Episodes

In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, I interview my dear old friend, mother, and economics power house, Kristine Castagnaro. To learn more about Kristine, please follow these links: Kristine is the Chief Operating Officer at Western States Cancer Research https://westernstatesncorp.org/ As an always early adapter, Kristine's successful blog called It's Mommy Juice was quickly picked up and syndicated. http://itsmommyjuice.com/author/itsmommyjuice/ You can see the video she creat...

On this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, my guest Michelle M. Hughes shares details about her life as a single mother (by choice), her work as an adoption attorney, and what it was like to be raised by a Black dad and a white mom. Michelle has been an important fixture in the U.S. adoption community for many years, advocating for biracial children, all members of the adoption triad, and women who elect to raise their children as single parents. For more about Michelle, or to contact her...

In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, my special guest is artist, curator, mother and all around community powerhouse, Trisha Lagaso Goldberg. Trisha Lagaso Goldberg is an artist and independent curator. Born and raised on the Hawaiian island of O‘ahu, Lagaso Goldberg spent 15 years in the Bay Area (1991-2005). As executive director of Southern Exposure, the acclaimed San Francisco Mission District artist-centered organization and gallery, she stewarded over one hundred exhibitions an...

On this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent podcast, my special guest, Dr. Crystal Kwok shares her working mother of three insights about the job she loves the most. Dr. Kwok started her career as a film actor in Hong Kong where she appeared in many action and romance movies including one with Jackie Chan. She later moved into directing and then academia as her passion for social justice, and feminist studies grew. Dr. Kwok is the mother of three college aged children, and comes from a large...

In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent podcast, my special guest is Howard Garval, MSW. Howard is the founder of Leaders 4 Futures, and the former President and CEO of Child & Family Service, in Honolulu. Howard is an experienced social worker and parent trainer, as well as a long-time advocate for under-served and marginalized children and families. Howard started his career as a Spanish teacher, before realizing his true calling was in social work. After a good many years working in l...

In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, I interview my baby brother, Hans Altwies. To learn more about Hans and to read his incredible thoughts on parenting, memory, life, love and loss, please go to: Hans the Father: https://hansaltwies.substack.com/ Hans' essays during Stella's cancer treatments: https://www.caringbridge.org/public/stellaaltwies Hans and Stella on their annual slip and slide ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiuFPA8ZTg0 Hans the Actor: (This is a personal ...

In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, father Dale Moss talks about raising his son, Isaiah, after discovering his son was autistic at age four. A former college football player, Dale initially approached his son's condition with the purposeful work of an athlete. After discovering unimagined success on the football field, Dale and his brother, music LA-based producer Billy Moss, decided to produce one of Isaiah's songs. Isaiah Moss' first record, I'm Out The Box became an instant hit l...

In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent podcast, my special guest Amanda Quick shares her harrowing and heroic story of living with, fighting for, and eventually understanding and escaping her sex trafficking husband. Amanda's book, The Sex Trafficker's Wife: A Story of Truth, Faith and Trust in Self https://www.thesextraffickerswife.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thesextraffickerswife For more information about human trafficking go to this website: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/...

In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, Dr. Ann Yabusaki shares deeply personal insights into her experiences both professional and personal. Following a happy childhood in Hawai'i, she determined to learn about the impact of racism and moved to the U.S. mainland in this pursuit. Dr. Yabusaki is honest about the role of racism both in her own life and in the lives of her children. She has two children, one adopted from South Korea, and one to whom she gave birth. Both are now grown. Ann...

In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, former athlete, teacher and school principal, Ernie McCray, shares insights into how he raised his children using love and trust as the leading philosophy. Ernie remains actively involved in the lives of his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even great, great grandchildren. For more on Ernie McCray, please follow these links. To read Ernie's poems, please go to the OB Rag newspaper, (Ocean Beach) https://obrag.org/category/column...

Barbara Mullen is a force of nature. At 90 years old she still mentors and supervises a gaggle of Hawai'i-based mental health professionals, sees clients in her private practice, follows her favorite NFL teams religiously, and knows everything about every current socio-political trend. In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, Barbara shares details about her life growing up as the only child of a martini-drinking single mom; her classic VW bus trip as a single mom across the country with...

Scott Rogers shares tips and thoughts on how he and his wife, fellow actor/director Jeanne Rogers, parented their two creative children with a focus on love and imagination. In this episode of A Really Good Enough Parent, you will learn how to raise a child with minimal screen time; the benefits of trusting your child; and why boredom can be a great thing. Scott continues to teach live acting classes weekly in Honolulu as well as Portland. To learn more about Scott, please visit his website ht...

Deb Margolin is an actor, writer, artist, and mother who loves her two children so much it is palpable through her words. In this episode, you'll hear Deb talk about the joys and challenges of being a full time parent and creative person. Deb shares insights into her method of getting to know the incredible humans she was lucky enough to birth and raise. Deb currently teaches in the English and Theatre Departments at Yale University, while continually working on new plays, essays, and collabora...

New York City-based actor, husband, father, Timur Kocak shares his thoughts on raising happy children without heavy-handed discipline and the importance of making your own bread. Timur's acting career on IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0462233/ Reminder: No paraffin candles! Eat real food (if you can). Podcasts referenced in this episode: Podcast for kids: Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grimm-grimmer-grimmest/id1436651521 Podcast Timur and his wife love: ...

In this special Mother's Day edition of ARGEP, Kristine interviews her mother, Frances Altwies. Frances is an artist, and a long time Waldorf School teacher. Author Anthony Mara https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/books/anthony-marra-on-a-constellation-of-vital-phenomena.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Marra If you are going to buy a book, I recommend Thrift Books for on-line sales, or any local independent bookseller, such as Pearl Street Book Store in Ellensburg, WA www.pearlstr...

In the inaugural episode of A Really Good Enough Parent podcast, host Kristine Altwies talks with her father, lifelong Waldorf teacher, Gerald Altwies. Enjoy stories of a simple childhood and how lessons from that period of his life, influenced Mr. Altwies on his journey to become a teacher and parent. Fore more information on the Detroit Waldorf School please visit: https://www.detroitwaldorf.org/ or about Waldorf in general: https://youtu.be/wfec6eF4I_4 https://www.waldorfeducation.org/wa...

Jo Seager is a licensed Montessori teacher, born and raised in England. Ms. Seager raised her two children in Germany, England and France and supported them in pursuing higher education in Holland. Ms. Seager's upbeat, optimistic attitude about raising children grew somewhat out of response to her own strict upbringing in a British boarding school. In this episode Ms. Seager shares insights about what makes children "misbehave" and how to walk the line between being your child's friend and pare...

Psychologist and mother, Dr. Laura Anderson, shares insights into her own journey as a mother, her ideas on why it's important to be aware of a child's ability to repair, be resilient and to regulate as needed. More information about Dr. Laura Anderson and her work with gender expansiveness, race and culture in the lives of children can be found at: https://www.drlauraanderson.com/

Svenja Buentjen was born and raised in Germany, the daughter of a hippy father and a more conservative mother. She received her Waldorf training in England and taught in Waldorf schools in Germany, the United States, England. She has conducted child out reach and support programs in under served communities in India, Congo, Nicaragua, Spain, Panama, and Costa Rico. She is the founder of the Katu Waldorf School in San Jose, Costa Rica. She is the proud mother of two wonderful young adults who cur...