Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens

What if our teens are far more capable than our anxious culture lets us believe? (spoiler: they are) In this episode, I sit down with Lenore Skenazy to talk about raising independent, resilient teenagers in a world built on fear. We dig into why kids crave independence, how "worst-first thinking" keeps us stuck, and practical tools to help your teen practice real-world skills before they launch. If you're ready to trade control for trust, this conversation is for you. Guest Bio: Lenore Skenazy is a cultural critic, longtime New York–based journalist, and TED mainstage speaker who sparked a global conversation when she wrote about letting her nine-year-old ride the subway alone. She founded the Free-Range Kids movement and co-founded Let Grow, a nonprofit helping kids build confidence, resilience, and real-world skills through greater independence. Her work has been featured on CNN, the Today Show, and in The Atlantic. Find more info and show notes as: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-659-free-range-teens-with-lenore-skenazy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We don't parent in a vacuum, my friend. Midlife and the teen years pile on the paperwork, the appointments, the mental load—and so many of us are drowning in reactive mode. In this episode, I sit down with organization expert Lisa Woodruff to talk about the invisible work of running a home, moving from reactive to proactive, and her game-changing Sunday Basket system. If you're a parent of teens craving calm and grounded systems, this conversation is for you. 🌱 Guest Bio: Lisa Woodruff is the founder and CEO of Organize 365 and host of the top-rated Organize 365 Podcast, with 24 million downloads and counting. A former teacher and professional organizer, Lisa is on a mission to prove that organization is a learnable skill. She helps women reduce overwhelm, clear mental clutter, and build the operational systems a household needs to actually run. She's the author of the new book Escaping Quicksand: 10 Steps to Overcome the Overwhelm of Modern Home Life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Negotiation isn't a boardroom skill—it's a parenting skill, and every hard conversation with our teens is a training ground. In this episode, I talk with negotiation expert Atiya Qureshi about asking for what we need, managing our own emotional storms, and finding the relational middle ground between passive and aggressive. We dig into understanding interests over positions, the internal negotiation we have with ourselves first, and why being listened to opens our kids up to hearing us. Come learn alongside me. Guest Bio: Attia Qureshi is the founder of Attia Qureshi Consulting and an adjunct at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy. A former instructor at MIT Sloan and the Ross School of Business, she has worked on behalf of the US State Department in conflict zones around the world. She is the co-author, with John Richardson, of Never Settle: Persuasion and Negotiation Skills to Get What You Want (Simon & Schuster). For show notes and more info go to: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-657-attia-qureshi-and-negotiating-with-teens/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If your teen's disrespect, eye rolls, and slammed doors have you feeling stuck, this solo episode is for you. I'm unpacking a game-changing reframe: your teen isn't being a problem, they're having a problem. Drawing on Positive Discipline and the Rudolf Dreikurs's Mistaken Goal Chart, I share why discouraged teens act out, how power struggles and revenge cycles trap us, and five practical moves to interrupt the pattern. Children do better when they feel better — even teens. Come listen, my friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this solo episode, I'm diving into the messy, beautiful work of parenting through transitions. Whether you're watching your kiddo move from elementary to middle school, middle to high school, or out into young adulthood, this season of parenting tweens and teens asks something new of us. I'll share three shifts that have changed everything for me: naming what's actually happening, seeing the kid in front of you, and holding tight to values while letting go of form. For show notes and more info: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/ep-655-who-is-this-kid-the-transition-of-adolescence/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices