304. Simple Acts of Giving for Busy Teens & Parents with Natalie Silverstein

Natalie Silverstein is an author, speaker, consultant and passionate advocate for family and youth service. Her first book, Simple Acts: The Busy Family's Guide to Giving Back, was published in 2019 and was named one of the Top Books for parents who want to raise kind kids by the HuffPost. Her second book, The Busy Teen's Guide to Making a Difference, launched on July 12th.   After a successful career in healthcare administration and as a non-profit founder, Natalie became the New York coordinator of Doing Good Together, an organization with the mission of helping parents raise kids who care and contribute. In this role, she curates a free monthly e-mail listing of family-friendly service opportunities that is distributed to thousands of subscribers. Her personal essays on parenting, grief and loss have been published on several national platforms including Medium, Grown and Flown and Motherwell.   Along with her husband, she is the co-founder of The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson's with GBA, a non-profit focused on finding a cure for Parkinson's Disease in GBA mutation carriers. As a philanthropist, she is a member of Impact 100 NYC and Legacy Collective, two giving circles that make grants to nonprofits making a transformative impact on their communities.   Natalie holds a master's degree in public health from Yale University. She lives in New York City with her husband and three teenagers.   Simple Acts Guide (@simpleactsguide) • Instagram photos and videos https://www.instagram.com/simpleactsguide/   Simple Acts, Big Impact - Podcast Addict   Simple Acts Guide - Value of Service     Natalie's Self-Care:  Reading a lot this year.  She made a goal to read 22 books in 2022 in various voices.  She sews and shares her creativity and is working on meeting more with friends.  Text someone on your phone you haven't heard from in a while. Make a date and get it on the calendar. Stay connected and be authentic.    Family Fun Idea: One on One time with her kids. Meals and movies are quality time.  This is the fun here.    Bonus--Start a family kindness practice - one small, intentional act of kindness each day (or each day for the days leading up to a birthday, milestone, etc.). For younger kids, try a "scavenger hunt" type kindness challenge.   You are exactly the right mom for your kids.  I am so glad to know you.  Find me on Instagram at @everyday_runner_christy Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast Don't forget to leave a rating or review.  Email me [email protected]  Want to share a family play idea?  Leave a message on SpeakPipe!