Today’s podcast episode touches on a subject we haven’t covered yet: faith. Today’s guest shares how her faith not only inspired her to create what became a popular product but also kept her going during challenging moments. My guest today believes that everyone has a God-given purpose and that finding that will help each person find the most fulfillment in life.

Angie Cella is a mom of four children, a Christian author, and the inventor and chief dreamer of Blinger, an amazing tool for both kids and adults that you can use to add crystals to your hair. Her incredible and unique story starts with a prayer and a dream. However, it wasn’t a metaphorical dream that led Angie to create Blinger. It was a literal nighttime dream that gave her inspiration. Listen to today’s podcast episode to learn how she made her dream into reality over the next four years, how she made it work financially with four children, and how her faith kept her going through it all. You’ll also learn why she first licensed her toy but then decided to get her license back after a few years, and about the miracle that helped her write her book, Blinger: An Entrepreneur's Faith-Based Journey.

MESH is NOT the new STEAM. MESH is a solution that utilizes toys as an answer to the mental health crisis among children and teens today.  The development of MESH skills is important to help kids learn how to navigate strong emotions and difficult experiences. So what is MESH?  MESH is an acronym for Mental, Emotional and Social Health. Developing MESH skills can help protect kids from the risky behaviors and self-harm that are too often the result of their mental distress.

Today’s podcast episode is a Masterclass on MESH with Rachel Harmuth, the Head of ThinkFun. MESH products are products that build skills like problem solving, perseverance, adaptation, conflict resolution, self-regulation, self-advocacy, cognitive skills, and communication strategies.

If you have a toy or game product that could potentially fit into the MESH category, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss. In this episode you’ll learn all about the MESH movement, who is behind it, and you’ll uncover how you can get involved.

This episode is packed with valuable, actionable advice featuring Marie Nastasi’s 5 Keys to a Successful Buyer Presentation. She brings a wealth of experience to you from her roles as both a buyer and a manufacturers’ representative. 

How do you go from a dreamer with comic book aspirations to a toy industry legend and award-winning toy designer? Today’s guest, David Vonner, shares his incredible journey as an artist, parent, and toy designer from the 1990s until now. His original dream was to be an illustrator for Marvel Comics. However, his family and those surrounding him encouraged him to go down a path that would ensure a career. David worked at Marvel as a toy designer for 5-6 years, before moving on to Hasbro to work on their Marvel-licensed products. Finally, David started his own design studio, Vonner Studios. In today’s episode, you will learn how connections helped David to advance in the toy industry, how he went from traditional employment to starting his own company, and his best piece of advice for people in the toy industry today. His story is captivating, informative, and inspirational!