Parenting Teens Unfiltered with Cat & Nat

As we watch so many of you pack your teens off for university we felt it was the perfect time to bring back this epside! As Dean at Stanford, Julie Lythcott-Haims witnessed firsthand the toll that overparenting takes—students who were anxious, depressed, and unprepared to handle life when things didn’t go their way. In this interview, she offers a powerful alternative: a path to raising kids who a...

A new generation of parents is waking up to how damaging social media can be for their teens’ body image. But when used thoughtfully, it can also become a tool for body confidence and empowerment. Dr. Samantha DeCaro, PsyD—Director of Clinical Outreach and Education at The Renfrew Center—joins us to unpack how social media shapes teens’ self-image. She shares practical tips on recognizing red flag...

We’re bringing back this episode just in time for back-to-school. Our teens have grown up in a world where Snapchat has always been a thing, and there’s this whole secret set of rules no adult ever agreed to—let alone understands. So what’s the move? Taking their phone away isn’t it. Because like it or not, that little screen is their wallet, their bus pass, and their “call for help” button. It’s...

Communication is at the heart of everything. It builds our relationships, and when it breaks down, so do we. Professor Jaime Hamilton knows this better than anyone, and she’s passionate about teaching people how to communicate in a way that actually brings more connection, clarity, and calm — especially when it matters most. Jaime helps explain how bullying can look different in real life versus o...

SUMMER 2025 RERUNS We are officially at the half way point of our summer and bringing you another one of your favourite episodes! Every day, there’s another headline about kids and phones — how screen time is hurting their mental health, their ability to focus, and even how we parent. There’s clearly a problem. But we’re on our phones too. And sometimes handing over a screen is the only way to get...

In today’s repeat episode, we talk about the pressure cooker that comes with Grade 11 decision-making. Are teens really supposed to know what they want to do with the rest of their lives before they’ve even finished high school? Apparently. Because here in Canada, what you choose now dictates what courses you take, and that dictates what doors stay open—or close. Kids are feeling the weight of “fi...

Raising boys and girls can feel like parenting two entirely different species. The experience is different, the energy is different—and both come with their own unique challenges and rewards. In this episode, we unpack some of the common stereotypes and doomsday narratives about raising boys—and why those stories miss the mark. Boys today are often more emotionally aware than we give them credit f...

This week we’re talking about one of those hot-button parenting topics that always gets people going: Would you ever let your underage teen and their friends drink at your house because—hey—they're “safe” under your roof? This podcast is presented by The Common Parent. The all-in-one parenting resource you need to for your teens & tweens. We've uncovered every parenting issue, so you don't hav...

Putting boundaries in place with toddlers can feel straightforward—but when our kids become teenagers, those boundaries start to shift, take on new forms, and become important for entirely different reasons. There’s a lot of fear wrapped up in parenting teens, so we brought in Dr. Jenny Hwang, a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience helping parents navigate connection, co...

Just when you think you’ve got this parenting thing down, they become teenagers and start pushing every boundary. Wendy Snyder, certified parenting educator, family life coach, and mom of two is all about helping parents ditch the yelling, threats, and punishments—and instead parent from a place of connection Wendy’s approach is all about raising good humans without losing your mind. She teaches s...

In this popular repeat episode, we’re chatting about one of those parenting topics that always gets people talking—do you let your underage teen and their friends have a drink at your house? Some parents feel like it’s the responsible choice because it’s a safe space, while others are a firm no. We’re talking through both sides and sharing how we feel about it....at this moment in time. This podca...

Some people you forget the second they walk away. And then there are the ones you never forget—because they were either so kind… or so not. This week, we’re talking about the people from grade school and high school who left a mark, and how something they said or did can stay with you for a lifetime. And now, with social media in the mix, it’s easier than ever for someone to get into your head and...

This week we’re chatting about relationships between girls and boys — the sometimes awkward, messy, confusing kind. From school friends to heartbreaks, what does it really mean when someone rejects you? You don’t have to be besties with everyone, and just because someone doesn’t want to date you doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. Rejection is not failure — it’s redirection. Let’s normal...

We strongly encourage everyone to listen to this episode with Heidi Chance, a former undercover detective with over 27 years of experience fighting sex trafficking. Heidi shares what she’s seen firsthand, the dangers many parents don’t even realize are out there, and how we can start having the hard—but crucial—conversations with our kids to keep them safer online. Recognized as a Subject Matter E...

We are brining you one of your favourite episodes on this holiday Monday.  As our teens get older, we start to realize something big: our voice — the one they used to hang on every word of — isn’t the loudest in their world anymore. Suddenly, we’re just one of many voices competing for space. Their friends matter. Like, really matter. The people they hang out with can shape everything — for b...

We’re talking about "mean girls" and how mean girl behavior has evolved in the digital age. It’s no longer just whispered comments or exclusion at recess—today, manipulation can happen through group chats, DMs, screenshots and social media posts. Girls are being targeted in more subtle, calculated ways—using each other’s words against them, turning private conversations into public humiliation, an...

What’s really happening behind our kids’ screens? As parents, it’s more important than ever to educate ourselves to the max. We can’t assume our kids would “know better” — because when it comes to fast decisions and online pressure, common sense often goes out the window. N*des are being sent and received every single day. And most of us weren’t raised with any kind of rulebook for how to handle t...

We’re joined by Shannon Lee Simmons — award-winning Certified Financial Planner, speaker, bestselling author, Chartered Investment Manager, founder of the New School of Finance, and personal finance writer for The Globe and Mail and CBC Radio’s Metro Morning money columnist. Her new book, Making Bank, is written specifically for teens and covers everything from managing money earned through part-t...

Teen sports are equal parts commitment and carpooling. In this episode, we’re talking about that tricky moment in time when your kid wants to quit sports. Do you let them? Do you push through? Some parents have rules like “one school sport per semester,” but we’re not in the market for forcing our kids to do things they’re miserable doing—because then guess what? It becomes our problem. When to ba...

There’s helicopter parenting, bulldozer parenting, attachment parenting—and now lighthouse parenting. Honestly, we think we do middle of the road parenting: the do-what-works-best-for-you kind of parenting. It all gets messy when we start judging other people’s choices. We’re doing what works for us, and that doesn’t need to make sense to anyone else. You can love us or hate us, but at the end of...

We're not here to pat ourselves on the back, but we do like to keep it pretty real with our kids. Like how open we are about who we were back in the day—what we were like at school, how we handled being students and how we literally tapped out of traditional education at a certain point. We can help our kids with homework but at some point we hit our cap. When we were growing up, there was no Chat...

Teenagehood today looks very different than it used to. Kids are home more and growing up in a world that’s far more supervised and a lot less rebellious. What happened to the sneaking out, the secrets, and the harmless mistakes that turned into life lessons (and great stories)? We grew up making questionable choices, pushing boundaries, and learning the hard way—and somehow, we turned out just fi...

Cesalina Gracie is a self-defense expert, entrepreneur, and athlete on a mission to help girls and women navigate life with confidence and strength. A passionate advocate for girls’ education, positive psychology, and women’s rights, she’s traveled across five continents delivering keynotes and workshops that empower women to unlock their inner champion. And trust us—this conversation isn’t just f...

Emojis aren’t just cute little symbols. Our kids are using them to tell a story, and most parents have no clue what they actually mean. In this episode, we dive into the Netflix show "Adolescence" and how we often hear parents say the words “my kid would never”. Those words might be the most naive thing you can say as a parent. It’s our job to set the boundaries, to teach them how to navigate a de...

Gone are the days when teens only worried about homework and who was dating who—now they’re plugged into everything from politics to world events before we’ve even had our first sip of coffee. But do we really know what they’re consuming and how it’s affecting them? This week, we’re discussing the blind spots we have as parents—the apps we don’t understand, the belief that our kids are immune, and...