EveryDay Strong

With deaths by suicide happening as young as 5 years old, we know it's important to talk about, but that doesn't make the topic any easier. Please know you're not alone if you struggle to know what to say. Take a deep breath, and give this episode a listen.  Join Darrin Brandt, a local therapist at Revere Health, as he helps us find ways to: navigate conversations with children who ask us abo...

If the lofty goal of 8-10 hours of sleep a night for your teenager seems unrealistic, you aren’t entirely wrong. Not only are high school students incredibly busy, they’re fighting their biological clock to get to bed earlier. In part one of this episode, Eliza shares some strategic ways you can partner with your teen to improve sleep habits. Then, next week, join us for part two, when we dive int...

One in five kids in the United States has a long-lasting medical condition or disability. In this week’s podcast, Eliza has a conversation with Davi Vitela, a child life specialist at Primary Children’s hospital. Davi shares how she helps kids feel safe, connected, and confident while receiving medical treatment. Listen for tips on helping kids cope with stressful situations.

When was the last time your teenager had a meltdown? Developing adolescent brains are sometimes overwhelmed by powerful feelings. In today’s episode, we share an excerpt from an article by Dr. Lisa Damour, a clinical psychologist, about how parents can respond to a child’s emotional tidal wave.  Resources: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/46-how-do-you-help-a-kid-who-shuts-you-out/id1525...

If you're going through a divorce, you may feel powerless when it comes to helping your child adjust to the separation and the changes that come along with it. What can you do ? What do they need? Where do you start?  Therapist Catherine Johnson shares her personal experience and professional advice on how to learn and meet your child's needs in this turbulent time. Join us as she shares how...

Today’s episode takes a look at the lives of two 15 year olds experiencing chronic stress. Although Adam and Zara's circumstances are polar opposites, the EveryDay Strong resilience framework shows how caring adults could make a difference in both their lives. Listen for ideas on how to use safety, connection, and confidence to help your teen feel less stressed.  Adam and Zara’s stories are b...

For the past two years, we’ve heard different versions of this question over and over again. There’s no way to completely shield your child from everything that is going on in the world these days. And if your child is extra sensitive, you may worry that talking with your child about current events may increase their anxiety. Today, we’ll explain why it’s important to have conversations with your...

You love your kids, so you probably spend a lot of time worrying about them. Not knowing what your child’s future has in store can make you feel anxious and tense. But remember–secondary education and careers rarely go according to plan. Yet things almost always work out better than we could have imagined! Today’s episode includes a reading from the book The Self Driven Child . The authors, Dr. Wi...

While growing up in Maine, Dustin Jones was a top student and founder of his school’s competitive robotics team. He graduated high school with plans to become an engineer. After several years of grueling work, his plans came crashing down when his college put him on academic probation. This episode features Dustin’s personal journey to find a fulfilling and promising career. His experience shows h...

Are you having arguments with your child about their participation in a sport or another extracurricular activity? Is your child losing interest or facing a temporary setback? It can be difficult to know whether the right move is to encourage your child to keep trying or support their decision to quit. Both can help your child become more resilient, depending on the situation. In today’s episode,...

Families come in all different shapes and sizes. Each child will add his or her own unique personality and influence the shared family experience. Join us this week as we talk with Ben & Gabrielle Blair, who live in Normandy, France and are the parents of six kids ages 12 and up. They share their personal experiences living abroad, creating a strong family culture, and watching their kids leav...

Parenting begins to take on a new meaning when your child reaches the pre-teen years. For both parents and kids, the move to middle school can be a difficult adjustment. Keeping track of a schedule, organizing a binder, and navigating a new campus are challenges for still developing brains. If you are worried that your child has been thrown in the deep end, this episode is for you. We’ll talk abou...

Research shows that volunteering can make people feel happier and more confident. Maybe you know and admire a teen who is always willing to help. What motivates these youth to serve? And how can parents help their child become more involved in the community? In today’s episode, we’ll answer these questions and talk about why your teen is probably thinking about how they can make the world a better...

Day to day life can be hectic, especially for teens. Although extracurricular activities are really helpful in a child’s learning and development, kids also need unstructured time to take care of their needs. In this episode, we’ll describe an activity that will help you reflect on your family schedule to find the balance between active and quiet activities. Prioritizing down time will benefit the...

You’ve heard the saying “the family that plays together, stays together” before. But if you’ve ever been on a chaotic family vacation, you may have doubted the truth of that statement. In today’s episode, our guest Dr. Jasmine Townsend talks about the benefits of family recreation and how you can connect with your child–toddler or teen–through play. Dr. Jasmine Townsend is an Associate Professor i...

Do you keep track of how many texts your kid gets each day? If so, it might not surprise you to learn that adolescents typically send and receive thousands of messages every month. But how bad is texting really? And does it affect mental health? In this week’s mini episode, Eliza talks about how parents can set boundaries around phones and texting that support their child’s physical and emotional...

GIVEWAY CLOSES FRIDAY 9/16 *See below for instructions* Tech is complicated. So are kids. There are many factors that influence mental health and behavior, and phones are one small piece of the bigger picture. In today’s episode, we talk about some common situations parents face while navigating digital parenting. Our expert, Carrie Rogers Whitehead, shares what parents can do to promote safety, c...

To end this season, in case you missed catching this episode from Season 2, here's a rerun episode with Jenny Howe! You might have a vision for what your teenager or child needs in order to thrive. But you're not the only adult in your kids' life: there's her teacher, perhaps his other parent, or their youth leaders at church or a club. Are they resistant to what you know your child needs? License...

In today's episode, we talked to Lisa Clark, a mother of five, and she shares one of the most challenging experiences her family has experienced and what she did to stay calm and persevere and help her kids thrive through these challenges. Lisa cared for her husband with a terminal illness in which she learned how to cope by doing things to calm her, she learned how and who to reach out for suppor...

What can you do when you constantly do the same "parenting fail" over and over?  You lose confidence in your parenting skills, feel hopeless, and are stuck. What can help with these feelings is changing your mindset to view confidence as something that grows through experience as you overcome challenges.  And having a clear vision of what you want to accomplish as a parent can build your...

When raising a family distances us from old friends, starting a new friendship from scratch can be intimidating! Remember this isn’t your first rodeo. Today's episode with local therapist Collette Dawson-Loveless, LCSW, will help you jump the mental hurdles and make meaningful connections even as an adult! Listen for her tips about building vulnerability, stepping out of your comfort zone, and und...

The balance is HARD between focusing on a kid’s needs and not forgetting about your own. If you feel like you’re always living on the edge of a breakdown, it might have to do with learning to calm your body, not just your mind. When your own needs for calm and peace are met, it’s a lot easier to parent the way you want to. Today’s episode with Dr. Andrea Moore (who has a doctorate in physical ther...

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to take care of yourself.  We all know the list: get enough water, get enough sleep, get some exercise.  But that's so much easier said than done. Kristin Erskine, assistant professor at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, is here to share the simple things you may not have thought of that can change your ability to...

You've told your teenager that they really, really need to focus on bringing their grades up or it's going to be difficult to get into a good college--but it's so much more fun to NOT do that, they argue. You're trying to convince them that they should go to bed at a decent hour but they push back: "none of my friends have to go to bed by then." These arguments go around and around. Sometimes it's...

Do you find yourself having mini adult meltdowns from time to time? Where you just lose it and yell and get angry for seemingly no reason? (the feeling of "breaking.") Or a strong sense that you just have to get out of the house, away from your life, no matter what. These feelings usually relate to the amount of safety we feel in our own bodies and that we have created for ourselves. The good news...