Axis Conversations

"Today's teens, especially those who are too young to drive, enter what they call "talking stages," which seem to be a substitute for dating. It's basically a stream of conciousness texting session with one another. I have a 14 year old son. Girls are coming out of the wood work trying to enter a "talking stage" with him. Right now he is talking to 4 girls. He has decided he really likes one of th...

Three Big Conversations: The Grammys offered a  chaotic celebration of modern music. - 8:08 "Etsy witches" are getting kicked off of Etsy. - 21:12 Sports betting looms large over Super Bowl LX this Sunday. - 35:06 Song of the Week: "Aperture" by Harry Styles -1:25 Click  here for the lyrics. In Other News: - 53:08 " She's free " is a TikTok trend where friends line up, clap and shine phone flashli...

The Grammys offered a chaotic celebration of modern music, "Etsy witches" are getting kicked off of Etsy, and sports betting looms large over Super Bowl LX this Sunday. Song of the Week: "Aperture" by Harry Styles Click here for the lyrics. In Other News: " She's free " is a TikTok trend where friends line up, clap and shine phone flashlights as someone walks a celebratory runway after a breakup. ...

Nick Stumbo is the Executive Director of Pure Desire, an organization that exists to provide hope, freedom, and healing from compulsive sexual behavior and betrayal trauma through Jesus Christ. Their work at Pure Desire is clinically informed and biblically based. As a third-generation pastor, Nick Stumbo started his ministry career at the East Hills Alliance Church in Kelso, Washington, where he...

Three Big Conversations: TikTok has a new US owner, which  users worry is muddying the platform's approach to censorship. - 10:16 Data shows that sad and angsty songs are ruling the streaming charts. - 29:28 It's official:  our algorithms are making us lonelier. - 40:12 Emoji of the Week: 🙂   - 01:19 Axis Resource--> Check out A Parent's Guide to Emoji In Other News: -  52:04 Last week, Alex Honn...

TikTok has a new US owner, which users worry is muddying the platform's approach to censorship; data shows that sad and angsty songs are ruling the streaming charts, and it's official: our algorithms are making us lonelier. Emoji of the Week: 🙂 Axis Resource--> Check out A Parent's Guide to Emoji In Other News: Last week, Alex Honnold free-soloed Taipei 101 live on Netflix, with roughly 6.2 milli...

Jenna is a writer and content creator based in Orange County, California. She works at Axis as a content specialist. She is currently working on a Master's in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care at Talbot School of Theology. She also runs a Substack publication called "Jenna's Column" where she writes about faith from a Gen Z perspective. In her free time she loves to read (preferably at the beach)...

Three Big Conversations: Nostalgia for 2016 hits social media. - 8:54 Some hopeful, if complicated, mental health statistics about college students. - 24:40 Teens would rather send a voice note than make a phone call. - 38:08 Slang of the Week  - Ragebait - 1:48 In Other News: - 54:22 The Indiana Hoosiers won an electrifying College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, punctuated by a...

Nostalgia for 2016 hits social media, some hopeful, if complicated, mental health statistics about college students, and teens would rather send a voice note than make a phone call. Slang of the Week  - Ragebait In Other News: The Indiana Hoosiers won an electrifying College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, punctuated by an iconic, fourth-down touchdown run from Heisman winner Fer...

A question on "camp skits not aging well." Libby asks, "We generally have just substituted current pop culture references into old skits to bring them up to date. But it's so necessary right now to help kids engage with culture instead of vilifying it. A recent skit we were planning made it seem like the student was nailing Jesus to the cross by going to a party, hanging out with friends instead o...

Three Big Conversations: Gen Z heads to trade school en masse - 05:14 The controversy around Grok's creation of  deepfake images  - 21:26 Fiber is the  new protein - 42:00 Slang of the Week: "Choppelganger" - 20:20 --> Check out the definition in our resource The Parent Guide to Teen Slang In Other News: - 55:06 Harry Styles just dropped a mysterious website called WeBelongTogether.co filled with...

Gen Z heads to trade school en masse , fiber is the new protein , and the controversy around Grok's creation of deepfake images . Slang of the Week: "Choppelganger" --> Check out the defenition in our resource The Parent Guide to Teen Slang In Other News: Harry Styles just dropped a mysterious website called WeBelongTogether.co filled with crowd footage and the words "We belong together," and fans...

"I recently had a conversation with my teen son about how words he (and everyone else) uses regularly were not considered ok when I was growing up. Can you speak to how language has changed and what is and isn't acceptable? I generally go back to the Bible saying not to use coarse or filthy language (Ephesians and Colossians) when redirecting him but when everyone is using it maybe it's not how I...

Three Big Conversations: Stranger Things star Joe Keery's synthpop song tops the charts - 12:55 Sushi is the new pizza for Gen Alpha - 22:46 the Great Meme Reset that wasn't. - 31:18 Slang of the Week:   "Flow State" - 5:16 In Other News: - 39:06 Mr. Beast's competition show Beast Games is  back  on Amazon Prime this week. The twist this time? Brains versus brawn. Will Mr. Beast commit more war cr...

Stranger Things star Joe Keery's synthpop song tops the charts , sushi is the new pizza for Gen Alpha, and the Great Meme Reset that wasn't. Slang of the Week: "Flow State" In Other News: Mr. Beast's competition show Beast Games is back on Amazon Prime this week. The twist this time? Brains versus brawn. Will Mr. Beast commit more war crimes? Tune in to find out. The French parliament has proposed...

We're ready to dive into 2026 and continue supporting you in ways that matter to you and the teens in your life. As you step into the new year and start thinking about your goals for your family and how to build deeper connections with the next generation, we've put together 5 conversation starters you can use to jump-start moments of depth and honesty. CT of the top 20 (Short and sweet) --> The 2...

"I have two grandchildren, both teenagers, who have had smartphones since before they were 12. I am concerned by some of the behaviors you described in your Smartphone September podcasts. When I pick them up from school, their eyes are glued to their phones as soon as they get in the car and they get annoyed when I ask them questions about their day. Since we are not the parents, we have no contro...

At the end of every year, we take a few weeks to reset and reflect on everything that happened in culture over the past twelve months. We share our reflections with you in the form of our Top 20 Annual Countdown. This week, the Top 10! After much deliberation (heard in the  Roundtable Episode ) here is the list of the Top 10! 10. AI video slop (Sora, VEO3, Vibes) 9. Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl hal...

At the end of every year, we take a few weeks to reset and reflect on everything that happened in culture over the past twelve months. We share our reflections with you in the form of our  Top 20 Annual Countdown. This week, the Top 10! Listen as Evan, CJ, and Irene make their case for the top spot! Double your impact with End of Year Giving!  Every dollar you give will be mathched dollar for doll...

Mike and Becky McNamee are the founders of Legacy of Faith, an organization dedicated to hosting retreats for grandparents who seek to leave a lasting spiritual legacy for future generations. Before founding Legacy of Faith, Mike served with the Navigators as General Manager of the Glen Eyrie Conference Center in Colorado Springs. Becky has devoted her life to being a loving wife, homemaker, homes...

At the end of every year, we take a few weeks to reset and reflect on everything that happened in culture over the past twelve months. We share our reflections with you in the form of our Top 20 Annual Countdown. This week, you'll receive 20-11; next week, you'll get the top ten. After much deliberation (heard in the Roundtable Episode ) here is the list of the Top 20-11! 20. Hailey and Justin Bie...

At the end of every year, we take a few weeks to reset and reflect on everything that happened in culture over the past twelve months. We share our reflections with you in the form of our Top 20 Annual Countdown. This week, you'll receive 20-11; next week, you'll get the top ten. Listen as Evan, CJ, and Irene discuss their top picks! Moving 10 up and moving 10 down - 0:41 Ranking 20-11 - 27:55 Dou...

"Our oldest is a 14 year old boy so we're still newbies to parenting teens. Our 8th grader teen seems, in mom and dad's opinion, overly concerned with materialism (things like shoes and iphone model etc). We've heard that this is pretty typical for middle school boys; do teen boys tend to become less materialistic after middle school/once they're in high school? We try to talk with him about mater...

  Three Big Conversations: TikTok's most-used sound in 2025 was a  63-year-old love song - 8:40  Netflix and Paramount are in a bidding war for Warner Bros. - 22:38 Hollywood might be having a  "God moment." - 35:52 Song of the Week: "Santa Tell Me" - by Ariana Grande - 1:02 Click here for the lyrics. In Other News: - 52:20 Taylor Swift will officially conclude her Eras era today, releasing a six-...

TikTok's most-used sound in 2025 was a 63-year-old love song , Netflix and Paramount are in a bidding war for Warner Bros., and Hollywood might be having a "God moment."   Song of the Week: "Santa Tell Me" - by Ariana Grande Click here for the lyrics. In Other News: Taylor Swift will officially conclude her Eras era today, releasing a six-episode docuseries about her record-setting tour as well as...