This week's episode is about a wedding anniversary! Meagan and Jeff celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary and share tips for making your marriage better! Jeff confesses his love for his Xbox (and Meagan!). Meagan helps couples discern the difference between anecdotal and universal advice for newlyweds. Take a minute to rate and review us on Appl…

This week's episode is about LIVE music! Meagan and Jeff talk about their love of live music and the ways we consume music throughout history. Jeff talks about 8-tracks and devices to trick your car's cassette player. Meagan explains where Maslow stole his hierarchy from. What collective effervescence moments have you had? Let us know! Take a minut…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/season-6-debrief The summer is upon us! Join us as we debrief the best Day Camp Pod Tid-Bits from the past eight months. Season 6 of the Day Camp Pod is winding down as we laser-focus on the daunting job before us. This episode, Sam & I debrief our ACA trip t…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/13-tips Going full-time is scary! These camp pros have some wise words to help any director find their footing. The Go Camp Pro team put together a really cool episode in which 13 top tier camp podcasters were asked for an important tip to tell any new camp d…

This week's episode is about SUMMER! Meagan and Jeff share some quick tips, tricks, and ideas to make your summer even better. Meagan tries to get the podcast sponsored by a shaving cream company. Jeff shares his love of the library (again!). What tips and tricks do you have for your summer? Let us know! Take a minute to rate and review us on Apple…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/gen-z-staff He’s back! Justin's insight is more important than ever. You won’t want to miss this one! This past Tri-State Camp Conference, our all-star podcast guest, Justin Pritikin presented to a packed room of camp professionals about working with his gene…

This episode is the final week of our series on PARENTING. Meagan and Jeff wrap up their series on their parenting philosophy talking about their ultimate goal for their teenagers and grown kids. Jeff gets emotional about being a dad. Meagan shares the ultimate hope and goal for kids who are still trying to figure life out. We hope that you have en…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/talking-teens Summer camps rarely meet their full potential of teen programing. Jeff Leiken is here to help us get into the teen mindset! There are very few camp consultant trainers in our industry over the past quarter century that have had the impact of Jef…

This episode is week 23 of our series on PARENTING. Meagan and Jeff continue their parenting series by diving into the important foundational ideas they keep in mind while parenting big kids. Jeff gives his opinion on how respect should work. Meagan gets honest about preparing for the weird questions that kids are going to ask. What are some weird …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/yes-chef Staff training is nearly upon us…will you be ready? Hulu’s award-winning TV show, THE BEAR teaches valuable lessons from running a restaurant, and turning your staff from good to great - that really resonate to running a summer camp. Eric Wittenberg …

This episode is short interlude from our parenting series as Meagan dives into what may be one of the greatest episodes of kids tv ever made. Meagan shares her heart about the penultimate episode of Bluey, The Sign. Jeff was out of town this week so Meagan watched a new episode of Bluey with the kids - and then everyone was crying?! Meagan talks ab…

This episode is week 2 of our series on PARENTING. Meagan and Jeff continue their parenting series by diving into some of the truths that helped them through the toddler phase! Meagan talks about the relationship between raising kids and re-evaluating yourself. Jeff lays out his own struggle between being comfortable and parenting choices. What are…

This week we start a four part series on PARENTING. Meagan and Jeff start a new series on parenting and dive into the neuroscience of how they raised their babies in part 1. Meagan shares the purpose behind the parenting choices that we have made as we raised t kids. Jeff gets emotional and stays emotional the whole time talking about his babies (t…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/additional-needs-staff A diverse staff team is a stronger staff team. Since 2020, camps have been more and more aware of their staff’s needs - particularly their pay, schedule flexibility, and the amount of burden they carry. But meanwhile, our staff have ver…

This week we wrap up our two part series on CLUTTER. Meagan and Jeff give practical tips for processing through letting go of clutter you don't need. Meagan talks about hoping to instill this ability to declutter in her kids. Jeff admits he knows that this is a continual process that he has to try to get better at! What tips have worked for you? Le…

This week we start a two part series on CLUTTER. Meagan and Jeff talk about how we end up with so much stuff. Meagan talks about how scarcity leads us to keep things we might not need to hold on to. Jeff dives into why it's not the stuff - but maybe more the time it represents that makes it hard to let go. Why do you think you end up with so much s…

This week's random topic is on video games and the mystical changing of the clock! Meagan and Jeff take a break between series to talk about a few random topics on their mind and give a little bit of a tease for the series starting next week. Jeff shares his new hyperfixation - while Meagan talks about what it is like to live with a Helldiver. Meag…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/maximizing-summer-staff Increase your staff efficiency by maximizing your staff’s abilities. In today’s world of $4000 camp counselors, camps need to do everything possible to be efficient in how we staff our summer programs. We discuss this topic and more wi…

Meagan and Jeff wrap up the Time series talking about the most fun way to spend time - leisure.By Meagan and Jeff Smith

This is the second week of our series on TIME. We focus on the time we spend WORKING. Meagan and Jeff talk about the philosophy and perspective on work from a geriatric millennial's point of view. It's a little sad, but ends with some hope! How would you change work? How does work fit into your life? Let us know! Take a minute to rate and review us…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/random-acts-ice-cream Looking to appreciate and recognize your staff better? Come listen and learn from the best in the business! One of the best parts of attending the CODA and ACA National Conference is meeting super smart day camp pros from all over the co…

This is the first week of our series on TIME. We focus on our struggles with SLEEP! Meagan and Jeff talk about the demonization of rest, puritanical nonsense, revenge bedtime, anti-fraud suggestions, high school biology, and more. What is your sleep chronotype? Let us know! Sleep Chronotype Info Take a minute to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts…

This week's random topic is reformatting! Meagan and Jeff are back and ready to dive into another season of Schtickless. Meagan and Jeff had to duck out for a season of life but want to get back to the practice of writing and sharing! Meagan talks about how over-commitment shows you what matters most. Jeff uses his podcast voice to read some poetry…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/transitioning-leadership No one becomes a director overnight. Taking over an existing camp operation is no small feat, and today we’re joined by two seasoned, self-made camp professionals who have each had unique challenges. It’s a great podcast for anyone lo…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/parents-at-camp Hiring parents as staff can be a double-edged sword… There’s no better way to get adult staff to buy into your camp and your culture than to have their kids attending camp, and drinking your kool-aid. That said, there’s a lot of ins and outs, …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/recruitment-and-retention Do you know what keeps your campers coming back? Getting campers through the door and keeping them there is an art form of empathy, creativity, and execution. Today we speak with two experts in the field who have literally created a …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/in-between-moments Blocks are good, but it’s the grout that holds everything together. At Day Camp, we spend the majority of our planning time working on our militaristic program grids of athletics, arts, swim, etc. But the day camp day ALSO includes the “in-…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/the-staff-experience What’s the best way to ensure our staff keep coming back? Since the staff revolution of summer 2021, most camps have put more focus on the staff experience than ever before. If we’re being honest SOME focus, as opposed to hardly any, as m…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/crisis-management When it comes to crisis, prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent. With all the crazy stuff going on in our country and the world, camp directors often have to become crisis managers. One of our friends, Dave Thoenson from Tamarack Day C…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/summer-2023-debrief What lessons can we learn from summer 2023? Summer 2023 is in the books, and we not only survived, but we thrived - very much like it’s 2019 again… Our super-thoughtful friend from the West Coast, Kelly Jones, joins us to talk about last s…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/remembering-doug-pierce “Whoever needed help, Doug was there with his sleeves rolled up.” - Jay Jacobs Doug Pierce was a larger than life camp director and industry leader who set the standard for Day Camping, ACA volunteerism, positivity, and sharing. Doug p…

This week's random topic is libraries Meagan and Jeff spend some time talking about their shared love and appreciation for libraries! Meagan gives details about the purpose and mission of the American Library Association. Jeff speculates about what would happen if you tried to introduce the idea of libraries into today's economy. What do you use yo…

This week's random topic is rain! Meagan and Jeff soak up an unseasonably cool and rainy start to the summer. Meagan talks about the oldest daughter's favorite smell. Jeff goes off on a tangent about what to check for when buying a used car. What do you do because of the rainy weather where you grew up? Did you have dry weather or rainy? Let us kno…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/camper-refunds-2023 Parents are the most important partnership a camp can have. But how do we balance the financial needs of our camp and our parents when it comes to deposits and refunds? As we head into the camp season, we’ve got plenty of parents hitting u…

This week's random topic is conversational tone! Meagan and Jeff have a quick conversation about the power of tone in conversation. Meagan is shocked by Jeff's high school confessions. Jeff remembers having trouble with tone in the early years of marriage. How do you work on tone? Do you use honey or vinegar to catch flies? Let us know! Take a minu…

Meagan and Jeff dive into ways they work to help all of their kids understand how men and women have been treated differently in the past and how they can make it better as they grow up.By Meagan and Jeff Smith

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/staff-training-2023 As you gear up for another year of staff training, tune in for some expert advice from the experts, Roz and Jed! It’s just about time to get our staff together, get them energized, and get them trained up as much as we can for the arrival …

This week's random topic is Spring cleaning! Meagan and Jeff talk about the beauty and power of spring cleaning and the Persian practice of Khāne-takānī. Meagan goes over the history of spring cleaning. Jeff is thankful for a house the is easy to get ready for company. What do you do for spring cleaning? What is your favorite part of the changing s…

This week's random topic is marriage! Meagan and Jeff take a walk down memory lane to talk about how they have grown and changed since they started dating and then dive into some tips for making marriage great. Meagan remembers some high school cringe. Jeff reminisces about crying during ultrasounds. What eras do you remember in life? How have you …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/variety-show Staff training is on the minds of camp pros nationwide. Dave and Dave are here to share their two cents on the hottest topics of the year! At the past ACA National Conference in February, I had the pleasure of experiencing both Dave Malter and Da…

This week's random topic is movies! Meagan and Jeff go through their criteria for certain types of films that they love. Meagan talks about movies that have "it" (and not the IT in a Stephen King novel). Jeff finds out Meagan has a differing opinion on some Christopher Nolan movies. What are your criteria for a movie you love? What are some movies …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/boss-convos Even if you’ve known your boss for years, interacting with them can still be nerve-wracking! Dan is here today to share his experience navigating this tricky power dynamic. Managing up, quiet quitting - most people have a pretty dysfunctional rela…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/genz-hacks Staffing emergencies call for emergency podcasts! Are we really in a “hiring crisis,” or do we just need to change the hiring process? Justin is back to share the inside scoop on how to appeal to Gen Z applicants. I just got back from Tri-State, wh…

This week's random topic is kid's sports! Meagan and Jeff dive into their hopes for and perspectives on kid's sports. Meagan admits that all the practice in the world won't help if you're born 5'2". Jeff hopes his kid can learn to be coachable. Meagan and Jeff blind react to professional athletes quotes about hard work. What kid's sports did you pl…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/public-relations-2023 Sometimes building public relations requires a bit of creativity, or at least some planning ahead. Tune in to hear Michael’s tips and tricks! Delivering a great summer camp program is paramount to the success of our camps. But what often…

This week's random topic is Spring Break! Meagan dives into the history of Spring break and Jeff reads a children's book. Did you know swim teams helped kickoff spring break? Have you ever heard of a Freaknik? Have you ever read The Gift of Nothing? Find out about all of this and more in this episode of Schtickless. How do you enjoy Spring Break? I…

This week's random topic is gift cards! Meagan and Jeff talk about why they hold on to gift cards too long - and why they should really be enjoying them. Meagan is happy to see her kids growing in their usage of gift cards. Jeff admits that video games influence his hoarding of useful items. What kind of gift card person are you? Do you spend it fa…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/best-inclusion-practices “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.” – Mahatma Gandhi. Let’s work together to make sure all children get the camp experience they deserve. Inclusion for our campers with disabilities is one of the biggest topics in a…

This week's random topic is UAPs and Aliens! Meagan and Jeff use current events as a topic starter and dive in to their thoughts and feelings on aliens. Meagan knows that if they won't tell us what happened it must mean something BIG happened. Jeff dives into the ethics of generation ships and space exploration. What are you favorite science fictio…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/mentoring-and-developmental-support Investing in your staff is investing in success! Our friends from e21 are here to tell us more. I don’t know about you, but when it comes time for my middle management to sit down with the front line staff for formal evalua…