Randy Rolfe

FAMILY FIRST: The Practical Side of Spirituality With Tony Samara

Today it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day preoccupations of work, bills, family events, public affairs, sports interests, and more. It seems hard to find time to meditate, relax, or participate in the more enduring aspects of life, the spiritual connection between us all and also our surroundings. My guest Tony Samara is a world-renowned spiritual teacher who believes that becoming more aware of the spiritual element in life right now can help with all those other concerns and bring more peace and joy to every day life. On Family First this week Tony will share his insights on how we are living at a crucial moment in humanity's transformation and we can no longer wait for someone else, or something else, to do something. He will explain how the creative power of each individual allows us to put things into practice now, in a more proactive and participatory way. Listen in for some valuable wisdom and practical tools for making our lives freer, more fun, and more meaningful.

FAMILY FIRST: Never Too Early to Learn Wellness With Maryellen Murphy Ruggiero

With the epidemic of obesity in children, with studies showing that even our youngest kids are suffering from stress and emotional problems and the early onset of conditions once thought a product of aging like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, we need to find ways to help kids become familiar as early as possible with the principles of good health and wellness. My guest this week has created are and valuable tool for making wellness fun for the little ones. Maryellen Murphy Ruggiero is the author and illustrator of The Little Lotus Learns About Wellness. She will share how parents and teachers can help get children off to a good start with good habits by educating them in a fun way about the essential elements and benefits of health and wellness. She is passionate about yoga, the arts, and the benefits of a holistic lifestyle and is committed to continue promoting wellness, literacy and creativity. She will also share what she calls The Five Petals of Wellness.

FAMILY FIRST: Anger Management in the Family With Carolee Risk

What do we do when we get angry? What do we do when people are angry with us? Can we get angry at our children? Do our children get angry with us? Daily headlines reveal how people can reach their limit of tolerance in these stressful times and lash out at each other without knowing what to do instead. Is there away to back down from destructive words and behavior without being disempowered by suppressing righteous anger? My guest this week is Carolee Risk, who has helped thousands of people over the last 25 years to learn how to be aware of their anger, accept its power, and use that energy to their benefit and the good of their family. She is director of Development Associates and offers multi-faceted training programs to help individuals and families deal with the most important challenges in life. She focuses on overcoming limiting beliefs, improving communication tools, handling difficult people, building self-esteem, overcoming fear, and exploring the positive side of anger.

FAMILY FIRST: Ending the Special Ed Stigma With Laura Reiff

How can a parent or teacher communicate to a child who has been identified as having learning differences or needing special education that they are still okay and have a great future ahead of them? What can they do about bullying or other behaviors of peers which make the child feel bad? Actually every child has her or his own learning needs and in an effort to address these needs, various programs have generated a lot of misunderstanding. My guest on Family First this week is an experienced teacher who has dedicated herself to removing the stigma attached to special education. Laura Reiff has created a book which parents can read with their special education child to help both of them deal with the many challenges ahead. Reiff’s book is “The Adventures of Naomi Noodles, The Wonderful, Amazing, Splendiferous Me.” The first of a series, it helps children and their caregivers overcome any stigma about learning differences and helps both end frustration, misunderstanding, and hurt.

FAMILY FIRST: Why Kids Need the Creative Arts With

Every day we hear of cuts made to school budgets around the nation. And its seems the first thing to go is the creative arts–painting, drawing, drama, dance–art classes where often kids have the most fun and get to express their pent up creativity. What can parents do to keep the creative arts in their children’s lives? On this show we will be speaking with Kimberley Rayevsky, a talented artist who has worked closely with her husband Robert Rayevsky to create wonderful illustrations for a number of popular children’s books including Pirate Pup, Under New York, The Sleepy Men, Small Vampires–Picus the thief, and many more. She also wrote the text for a wonderful book called Antonyms, Synonyms, and Homonyms which Robert illustrated and which should be in every school library because it makes a tough subject so much fun. With her own children Kim encouraged them and didn’t worry about how they would make a living. I’m excited to have Kim will share her insights with us.

FAMILY FIRST: Make Your Child’s Job Interview a Success With Joel Quass

How can young people better prepare themselves for interviewing for jobs in this challenging market? As a society we urge our children to stay in school and get their degree so they can land a good job and become productive citizens. But in this market, finishing school is no guarantee of a job. Can your child prepare for job interviews in away that will help him or her to really communicate his or her most valuable talents? What do employers look for in new hires and how can our young applicants show in their interview that they are ready to do the job? My guest Joel Quass is a nationally recognized expert on this topic with years of experience interviewing applicants and now years helping others to get hired. Joel has interviewed over 1,000 people and uses that knowledge to teach people the keys to getting hired. Joel Quass will share on Family First how young people can discover their own personal assets and make them shine on their resumes and in interviews.

FAMILY FIRST: Making Divorce a Healthier Process With Cris Pastore, Esq

At least half of our nation’s families have been touched by divorce. The high costs and stress on family members of completing the divorce process is legendary, especially if the process involves litigation. Is there another way? My guest this week onFamily Firstis Crispino M.Pastore, Esq., whose mission is to help his clients avoid costly and destructive litigation. Hefounded the Main Line Family Law Center in 2011, together with his wife Sharon Pastore, afterhis years of conventional family law practice left him feeling that his hands were constantly tiedas he witnessed the destructive nature of the litigation process. He now employs a uniquelyintegrated approach to assisting clients in resolving their separation and divorce matters. Using expert divorce and parenting mediators, life coaches, therapists, and financial planners, he can assure his clients that their settlements will be fair and reasonable while ensuring that all of their rights and interests are protected.

FAMILY FIRST: What Peace Day Means for Family With Lisa Parker

Our children are exposed daily to news of violence, war, fleeing refugees, children orphaned by conflict. How do we help empower them to believe they can be part of making the world a safer, fairer, more peaceful place? This is one of the goals of the September 21 celebration of the United Nations International Day of Peace, a day of ceasefire and non-violence celebrated worldwide. My guest on Family First this week is Lisa Parker, who helped to found Peace Day Philly in 2011, believing that Peace Day holds a great opportunity for cities across the world, including Philadelphia. She serves as coordinator of the initiative for 2012, and is Co-Chair of the CITIES Peace Team, an international sub-committee of the International Day of Peace NGO Committee at the United Nations. The CITIES Peace Team shares models, practices, and resources related to Peace Day observances and helps increase connectivity of cities across the world that promote and/or organize observances for Peace Day.

FAMILY FIRST: Transforming Our Relationship With Lisa Oz

Have you ever tried to change someone else to make them easier to deal with or more to your liking? Have you sometimes assumed that your own spontaneous reactions to the people around you were the most real and best to communicate or act upon? How have these worked for you? What are the most important relationships in you life? How can we be the best “me” for our spouse, our children, our parents, and all those we care about? My guest this week on Family First is Lisa Oz, an esteemed and respected worldwide authority on the subject of wellbeing and relationships. Lisa Oz inspires audiences at a multitude of speaking engagements and events. She is a moving speaker, producer, writer, actress, and coauthor of six New York Times best selling books, She will be sharing with our Family First listeners some important ideas and key strategies for transforming our relationships and ourselves. Be sure to listen in for Lisa’s wise and witty candor about what really makes our lives work.

FAMILY FIRST: Why Powerful Men Risk It All With Dr. Terri Orbuch

Why would powerful men like General David Petraeus cheat and risk so much? We are often puzzled when famous men who seem to have it all, like public acclaim, professional success, and a loving family, throw away their career, marriage, and reputation by having an affair. Ironically, these affairs rarely turn into long-lasting relationships. Fear of infidelity plagues many marriages today. My guest this week on "Family First," is Terri Orbuch PhD, a marriage expert and director of a landmark 25-year, NIH government-funded study of marriage and divorce. Popularly known as "The Love Doctor," Dr. Orbuch will explain how powerful men are especiallyvulnerable to common traps that jeopardize marriages. She will share the 5 reasons why powerful men cheat and how power creates blind spots when it comes to self-scrutiny. Past President of the International Association for Relationship Research, she will give us some important insights into keeping a marriage safe and healthy.