Episode Details

I caught up with young author AaRon Brooks, a Duke Elementary student who turned his own experience with big emotions into the children’s book Turbo’s Big Red Switch. Inspired by his journey learning how to manage frustration and overwhelming feelings, AaRon created Turbo, a robot who discovers healthy ways to calm down and take control of his “emotion engine.” With help from his mom, Melba, AaRon has taken the message beyond the book with calming exercises, worksheets and resources designed to help other kids handle tough moments. We talked about what inspired the story, what he hopes kids learn from Turbo, and what might be next for this young author.