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Teenagers all share the same stress and anxiety but teen performing artists (musicians, dancers, singers, etc) have an extra layer on top. They often connect their self worth to their craft and when they encounter a poor audition or recital, the negative self talk becomes deafening. It's hard to navigate consdiering they put themselves in a vulnerable place; on display for the world to see! Today,...

I've had so many conversations lately with both teens and adults where I've realized the fear of failure is alive and well no matter your age! People are so scared of making mistakes and it unfortunately keeps them stuck from moving fast. Moving fast is the only way we learn and grow. So today I'm going to share my 2 cents on fear of failure...   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...

Do you remember that time that everyone laughed at you because you had toilet paper stuck to your shoe? Or that nick name that stuck with you in 4th grade? You may remember but you know who doesn't...everyone at college! Students are about to embark on a entirely new chapter in their life. For many of them, a new state with a completely new set of friends. This is a chance to embrace a fresh start...

Today I'd like to reflect on a personal story from my childhood—a deep-seated obsession with Superman and the significance it held for me. I was a product of the Christopher Reeves Superman (ahhemm....the best one) and it was a few things. Sure it was the way he carried himself but at the age of 6 it was more about his ability to fly! Even more so it was how everyone was in so much shock and awe a...

Most of us can remember the first few months of our undergraduate experience. It was not easy! It's a big shift for many different reasons so when we talk about our student's mental health, this is a very pivotal point and an important transition. Today we'll chat about the challenges students face as they navigate the increased autonomy, adult responsibilities, and cultural shock in a university...

Do you remember the last few months of your senior year?! All of a sudden everyone started talking to each other, everyone became friendly, and all social cliques began to to break down! We realized that our future has arrived. There was no more next steps and for most part, you were not going to see a vast majority of these people ever again. Everyone was going to go on to do different things wit...

The saying goes "if you win the morning, you win the day". And morning routines are not just for adults! There are many great benefits from a teen implementing some personal development tactics before they head out to school. Today I'll share some practical strategies to help teenagers enhance their well-being by focusing on their body, mind, and emotions in the morning. From exercise to meditatio...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month so today we'll be unpacking the CASTLE SEL framework which is a key component of social and emotional learning. I'll provide an in-depth breakdown of the framework's five core competencies, along with discussing the settings that SEL can be taught  which are classrooms, schools, families, and communities. There are some hidden gems to this framework that might...

I recently had a student come up to me after a talk and said "I want to be like you"... I assumed that he meant he wanted to be a speaker. I was wrong. He continued to say "I want to speak and I want people to finally hear me". I realized that this student has so much to say and so much to share but he doesn't have an outlet to do so. I then thought about my experiences working with students eithe...

When I was in high school I KNEW that I was going to be a high school band director.... Clearly I was mistaken. When 16 and 17 year old children are asked what they want to do with the rest of their lives (AKA picking a major), there are a lot of variables and situations to think about.  Whether your teen is having trouble picking their major or is on the opposite end of that spectrum and is compl...

When a student is thinking of taking a student loan, what does $50,000 really mean to them. Well if they're anything like me, nothing! I had no personal finance education and the number seemed so vague. Plus you've probably also heard things like... Everyone has to take them I won't have to pay them back for a long time I'll just get a decent job that makes enough money to pay them back quickly We...

If we tell ourselves a certain story, we're going to make certain decision. If we change that story, our decisions will change as well. Today we're going to break down the Story Cycle. This simple yet extremely powerful concept has been taught by many personal development and productivity gurus. Ultimately our story influences our actions, our actions influence our results, and our results reinfor...

Today I start with a story. It's actually one of the earliest memories I have. It was a contract that my mother and my teacher made me sign... As someone who is NOT an expert on addiction, drugs and alcohol or substance abuse, this is simply one man's experience with early prevention. Take a listen to today's episode as I discuss a few ways we can instill a strong identity and help set personal bo...

Today we're going to try a slightly different format. I will be playing a short clip from one of my recent talks at Dobbs Ferry High School in Westchester, NY. This clip highlights some of the selfish choices a teen can make when they tell themselves a limiting story. Today I'll discuss 3 effective strategies for educators to help students navigate regret, urging them to consider the limited time...

Throughout my time as a teacher, coach and speaker, I've learned quite a bit about how teens make decisions. One major realiztion I've had is that our decisions are governed by three fundamental truths. No matter what age and what circumstance, these principles are what guide and shape our decisions.  When it comes to teens, they are much more vulnerable due to the lack of life experience, as well...

When it comes to high amounts of energy, there are no better people that Matt and Phil from M&P Presentations. This dynamic youth speaking duo has been working with teens for over a decade. They have a truly unique perspective considering both Matt and Phil work professionally in the field of education. In this episode, we discuss a wide range of topics such as self-care, personal growth, and over...

At some point every teen will fail at something. The issue is that students are facing this idea of perfectionism that is engineered from social media and the constant connection to all their peers. So how can we help them and what strategies can we give them to work through their failures? Today we'll dig into the importance of evaluating and revising goals, celebrating wins along the way, gainin...

The SMART or SMARTER goal framework is fairly common among professionals and executives but how about teens? Has you student ever formally tried to sit down and create a detailed goal? Considering it's the first episode of the year, the conversation on everyone's minds is always New Year's resolutions and this also could be on the mind of a high school student. If so, today I'll give you a few exa...

It's a hard question...what do I do for the rest of my life? Even harder when you have to make that decision at 16 when applying for colleges. I have embarked on a few different entrepreneurial pursuits in my life. While I believe they all kind of stemmed from the same purpose, they were definitely different in the day to day. After deciding to pursue speaking full time, I asked myself the most im...

I was recently watching a video from Ali Abdaal, one of the most successful productivity Youtubers. He was going through a lot of higher level thinking and figuring out what direction to take his business next. This is where he dropped a gem! If you're having trouble with achieving a goal or not sure what to do next in your life, ask yourself why...5 times! This is a really effective exercise that...

This is crunch time for college applications. That means that students will need to shift their priorities. Here are a few things that can help your students to reprioritize. 1. Mindset Reframing: It's important for students to understand that they won't be able to get everything done, and that's okay. Prioritizing is about making choices and focusing on what truly matters. 2. Delayed Gratificatio...

Today is another Educator Spotlight Series! Join me as we dive into the world of Will Elliott, a 25-year-old teen life coach. When Will first appeared in my feed, I was conflicted with the thought of a 25 year old life coach. On one hand I said "he's still a kid himself"! On the other hand I thought that being young would make him much more relatable than mom and dad! Check out today's review as w...

I recently saw a video of Jocko Willink where he attempted to answer a question from a listener. The question was revolved around discipline and how to develop it when you come from a undisciplined household. I found it really interesting to say the least... Today we'll unpack the crucial aspect of taking accountability and setting clear expectations in the classroom in order to help your students...

As a musician for a huge part of my life, practice has always been something that is necessary. Even if I don't have a specific gig coming up, I always have to practice to get better at the craft and to keep my endurance at a high enough level. In today's quick episode, I'm digging into a question that's been on my mind – the role of practice in the life of a teenager. Not necessarily practicing a...

As a youth speaker and coach, I'm well aware of how crucial it is to teach teenagers the art of embracing failure and navigating the challenges it presents. It's all about helping them understand that failure isn't the end of the road but rather a stepping stone towards eventual success. It took Thomas Edison 1000 tries to invent the lightbulb and with that being said, I want to emphasize the impo...