See Your Children in the Stars with Kelly Conroy

In this episode, host Christopher Robbins welcomes Kelly Conroy, a picture book writer and poet who is the cousin of Jan and Stan Berenstain, creators of the Berenstain Bears. Kelly discusses her new children's board book "I See You in the Stars," which explores the twelve signs of the zodiac in a fun, educational way for families.

The conversation delves into how Kelly was inspired to create a rhyming guide to help people memorize the zodiac signs, similar to learning the 50 states alphabetically. Kelly shares fascinating astronomical facts about how the zodiac constellations work, including the surprising detail that you cannot see your own birth constellation during your zodiac period because the sun blocks it from Earth's view.

The episode emphasizes learning together as a family and finding positive attributes in each zodiac sign to build self-esteem and connection to the universe.

Episode Highlights
00:00:10: Christopher introduces the Helping Families Be Happy podcast and welcomes guest, Kelly Conroy, a picture book writer who is 50% silly fun-loving kid and 50% analytical former actuary, and cousin to the creators of the Berenstain Bears.

00:01:39: Kelly thanks Christopher for having her on the podcast.

00:01:40: Christopher asks Kelly about the inspiration behind her children's book "I See You in the Stars," which explores the signs of the zodiac.

00:01:53: Kelly explains she's always been fascinated by stars, astronomy, and astrology from a place of curiosity rather than expertise, and was inspired by a song that helps people memorize all 50 states alphabetically to create a similar rhyming system for the zodiac signs.

00:02:33: Christopher shares that he used to know all 50 states but couldn't name all 12 zodiac symbols anymore, though he knows he's a Sagittarius and has noticed common traits among people with that sign.

00:02:56: Kelly humorously notes that Sagittarius was the hardest sign to find positive aspects for, describing them as strong-willed and focused on doing what they want, which are great qualities but not always easy for others, relating it to her oldest son who is also a Sagittarius.

00:03:18: Christopher agrees that every Sagittarius he's met is very strong-willed and finds ways to do what they want, though these traits can be tempered.

00:03:32: Kelly adds that Sagittarians are also honest and funny, which is what she focused on in the book.

00:03:37: Christopher asks Kelly to explain how she added descriptions and characteristics to make the zodiac rhyme work in her book.

00:03:53: Kelly describes her process of starting with just the signs, then adding details like describing Scorpio as having a "forceful tale," and eventually expanding to include symbols, positive characteristics, and seasons as readers wanted to know more about their signs.

00:04:35: Christopher asks Kelly to help explain where the zodiac sign symbols come from and what they represent.

00:04:49: Kelly explains that the zodiac starts with Aries on the first day of spring, and the way zodiac signs work is that the constellation is opposite the sun from Earth's standpoint, meaning it's the one you can't see during that period.

00:05:48: Christopher realizes and confirms with Kelly that during his birth month in November, he cannot see the Sagittarius constellation because the sun blocks it.

00:06:21: Kelly clarifies that while you can't see your constellation during your sign period, astrologers say "the sun is in Sagittarius" during that time.

00:06:34: Christopher finds this information really interesting and realizes most people probably didn't know this fact, which also explains the relationship between zodiac signs and seasons.

00:06:47: Kelly confirms that Sagittarius is a fall sign, with winter starting in December.

00:06:48: Christopher asks Kelly about the most interesting things she learned during her research about the zodiac or people's interest in their signs.

00:07:07: Kelly shares that more people were excited to learn about their signs than she expected, and if she left out details of any sign, someone with that sign would ask about it, noting that the book applies to everybody rather than having separate books for each sign.

00:07:53: Christopher asks for confirmation that Kelly said Sagittarians have a personality trait of being funny.

00:07:57: Kelly confirms that Sagittarians are honest and funny.

00:08:00: Christopher jokes that he knows a few Sagittarians who aren't funny at all but acknowledges he is funny so it works for him.

00:08:13: Kelly clarifies that astrology isn't a science like chemistry.

00:08:14: Christopher asks Kelly what sign she is.

00:08:16: Kelly reveals she's a Gemini, the twins, and explains they can have high and low emotions, describing herself as usually either hyper or asleep.

00:08:29: Christopher asks if Kelly has enough information to quickly go through each sign and give the key attribute for each.

00:08:39: Kelly goes through all twelve zodiac signs with their key attributes: Aries are purposeful, Taurus are loyal friends, Gemini are social and playful, Cancer are kind and caring, Leo are good at sharing and leading, Virgo are organized, Libra are balanced, Scorpio are forceful and strong-willed, Sagittarius are honest and funny, Capricorn are focused, Aquarius are studious, and Pisces are sympathetic.

00:09:55: Christopher asks Kelly which sign she would choose to be if she could pick any other than Gemini.

00:10:00: Kelly says she would choose Virgo because the Virgos she knows get stuff done and it would be nice to check more things off her to-do list.

00:10:11: Christopher notes that we can learn from everyone around us and adopt their good attributes while working to improve ourselves.

00:10:33: Kelly shares that her goal aligns with Familius's mission—she wants to make people smile and hopes the book gives people self-esteem and confidence, helping them see they're part of the universe and appreciate the good parts of themselves, their family, and friends.

00:11:05: Christopher notes this aligns with their mission to help families be happy no matter what kind of family they have, then asks where guests can find Kelly online.

00:11:14: Kelly shares that her website is kellyconroy.com and she's most active on Instagram @kellyconroybooks.

00:11:31: Christopher encourages everyone to pick up "I See You in the Stars" published by Familius releasing December 2025, thanks Familius for supporting the podcast, and asks listeners to subscribe and leave reviews, concluding that one zodiac sign at a time, we can make the world a happier place.

Key Takeaways

• Zodiac constellations are positioned opposite the sun from Earth's perspective during their respective periods, meaning you cannot actually see your own birth constellation during your zodiac sign's time frame.
• The zodiac calendar begins with Aries on the first day of spring and progresses through the seasons, with each sign aligned to specific times of the year.
• While astrology isn't a hard science, exploring zodiac signs can be a fun way for families to learn together, build self-esteem, and appreciate positive personality traits in themselves and others.
• Creating educational content for children works best when it's accessible to everyone rather than segmented, and adding rhyme and rhythm helps with memorization and engagement.
• Teaching children about astronomy and their connection to the universe can help them develop confidence and a sense of belonging to something larger than themselves.

Quotable Moments
-"My goal in life is to make people smile."

-"When I realized that Sagittarius and Aquarius rhyme, I knew I was gonna be able to pull it off."

-"The constellation is opposite the sun from the standpoint of the earth at that time. So it's the one you can't see."

-"More people were excited to learn about their signs than I thought they were."

-"The whole universe is one universe, we're part of the universe. It's all the same matter, and it's just amazing and wonderful."

-"One zodiac sign at a time. We can make the world a happier place."