The Growth Lab Podcast

How to Raise Kids With a Healthy Relationship to Food With Lea Rifkin

Most of us were raised on "clean your plate," "that's a bad choice," and "you're so lucky you can eat that." Then we grow up and wonder why food feels so loaded. In this episode I sit down with Lea Rifkin, a non-diet registered dietitian and founder of Kindred Nutrition Co., to talk about how early food messaging shapes our kids, and how we can rewrite that story while we heal our own relationship with food. We get honest about the comments that slip out without us realizing it, why labeling food good or bad tends to backfire, and what it actually looks like to guide your child around food without controlling it. Lea shares the difference between always foods and sometimes foods, why sitting down together matters more than any perfect plate, and the signs that it's time to reach out for support instead of waiting it out. If you have a picky eater, a snack grabber, or a little one already picking up messages about their body, this conversation will help you feel steadier at your own table. Want to work with Lea? Check her out here: https://kindrednutritionco.com [https://kindrednutritionco.com] Connect with Luba on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh/ [https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh/] Pre-order Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com [http://bobowearsabowtie.com] Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com [http://lubapatlakh.com] The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com [http://theconfidentiepparent.com] 00:00 Welcome and meeting Lea Rifkin 02:52 Why our food stories start in childhood 06:09 What non-diet really means 13:09 How the words we use shape the way kids eat 18:14 The phrases parents don't realize are harmful 27:50 Bodies are like trees, and guidance versus control 37:41 Family meals and modeling around the table 42:36 When to seek help and why not to wait

How Beth Heyer Is Changing the Way Families Find Trusted Childcare

When childcare falls apart, everything falls apart with it, work, stress, and the whole rhythm of family life. In this episode of The Growth Lab, Luba sits down with Beth Heyer, founder of Babysitting Connection and mentor to women building service-based businesses across the country. Beth shares how a frustrating search for trustworthy sitters turned into a vetted, membership-based network now serving families in five cities, and why she's so passionate about ending the "mommy martyrdom" that tells parents asking for help is a weakness. Together they get into what makes childcare reliable rather than just available, how to protect both the families and the caregivers in any care system, and what families consistently misunderstand about the real value of trusted support. For any parent trying to build something meaningful while raising a family, this conversation reframes childcare as what it really is, the infrastructure that lets everything else hold together. Check out Babysitting Connection: https://babysittingconnection.com [https://babysittingconnection.com] Follow Beth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebethheyer/ [https://www.instagram.com/thebethheyer/] Connect with Luba on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh/ [https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh/] Pre-order Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com [http://bobowearsabowtie.com] Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com [http://lubapatlakh.com] The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com [http://theconfidentiepparent.com] 00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab 02:07 How a frustrating sitter search became a business 05:10 Ending the mommy martyrdom, why asking for help isn't weakness 06:02 Turning childcare into a business and pivoting through COVID 08:00 The biggest challenges families face finding reliable care 11:37 What families misunderstand about good childcare 13:07 How Babysitting Connection actually works, membership and vetting 16:15 Protecting both the families and the caregivers 21:23 Starting a service business without shrinking yourself 28:23 Where Beth sees the future of childcare heading

The Early Signs Your Child Needs More Support

Long before children can use their words, they communicate through behavior, their play, their reactions, and the patterns parents and teachers notice but can't always name. In this solo episode, Luba walks through the everyday signs that quietly signal a child may need more help, from delayed speech and frustration-driven meltdowns to sensory red flags, feeding challenges, rigid routines, and motor concerns. She explains why these cues so often get dismissed with "wait and see," why waiting rarely makes things easier, and what actually happens when a family reaches out for support. Most of all, she reminds parents that their intuition is powerful, that there is nothing wrong with them or their child, and that they don't need a diagnosis or anyone's permission to start advocating right now. Connect with Luba: Instagram: @lubapatlakh [https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh] Pre-order Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com [http://bobowearsabowtie.com] Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com [http://lubapatlakh.com] The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com [http://theconfidentiepparent.com] 00:01:09 The everyday behaviors that signal your child needs more support 00:01:36 Why behavior is your child's first language 00:02:33 Your gut is data too 00:03:05 Speech and communication signs to watch for 00:04:58 Meltdowns, biting, and shutting down 00:06:23 Sensory needs and when OT can help 00:07:57 Feeding challenges that aren't just picky eating 00:09:14 Rigid routines and hard transitions 00:10:22 When your child just seems different 00:10:54 Why waiting doesn't make it easier

Meltdowns, ABA Wait Lists, and What Behavior Is Really Telling You with Kea Lee

Behavior isn't random, and it isn't your child being "bad." It's communication. In this episode, Luba sits down with Kea Lee, M.S., BCBA, LBA, founder of Moment of Behavior, to unpack what your child's behavior is actually telling you, and how parents can shift from reactive to responsive. Kea brings 8 years of experience across clinic, home, school, and community settings, with a Bachelor's in Speech Language Pathology & Audiology from Old Dominion University and a Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Together, Luba and Kea dig into the real meaning behind meltdowns, what modern assent-based ABA actually looks like, why "wait and see" can cost families precious time, and what parents stuck on ABA wait lists can do right now. Kea also opens up about caregiver burnout, the power of self-grace, and why every parent deserves to hear, "you are enough." Whether you're newly navigating a diagnosis, sitting on a wait list, or just trying to better understand your child, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, supported, and equipped. Connect with Kea Lee: Website: momentofbehavior.com [http://momentofbehavior.com] Instagram: @momentof_behavior [https://www.instagram.com/momentof_behavior] Connect with Luba: Instagram: @lubapatlakh [https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh] Pre-order Bobo Wears a Bowtie: bobowearsabowtie.com [http://bobowearsabowtie.com] Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com [http://lubapatlakh.com] The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com [http://theconfidentiepparent.com] 00:00 Welcome to The Growth Lab 01:59 Meet Kea Lee, BCBA and founder of Moment of Behavior 03:15 What "behavior is communication" really means 07:34 From speech path student to BCBA, Kea's origin story 11:50 The body says what words can't 14:42 Why therapy only works when parents do the work at home 16:21 The biggest misconceptions about ABA today 21:51 A practical strategy for handling meltdowns 26:20 Caregiver burnout and giving yourself grace 29:23 Why "wait and see" can hurt your child 31:35 Rapid fire: first steps after a diagnosis and what every parent should hear

I Wrote a Children's Book in My Mom's Memory

In this special solo episode, Luba shares the deeply personal story behind her very first children's book, Bobo Wears a Bowtie, launching this May during Better Speech and Hearing Month. This isn't just a book about speech, it's a story about courage, confidence, and helping children build the inner voice that says "I can try, I can learn, and I don't have to be perfect to grow." Luba opens up about the real reason this book exists, her mom, the woman who believed in her first, who spoke to her in possibilities instead of limits, and whose voice still shapes the way Luba raises her own family and supports the hundreds of children she works with each year. Written in her mom's honor and released around the four-year anniversary of her passing, Bobo Wears a Bowtie is a love letter to every child who just needs someone to believe in them, and to every parent looking for the words to do it. Preorder Bobo Wears a Bowtie now at bobowearsabowtie.com [http://bobowearsabowtie.com]. Luba's website: lubapatlakh.com [http://lubapatlakh.com] The Confident IEP Parent ebook: theconfidentiepparent.com [http://theconfidentiepparent.com] Follow Luba on Instagram: @lubapatlakh 00:00, Welcome to The Growth Lab 00:47, Introducing today's episode and the story behind the book 02:43, The real reason this book exists, a tribute to Luba's mom 03:37, How the words adults say become a child's inner voice 04:32, The kitchen table conversation that started it all 06:32, What Luba sees in her clinics when children lose confidence 08:26, Why she made an intentional choice not to make this a "therapy book" 10:31, The bigger message, you don't have to be perfect to grow 12:38, Why launching during Better Speech and Hearing Month matters 13:19, Preorder Bobo Wears a Bowtie at bobowearsabowtie.com [http://bobowearsabowtie.com]