Today’s podcast episode was inspired by several conversations I’ve had with my biz besties around health and mindfulness, as well as conversations with my colleagues in the toy industry. This is the exploration of a growing category in the toy industry called Comfort & Wellness. These toys are marketed to make us feel better, sleep better, and even think better…but overall the consistent theme of Comfort & Wellness toys is to reduce our anxiety.

Mission driven toy creators like Julie Dini have one major goal in common. It’s to improve the lives of the kids and families that interact with their products. Today on The Toy Coach Podcast, our guest Julie Dini shares her toy journey from handmade prototype to recurring sales online. Julie’s product, Dealing In Feelings, helps kids understand simple to complex emotions through identification and gameplay! Whether you are a buyer or an aspiring toy entrepreneur, you’ll enjoy this inspirational and informative chat with toy entrepreneur and Developmental Psychologist, Julie Dini.

If you’ve been a listener of The Toy Coach podcast for a while now, you may have grown comfortable with the format of the show. But today’s episode is a small break from the toyspirational education that you’ve gotten used to. With The Toy Coach out sick, her fiance Christian Castro stepped up to the mic to share upcoming changes that are coming for The Toy Coach Podcast, Community, Emails, and our signature program, Toy Creators Academy. For all the links mentioned in today’s episode check the show notes or visit thetoycoach.com/121.

This episode is part 2 of the 2 part series aimed at guiding inventors on how to nurture their creativity and develop their ideas while stuck at home. In this episode learn how to make a game of brainstorming and developing your idea with friends and family. You'll also learn how to playtest and vet your toy concepts from home. Learn the best ways to use video chats, online surveys, and snail-mail to keep your concept development moving while the rest of the world is on pause.

This episode is Part 1 of a 2 part series aimed at guiding inventors on how to nurture their creativity and develop their ideas while stuck at home. Learn by example how to analyze the current day to day struggles that parents, teachers and even kids are facing, and identify potential opportunities for new toy or game inventions. Learn what an Inventors Notebook is and HOW to keep one as a legal record. Additionally, learn how to use an Inventors Notebook to develop your small ideas into big inventions.

Let's be honest, the market is changing. We're in the midst of a serious shift in the way we live, and life and business as we know it is changing drastically each and every day. Having the ability and know-how to pivot and adjust your business to fit market needs is paramount in assuring long term success. So for in this episode, The Toy Coach dives into a detailed conversation exploring how the current coronavirus pandemic has and will continue to affect the toy industry.