The Puberty Prof

Reminders! The Fall Series Trivia Game will be released next week (Dec. 6); The Fall Series, episodes 66 to 77, included information from the NSES that parents and other caregivers can refer to for age- and developmentally- appropriate content; AND 3. The book titled Common Questions Children Ask About Puberty: Insights from a nationally recognized health education expert, is a GREAT GIFT for peop...

Probably the most challenging topic for the Puberty Prof to talk about deals with Interpersonal Violence, including inappropriate touches and personal boundaries. This episode introduces this topic with the help of Mr. Sean and Rodney. Mr. Sean and Rodney provides in-person and virtual SEL presentations on the topics of empathy and violence prevention while featuring puppetry and original super he...

Although the topic may be uncomfortable, young people need to learn specific information and skills about inappropriate touches, as well as other forms of interpersonal violence. To explain the importance of talking with children,  Dr. Kelli Palfy returns as a guest on the Puberty Prof podcast. Dr. Palfy is a clinical psychologist, author, and speaker specializing in sexual abuse. Her books includ...

As noted in the last episode of this podcast, sexual health is one topic of the National Sexuality Education Standards. Yet what specific things can we talk to young people about that relates to this topic? The answer is everyday germ transmission and personal hygiene skills! To help explain these basics, Dr. Adjoa Smalls-Mantey joins this episode to talk with the Puberty Prof. Dr. Adjoa Smalls-Ma...

What do you think is recommended for young people to learn about regarding sexual health? Listen to this episode of the Puberty Prof podcast to find out in which Anita Scheffer returns as a guest. After reading specific performance indicators in the Sexual Health section of the National Sexuality Education Standards, Anita discusses with Dr. Reichel what these statements are about and how things m...

Do you know what to talk to young people about regarding Sexual Orientation & Identity? Listen to this episode of the Puberty Prof Podcast in which Gina Lepore goes over the age- and developmentally-appropriate concepts for sexual orientation and identity as noted in the National Sexuality Education Standards. Gina Lepore, MEd. serves a Project Coordinator and Trainer at ETR and has extensive...

Do you know how to define gender related terms to young people? Listen to this episode of the Puberty Prof Podcast in which Carrie Burton reviews age- and developmentally-appropriate ways to explain term definitions. Carrie is the person behind Alphabet Soup LLC and very passionate about providing supportive education in a welcoming and affirming space. To guide this conversation, the Gender Ident...

In addition to the typical physical changes we think of during puberty (growth spurt, maturing genitals, new or darker hair growth, etc.), a young person’s brain also changes during the pre-teen and teen years. To understand these what these brain events are, as well as how to cope with or manage these events, Dr. Gina Simmons Schneider joins the Puberty Prof in this episode. Parents and other car...

What is recommended for young people to know or do about puberty and adolescent sexual development? Listen to this episode in which the Puberty Prof, Dr. Lori Reichel, reviews the indicators noted in the puberty and adolescent development section of the National Sexuality Education Standards. To check out the National Sexuality Education Standards , click here: https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/wp...

Do you know what is age and developmentally appropriate for your young person to know regarding anatomy and physiology? Listen to this episode to find out in which Tess Vanderhaeghe from  Yes Tess  discusses the anatomy & physiology section of the National Sexuality Education Standards with Dr. Lori Reichel, The Puberty Prof. The standards for grades K through 5 will be read and then chatted w...

How do we explain consent to young people? Listen to this episode in which Mike Domitz shares his words of advice. The person behind Center for Respect, Mike helps to empower young people with the skills for how to say “no,” being a proactive bystander, and finding self-worth. To find out more about Mike including his books, go to Center for Respect by clicking here: https://www.centerforrespect.c...

Do you know what is recommended to be taught to young people in grades K through 8 about consent and healthy relationships? Listen to this episode to find out in which Dr. Lori Reichel and her guest, Meghan Conklin, go over what is noted in the Consent and Healthy Relationship topic area of the National Sexuality Education Standards (NSES). To check out the National Sexuality Education Standards ,...

The National Sexuality Education Standards (NSES) can be used as “tools” for school health and sexuality educators to ensure the information and skill development being taught K-12 is age- and developmentally-appropriate. These standards, though, can also be used as a “tool” for parents and other caregivers for knowing what to talk about with their young people. To help explain what these standard...

The Puberty Prof podcast will continue with the Fall 2022 series beginning September 6th! In addition to having 13 new episodes, short video clips for each episode will be available on the Puberty Prof’s YouTube Channel (search for Lori Reichel, The Puberty Prof).  The fall series is focusing on what is age- and developmentally- appropriate on a variety of sex education topics, as noted in the Nat...

Can you correctly answer 13 questions/statements that focus on puberty and growing up? Listen to this episode of the Puberty Prof podcast to find out in which Dr. Reichel, the Puberty Prof, reviews basic information shared in episodes 53 to 64. This episode ends the 2022 Spring/Summer series of the Puberty Prof Podcast.  You can also watch this episode of  Trivia Game on the Puberty Prof’s YouTube...

As young people enter and go through adolescence, they will be increasingly exposed to substances, including alcohol. Therefore, this episode of the Puberty Prof Podcast focuses on the realities of substance use and prevention/intervention. To help talk about this topic, the Puberty Prof invited Bobby Newman who is an Interventionist, Certified Drug Prevention Professional and Substance Abuse Coun...

This week’s episode is a candid conversation with a woman who is/has been raising 18 young people. After explaining how she became a parent to 18 young people, Jenn Taylor reminds us of the importance of having positive medical providers/experiences for our reproductive systems. She also shares why she is a strong communicator and advocate for her children regarding their lives including positive...

In this episode health educator Janelle The joins the Puberty Prof podcast to discuss the need to talk honestly about all body parts, including the clitoris. After discussing the early messages children receive about their bodies, Janelle explains more about the clitoris including the need to remove the shame about the clitoris. For more information about  Janelle The  and her course, services and...

Although we might not want to acknowledge that our young people can easily go online and discover sexual content, it happens. So what can we do about this? To answer this question, Amy Lang is this episode’s guest on the Puberty Prof podcast. Amy Lang, MA, has been a sexual health educator for over 25 years helping parents and other caregivers become their kid’s go-to birds and bees source.  To le...

Dan Rice, an expert on how to talk with young people about sex education, joins this week’s episode of the Puberty Prof podcast. Working with the Rutgers University organization – Answer – for 15 years, Dan explains the need for talking about age- and developmentally appropriate sexuality topics with all ages. Dan is also the author of the sex positive book The Essential Sex Educ...

Body image is a concept we don’t often think of when talking with young people about puberty. Yet, truth be told, all of us can feel uncomfortable in our bodies. Therefore, in this episode the Puberty Prof speaks with Debbie Saroufim, a Body Relationship Coach. Subjects raised within their conversation include: loving oneself even when you don’t like yourself, recognizing there is more...

This week’s episode of the Puberty Prof podcast focuses on young people’s emotional and mental health in which Angie Weber shares some of her wisdom. Angie is the creator of the Parent Toolbox and a mom of twins. A variety of suggestions are provided in the episode inclduing reminding ourselves of the realities of the range of emotions we all have and how to best cope. To get in touch...

Spring is here! This means that many schools will be announcing their plans for puberty talks and many health teachers and administrators will receive questions regarding how these talks will occur. To help you prepare for these talks and communicate with your pre-teens’ educators, this week’s guest is Joanna Schultz who is a middle school health teacher with children of her own. So li...

This episode begins with the sharing of growing up experiences from a former student (Kevin) of the Puberty Prof. The conversation then progresses into an honest discussion on how we talk with younger children on a variety of sexuality topics ranging from how to explain pregnancy to teaching about consent. Kevin, thank you so much for having this incredibly realistic and honest conversation! Sourc...

In this episode, Dr. Lori Reichel goes over the basic bodily changes most boys experience during puberty. These include body shape changes and growth, hair growth, noticeable voice changes, maturation of genitals and sperm, and nocturnal emissions. Feel free to listen to this recording on YouTube in which a PowerPoint overview is provided: https://youtu.be/Z3ygyXsTo_k Remember to check out the......