic for our community of kids yoga teachers and early childhood educators: “How do we reduce anxiety in the early childhood classroom (with simple yoga and mindfulness activities)?” In this interview, Colleen Smith from ChildLight Yoga and BeLive Yoga shares her expertise on reducing anxiety in the early childhood classroom.
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#043 How to Add Picture Books to Kids Yoga Class with Jodie Rodriguez
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Jodie Rodriguez, founder of Growing Book by Book, as we talk about a popular topic that we hear from our community: “How do we capture the focus and attention of children while reading children’s books during a kids yoga session?”
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#042 Mindful Monday – Seize the Beauty
In this special Mindful Monday, Giselle guides you through a simple yet powerful practice to help you seize the beauty. Whether you’re an educator, parent, or anyone working with children, this meditation is a perfect way to reset, refocus, and manage stress.
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#041 How to Incorporate Literacy in Children’s Yoga Classes with Melissa Taylor
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Melissa Taylor, founder of Imagination Soup, a literacy expert and advocate for children’s literature, as they discuss ways to integrate books into children’s yoga classes and gain insights into fostering a love of reading.
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#040 Yoga for Autism and Special Needs with Shawnee Thornton Hardy
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Shawnee Thornton Hardy, founder of Asanas for Autism and Special Needs, as they discuss how yoga practices are making a difference for individuals with autism and special needs. Shawnee generously shares insights and success stories from incorporating yoga into her educational approach with neurodivergent people.
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#039 Essential Tips for Teaching Baby Yoga with Shari Vilchez-Blatt
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Shari Vilchez-Blatt, founder of Karma Kids Yoga, as we talk about a common question that we hear from our kids yoga teacher community: “How do we best teach yoga to babies and toddlers?”
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#038 Mindful Monday – Ground Yourself Meditation
In this special Mindful Monday, Giselle guides you through a simple yet powerful practice to help you ground yourself. Whether you’re an educator, parent, or anyone working with children, this meditation is a perfect way to reset, refocus, and manage stress.
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#037 Raising Resilient Kids: Trust, Risk, and Free-Range Parenting with Lenore Skenazy
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids movement and president of Let Grow, as they discuss how Lenore’s parenting choices many years ago sparked a national conversation that’s lasted more than fifteen years. In this interview, she breaks down what it means to trust children’s independence, why fear is so prevalent, and how schools and communities can encourage kids to grow.
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#036 How to Teach Tween and Teen Yoga Classes with Claire Louise Smith
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Claire Louise Smith, co-founder of Ambassador Yoga, as they talk about an interesting question for our community of kids yoga teachers and educators-turned-kids-yoga-business-owners: “How do we create effective and engaging tween and teen yoga classes?”
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#035 Mindful Monday – Meant to be Meditation
In this special Mindful Monday, Giselle guides you through a simple yet powerful practice to help you accept the moment with grace. Whether you’re an educator, parent, or anyone working with children, this meditation is a perfect way to reset, refocus, and manage stress.
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#034 Raising Happy, Healthy Kids: The Microbiome, Vagus Nerve, & Gut-Brain Connection with Dr. Elisa Song
Discover the keys to raising happy, healthy kids along with Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Dr. Elisa Song, a Stanford-, NYU-, UCSF-trained integrative pediatrician, pediatric functional medicine expert. Learn practical tips and science-backed strategies for optimizing your child’s microbiome and overall wellness.
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#033 How to Apply for a School Yoga Grant with Leslie Wolfe
Join Giselle Shardlow (founder of Kids Yoga Stories) and Leslie Wolfe (PE Teacher and founder of Playful Hearts Yoga) as we talk about a popular topic that we hear from our community: How do I apply for a grant for my school yoga program?
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#032 Building Confidence and Connection: Essential Tips for New Teachers with Alisha
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Alisha from Rainbow Sky Creations as they talk about how starting out as a new kids yoga teacher can be overwhelming and share invaluable tips and strategies for new teachers.
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#031 Simple Mindfulness Tools for Everyday School and Family Life with Sally Arnold
Join Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kids Yoga Stories, and Sally Arnold, founder of Mindful Compass, as they discuss how mindfulness can make a real difference for children, families, and educators in everyday life. In this interview, Sally shares practical techniques and powerful stories from her global experience teaching mindfulness.
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#030 Mindful Monday – Kindness Meditation
In this special Mindful Monday, Giselle guides you through a simple yet powerful practice to help you foster kindness. Whether you’re an educator, parent, or anyone working with children, this meditation is a perfect way to reset, refocus, and manage stress.
