Teenage Kicks Podcast

Owen Wood suffered from anxiety as a young teenager. He tells me how he coped, what his parents did to support him, and what helped him at school during those years. We talk about how travelling on a budget during Race Across The World taught him to have faith in himself, and how he copes with the nerves of travelling alone now.    Owen says that, just because you're an anxious teenager,...

Evan Transue started suffering with panic attacks at the age of 5. He had no family history of trauma, and due to his seemingly great life, his panic attacks went misdiagnosed for over 10 years. During this time, he developed other mental health conditions, and eventually turned to substances to numb the pain. Eventually he was diagnosed with panic disorder, and had an aha moment that changed his...

Parents often worry about the teenage years. The term 'threenager' is frequently used to describe the toddler tantrums that leave parents tearing their hair out. I used it myself, with an eyeroll and a wry smile, but now that I've been through the teenage years I'm apologetic about that. I think it's patronising, and it doesn't help our relationships with our teens.  Katia Vlachos has experie...

Today's guest is content creator and copywriter Tom Pinks, who is The number of teenagers saying they don't drink alcohol is 39% . Tom talks about how he was bullied at secondary school before eventually finding a way to take control and stand up for himself. He was also dealing with his mum's diagnosis of cancer and says that it could have been quite a dark time had it not been for the resilience...

My guest today has written a book about how much we underestimate teenage girls, and why we’d do well as parents to listen more to what they have to say. Chelsey Goodan has interviewed dozens of teenage girls about what’s going on in their lives, and what they need from adults in order to thrive. We talk about perfectionism and self-esteem, shame around sexuality, and the best way to get teenagers...

TW: Self-harm Ad: This episode is sponsored by training provider Flourish , and my guest today is an expert in supporting teenagers with the emotional challenges that often come with adolescence. Charlotte Gordon is a nationally recognised youth worker and trainer who has deep expertise in addressing anxiety, depression and distress, and empowers those who work with teenagers to have the practical...

*TW - Suicide and self harm   This week's guest is the parent of a 17-year-old transgender boy. She talks about how it felt to support her son as they came to the realisation that their assigned gender did not match who they knew themselves to be. She describes how difficult it was for her son despite her family's acceptance and support of his decision, compared to other teenagers she knows o...

It's a question I see asked a lot. There's a whole Facebook group dedicated to discussing the issues parents have when their children are preparing to leave home for university, and the questions come in cycles. Right now, it's UCAS forms and university choices, as the deadline for applications looms. In a couple of months it will be questions about A-Level revision and exam dates, and then will c...

Welcome to series 9 of the Teenage Kicks podcast, and a brand new set of brave conversations with people who had something difficult to go through in their teenage years.  This episode features Jon Wilson Cooper, who - through his career choice as a counsellor - has explored his own relationship with his mental health at length, including how he feels about having grown up with a sibling with...

In this final episode of my 8th season of Teenage Kicks, we hear from Betty and James Mukherjee, of Race Across The World fame. Watching the show we saw the brother and sister relationship develop as they completed challenges together, but they say it wasn't always like this - they fell out like typical siblings when they were growing up.  They talk about how they handled their feelings durin...

It can be very isolating when your child is diagnosed with a new and scary condition. It always helps to hear from someone who's been through it beforehand, and today's guest has experienced ADHD with bells on in her family and with her teenager. Claire Quigley West tells us about how her teenage years were affected by undiagnosed ADHD. She goes on to explain her son's diagnosis, and how she is fi...

Today's guest had an unusual childhood, with a modelling career as a child, and winning Miss Spain at the age of 17. She grew up in the limelight and with a hectic professional schedule. She also attended boarding school in a different country to her family.  I talk to Lorena  about how a life in the limelight from a young age has influenced her parenting styles and what she teaches her...

Today's guest speaks of horrific emotional bullying at school as a teenager. She struggled to make friends after she was accepted to a selective school, and her self-esteem suffered. Her parents had sacrificed to get her into the school, so Angela didn't feel she could complain to them. Instead, she felt guilty for having attracted the abuse. This is all too common for children who are bullied - t...

This is a podcast that will change how you look at the problems you're going through. Carrie's voice is full of wisdom, and she knows what she's talking about, because she's been there too.  Carrie Grant, MBE, is a TV presenter, vocal coach, activist, and World Vision ambassador who has worked with the charity for over 10 years. She was awarded an MBE in 2020 “for services to music, to media...

The big question in this episode is whether or not to give your child a smartphone, and what's the right age for your teenager to have a smartphones.  Ofcom research in the UK in April 2024 claims that nearly a quarter of 5-7 year olds have their own smartphones, with 65% using WhatsApp and other messaging services. Hannah Oertel is the Founder and CEO of Delay Smartphones , a pioneering init...

Think of this podcast as a reframe on your teenager's risky behaviour. By the end of the episode, you'll be able to put your teen's risk-taking into context, and you'll feel much more relaxed as you go through the rollercoaster with them.  Who is Daphne Adler? Daphne Adler has been described as “a mother rooting for all mothers.” And I think we all need one of those in our camps when it comes...

We've talked a lot about anxiety on the podcast. In this episode, Marneta Viegas talks about how "crippling" self-esteem got the better of her as a teenager. If this is you - or your child - have a listen, and find out what can be done to help teenagers relax .  Marneta tells me about her father's sudden death when she was a teenager, and how that filled her with guilt - another self-esteem t...

"Loneliness is a condition that's just as bad for you as cancer", says Dr Richard Pile, a GP and specialist in loneliness. He goes on to say that the age bracket most affected by loneliness is young adults aged 16-24.  Loneliness at a young age can leave mental health 'scars' in the same way that physical injuries stay with us for the rest of our lives. So it's important to help our teenagers...

In this episode, we talk about academic pressure and the anxiety it can create for our teenagers. But more than that, we talk about FAILURE. Fear of failure, what failure really means, and how to help our teenagers when they think they've failed.  Amelie Moore is a former language teacher who thinks it’s vital that kids learn to fail. Amelie says teenagers need to know that failure is not the...

TW: Self-harm My guest  for this episode goes by the name of That Hoarder. As a compulsive hoarder, she says she struggles with many aspects of hoarding behaviours, which she talks about on her own podcast That Hoarder - the first ever podcast by somebody who actually hoards rather than by a professional. She started her podcast to keep herself accountable and to help others with this stigmat...

"The only person who can help you is you" Harriet Barnsley survived a serious road traffic collision in 2014 when she was 21. She was hit, as a pedestrian, by a car travelling at 101miles per hour. She woke from a month-long coma to learn that her best friend had been killed at the scene. Harriet lives with a long list of injuries and is physically disabled. She suffered a traumatic brain injury i...

Human trafficking isn't just something that happens far away from the UK, to naive people in desperate situations. It could happen much closer to home than you think; it could even happen to your teenager.   In this episode I talk to Ruth Dearnley about what modern day slavery looks like and how your teenager could fall into a trap without realising what's happening.    Ruth sa...

In this episode we talk to Bharti Lim, who is determined that young women should have as many opportunities to work - and claim senior roles - in tech. She says the reason girls often don't consider careers in tech is because they don't see women like them in the industry. She wants to change that, and joins me on the podcast to tell me how she thinks parents can help.  7:00 - Parents will be...

Ad: This episode is sponsored by tutoring organisation Explore Learning .  If you have a teenager, it’s pretty much inevitable that you’re going to come up against exam stress and GCSE results at some point, and it’s quite possible you’ve considered getting a tutor for your child. Carey Ann Dodah from Explore Learning has more than 20 years experience in education. She’s also been a school go...

Jay Simmons is a student and a transgender teenager. I met Jay at a TEDx talk, where she delivered a – quite frankly – incredible talk aiming to address those misunderstandings. She said, “if you love transgender people, listen to this talk. If you hate transgender people, also listen to this talk.”  Her motivation to do the TEDx talk and to speak with me on the podcast today, comes from a de...