Below is a list of recent speakers and the issues they discussed relevant to raising children in a rapidly changing world:
View Past Speakers
2019: Lynn Lyons is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist with 28 years experience. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders in adults and children, and she is the author of Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents.
2019: Christopher Dial led an entertaining and interactive workshop exploring the science behind how we make decisions, how we form preferences, and how our minds are shaped by our social groups.
2019: Jessica Hoffman is an associate research scientist at Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence who provided specific strategies and skills that parents can use with their children to promote and enhance lifelong social and emotional well being.
2019: Chris Herren is a motivational speaker who talked about his incredible basketball career, his rise to the NBA and how he lost it all due to substance abuse.
2018: Karen Young is a psychologist, author of the book Hey Warrior, and founder of the website, Hey Sigmund. She discussed managing anxiety and building courage and resilience in children.
2018: Karen Bergreen is a nationally recognized stand-up comedian, author, and former lawyer. She discussed raising two boys and a husband with the help of the dog and the occasional klonapin. She has written two comic novels, Following Polly and Perfect is Overrated.
2017: Harlan Cohen is a New York Times bestselling author, nationally syndicated advice columnist and speaker. He will discuss the 5 Simple Rules For Parents to provide a framework to help guide and support their children through middle school, high school, college and the years beyond.
2017: Dr. Eli Lebowitz, a child and adolescent psychologist and Associate Director at the Yale School of Medicine, Child Study Center, topped off the 2017-18 parenting speaker series with a compelling presentation on how parents can identify anxiety in their children, support vs. accommodate them, and get them the professional help they might need. Dr. Lebowitz’s research places special emphasis on family dynamics and the role of parents in anxiety disorders. His book, Treating Childhood and Adolescent Anxiety: A Guide for Caregivers, dovetailed with his presentation. He has received numerous prestigious accolades for his work.
2017: Robin Fox made us laugh as she entertained us with tales of marriage, raising children, aging, aging parents, and life in suburbia. Robin performs at top comedy clubs and is currently headlining 'The Ladies of Laughter' tour across the county.
2016: Liz Jorgensen, an adolescent psychotherapist and drug counselor, kicked off the 2016-17 parenting speaker series with an engaging presentation on how we can “Delay Our Gray” by setting limits for our pre-teens and teens to keep them safe from alcohol and other drug abuse. She also helped us understand adolescent development better so we can enjoy our kids despite their mood swings. Liz is a nationally recognized expert in substance abuse counseling and the recipient of several prestigious awards for her work as an educator and community prevention activist.
2016: Malcolm Gauld, President of the Hyde Schools, a network of boarding and public schools, and a lifelong educator and coach, gave two separate presentations to seniors and their parents about how to succeed in college. He also provided parent and student versions of his book: College Success Guaranteed: 5 Rules to Make It Happen. Both books provide an excellent primer to assist families with the college transition and to help seniors prepare for the “best four years of their lives.”
2016: Becky Rabassa, King’s US Counselor, moderated carefully selected excerpts from “Miss Representation” and “The Mask You Live in”. The films explore how social media encourages gender biases to continue and teach us how we can engage our children in meaningful conversation to be unaffected by them or, better yet, empower them to break these barriers down.
2016: Dr. Scott Sicherer, one of the country's leading allergy and immunology physicians, spoke about food allergy diagnosis, management, and research. In partnership with the Food Allergy Research and Education CT Group, his presentation drew attendees not only from our King community, but also from the local community and as far as Long Island. Among many important insights, parents learned how to educate their children to manage their food allergy away from home.
2016: Jane Condon shared "How To Get To Happy: A Comedian's Take on Stress, Life & Things That Drive You Crazy." In her own hilarious way, Condon taught us how to add levity to the pressures of daily life and encouraged us to LAUGH! Jane has been on “Last Comic Standing,” “The View,” and “The Today Show.”
2015: Dr. Peg Dawson, a school/child clinical psychologist, kicked off the 2015-16 parenting speaker series with a fascinating discussion about executive function skills. She covered the warning signs of poor executive function in children/teens and provided strategies for parents to help their kids acquire the critical skills they need to be successful students and adults. Peg is the co-author of several books, including the Smart but Scattered series.
2015: Lambeth Hochwald '86, is a New York City-based freelance journalist and has been an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute since 2001. A regular contributor to Yahoo Parenting, which launched this fall, Hochwald also writes about health, family, marriage, parenting, and money/business matters for Better Homes & Gardens, Dr. Oz: The Good Life, Entrepreneur, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Health, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Parents.
2014: Laura Gauld, Head of the Hyde Schools, spoke to us about the real challenges facing parents today and gave us some practical (and humorous) ways to face those challenges. She even gave away copies of her book The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have.
2014: Peg Tyre, acclaimed writer and educational researcher gave a compelling presentation on the differences between boys and girls learning styles and what educators can and should do to address those differences.
2014: Bea Johnson, author of The Zero Waste Home, gave tips on how to simplify our lives and reduce our environmental impact, and amazed us all with the tiny jar of waste that her family of four produced in a year.
2014: Douglas Lyons, Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, addressed the topic "Why an Independent School Education is Worth the Cost" using current research on the role of emotion in learning and the impact the total school experience has in developing a life-long learner.
2014: Laura and Malcolm Gauld, co-authors of the groundbreaking book The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have explained that parents have an enormous impact on how their child approaches education and life. Unlike other education books that focus on the child, The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have focuses on a child's primary teacher—the parent.
2013: Jimmy Locust, a local dancer, performer and motivational speaker treated the King community to a moving and thought-provoking presentation. Jimmy addressed the very relevant issue of bullying, with some astounding statistics and a video featuring some of our own King students.