Dr. Anna Housley Juster - The Dad Edge Podcast

Dr. Anna Housely Juster – Why Playing With Your Kids Actually Rewires Their Brain

Dr. Anna Housley Juster is a licensed child and adolescent mental health clinician, education consultant, and award-winning author of “How to Train Your Amygdala” with over 25 years of experience supporting children and families. Her diverse career spans from directing content at Sesame Workshop to co-founding Pop-Up Adventure Play, while her current private practice combines expertise in mental health, developmental psychology, and education to support trauma-informed practices and self-regulation skills.

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Today, Anna Housley Juster brings her decades of expertise in early childhood education and mental health to share powerful insights about child development. Drawing from her journey from Head Start teacher to mental health clinician, Anna combines her deep understanding of children’s learning with practical strategies for emotional well-being.

The conversation explores the science behind play as a crucial tool for emotional regulation and family connection, offering parents four practical strategies for managing stress responses. Through her experience creating content across Sesame Street’s platforms and her current work as an education consultant, Anna demonstrates how intentional play can strengthen parent-child relationships while fostering resilience and emotional development.

Larry’s Takeaways

  1. Play fosters connection and emotional regulation
  2. Validate children’s feelings to build trust
  3. Play is a powerful tool to fight anxiety

What You’ll Learn

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:02:05 – Fenway Park and Noah Kahan Concert

00:04:35 – Career Beginnings and Sesame Street

00:08:02 – Transition to Mental Health Focus

00:11:00 – Importance of Play for Kids and Adults

00:13:21 – Impact of Play on Parent-Child Relationship

00:16:30 – Play and Emotional Regulation

00:18:40 – Play as Protective and Therapeutic

00:20:47 – Challenges in Traditional School Systems

00:23:04 – Lifelong Commitment to Play

00:24:12 – How to Train Your Amygdala

00:28:38 – Amygdala and Conflict Resolution

00:31:09 – Mirror Neurons and Emotional Influence

00:34:03 – Validating Children’s Feelings

00:44:59 – Encouraging Healthy Anxiety and Instincts

Links


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