Parents & Teens Rising: Practical Tools for Raising Confident, Connected Teens

Your teen’s brain isn’t broken, and you’re not doing everything wrong. If you’ve ever wondered why your teen seems to tune you out, this mini episode is for you. “How do I get my teenager to listen to me?” is one of the questions I hear most from parents, and the answer usually isn’t about what we’re saying. It’s about when we’re saying it, how often we’re saying it, and whether there’s enough con...

What if your teen's brain is running an algorithm, and they're the one feeding it? I've watched so many teens get stuck in the same patterns: the teen who decides she's "bad at math" and then finds proof on every test, or the teen who's sure nobody likes him and reads every awkward hallway moment as evidence. I've lived it myself, too. For a long time my len...

I don't think parenting teenagers has to be our hardest season. I actually think it can be our best one, the season where our relationship with our kid really solidifies right before they launch into adulthood. In today's episode, I'm walking you through 10 steps to build a stronger connection with your teenager, pulled from my coaching program and a blog post I wrote on the same to...

In today's episode, I'm sharing a conversation where I was the one in the guest chair on Parenting Shrink Wrapped with Samantha Straub, licensed clinical counselor and parenting coach, and Dr. Melissa Wellner, double board certified psychiatrist and child and adolescent psychiatrist. We talk about my own rites of passage story, what happens on our Guided Passages trips, and how teens bui...

Would you let your teenager get behind the wheel of a car with zero lessons and no permit? That's basically what we do with smartphones, and today's guest is here to change that. I'm joined by Jennifer Berger, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Ready Set Screen, and honestly, this is the conversation I wish I'd had access to when my own kids were still preteens. Je...

In today's episode, I'm talking about how to help your teen open back up if things have felt shut down lately and you want to be the one they turn to again.  Here's what we cover: The most common reasons teens pull away, including overwhelm, fear of judgment, their biological drive toward independence, and broken trust Why age 13 tends to be the peak of the pulling-away phase, and w...

If your teen freezes up before school, avoids social situations, or spirals into what-if thinking, this episode is for you. I'm walking you through what's really happening beneath your teen's anxiety and why pep talks and reassurance so often fall flat. We'll cover why some teens' alarm systems run louder than others, how the pandemic disrupted key years of social practice...

In today's episode I'm sharing something a little different, a more personal and vulnerable episode than usual. Life has been hitting hard lately, both in my own world and in the world around us, and instead of showing up with tips and strategies like I normally do, I wanted to be honest about what it actually looks like to navigate hard seasons as a parent. I have a feeling a lot of you...

In today's episode I'm joined by Dr. Melissa Wellner, a double board certified adolescent psychiatrist, and Samantha Straub, a licensed therapist, educator, and parenting coach and founder of Teen Savvy Coaching. Together they co-host the podcast Parenting Shrink Wrapped, and they brought so much wisdom and lived experience to this conversation, both as clinicians and as moms themselves....

In today's episode I'm digging into something that's showing up in my own house right now and in nearly every coaching call I'm having lately: the end-of-summer dread that hits as school comes back into view. If your teen has been dragging their feet, snapping at small things, or straight up grieving the loss of summer before it's even over, you are not alone, and neither...

In today's episode I'm joined by Shellee Howard, founder and CEO of College Ready, and named the 2026 Global Educational Consultant of the Year. Shellee is a two-time best-selling author, has been featured on Fox, NBC, CBS, and US News and World Report, and over the past 18 years she and her team have helped more than 3,000 families secure college acceptances, including 327 Ivy League pl...

In today's episode I'm talking about something I see so often in my coaching work: high-achieving teens and young adults who aren't struggling with big mental health crises, but with the everyday juggle of holding themselves to an incredibly high bar. I love their drive and their goals, but so many of them are quietly overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed because they haven't yet...

In today's episode I'm joined by a very special guest, Margot Machol Bisnow, author of Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams, 99 Stories from Families Who Did . Margot spent 20 years in government, including as an FTC commissioner, before turning her focus to raising fearless, creative, and resilient kids. Her own sons went on to found the band Magic Gia...

In today's episode I'm coming to you fresh off the trail from our high school girls' wilderness rite of passage backpacking trip, and I'm still processing all the beauty and depth that came out of that week together. But today isn't a full recap, it's a pep talk. Because I think as parents we can get so deep in the everyday slog of parenting that we lose sight of how...

In today's episode I'm talking about how to rebuild trust after your teen breaks a rule, lies, or does something that damages the trust between you. These steps can also be beneficial when the situation is reversed and you're the one working to repair trust with your teen. Here's what we cover: Why punishment alone teaches kids to avoid getting caught instead of teaching them t...

In today's episode I'm talking about something that comes up in nearly every single coaching call I have with parents: understanding what's actually going on beneath your teen's outward behavior. I get into why the slammed door, the "I'm fine" that clearly isn't, and the out-of-nowhere snap at dinner are never really about what they seem to be about, and why...

In today's episode I'm taking you behind the scenes of our first wilderness rite of passage trip of the summer, a five day backpacking journey into the backcountry with a group of ten middle schoolers. I just got back last week and I'm still processing everything that happened out there, but I couldn't wait to come on and share it with you while it's all still fresh. Here&...

In this episode, I explore how our thoughts shape our emotions, behaviors, and ultimately the results we create in our lives. Drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), neuroscience, and real-life examples, I share practical tools that parents and teens can use to break free from negative thought patterns, build confidence, reduce anxiety, and create a more empowered mindset. Whether you&apo...

Have you ever looked up in the middle of summer and realized your teen is sleeping until noon, spending hours on screens, and slowly losing motivation? You're not alone. In this episode, I'm sharing five practical steps that can help your teen create a summer that feels meaningful, productive, and enjoyable—without turning you into the summer police. I'll walk you through how to get...

If you have a graduating senior, or you've had one in the past few years, or you're watching one of your younger kids and already feeling the anticipation of this moment coming, this episode is for you. No matter where you are on the parenting journey, there is something here for you today. In today's episode I'm coming to you from a very personal place. In two days, my own sen...

If you've been watching your teen struggle with anxiety, low motivation, or a lack of direction and wondering what you can actually do to help, this episode is for you. I'm sharing the full framework I normally teach inside my workshops so you can access it right here, for free. This is not about quick fixes or surface-level advice. It's about understanding what's really going...

In today's episode, I have a special treat for you. Today I'm talking to Katie K. May, therapist, author, and founder of a therapy practice in the greater Philadelphia area that supports teens and families. Katie is also a board-certified self-harm specialist, and she wrote the book "You're On Fire, It's Fine: Effective Strategies for Parenting Teens with Self-Destructive...

In this deeply personal episode, I share the long and winding journey that led me to finally sell out my middle school wilderness backpacking rite of passage trip, a dream that has taken years, setbacks, heartbreak, resilience, and unwavering belief to bring to life. I open up about the science of grit, self-belief, growth mindset, and perseverance, while also sharing my own transformational exper...

In today's episode, I'm sharing about the seven foundational pillars that make up the ecosystem your teenager needs to grow, thrive, and stay connected to you through one of the most complex seasons of their development. This isn't just a parenting strategy episode. It's also about you, your nervous system, your emotional patterns, and the environment you're creating every...

In this short but sweet episode, I’m sharing a simple ( but often overlooked ) parenting “hack” that has been making a big difference in my own relationship with my teens. Like many of you, my days are full. By the time evening rolls around, it’s so tempting to check out on my phone, catch up on emails, or zone out. And my teens? They’re usually doing the same. But I’ve realized that these everyda...