This Is So Awkward

Kids’ chronic headaches can be one of the most frightening, mystifying, and frustrating issues parents face. To help us understand headaches, particularly migraines and why teen girls (and women) are so prone to them, is pediatric neurologist and headache medicine specialist Dr. Daniel Noam Lax.  Show Notes: American Headache Society American Migraine Foundation Daniel N. Lax, MD Order our book Th...

In a world that fears or reviles teen girls, Chelsey Goodan, seasoned tutor and author of Underestimated, offers powerful insights into what we get wrong about teen girls. Relying on the voices and perspectives of the girls themselves, Chelsey offers a new way forward for supporting and empowering the girls in our lives. Show Notes: Underestimated: Connecting to The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Gir...

Youth is marked by the feeling that anything is possible, a readiness to take on the world. And then somewhere along the way, many of us lose that feeling. Photographer and New York Times bestselling author Kate Parker has captured the feeling of unstoppability in her new book, Force of Nature. She shares how she found inspiration in young women across the country, and how we might rediscover it i...

Girls and young women who specialize in sports and dance are vulnerable to the female athlete triad – an interconnected set of risks which include eating disorders, amenorrhea (loss of menstruation), and osteoporosis. We explore these issues and the reasons why they post long term physical and mental health dangers to young people. Even more, we examine how many of these risks are not particular t...

So much about school has changed over a generation, not the least of which includes a dramatically amped-up college process. By understanding today’s educational landscape, we can help kids develop the tools they need in the classroom and the real world beyond. Ana Homayoun, author of Erasing the Finish Line, is perfectly poised to teach us all. Show Notes: ERASING THE FINISH LINE: The New Bluepri...

Thought supporting your kid through high school was the end of the stressful parenting days? Think again. These days, summer jobs and internships are the next hurdle in our high pressure world. We dissect how life has changed from back in our day with the ultimate goal of keeping in perspective what really matters. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curric...

The Care and Keeping of You turned 25! And its younger sibling, The Care and Keeping of You 2 is 10. You don’t want to miss this special episode where author of the original TCKY, Valorie Schaefer, and Cara describe their anniversary collaboration – a behind the scenes look at what was changed in this iconic book, starting with much more inclusive content. The world has changed… The Care and Keepi...

Cara is now on the banned booklist – that’s a new milestone! Cara is the doctor behind The Care and Keeping of You, a 25-year old beloved book about body changes that was recently banned from the children’s section at the Huntington Beach Library. Which means it’s harder for kids to find good body information but, meanwhile, they’re one click away from porn with no safeguards put in place. We talk...

We’re all for sex education in schools, but it’s as important (maybe more so!) for these conversations to happen at home, too. The trick is making them inclusive and shame-free while acknowledging our communities and contexts. Melissa Carnagey, sex educator and founder of Sex Positive Families, is full of thoughtful and actionable guidance for families. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkwar...

A heartfelt listener question that stopped us in our tracks is also a version of one we get frequently: My teen daughter treats me so badly that I just want to pull away from her. Our advice starts with the science behind adolescent mood swings and then moves into setting limits in the heat of the moment and beyond. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curri...

It’s more complicated than ever to have conversations with tweens and teens about politics. Cue Beth and Sarah from Pantsuit Politics, who guide us along the bumpy path of raising civic-minded kids, from informing without catastrophizing to instilling values without hitting them over the head. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkwar...

Why do teenagers faint? Also known as vasovagal syncope, this form of passing out can happen for a bunch of different reasons. We get into all of them.  Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Cleveland Clinic on vasovagal syncope Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email oper...

The concepts related to gender feel confusing to many. Aydin Olson-Kennedy, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than fifteen years of experience providing psychotherapy to transgender and non-binary people, joins us to better understand all of this. He offers advice about how to best support all kids allowing caregivers to be loving and inclusive. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkw...

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 70% of kids drop out of youth sports by 13. Here to discuss the factors that have gone into the “professionalization” of youth sports and how to raise truly empowered athletes on all levels is Kirsten Jones, former D1 athlete, performance coach, and author of “Raising Empowered Athletes." Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out...

A recent uproar blames tween girls for clogging the aisles at big box beauty stores like Sephora, lathering their faces with expensive skincare and makeup products designed for adults. A few of the brands have doubled-down, pitching their lotions and potions to kids living through a deeply vulnerable moment in their development, placing them in the crosshairs of social media influencers and savvy...

Caring for kids is not a straight line (especially during puberty!). Enter developmental psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman, host of the Raising Good Humans podcast and author of the new book The 5 Principles of Parenting, with research-based advice delivered as only Aliza can – profound and hilarious all at once. Show Notes: The Five Principles of Parenting Raising Good Humans podcast Order our book...

Getting physical and getting hives – two things that aren’t commonly thought about simultaneously. But over the past couple of decades, allergies, especially to food, have become front-and-center. As has hook-up culture. We were reminded by a listener that their intersection deserves attention, too, when we got this question: How do I teach my kid to be safe and respectful when hooking up with som...

Anxiety abounds: it was surging before COVID, but then leapt to new highs (> 20% of all kids!) during and after the pandemic. We’re joined by LCSW Amy Killy to learn about innovative anxiety management strategies like SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), because having tools to manage anxiety makes us all a little less anxious.  Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward...

Happy Holidays! Today we re-run our Season 1 episode with Henry + Zoe Winkler is a father/daughter. This is a master class on how grandparents play loving, supportive and epicenter-of-fun roles in their grandchildren’s lives. If we’re lucky, children have grandparents who can act as an extra set of trusted adults, helping them navigate the twists and turns of childhood. But every parent knows that...

We’ve had countless requests to dive into the topic of neurodiversity, and we’re thrilled to start here with podcaster, author, and founder/CEO of Tilt Parenting Debbie Reber. It’s a conversation about puberty plus ADHD, autism, and so much more. Show Notes: Tilt Parenting  Differently Wired: A Parent’s Guide to Raising an Atypical Child with Confidence and Hope Order our book This Is So Awkward C...

That’s a wrap! It was such an honor to spend the past two months speaking across the country about our new book This Is So Awkward. Even though we did a lot of talking, we also did a lot of listening and learning, too. Passing along the top lessons learned from speaking to thousands of folks through the fall. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum a...

Middle school is hard enough, and then you add puberty. Here to walk us through the trials, tribulations, and yes JOYS of it all is Phyllis Fagell, school counselor, journalist, and author of two books about surviving and thriving in middle school. Plus, she’s simply delightful! Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our s...

Taking a positive approach to health and sex education works better than fear mongering. Still, though, we need to talk about the scarier consequences of sex, starting with STIs and STDs. In this episode, we cover the most common infections, how they are transmitted, and how they can be prevented or treated. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at...

Getting a tween or teen to say thank you can sometimes feel like pulling teeth, but it’s not always about saying the exact words. The long game is about cultivating a sense of gratitude in kids and learning to decipher the different ways they might choose to show their appreciation. Spoiler alert: it’s not always in the way we might expect. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out a...

Some of the best advice we’ve heard for how to talk to boys about everything from health to sex to friendship comes from award-winning educator and writer, Christopher Pepper. He offers invaluable insights into the lives of teen boys. Show Notes: TeenHealthToday.com TalkToYourBoys.com Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super c...