Teenage Kicks Podcast

'Sleep Whisperer' Dr. Chris Winter talks to Helen about how to recognise sleep problems in our teenage children, and what they need us to do to help them. Dr. Chris says that he's seeing more and more incidences of sleep disturbance in his clinic, especially in teens and young adults. Who is Dr Chris Winter? Chris Winter is a sleep expert and specialist in sleep problems. His book The Rested Child...

Kellina Powell became deaf at the age of 4 due to an ear infection. Before that she had been a normally hearing child, so it was a massive shock to Kellina and her family. Kellina describes how hard day to day life was as a teenager. She says that it took her Grandma to step in and tell her to get on with life for her to change her mindset to her disability and gain the motivational attitude that'...

The world is set up for dual parent families, says today's podcast guest author Sarah Thompson, who discovered all sorts of hurdles were placed in her way when she became a single mother. However, there is a silver lining, and Sarah has written a compelling book about everything she thinks her children have benefited from since their parents' separation. Listen to the podcast to find out why solo...

This episode is a little dose of comfort for anyone who has older teenagers and is staring in the face of a prospective empty nest. Liz and Michelle both have adult children, and have so many good things to say about their life since their kids left home for university. We discuss the fact that being over 50 isn't the end, and how learning new things is just part of the new normal for us as our ki...

Do you have a narcissistic parent? Or has your child experienced narcissism in the family? Listen to this episode of Teenage Kicks to learn how to identify narcissistic parenting, and how to help your child heal from it. Marie Ellis Cook says that growing up with a narcissistic parent left her unable to accept love as an adult, and confused about her value. What it's like being a daughter with a n...

What do you know about bias?  The chances are, if you're a white British parent who doesn't have to use a food bank, you know much less than your teenager. And I'd wager that if you have teens, they will understand much more about bias than you do. In fact, my own teenagers have been instrumental in my own learning curve as I've discovered unconscious bias not just in myself and my family, bu...

TW: Please be aware that this post contains references to self-harm and suicide. When Brenda realised her 11 year old daughter Faith was sexting with an older boy she was shocked. Over the next few years Faith continued to send nudes on her phone and became suicidal, despite her parents' best efforts to support and guide their daughter. Brenda says she eventually realised this: you can't control y...

Welcome to a brand new series Parenting teens isn't always roses, and sometimes it can feel like the hardest thing in the world. But there's always a positive behind the tough times, even if it's difficult to see. In this series Helen hears more tough stories about the teenage years, and how families have navigated their way through them. You'll hear from Brenda and her daughter Faith, who began s...

In this episode Helen Wills talks to social media guru Nickie O'Hara about her experiences of bullying as a teenager. Shockingly, Nickie was first picked on by a teacher, and the social stigma went from there. Nickie is now also a running mentor, and told me about how being athletic as a teenager led to her having some body image issues, and how she dealt with them at the time. We discuss how diff...

This episode of the the Teenage Kicks podcast deals with a very sensitive issue. Helen Wills talks to Jill Hawkins about the death of Jill's mother when she was just 15 and in her GCSE year at school. Jill's mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour just before Christmas, and died in January. She was just 57. Jill went into school the next day, because she couldn't think of anything else to do. Jill s...

In this episode of the podcast Helen Wills talks to author Toni Hargis, a mum of a teenage girl who still experiences the same sexism she did as a teenager. Toni - along with Susanna Scott and Jennifer Howze of Britmums - has written How to Stand Up to Sexism, Words for When Enough is Enough.  We discuss the microaggressions that lead to bigger acts of sexism, both in the workplace, and in gi...

In this Expert Guest episode of the Teenage Kicks podcast Helen Wills talks to Wendy Lund about how mindfulness and gratitude can help to change a teen's mindset and their outcomes. Most importantly, Wendy gives parents easy tips on helping teenagers to develop a gratitude habit that doesn't involve meditating, journalling or spending time talking about their feelings!  Helen says "This episo...

If you're on Instagram, you'll probably know today's guest for colourful illustrations and mindful musings on supporting our own wellbeing. In episode 44 Helen Wills talks to Stacie Swift about how to convince teenagers to start journaling to develop positive mental health practices. Stacie is a mum of three, and an illustrator who creates the prettiest posts, with the most gorgeous words on wellb...

In the first episode of the Meet the Parents series Helen Wills Talks to Gill Mann about the death of her son Sam from Schizophrenia. What is schizophrenia?  Schizophrenia is a mental health condition related to psychosis. People with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have episodes of psychosis, where they experience a different reality to others around them. They may have hallucinations, delusion...

This is the second episode of the Teenage Kicks mini-series with The Girl's Network, a UK mentoring charity set up to inspire and empower girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor and and a network of professional female role models. Helen Wills talks to 17 year old Farheen Khan, from Tower Hamlets, about her work with the Met Police to change the futures of peop...

Today is the first in a mini-series with The Girl's Network , a UK mentoring charity set up to inspire and empower girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor and and a network of professional female role models. Helen Wills speaks to Ishrat Hussain about how being mentored through the Girl's Network has led to her becoming a mentor herself at the age of 18 - and t...

Helen Wills talks to Louise Williams about her life with undiagnosed ADHD, and getting a diagnosis as an adult during the pandemic. We started this conversation with a discussion about the pros and cons of social media, and how there have been more diagnoses of ADHD during the pandemic. Louise thinks this is partly because more people have spotted the signs in themselves as they've seen others sha...

In the third episode of this mini-series on ADHD in teens Helen Wills speaks to Julia Langensiepen about how parents can support their teenager with an ADHD diagnosis. Julia's sound was a bit glitchy, but it's worth persevering with the episode, as Julia has so many positive things to say about people with ADHD - it's a truly inspiring account of the positives of living with ADHD, as well as the d...

Episode 2 of the Teenage Kicks ADHD mini-series sees Helen Wills talk to Lacey Small about how it feels to be a University student with ADHD. Lacey says she finds it difficult to talk to people about how she's feeling, because nobody really understands what she's dealing with. Growing up, Lacey - like lots of children with ADHD - thought she was "stupid." She spelled words phonetically, and couldn...

This episode starts a new mini-series on ADHD. Helen Wills talks to Ella Tabb from Purple Ella about her family's diagnoses of autism and ADHD, including her own diagnosis at the age of 36. What is ADHD? ADHD is a neurological condition that affects mood and behaviour. It's often diagnosed in childhood, but can persist into adulthood, with adult diagnoses becoming more common. Symptoms of ADHD Sym...

Today’s episode is going to be relevant to you if you (or your daughter) suffers from very heavy periods. Helen Wills talks to Fi Star Stone, who suffered with extreme heavy periods from the age of 15 when her periods began, to the point where it was affecting her quality of life, and her ability to be at school. She was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis and polycystic ovaries, but she says...

Today's guest on the Teenage Kicks podcast is Hazel Davis, a journalist from West Yorkshire in the UK. Hazel opens up to Helen Wills about how she 'acted out' in her teenage years as a response to being bullied at school. She describes herself as "that child" who everyone avoided. Her way of coping with being unwanted was to become non-conformist. She says she was promiscuous, aggressive and a ter...

My guest in this episode knows a thing or two about low self-esteem! Raised in a strict Irish Catholic family, Amanda Ryall never felt like she fitted in at home or at school. Helen Wills talks to Amanda about how he struggled with academic work and thought of herself as 'stupid,' eventually seeking validation in the views of others for her self-worth. Amanda eventually realised that the needy beh...

Tips for managing exam stress If you're heading into exam season it's likely that things are getting quite tense in your home. Parents are probably treading on eggshells, and teenagers are panicking that they haven't done/read/learned enough to cope with GCSE's or A-Levels. If that sounds like you, you definitely need to listen to this episode of the Teenage Kicks podcast. Helen Wills interviewed...

In this episode of the Teenage Kicks Podcast Helen Wills talks to Nina de Sausmarez about how she went off the rails as a teenager, using sex to seek validation from men, after being abandoned by her father. Helen says:  As the mother of teenagers, this conversation with Nina felt like therapy for me. Here's what Nina had to say about her life as a teen, and what it's taught her about motherh...