This Teenage Life

In this re-released episode, Stella shares her experiences processing the loss of her Dad. She explores societal expectations of closure and how they diverge from her own understandings of loss and ambiguity. Trigger warning— this episode references suicide. If you or anyone you know is struggling with this, here are some resources:  US National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255 Resources i...

In this re-released episode, the teens chat with Aleeza and Fonzo, the hosts of The Moth's teen podcast, Grown — here on  Apple podcasts and Spotify. They discuss their daydreams, hopes, and anxieties about growing up and becoming people they want to be.

This week, we're re-releasing an episode about a trans young man and his mom navigating his coming out and transition. Together, they demonstrate the power of love and communication between a parent and a child.

This week, we have another thrownack episode for you: All about climate and eco-anxiety. The teens discuss their grief about the climate emergency and other environmental crises. They then talk about transforming their feelings into shared action. 

This week, we're re-releasing our 2022 interview with author and naturalist Sy Montgomery. Life can feel especially lonely if you think humans are the only creatures on this planet. Getting close to animals and the natural world can help us connect with ourselves and each other. On Earth Day 2022, we spoke with Montgomery about forming deep relationships with animals and how getting to know animal...

Today, we're throwing it back to a Season 1 of This Teenage Life with a re-release of the episode "Parents Are People Too." As kids, it's often hard to see that parents are not just parents. They're human beings who have their own needs, emotions, styles, fragilities, crushes, etc. In this episode, we talk about moments when we began to discover that parents are, in fact, people too.

In this episode of This Teenage Life, teens discuss what independence means to them: how they discover it, the challenges of balancing freedom with still being a "kid," and how their sense of independence evolves from high school to college.

It can be challenging to navigate between being yourself and trying to fit in. It can feel vulnerable to express enthusiasm yet nonchalence can get in the way of making true friendships. How do we create honest and authentic friendships with other people? What has worked or not worked for us in the past? In the spirit of starting off 2026 with some reflection, hope, and desire for increasing authe...

Josie Kim is a teenager, a hockey player, and great sports photographer. In high school, she learned to use a camera to engage with her love of sports in new ways that allow her to connect with people and even get paying jobs. In this episode you'll hear an interview with Josie and learn about her journey. We hope this can help more teens to think about how to engage with interests in new ways tha...

"Why can't I get this?! I feel so dumb! Am I behind? Why is everyone else understanding this when I'm not?" These are common questions all of us at This Teenage Life have felt at some point, especially after taking certain tests. In this episode, we talk about situations—mostly academic—where we experience self-doubt, compare ourselves to others, or spiral about grades. We discuss how these moment...

In this episode of This Teenage Life, the teens open up about their experiences with negative thoughts, anxiety, and stress spirals. Through conversations about their inner struggles, they share coping strategies and practices that help them move out of negative headspaces.

In this episode of This Teenage Life, we hear from teens who have published their stories with Novelly, a platform amplifying teen voices. We hear about what it means to be a writer, and the powerful possibilities of storytelling. If you're interested in reading awesome teen authors or becoming a teen author yourself, check out Novelly at:  https://www.novelly.org/

Welcome to the first episode of Season 8 of This Teenage Life! The teens discuss their relationships with exercise: Where are the lines between healthy and unhealthy habits? How can an accountability buddy make it easier to find practices you enjoy? We also hear from Kristin Hoffner, a kinesiology professor at Arizona State University, who shares insights on the science of movement and its connect...

Many of us spend a lot of time worrying, thinking about, and navigating expectations about our friendships. Wondering "How close are we really? Do we call ourselves "best friends" yet?" Do we need to have a "best friend" to have meaningful relationships, anyway? In this episode, we explore the idea of best friends, how we relate to this idea, stories about changing relationships, navigating changi...

One of the biggest pressures of getting older is the idea of having to "figure things out" by yourself. How do we navigate the pressure to "know what we're doing" while also being flexible and open to new things? How do we process the reality that life might turn out differently from our childhood dreams? How do we process that life is less linear than we imagined?  In this episode of This Teenage...

Looking for a free, youth-run summer opportunity? Check out Coding the Future , a free, virtual, personalized program run by teens that helps other young people learn how to code. You can also email them at codingthefuture101@gmail.com This Teenage Life will also be running some fun and creative clubs and workshops this summer. If you're interested in learning more, email us at team@thisteenagelif...

Throwback episode on a popular topic...periods! In this episodes, teens share stories and reflections on getting their periods for the first time, navigating the logistics and their feelings about periods, and working to destigmatize menstruation. To hear our first episode on periods, check it out here on  Spotify  or  Apple Podcasts .

In this episode, we reflect on the idea of self care and the many ways we take care of ourselves without expensive products and "glow ups." We compare fancy routines and performances of self care on the internet with everyday  actions we take to feel well-regulated and whole.  We hope this episode brings you some joy and self-kindness during this Mental Health Month:) Please spread the love and sh...

Grief, adversity, and trauma are common, formative human experiences that people move through and grow from. Yet, we often avoid talking about this process, making it harder to understand  how  people make meaning from grief. Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) offers us a paradigm for how to make sense of hard experiences and move forward in ways that deepen our connections with ourselves and each other....

How does diet culture negatively affect us? How does what we see on social media impact how we feel about what we eat? How do we move past diet culture towards more healthy relationships with food?   In this episode, we develop more holistic framings of nutrition. Teens describe their negative experiences of diet culture and then share how they've worked to develop more positive associations with...

Clear skin, "feminine features," "snatched bodies," — we're often taught to associate our self worth with how we line up with societal expectations about beauty. In this throwback episode, we speak openly and honestly about our body insecurities, where they come from, and how we are working on them.

As kids, it's often hard to see that parents are not just parents. They're human beings who have their own needs, emotions, styles, fragilities, crushes, etc. In this re-release of one of our favorite episodes, we talk about moments when we began to discover that parents are, in fact, people too.

As we evolve as people, so does our relationship to music. In this episode, the teens discuss their own musical journeys - how their taste has changed, live music they've experienced, favorite songs, and how music helps build connection.  To check out what our community is listening to these days, take a listen to our playlist on Spotify: This Teenage Life: Music We Love    

In this throwback episode, we talk about our experiences of academic pressure and academic validation and how it makes us feel.

In this episode requested by listeners, the teens chat all about teeth! What its like to get braces, teeth insecurities, dentist stories, interesting rituals, and more. Even though we all have teeth, there are a variety of different experiences that come with that!