Child Life Wild Life
Jessica Lewin, CCLS & The Child Life Mentor, sits down with Certified Child Life Specialists, students, and professionals to talk about topics surrounding the field of child life. Come and gain tangible next steps and confidence as you learn how to use your child life skills, protect your mental health, and glean inspiration, hope, and ideas. I'm so happy you're here!
Episodes
73 episodes
The Wild Life of Building Rapport When You Don’t Speak the Same Language with Morgan Livingstone
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Morgan Livingstone, about her understanding that effective support doesn't require special equipment—it requires presence, creativity, and genuine connection through pl...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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48:35
The Wild Life of Being Dual-Certified as a CCLS and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) with Katie Lavallee
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Katie Lavallee, about the powerful synergy between recreational therapy and child life. As a dual-certified professional with a decade of recreational therapy experienc...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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29:31
The Wild Life Of Leaving the Child Life Profession and Not Feeling Guilty About It with Caelin Hallgren and Ramonna Datuin
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friends and CCLSs, Caelin Hallgren and Ramonna Datuin, about their newly found work/life balance as they have recently stepped away from the child life profession.The moment of r...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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1:23:48
The Wild Life of Using Your Child Life Skills as a Postpartum Doula with Veronica Burns
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Veronica Burns, about her pivotal career shift to become a thriving postpartum doula and infant mental health specialist. Veronica's journey reflects what ...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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44:26
The Wild Life of Child Life in the Camp Setting with Allison Messerly
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Allison Messerly, about taking child life to camp!What happens when you take a child life specialist out of the hospital and place them in a summer camp setting ...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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43:47
The Wild Life of Working on the Burn Unit with Kate Hamelin
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Kate Hamelin, about her 20 years of experience working on the burn unit. Starting her career as a social worker working within the child welfare arena, she...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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38:33
The Wild Life of Teaching the Next Generation (Professor Panel)
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with three child life professors to see what the world of academics looks like. Please welcome Cara Smith, Savannah Kelly, and Amanda Butler to the podcast. Learn about the ...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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40:53
The Wild Life of Using your Passions with Erin Tukua
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Erin Tukua, about utilizing her previous job experience as a professional photographer to elevate her techniques she uses with patients and families in the child life p...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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29:28
The Wild Life of Supporting Children of Adult Patients with Shira Miller
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Shira Miller, about her almost 2 decades of experience working within the same hospital, moving up the clinical ladder and creating the COAST (Children of Adults Suppor...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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45:07
The Wild Life of Palliative Care/Legacy Building with Melissa Schmautz
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Melissa Schmautz, about her 17 years of experience, wisdom, and compassionate practices in child life and palliative care. Melissa tells stories about help...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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44:20
The Wild Life of Navigating Autoimmune Diseases as a CCLS with Maddie Bozikis
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Maddie Bozikis, about her experience navigating autoimmune diseases as a student and professional. Having battled with autoimmune diseases since high scho...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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24:19
The Wild Life of ED/Trauma Bay Experiences with Kelsey Champion
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Kelsey Champion, about her almost decade experience working in the Emergency Department; a department she wasn't quite sure she'd land in originally, but has really fou...
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Season 3
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Episode 24
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35:19
The Wild Life of Navigating Grief and Private Practice with Jessica Correnti
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Jessica Correnti, about her personal experience with grief and how that has shaped her in her private practice providing support to grieving siblings and families.<...
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Season 3
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Episode 23
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40:10
The Wild Life of Navigating Toxic Positivity in Child Life with Shani Thornton
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and seasoned CCLS, Shani Thornton, about how child life specialists can understand the differences between toxic positivity, burnout, and compassion fatigue.Together, Sha...
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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39:03
The Wild Life of Radiology and Pain Management with Kat Attermeier
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Kat Attermeier, about utilizing pain management tools through her work in the radiology department. Today, Kat finds herself at home in the radiology depar...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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38:39
The Wild Life of Compassionate Care in the NICU with Meredith Murray
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Meredith Murray, about how her lifelong magnetism towards babies led her to a career in the NICU. Meredith shares her journey, from finding her calling in ...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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43:38
The Wild Life of an Independent Contractor/One Person Program with Caitlyn Morton
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Caitlyn Morton, about what her experience has been like as a one-person program (and also an independent contractor!)Reflecting on her experiences as a former p...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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19:42
The Wild Life of Child Life as a Second Career with Samantha Krawiec
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Samantha Krawiec, about what her experience transitioning from teacher to child life specialist.From managing a classroom to navigating the hospital environment, Sa...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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37:49
The Wild Life of Service Line Child Life Care with Andrea Lerude
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Andrea Lerude, about her experience being a "service line" child life specialist and all that her role entails. Andrea fosters open communication wit...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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41:21
The Wild Life of Being a CCLS and OT with Madeha Ayub
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with friend and CCLS, Madeha Ayub for a conversation surrounding advocacy and empathy. Madeha is a strong advocate for the special needs and autistic communities with her du...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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35:13
The Wild Life of Supporting Dental Patients with Stephanie Barta
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Stephanie Barta, about how she has navigated a spectrum of unique environments from community hospice to gender diversity clinics, and most notably, dental clinics....
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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50:10
The Wild Life of Working with Adolescents with Raquel Cooper
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Raquel Cooper, about her experience working on an adolescent unit. She highlights all of her unique techniques in creating meaningful bonds with teenagers.Raque...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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32:11
The Wild Life of Year One as a CCLS with Cami Schafer
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and first-year CCLS, Cami Schafer, about what her experience has been like during the first 6 months of working as a Certified Child Life Specialist.In this episode, Cami...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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32:38
The Wild Life of Labor and Delivery with Aimee Karas
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Aimee Karas, about her experience working in labor and delivery and an outpatient fetal center.Ever wonder what it's like to be a child life specialist in an en...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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49:44
The Wild Life of Child Life in a Middle-High School with Cassie Wilke
Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and fellow school child life specialist, Cassie Wilke, about her experience working in a middle-high school for her first school year (2022-2023).Cassie passionately demo...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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1:07:35