Shows
GenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectFrom Addiction to Advocacy: Liddy's StoryIn this episode, Kathleen engages in a heartfelt conversation with Liddy and Corinne Johnson about the challenges of navigating digital technology and social media. Liddy, a 17-year-old advocate against social media addiction, shares her personal journey from addiction to recovery, while her mother, Corinne, discusses her advocacy for parental rights and digital safety. Together, they explore the generational differences in digital technology use, the importance of real-life connections, and the legislative efforts to protect children from harmful digital content. The episode emphasizes the need for open communication between parents and children, the significance of setting boundaries with digital technology...
2025-10-291h 00GenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectHillary Kimball: High School Cheerleader & JournalistHillary Kimball is a 16-year-old high school student who was published in the Salt Lake Tribune for an editorial based on the challenges of growing up in the age of digital technology. Hillary enjoys cheerleading at her school and loves to travel.
2025-09-2535 minGenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectNgozi Edema: Children's Book Author & Time Management CoachNgozi Edema is a children’s book author and time management coach who helps busy moms, writers, and entrepreneurs reclaim their time and turn minutes into milestones. With nearly two decades of writing experience, she’s passionate about storytelling and believes productivity should feel purposeful, not overwhelming. Through her coaching, books, and podcast, she empowers others to create space for their goals and finishwhat matters most.
2025-09-2350 minGenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectMichael Perrone: Build The VillageMichael Perrone resides with his wife and 6 children in the PNW. He’s a consultant who helps fathers lead in their home, their work and in their community. His mission is to help 1 million fathers unleash their leadership potential.
2025-08-0942 minGenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectDr. Richard Freed: Child Psychologist & Author of "Better Than Real Life"Richard Freed, PhD, is a psychologist, author of the recently released book Better Than Real Life, and his insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets. Dr. Freed has devoted his career to revealing how Silicon Valley is using its clandestine science of persuasive design to pull childhood away from the real world to exist on social media, video games, and online video. He is determined to bring knowledge of this addictive science—which now exists among a handful of tech elite—to all of those who care for kids. He beli...
2025-07-1153 minGenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectMorgan Monet: Creative & Connective TherapistMorgan Monet is a 27-year-old licensed marriage and family therapist and proud “elder” Gen Z-er. She works at the intersection of mental health, identity, and connection, and brings a thoughtful, relational approach to her work, centering the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and anyone seeking more authentic relationships with themselves and others. Her work emphasizes mindfulness, emotional grounding, and curiosity as tools for resilience in a fast-paced, often disembodied world. As someone who deeply values human presence and intentional living, she’s both fascinated and concerned by the ways technology shapes our nervous systems, relationships, and sense of self. O...
2025-06-241h 07GenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectMorgan Wilkinson: High School Senior & Community BuilderMorgan is a 17-year-old high school senior whose mom is Hillary Wilkinson, co-founder of "Healthy Screen Habits." Morgan and her older brother have been raised by parents who practice a minimalist approach, when it comes to screen time. Morgan has a TED talk called "Embracing Community", in which she beautifully speaks about the people in her neighborhood whom she interacts with on the regular, and how important and enriching these interactions are in her life. Morgan is a high school senior who plans to go to college in the fall to study Health & Exercise Science, with the ul...
2025-05-2431 minGenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectJayden Davis: The Policy ProjectJayden Davis is the Programs and Office Manager at an organization called The Policy Project, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Kathleen and Jayden connected over an initiative called The Focused Student, in which TPP worked to get a bill passed during the 2025 legislative session. The two-pronged initiative would enable students to have improved focus in school, both by being off cell phones and by ensuring that they were not going hungry during the school day.During this podcast episode, Kathleen and Jayden talk about the results of their efforts with The Focused Student...
2025-05-0650 min
GenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectSeán Killingsworth: Reconnect MovementSeán Killingsworth is the 22-year-old founder of The Reconnect Movement. Reconnect is a student-led club that hosts phone-free social events at universities. Reconnect is currently established on 3 campuses and expanding. At 17, Seán began speaking about the effect of social media and phones on Gen Z. He has spoken at Virginia Tech, The Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Dopamind, The Suicide Prevention Center of Virginia, and guest lectured at Georgetown University. Seán launched the weekly Power Hour to organize citizens and pass the Kids Online Safety Act. Endorsed by the Anxious Generation and Accountable Tech, the Power Hou...
2025-04-1230 min
GenFree: Unplugging 2 ConnectGabriela Nguyen: Harvard Grad Student & Founder of APPstinence* Disclaimer: Since our conversation, Gabriela's org has undergone some re-branding. You can now find her at APPstinence.org, rather than APPstinent.org. Meet Gabriela - graduate student at Harvard and founder of an organization called APPstinence. This is what Gabriela has to say: "I’ve always had two wolves inside when it comes to media consumption. On the one hand, my father’s experiences of the Vietnam War showed him the immense power of media messaging to manipulate and control, and as a result he kept a close eye on his kids and tech. On the...
2025-03-2647 min
Scrolling 2 Death"I swapped their smartphones for simple phones." (with Kathleen Barlow)Worried about your child’s smartphone use? It’s not too late to make a change. Kathleen Barlow, founder of the “Swimming UpScreen” blog, returns to Scrolling 2 Death to tell us how she reclaimed the simplicity of childhood for her kids. With six children aged 18 to 31, Kathleen has seen the dramatic impact smartphones have on childhood development. In 2018, she gave her twin daughters (then age 12) smartphones - which was typical at the time. At 17 and nearing ‘adulthood,’ she worried that their phone use was hindering necessary life skills. She swapped the smartphones for...
2025-02-2736 min