High School Hamster Wheel

This week, I’m delighted to welcome Ann Louden to the podcast. Ann is a New York City based consultant for nonprofit leaders. Her emphasis is teaching the skills of how to be an expert connector. Anyone who knows me is well aware that I am wired to be a connector. People to people. People to resources. It brings me so much fulfillment. Not sure what a true connector is or does? Don’t worry, Ann do...

In this episode, I am joined by Rachel Sumner. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, one of the biggest benefits of doing this podcast is that I get to cross paths with those who I call “my people” and Rachel is absolutely in that group. Her energy, enthusiasm and commitment to helping young people prepare for the future is evident in our conversation and I am thrilled for you to hear it. D...

In this episode, I am welcoming Joanna Lilley back to the show. If you are a loyal listener you might remember Joanna from episode 33, titled Transitioning from Parent to Partner. If you missed that episode, I highly recommend checking it out as it is packed full of great information to help parents to transition to a new dynamic as teens and young adults move on after high school. Today, Joanna a...

In this week’s episode, I welcome John Geiling to the show. John is the President of his hugely successful company, JPG Plumbing & Mechanical Services, Inc. Whether your teen is interested in the plumbing business or another one of the trades, this episode is packed full of useful information and resources. After years of employment in the trades working for other people, John made the decision to...

Joining me this week on the podcast is Johnny Tock. Johnny is the Director of Admissions at ReSTART, a program that specializes in technology addiction. The subject matter of this episode is a huge concern for many families, including my own. A survey from Parents Together found that of 3,000 parents surveyed, 85 percent were worried about the length of time their children spend online. If you’ve...

This week’s episode is one that I have been looking forward to sharing with you. When I first started this podcast over a year ago, I drafted a “wish list” of guests I’d like to interview. Tony Wagner was one of the names at the top of that list. When I reached out to him to invite him on the show, he accepted my invitation without hesitation. I first learned of Tony Wagner years ago when I read s...

In this week’s episode, I’m delighted to welcome Tanya Meessmann back to the show. If you’re a loyal listener, you might remember Tanya from Episode 50, Developing Confidence, Courage, and Self-Belief in Teens. If you missed that one, be sure to check it out. After a successful career in corporate Australia and the UK, Tanya pivoted, and now has a company called Girl Shaped Flames. Tanya mentors y...

Hosting this podcast has so many benefits, including getting to meet, interview, and learn from so many smart and interesting people. And while I enjoy every interview I do, there are some people that I meet and connect with immediately. Today’s guest is one of those people. I am beyond thrilled to welcome Dr. Kevin J. Fleming to the podcast. Dr. Fleming has an impressive bio. He’s produced multip...

In this week’s episode, I welcome GenZ Career Guide, Jay DuSold back to the podcast. Today’s episode is the 2nd in a two-part series focused on building strong relationships with our teens BEFORE they move out of the house. In part one, Jay and I talked about repairing and reconciling broken relationships. If you have been struggling to make amends with your teen, you may want to go back and liste...

I’m thrilled to start off the New Year with this episode featuring my guest, Ken Rusk. Ken has an incredible story to tell and he has decades of experience and wisdom to share with parents and their teens. Ken got his start digging ditches at the young age of 15. Decades later he’s a highly successful construction business entrepreneur who’s been called the “million dollar ditch digger”. Ken is al...

In this week’s episode, the last episode of 2020, I am grateful to welcome Jay DuSold back to the podcast. If you’ve been listening to the show, you know that Jay and I have formed a partnership, and more importantly, a friendship, based on our shared passion and commitment to helping young people find the path that’s best for them. This episode is part one in a two-part series focused on what Jay...

My guest today is Dr. Catherine Pearlman. Dr. Pearlman is the author of Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction. She's also the founder of The Family Coach, a private practice specializing in helping families resolve everyday problems related to discipline, sleep, sibling rivalry, and other issues. I learned of Catherin...

In this episode, I am thrilled to welcome Chelsea Williams back to the podcast. Chelsea is an anxiety coach for teens and parents. When she first joined me on the podcast back in episode 8, Chelsea brought a ton of value for my listeners and now she’s back again with some very timely and relevant advice for parents. During our conversation, Chelsea talks about how to create a more flexible nervous...

In this episode, I am excited to welcome Rich Popper to the show. Rich and I connected through a Facebook exchange that I had with his wife in a parenting group. When I learned that Rich worked in the field of cybersecurity, I knew I had to interview him. Cybersecurity is a vast and highly in-demand field, and as Rich explains is now considered a core business function. There is an enormous shorta...

In today’s episode, I am thrilled to welcome my long-time friend Roger Holzberg to the show. Roger is one of the most innovative and creative people I have had the pleasure to work with and one of the most accomplished storytellers I know. We met while both working at Disney, where Roger spent 12 years as an award-winning Creative Director / Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering. Since then,...

Communicating with our teens isn’t always easy, especially when the topic of conversation is related to their plans (or lack of a plan) after high school. In this episode, I am joined by Melanie Studer and her young adult son, Sam. Melanie is the author of “College Bound: The Ultimate List of Conversations to Help Your Teen Through High School”. During our conversation, Melanie and Sam share their...

The timing of this episode is extremely relevant and there’s no one else I’d rather have with me than Jane and Jason Sarouhan of J2Guides. In this episode, we talk about gap year experiences during COVID-19. You might be feeling that this is not a good time to think about a gap year, when in fact, the opposite is true. The gap year is not only surviving, it’s thriving. During our conversation, we...

In this episode, I am joined by Allison Dillard. Allison is an author, an adjunct math professor, and the host of the Allison Loves Math podcast. On her podcast, she talks with education and parenting experts about how to empower kids to do well in math and STEM. As I reveal in the podcast, math has not always been my strong suit, which I think is true for a lot of people. In fact, I used to joke...

I've had some parents request that I provide some help and resources for parents of teens with learning differences who are planning to attend college. I am fortunate to have crossed paths with an expert in this field and she is joining me in this episode. My guest today is Debbie Cinquemani of Guide Us Educational Services. Debbie specializes in working with students with learning differences, an...

In this week's episode, I am celebrating my one year anniversary as host of the High School Hamster Wheel podcast. The past year has been more fun and more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. And what better way to celebrate this milestone than with two of my new best friends, who also happen to be previous podcast guests, Dr. Anna Stumpf and Jay DuSold. Heads up, Jay and Anna spend a lot...

In this episode, I'm thrilled to welcome to the show. Erica Smentowski. Erica and I crossed paths online in another parenting Facebook group and when I read her post, I knew that I wanted to learn more about her family. Erica is the proud mom of two teenage boys. Her older son, Nathan is 17 years old and he's on the autism spectrum. He just began his senior year of high school and he still unsure...

In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Tanya Meessmann. After a successful career in corporate America, Tanya pivoted, and now has a company called Girl Shaped Flames. Tanya mentors young ambitious girls and she helps them develop self-confidence and self-belief. As a mom to two teenage sons, I live in a world that's mostly boy-focused. So it was a pleasure to talk to Tanya about her experience wit...

In this episode, I welcome John Walsh to the podcast. John is a bestselling author, speaker, coach, and business advisor with a passion for helping students and young professionals accelerate their potential and stand out when it matters most. As the president and CEO of StandoutX, he and his team work with other experts around the world to inspire and develop the next generation of high performer...

In this episode, I’m joined by Jordan Paris. Jordan has achieved so much success at such a young age that I just had to share his story with you. During our conversation, Jordan talks about his journey to entrepreneurship, why he believes we should all begin with the end in mind, and the importance of choosing a college major that will deliver a return on investment (ROI). He has great advice for...

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Laurie Bodine. Laurie is the founder of START Leadership, an education, and training company. The work she does with families and schools gives parents and teachers evidence-based tools to equip kids with the mindset and skills that they need to lead well, be well and do well in today's increasingly competitive and rapidly changing world...