Joyful Courage - A Conscious Parenting Podcast

This week's solo show teases apart the difference between being in resistance and being in flow when it comes to the ride we are on while parenting teenagers. The middle school and high school years are a current that is ever changing, and we have choices in how we lean into the ebb and flow. This week I share a post from a parent in the Joyful Courage for Parents of Teens FB Group that resonated deeply with me, and bring my own learning from a meditation practice I was invited into. For more show notes and news about our sponsors, go to: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-519-finding-flow-in-the-current-of-parenting-teens/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Dr. Emily Kline.  Dr. Kline shares all kinds of useful information this week around why and how we can communicate with our adolescents with the best results. This episode is all about motivational interviewing. We touch on relinquishing control and asking curiosity questions, then we dig in deep into what motivational interviewing is and why it’s so helpful. I ask Dr. Kline what motivational interviewing might look like when a teenager is using marijuana, and we agree that the best tool we have to influence our adolescents is relationship. Dr. Kline shares tips on how to start tricky conversations and what you can learn in the first 10 seconds. She tells me what limits, consequences, boundaries, etc. look like to her, what we do when teens disregard those limits, and listening for motivation to change.   Takeaways from the show Relinquishing control  Motivational interviewing Teens trying marijuana  The best tool for influence is relationship  Staying respectful & curious  How to de

Inspired by Monday's interview with college admission coach, Janae Young, this week's solo show is all about how to let go of control and allow our teens to move through their own process. This is HARD! I get into WHY it's so hard and WHY it's so important to let this process be theirs. Not all kids are headed straight for college, and the ones who want to may not be showing up to the work in a way that aligns with what they say they want... It can be crazy-making!! Listen in and let me know what you think. For more show notes and information about our sponsors, go to: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-518-living-in-the-tension-of-our-teens-efforts-during-college-application-season/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest this week is Janae Young, and I’m so excited that she’s here to share her wisdom as a college admissions coach with us.   Janae shares why she’s so passionate about college admissions, and we talk about what the admissions process looks like now, including what the common application system is. Janae shares what’s challenging about college application essays for adolescents, tips to help, and her two archetype essay writers. I ask Janae what best practices are for parents who are helping their kids through the college application process, and she shares where we can support and when we need to back off. We hit on missed deadlines & natural consequences and how to best list awards & activities. I ask Janae what kids can be doing in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade to help prepare for college applications, and we briefly touch on ACTs and SATs.  Takeaways from the show What’s the college application process look like now?  Common application system  College application essays  “Perfectionist Polly” and

Today I am digging into a challenge that is plaguing way too many parents of teens - vaping nicotine. It is something I worked through with my kids, and something that shows up for so many of the parents I work with. One parent came forward asking for resources in the Joyful Courage for Parents of Teens group - their daughter had recently come clean about their use and needed help. Listen in and let me know what you think! Find all the show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-517-when-our-teens-are-vaping-nicotine/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My returning guest today is Dr. Melanie McNally the author of “Helping Your Unmotivated Teen: A Parent’s Guide to Unlock Your Child’s Potential”. Dr. McNally explains what inspired her to write her new book and a bit about what parents misunderstand about teens, motivation, and laziness. I ask Dr. McNally to tell us more about the difference between external and internal motivation and how we know when we can use external motivators while growing their internal drive. We tease apart the difference between autonomy and independence, and she helps clarify some differences between teens who are feeling unmotivated, depressed, or dealing with screen addiction.   This is such a juicy one - we also get into why and how our teens can grow grit, becoming versus being, and for tips on how to start conversations around motivation. We end on tips for finding your own motivation & purpose.  Takeaways from the show Check out Dr. McNally’s new book - “Helping Your Unmotivated Teen: A Parent’s Guide to Unlock Your Child

Join me this week revisiting this solo episode as we play with the concept of flexibility while parenting through the teen years. Where are you finding flexibility? How might flexibility serve your relationship with your teen? What is getting in the way of flexibility? Find full show notes and news about our sponsors at: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-452-dance-flexibility-while-parenting-adolescents/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I am SO excited about today’s interview. You’ll recognize my guest today - Julietta Skoog my co-founder and the Early Years Lead here at Sproutable! She’s here today to talk about back-to-school season with middle schoolers.   Julietta and I cover so much this week - balancing caring for our kids & our aging parents, the jarring differences between elementary & middle school, and watching their decision-making and mistakes. We talk about why kids come home so upset & frustrated from school and how to create routines & systems that work for your family.   We really dig into the difference between scaffolding and witnessing, how to support middle schoolers with their homework, the friend drama (especially when it’s new friends/families that you don’t know), and how screens & texting affect those friendships.   Takeways from the show “Sandwich season” - taking care of your young children & aging parents at the same time  What do summers look like when your kids aren’t little anymore?  Navigating phones & s

Screens!! I know - will we ever get to a place of NOT needing to talk about screens?? Today's episode is a messy exploration of the subtle ways kids are pulled into their relationship with screens, and the importance of developing life skills WHILE providing guardrails for keeping our kids safe. Plus, an invitation to take an honest look at how OUR use is adding to the messaging our kids are getting... Did I mention this is messy? It is. Listen in and let me know what you think. See all show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-514-a-messy-conversation-about-screens-limits-and-life-skill-development/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein and we’re talking about sexism and our daughters.   Dr. Finkelstein kicks us off by sharing how a pink hockey stick impacted her childhood and inspired her to speak about sexism & gender bias. I ask what intergenerational transmission of sexism is, and Dr. Finkelstein helps me deconstruct an incident I had with Ronan about how she was dressing in 8th grade.    We ponder on how we can raise strong women in a patriarchal society that can be violent towards women without victimizing our girls or instilling fear and how to navigate bodily autonomy in a world where their bodies sometimes are not safe and don’t feel like their own. It’s you and your daughter against the unfairness of the patriarchy & the culture, not each other!  I ask Dr. Finkelstein what messaging young girls are receiving from media & pop culture right now, how we can teach & encourage young women to stand up for themselves & feel empowered without putting themselves in danger, and how we can have mean

I am back with a brand new solo show! I loved my convo with Dr. Tina Bryson (Eps 511) and was inspired to go deeper into trusting our teen’s development. This show goes into what is happening in the teen brain and how to work WITH our kids to promote relationship and autonomy over time. Enjoy! Find full show notes and information about our sponsors at: www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-512-trusting-our-teens-development Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Tina Bryson is BACK today! I love her work, and I’m so excited she’s here to talk about launching our teens, which is incredibly timely after I dropped my youngest child off at college yesterday!  Dr. Bryson shares her wisdom on avoiding fear-based parenting & reminds us that development & maturation happens no matter what - maybe we don’t need to worry quite so much. She explains what the “right” amount of support is and why kids need to make mistakes & take risks to become wiser and more responsible. Dr. Bryson shares her own personal stories about launching two of her teens to college and how & why they were so different.   Dr. Bryson wraps us up by giving dos & don'ts for when your adolescent is in distress. We want to problem solve, criticize, or minimize, but instead, we can respond in a way that invites them to keep sharing things with us: by offering empathy & letting them solve their own problem.   Takeaways from the show How do you know when & what you need to really worry about regarding yo

This show was a no-brainer to reshare with you all. When I recorded it, I was so fired up, and had our boys on the brain. So many of my clients and people in the community struggle with their boys. Not only struggling with their boys, but struggling to soften to the idea that the hard time the family is moving through is really a call for deeper relationship. Listen in to hear more – and don’t worry, no matter the gender your child identifies as, you will still find value in this conversation. For more info on our sponsors and show notes, go to: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-460-get-past-your-resistance-and-focus-on-relationship-with-your-teen/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katie Connolly, a Somatic Parenting Coach, teaches me a whole lot about our nervous system and somatic tools when she drops by this week.    Katie explains how our nervous system and birthing experiences tie-in to our personal growth, who highly-sensitive people are & indicators, and why we’re able to better navigate experiences and stay connected in our bodies when we nourish our nervous system. We hit on so much this week: breathing exercises, meditation, scheduling-in time for ourselves, overstimulation, trauma, adoption, boundaries, co-regulation, and more. Katie ends by sharing specific tools and breathing patterns to try out at home.   Takeaways from the show Understanding & supporting our nervous system and how that fits in with self-growth  Traumatic birthing experiences  Sympathetic nervous system versus parasympathetic nervous system Each parent-child relationship is completely unique  Highly-sensitive people & indicators  Everyone has trauma in their lineage  Different breathing exercises

This summer throwback revisits how parenting teens keeps coming back to owning our own sh@t. This is the juicy spot. This is where the real transformational space of parenting exists. This is where we get to nurture AN ENVIRONMENT that is safe for our kids to step into. This is where we can start to dismantle the walls that have been built over time and make room for connection. Find more show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-434-navigating-challenges-while-having-faith-in-teens/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Alex Edmans, and we’re hitting a super important topic this week: how to discuss fake news and social media with our teens.    Alex starts by explaining the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 of Fake News, and I ask what to do (and why) our teens bring up conspiracy theories. I ask Alex how we can nurture adolescents to fine tune their questioning, look for expertise, and teach them to look for peoples’ incentives while they’re consuming social media without making them feel defensive.   Later we talk about sextortion. How can we keep our teens from falling for scams, when their teenage brains are certain they’d never fall for one? Alex ends on a happy, hopeful note and shares an easy strategy to challenge your own confirmation biases.    Takeaways from the show Level 1 fake news (provably false statements) versus Level 2 fake news (factually correct but misleading) What to say when our teens bring up conspiracy theories Why do people share fake news?  Teaching teens to be discern

A powerful relisten!!! You have a great relationship with your teen and they are STILL getting into ALL the mischief? You aren't alone. In this episode, I tease this apart and remind you what the most important thing to consider is. See all the show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-424-when-it-feels-like-your-teen-is-holding-you-hostage/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Dr. Matt Zakreski, an expert on neurodivergency with an eclectic approach. Dr. Matt tells me about growing up as a twice-exceptional kid himself and what he’s seeing with the teens he works with now.   I ask Dr. Matt what parents can do about the emotional intensity that comes with raising teens, especially neurodivergent teens. He reminds us that “emotions can’t be wrong,” and you know I loved it when Dr. Matt reminds us to get curious about our teen’s feelings.    Dr. Matt brings up perfectionism and why we might see more rigidity & anxiety spike during stressful times. We dig into trapdoor perfectionism, how we can invite kids to accept coaching, help, & practice when they’re resistant, and handing over energetic responsibility.  Takeaways from the show The Performance Cliff  Asynchronous development & high emotional intensity  Raising neurodivergent kids with neurotypical siblings  Neurodivergent behavior versus typical teen behavior  “Emotions can’t be wrong”  You don’t have to

Today's summer throwback is another intimate exploration of what it means to be human WHILE raising teenagers. We are deep diving (yet again) into our own stuff. This week focusing on the limiting beliefs we may be holding that keeps our kids small, and the war between our two selves. Join me for some personal growth and discovery! Find all the shownotes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-386-limiting-beliefs-our-two-selves/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Dr. Bianca Busch, and we’re getting into the “failure to launch” or the stalling we see from some young adults. Dr. Busch shares what drew her to working with college students, and we talk about getting “cut off” from your child’s medical, mental health, and grade information once they turn 18. Dr. Busch shares the benefits of psychiatrists working with adolescents and parents in conjunction.   I ask Dr. Busch what she sees when young adults and their parents feel stuck - anxiety, depression, mismatched expectations - there’s a lot playing in here, and it’s messy. Dr. Busch shares some tools, boundaries, & motivators, and I play with the idea of mismatched timelines. I ask what parents can do when they feel scared and what we can do when we recognize that our behaviors and beliefs are the problem and for signs that our adolescent might need more substantial help & support. We end on a happy note - celebrating our hard work in parenting, even when it doesn’t look exactly how we expected it t