Meredith Seacrest Leach on 'The Make Believers': Fostering Imagination Through Storytelling and Sibling Collaboration

Join us as Meredith Seacrest Leach discusses her debut picture
book "The Make Believers," co-written with her brother Ryan
Seacrest.


In this heartwarming conversation, Meredith shares how her
daughter's boundless imagination and her work with the Ryan
Seacrest Foundation inspired this celebration of creative play.
She reveals how the book's message—that dreams can flourish with
open eyes, not just during sleep—connects to childhood wonder and
imagination's healing power in children's hospitals. From
reminiscing about her own third-grade writing adventures to
collaborating with her famous brother during the pandemic,
Meredith offers insights into the creative process and the joy of
keeping imagination alive at any age. Parents and caregivers will
particularly appreciate her practical advice on fostering
creativity and the importance of putting down technology to
engage in transformative play with children.





Transcription: You can read the transcription on
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Children's Book Review⁠⁠⁠


Order Copies: The Make-Believers on
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.


About the Author: Meredith Seacrest Leach is the
executive director and COO of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. She
was a driving force behind the conception and development of the
foundation since its inception in 2009. She manages and
cultivates relationships with key partners and donors in
entertainment, health care, education, and technology while
strategizing financial campaigns and programs to help
continuously advance the organization and the fourteen Seacrest
Studios in leading pediatric hospitals nationwide. Before
overseeing the foundation, Meredith was the director of creative
affairs at Reveille, now known as the production company Endemol
Shine North America. Some programming she was responsible for
included Nashville Star, MasterChef, and The Buried Life. She
also worked in hospitality public relations, managing several
luxury resort accounts, and as the manager of communications at
Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, where she oversaw national
press for two top entertainment news programs. The Make-Believers
is her first picture book.