Randy Rolfe

FAMILY FIRST: Making Every Move Count With Orrin C. Hudson

Many of our cities are struggling with misdirected youth and increasing violence, whether over drugs, gangs, or simply explosive frustration. And smaller communities, suburbs, and rural areas are not immune. Many communities try to increase enforcement, keep kids in school, and find healthy activities for youth. My guest this week on Family First has found a whole new way of getting to youth which has proven amazingly effective and has been getting a lot of attention. Orrin Checkmate Hudson says that the game of chess taught him that he was responsible for his own success or failure. His innovative programs help youth improve their focus and develop the analytical-thinking skills needed to make the winning move. A dynamic teacher, motivational speaker, and author, he has taught thousands better focus and decision-making skills through the game of chess. Hudson’s book “One Move at a Time” eloquently weaves chess strategy with 20 important life lessons into a great read for all ages.

FAMILY FIRST: What Can The Dying Teach Us About Living? With Becki Hawkins

As our population ages, an ever bigger proportion of our population will be dealing with end of life issues. What can we learn from the experience of those dying? What can they teach us about life as well as about death, and how can we help to make their transition more peaceful and love-filled? My guest this week on “Family First” is Becki Hawkins, author of the new book TRANSITIONS: A Nurse’s Education About Life and Death. Becki Hawkins is a natural storyteller and a great listener and she brought those gifts with her as she sat by the bedside of seriously ill or terminally ill patients for more than 30 years, as an oncology and hospice nurse. It is her compassion and warmth that encouraged so many of her charges to share their heartfelt thoughts and experiences with her. On “Family First” she will share what she has learned from her experiences and also reveal a kind of blueprint for how to help our loved ones to go through their end of life transition in peace, grace, and love.

FAMILY FIRST: What Pets Can Mean to Your Child With Tracie Hotchner

37% of American households have at least one dog and 32% have at least one cat. Over 72 million pet dogs and 81million pet cats live in this country. That’s enough for more than one for every child! What impact does having a family pet have on your child? On this show we will talk with one of the country’s top experts on dog and cat care. The author of both The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, Trace Hotchner’s first book was Pregnancy & Childbirth. So she is an ideal person to talk to about the impact of pets on children. We will talk about how family pets can empower children with important qualities like responsibility, compassion, empathy, and respect for nature and for other creatures, along with appreciation for communication, relaxation, play, and fun. You will get useful tips on how and when to introduce a family pet, how to transfer responsibility, how to keep your pet healthy, and how to build good relationships all around. Listen in to this valuable show on family pets.

FAMILY FIRST: Resolving anger in the family With Jules Shuzen Harris Sensei

Parents have lots to feel upset about today, with pressure from the economy, pressure from jobs, pressure from the normal responsibilities at home which don’t diminish with these other added pressures, and then extra pressure to have their children succeed in school so they won’t be unemployed, plus daily pressure from advertisers to keep up with the social competition. No wonder parents’ patience can wear thin and anger begins to affect family relationships. Kids too get angry. They feel pressure to achieve, feel the stress of keeping up, and have less time and support from parents. My guest this week is Jules Shuzen Harris Sensei, a leader in the teaching of Zen Buddhism, and the founder and Vice Abbot of Soji Zen Center in Lansdowne, PA. Buddhist philosophy has grown in popularity over the last fifty years because of its unique approach to handling powerful emotions through methods to calm the mind and relieve our stress, which methods Shuzen will share with us.

FAMILY FIRST: Incorrigible to Incredible: Some Dog Lessons With Charmaine Hammond

Some relationships are more difficult than others. Sometimes a friend or even a child can be difficult to handle. They can try your patience and seem incorrigible. Can we learn some tricks from our four-footed friends? My guest this week on Family First says absolutely! Charmaine Hammond is an international transformational speaker, author, and radio host, helping people live inspired, resilient lives, and she is a leading trainer in corporate North America, helping transform workplaces. Charmaine Hammond is the award winning and bestselling author of On Toby’s Terms and Toby The Pet Therapy Dog–and his hospital friends, and also Bounce Forward.  She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul-What I learned from the dog. She is now co authoring a new book GPS Your Best Life. Her book On Toby’s Terms is currently in development to become a major motion picture! Get your whole family to listen in. Charmaine will be sharing Toby’s lessons!

FAMILY FIRST: Family Money Matters for a Prosperous 2012 With Thomas Weimer

The economy today is causing hardship for many families. Parents find they are out of work or working two or three jobs to make ends meet. Folks are just happy to have a job, much less thinking about moving forward to increase their income and assets. With school and work schedules, after-school events, getting dinner, paying bills, keeping house, and now focusing on extended family and holidays, who has time to think about the family’s financial future? My guest this week is Thomas Weimer, a financial advisor who helps families to focus on their finances and develop an approach and plan that helps them feel more in control and more successful in achieving their dreams. Tom Weimer specializes in objective, holistic financial planning: Working with individuals and local businesses, he is able to provide expertise in areas such as retirement planning, estate planning, college funding, and business planning. Tom will offer some good ideas forgetting on top of your financial life.

FAMILY FIRST: When and how should a child have a tutor? With Neil Haley

We hear so often about children falling behind in school or losing interest in their academics and handicapping their future by not developing the basic skills they need to succeed and feel good about themselves. It can become a vicious circle. So often they lack some basic understanding of a subject or their busy parents aren’t sure how to help them in their studies. Many schools recommend tutoring, but when should a parent begin that process and how can a parent choose a tutor who can really add value to their child’s life? My guest today Neil Haley is adynamic advocate of the benefits of a one-on-one customized educational experience with a caring and experienced tutor. He will share tips on how to identify the need for a tutor, when it is best to get started, how to choose an appropriate expert, and what to expect both in the experience and for the results. Be sure to listen as we explore when and how a child needs the assistance of a qualified tutor.

FAMILY FIRST: Do our children have Nature Deficit Disorder? With Ellen Haas

Remember when we used to go outside to play at recess and again when we got home? We used to hunt bugs and play with sticks and wade in a stream on weekends. Now as parents we seem too busy working to be watching the kids every minute, we worry about dangerous strangers, we fear nasty bugs, pollen allergies, and snakes in the grass, and our kids play on concrete with games structured just to keep the peace. Might this change be a factor in the increasing problems among our children? With boredom, attention problems, learning disorders, over-eating, and even other physical problems? My guest today teaches children and adults to get outside. Not just outside but in Nature, to really experience its wildness and awesomeness and to get to know our ecological roots. Ellen Haas is co-author of Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature, which is getting rave reviews and helping parents and teachers to help kids build their connectedness to nature and their community too.

FAMILY FIRST: New Leadership Challenges for Youth With Stedman Graham

The challenges of this century, including the new global economy, continued erosion of American manufacturing, growth of other economies, and profound changes in the very fabric of society, have resulted in unprecedented changes in the basic skills needed just for survival. How can we help our youth develop leadership and a competitive edge, when even basic comfort and security seem ever more elusive? My guest this week is Stedman Graham, who inspires people worldwide to change the way they learn and think. Stedman Graham is CEO of S. Graham and Associates, offering education and training to businesses, nonprofits, and youth to help maximize personal and professional success. His 11 books include two New York Times best sellers, You Can Make It Happen and Teens Can Make It Happen, which reveal his proprietary Nine-Step Process. He will share insights from his latest book, Identity: Your Passport to Success to help youth to transform their perceptions of themselves for true success.

FAMILY FIRST: Forgiveness in the Family: When and How? With Dr. Philip Friedman

All over the media we see evidence of family feuds, conflicts between celebrities and their parents and between celebrities and their children and between jealous siblings, and of course the ever-present statistics about divorce. Are there ways we have been ignoring to get past such family conflicts, whether small or large, and maybe even become a stronger family for it? What kind of processes and conversations do we need between us to create an atmosphere of forgiveness? Often we don’t want to go there because we are so caught up in our immediate reactions, our personal dramas. Is there a better way? Our guest for this show, Dr. Philip Friedman has spent much of his professional life exploring this issue and has published a wonderful book called The Forgiveness Solution. Please listen in to get some wonderful insights on how this powerful approach can make your family’s life happier, healthier, easier, and more fun.