PODCAST · kids
Millennial Mom Thoughts
by Jordan Spicklemire and Helen Plevka-Jones
Two millennial moms...sharing some thoughts. As parents and as education professionals, we discuss our past, present, and future relationships with changing technologies. We're interested in how it impacts ourselves, our students, and our kiddos, and we're learning how to advocate for the issues we care most about.
Episodes
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EPISODE 56: We are not aMUSEd
We start off talking about several interesting webinars happening the week we record this episode (more than one featuring author Natasha Singer) and thankfully Jordan’s massive Google Doc will house the links to the recordings. Jordan can’t handle the fact that her youngest is turning three…
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EPISODE 57: A Conversation with Mary Flenner, Founder of Tween Magazine
As moms to daughters we are thrilled to share our conversation with Mary Flenner, the founder and creative director of Tween Magazine. Tween is an empowering print magazine for girls! Mary is a mom to three girls and wanted to create a magazine she felt good about them reading. The magazine is...
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Your Attention Please: A conversation with Sara Robin & Jack LeMay
On this special episode, we interview the creative and passionate minds behind the new documentary Your Attention Please: Sara Robin (Director/Producer) and Jack LeMay (Editor/Writer). Your Attention Please (available now on Apple TV, Amazon, and Doc+) explores how social media platforms are...
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EPISODE 55: Pumpkins, Books, and Public Testimony
It’s episode fifty-freakin’-five, everyone…just don’t tell Helen’s mom! We are fresh off the Morton Pumpkin Festival weekend, and it was filled with rides, wristbands, runs, and parades. Jordan shares the exciting news that she will be facilitating an after-school club at her son’s elementary...
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EPISODE 54: Go UnPluggEd! A conversation with Kathleen Barlow
If you are looking for a reason to hit reset on your technology use in your home or classroom, The UnPluggEd Project happening in October is just what you need! We are joined this week by Kathleen Barlow, a former teacher, mom of six, ScreenStrong Ambassador, and a strong advocate for kids and...
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EPISODE 53: Throwing frisbees and jumping through hoops!
The countdown to the Morton Pumpkin Festival is on, and the smell of rotting pumpkins is filling the air! Helen gives an update about her classes, including how she and her students are navigating her mostly-device-free technology policy. She talks through the examples of when classwork does…
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EPISODE 52: Meta has to pay billions...now what?
When you need to get some energy out, crank up the tunes (maybe even some Sesame Street hits) and dance! Or at least that is what these two Millennial Moms recommend. Jordan shares the final update to her community grant project: all of the screen-free activity bins are now out! Then we dive into...
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EPISODE 51: A Grab Bag of Millennial Mom Thoughts
Sometimes when one of the Millennial Moms has her basement flood for multiple days, you plan nothing for your episode and instead go for a “grab bag” of topics. Turns out that works out great because we got to talk about a variety of important and interesting things! Jordan shares about several...
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EPISODE 50: Hey baby, we're fifty!
We kick, we stretch, and we kick because this is our FIFTIETH episode! Helen shares how she made it out safely from a scary storm, and Jordan has been busy baking treats. Helen then promises that when our podcast gets seven (or more!) reviews, she will share an incredible…
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EPISODE 49: Supporting Distraction-Free Schools
Just in time for back-to-school, Jordan shares all about the Distraction-Free Schools Policy Project (DFSPP) that she has become involved with over the past year. DFSPP is a joint initiative between the Becca Schmill Foundation and Smartphone Free Childhood US that advocates for a better, safer...
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EPISODE 48: What if it’s not the phones? Ok, but it is.
We kick off our episode with a brand new segment we’re calling “Gratitude,” complete with Helen’s on-the-fly segment theme song! Helen is fresh off the first day of her new job as the Clinical Coordinator for English Education, and Jordan has shared another newsletter for her reConnect Morton...
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EPISODE 47: Happy 1st birthday, Millennial Mom Thoughts!
Put your party hat on because we are celebrating the 1st birthday of our podcast! It’s hard to believe we’ve shared a year of so many different Millennial Mom Thoughts with our listeners. After Jordan shares about her recent trip to visit family in Indiana, Helen delights us with her impressive...
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EPISODE 46: A Conversation with Kevin Stinehart
We are thrilled to share our conversation with Kevin Stinehart, a fellow millennial who is a leading voice on what modern childhood is missing. Helen first shares with us her incredible running accomplishment: taking third place at the Cry Me A River Trail Half Marathon! And Jordan drops a small...
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EPISODE 45: Toys Over Tablets
Spoiler alert: There will be a few Toy Story 5 spoilers in this episode! We are discussing the summer blockbuster and the messages it sent (and didn’t send) to viewers. But first, Jordan shares a huge childhood independence experience for her six-year-old, and Helen discusses her daughter’s first...
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EPISODE 44: The Amazing Generation
Did you miss us?! Get excited because we are back! We kick off Season 3 sharing what we have been up to so far this summer: visits to the zoo, beach, Magic House, and aquarium, eating vacation ice cream, sleeping in hotels, watching fireworks, and having plenty of outdoor play! Helen shares a…
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EPISODE 43: That’s a wrap on the 2025-26 school year!
It’s hard to believe, but the 2025-26 school year has come to a close for Helen and Jordan! We start off sharing two examples of how Facebook “works” as more evidence that once you post something, it isn’t totally within your control what happens next. We read a short, beautiful Substack essay...
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EPISODE 42: What is MADTech?
We open with a very special guest, a.k.a. Jordan’s son Camden, dropping some animal facts for our listeners. We also introduce a new potential segment we will call “stuff Brian yells in the car while listening to our podcast” that leads to Jordan retelling her marriage proposal story. We give an...
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EPISODE 41: Mother’s Day for Two Millennial Moms
We recorded this episode on Mother’s Day and of course had to talk about what we did to celebrate our special day. After enjoying a delicious Dilly Bar, Helen shares how she enjoyed pancakes after sleeping in, and Jordan had a fun afternoon at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. We then celebrate…
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EPISODE 40: Be Tech Wise! Summertime
What do ancient Egypt birthday parties, gas leaks, E.R. trips, movie theater date nights, and 30 dozen donuts have in common? Absolutely nothing--but they are all things covered in Episode 40! We got to see each other IRL at Jordan’s son’s ancient Egypt themed 6th birthday party that…
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EPISODE 39: Be Tech Wise! Springtime
We start off by sharing some recent artistic adventures with our kids. Jordan reminds listeners about the upcoming playing & reading outdoor event on May 9th in Morton. Helen prepares for her final week of class and summer giggles. We then dig in to our main topic: Fairplay’s Be Tech Wise!...
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EPISODE 38: Preserving memories while being present
Jordan starts off by sharing an exciting community update: she was awarded a grant to place screen-free activity stations in town from the Morton Community Foundation. Jordan is preparing to celebrate National Children’s Book Week and Screen-Free Week on May 9th by organizing a local outdoor…
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EPISODE 37: A conversation with Deb Gangstad, retired elementary school teacher
This week we are excited to a share a conversation with an expert in elementary school teaching: Mrs. Deb Gangstad aka Jordan’s first grade teacher at College Wood Elementary. With all of the changes that have happened (and are happening) to education, it is important to share the stories of...
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EPISODE 36: Remorse and Renorming
We spend our episode focused on a recently published article by Natasha Singer in the New York Times, “Chromebook Remorse: Tech Backlash at Schools Extends Beyond Phones.” Before diving in, we recap our recent spring break and Easter travel adventures. And it turns out Helen’s daughter is no fan…
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EPISODE 35: Social media on trial and the verdict
We first catch up on our latest life happenings, including (but not limited to): an E.R. visit, book clubs, and trying to remember to promote our own various spaces on the internet: Substack, YouTube, and Four Norms. Then we dive into the results of the bellwether social media trial in Los…
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EPISODE 34: Happy birthday, Jordan!
Helen made a rule that when you have your own podcast and it’s your birthday, you get to celebrate with an episode being asked a variety of questions. And because we are rule-followers (usually…see: Scattergories), we are sharing the second Millennial Mom Thoughts birthday tradition episode.…
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EPISODE 33: A conversation with Jill Anderson, Mindful Tech Lessons
This week we share an interview with Jill Anderson, a mom, an educator, the founder of Mindful Tech Lessons, and, to many in her community, “the book lady.” Jill is a veteran K–6 teacher, and when she is not in the classroom with her third graders, she is often leading workshops that help parents...
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EPISODE 32: GenAI, deleting photos, and ethical dilemmas
We reflect on our last episode with Emily Cherkin, and Jordan shares her not-so-conspiracy theory about why there was low engagement on the posts we shared on social media. Helen details her new video essay adventure: GenAI on GenAI. Listeners can find this on her Substack, Resonances. Helen aims...
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EPISODE 31: A conversation with Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
We are thrilled to share our conversation with Emily Cherkin, a.k.a. The Screentime Consultant. Emily shares her journey from being a middle school educator to now a fierce advocate for families and schools to be more tech-intentional. Emily started to notice a shift in education when, as a...
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EPISODE 30: What is the cost of convenience?
We reflect on the important conversation we had on our last episode with Mike McLeod and the positive feedback we’ve received from listeners so far. We look forward to having Mike join us again on a future episode! Helen shares how she is trying out a new routine via her Substack to help…
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EPISODE 29: A conversation with Millennial Dad, Mike McLeod: CEO of GrowNOW ADHD
We are so excited to share our conversation with our very first Millennial dad guest: Mike McLeod! Mike is a professional speaker, ADHD and executive function expert, and the founder and CEO of GrowNOW ADHD who recently released his first book, The Executive Function Playbook. We start the…
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EPISODE 28: Swipe right for love?
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we are talking all about the sometimes successful, oftentimes completely terrifying world of online dating. But first, Jordan discusses her latest local news interview experience talking about OFF February as well as speaking at a school board meeting for the…
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EPISODE 27: What does advocacy look like?
We cover some heavy, but necessary, topics in this episode in order to answer the question: What does advocacy look like? Helen opens the episode by reading a statement made by Alex Pretti’s parents. We then debrief on our conversation with Becca Bramwell, including Helen’s realization that they,...
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EPISODE 26: A conversation with Middle School Principal, Becca Bramwell
We are excited to add another perspective and voice to episode 26 with Becca Bramwell, current Principal of Prairie Grove Middle School in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Becca and Jordan met in 2017 during new staff orientation at East Peoria Community High School and have been friends ever since.…
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EPISODE 25: What is the purpose of education?
We (attempt to) discuss the purpose and history of education. Jordan starts off the episode giving some book club updates and a recap of the latest Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing held about kids and screens. Helen and Jordan discuss the funny differences in their...
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EPISODE 24: Facebook is old, and so are we.
Jordan shares about her local TV news interview experience and how the segment disappointingly did not end up airing. (At the time of this episode release, the segment has aired.) Our conversation about a new global initiative called OFF February leads to the mutual agreement that Jordan writes...
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EPISODE 23: I feel (the) pod in this Chili's tonight.
We are so excited to be back for SEASON TWO of Millennial Mom Thoughts! Our holiday breaks were filled with travel, thoughtful gifts from our husbands, goal setting, and even a podcast retreat held at the former home of the Awesome Blossom aka Chili’s. And in case you haven’t been to Chili’s in a...
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EPISODE 22: Wrapping up Season 1 of MMT!
We kick off the final episode of Season 1 by discussing the recent social media restriction that Australia enacted for kids under the age of 16. We draw parallels from the social media age restriction to how the U.S. has driving, drinking, and voting ages. Prompted by a a school drop-off line...
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EPISODE 21: Let’s talk about some gifts to (and not to) give!
Helen couldn’t hear out of one ear and Jordan lost her voice, so ‘tis the season to talk about gifts (while doing our best to hold back coughs)! We start off by reflecting on the meaningful discussion that happened after the latest community film screening of Can’t Look Away. Jordan then shared a...
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EPISODE 20: Hey, we have our first guest!
For our TWENTIETH episode we are excited to be bringing on our very first guest, Kaitlan Finn! Sadly poor Helen was absent for this one thanks to a bummer winter illness. Kaitlan is a former Speech-Language Pathologist who lives in Palatine, IL, and has taken on the role of Illinois team lead for...
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EPISODE 19: Travel—childhood memories & parenting strategies.
We’re kicking off the holiday season by sharing memories from our childhood travel experiences as well as sharing current travel strategies with our own kids. And thanks to our talented podcast music director (aka Brian Spicklemire) we have a new holiday twist to our theme song! Helen starts by...
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EPISODE 18: Happy birthday, Helen!
When you have your own podcast, you can make your own rules -- and Helen decided to make a rule that when it’s your birthday, you get to celebrate by being asked a bunch of questions. So that’s exactly what we’re doing for episode 18! We kick things off with Helen sharing about her latest running...
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EPISODE 17: What is sextortion?
Helen shares some exciting professional news to start off this episode: being included in an upcoming book and leading a workshop at a writing symposium. Jordan shares about her next screening of the Can’t Look Away film and an opportunity to speak with a parent group about executive function...
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EPISODE 16: Raising Readers
Jordan opens the episode with the great success of the Spooklemire Haunted House. Many attended (including Helen) and fun was had by all. Helen and Jordan then dive into their earliest childhood memories with reading and some of their favorite books. Helen discusses a literacy narrative…
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EPISODE 15: The Journey to Education
In an effort to understand how we got here (here being our careers in education), we reflect back on all of the various job and volunteer experiences we have had along our journeys towards education. First, Jordan and Helen share about their latest Halloween activities as well as an accidental...
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EPISODE 14: Artificially Educated
Millennial Mom disclaimer: Jordan used AI to come up with this episode’s title. And coincidentally enough, we are talking about AI in our jobs for this episode! Jordan and Helen start off sharing their recent Halloween activities, and Helen finally reveals her fun, coordinated family costume.…
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EPISODE 13: Can't Look Away
Helen starts out the episode blowing our minds (or at least Jordan’s) by sharing about the wild world of ultramarathoning. Jordan shares about her first experience with the community screening of the documentary, Can’t Look Away, and wrestling with feelings of disappointment, appreciation,...
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EPISODE 12: Internet--A Place of Connection or Isolation?
The internet used to be a place that you physically went to, and now it’s accessible 24/7, often located in your very own pocket. Jordan starts out the episode by sharing an update on her first scheduled film screening of Can’t Look Away, and Helen cracks us all up with a joke. NSYNC fans will...
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EPISODE 11: I’ve got rhythm, you’ve got rhythm, we’ve all got an algorithm.
In episode 11, we dive into the world of algorithms to try our best to understand them. Jordan shares an update on her documentary viewing event that is scheduled for October 6th. Helen and Jordan both share their how they use WhatsApp for communication. We go over the rules of the latest recess...
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EPISODE 10: It’s our TENTH episode! Time for some reflect-ten.
In our tenth episode, it’s time for us to reflect on our goals, accomplishments, concerns, and future plans for this podcast. We start off by diving into the wild world of the multitude of Facebook groups in our town and their eccentricities. Helen gives her hot tip of spreading peanut butter…
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EPISODE 9: What’s that smell? The pumpkins.
After a very busy pumpkin-filled week, aka the Morton Pumpkin Festival, aka P-fest, we have our most meticulously planned episode ever...jk. We planned nothing! For our non-Morton listeners, P-fest is a multi-day autumnal extravaganza, and we share our experiences from this year and years past.…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Two millennial moms...sharing some thoughts. As parents and as education professionals, we discuss our past, present, and future relationships with changing technologies. We're interested in how it impacts ourselves, our students, and our kiddos, and we're learning how to advocate for the issues we care most about.
HOSTED BY
Jordan Spicklemire and Helen Plevka-Jones
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Millennial Mom Thoughts have?
Millennial Mom Thoughts currently has 57 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Millennial Mom Thoughts about?
Two millennial moms...sharing some thoughts. As parents and as education professionals, we discuss our past, present, and future relationships with changing technologies. We're interested in how it impacts ourselves, our students, and our kiddos, and we're learning how to advocate for the issues we...
How often does Millennial Mom Thoughts release new episodes?
Millennial Mom Thoughts has 57 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Millennial Mom Thoughts?
You can listen to Millennial Mom Thoughts on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Millennial Mom Thoughts?
Millennial Mom Thoughts is created and hosted by Jordan Spicklemire and Helen Plevka-Jones.
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