Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens

Our guest today is a wonderful human being and has so much well-earned wisdom to share with us in this episode and she is also a relatable and engaging writer. Which you can find in her recently published book, Mom Enough: Inspiring Letters for the Wonderfully Exhausting but Totally Normal Days of Motherhood. I love her viral quote: “Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are living." Our guest today Rachel Marie Martin is the founder of the social media community Finding Joy™, author of both Mom Enough and The Brave Art of Motherhood, and a founding partner in Audience Industries – a company designed to train and equip entrepreneurs in their ventures. Her articles have been translated into over 25 languages, her site reaches millions of visitors per month and she has a robust, engaged Facebook community. Her content has been featured in The Huffington Post, The Today Show, PopSugar, Motherly, and many more. She speaks worldwide encouraging moms and entrepreneurs to live each day with purpose and drive. Beyond that, she’s a mom to seven and calls Nashville, Tennessee, her home. Follow Rachel Marie on Facebook at ⁠https://www.facebook.com/findingjoyblog⁠ Find out more at: ⁠https://findingjoy.net/author/rachel-marie-martin/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you parenting a teen in a world that feels far more complex than the one you grew up in? What if understanding the adolescent brain could actually help your teen not just survive—but truly thrive? Today’s teens and young adults are growing up on a very different bridge to adulthood than previous generations. In this powerful and hopeful conversation, Colleen O’Grady sits down with Lisa M. Lawson, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and author of Thrive: How the Science of the Adolescent Brain Helps Us Imagine a Better Future for All Children. Together, they explore how adolescent brain science—now understood to extend into the mid-20s—can transform the way parents guide, support, and relate to their teens. Lisa invites us to see teens through a lens of possibility rather than problems and introduces five essential “cables” that hold up the bridge of adolescence, from connection and education to financial stability and youth leadership. This episode is both deeply reassuring and incredibly practical for moms who want to widen the bridge for their teens and help them grow into resilient, confident adults. Lisa M. Lawson is the President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where she leads national efforts to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families. Since stepping into the role in 2019, she has championed bold initiatives such as Thrive by 25, focusing on the wellbeing of Generation Z ages 14–24. Prior to becoming CEO, Lisa served as Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer overseeing all grantmaking strategies, and as Vice President of External Affairs, where she led development of the KIDS COUNT Data Book. Before joining the foundation, she spent 14 years at UPS in senior leadership roles, including President of the UPS Foundation. She is also the author of Thrive, a hopeful and science-based guide to understanding adolescence. ⭐ Three Takeaways for Moms Teen behavior isn’t defiance—it’s development. Impulsivity, emotional intensity, and peer influence are signs of a brain under construction, not bad character. Parents often serve as their teen’s “borrowed prefrontal cortex”—and explaining why decisions matter helps teens learn how to think, not just what to do. Widen the bridge instead of turning it into a tightrope. College, careers, sports, and interests don’t have to be high-stakes, one-shot decisions. Teens thrive when they’re allowed to explore, pivot, and learn by doing—building confidence and resilience along the way. Connection is the strongest protective factor. Teens don’t need perfect parents—they need consistent, caring adults. One solid relationship can change the trajectory of a young person’s life. Parenting was never meant to be done alone; it truly takes a village. Learn more at: https://www.aecf.org/people/lisa-lawson Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/annieecaseyfdn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

• Do you ever feel so burdened, overwhelmed, or stressed that hope feels out of reach? And do you wonder how to help your teens hold onto hope when life feels heavy—for them and for you? In this inspiring conversation, psychologist, author, and speaker Dr. Julia Garcia shares why hope isn’t something you passively wait for—it’s something you practice, one emotional habit at a time. Drawing from behavioral science, storytelling, and her own lived experience, Dr. Garcia reveals the five habits that help us navigate difficult emotions, interrupt cycles of overwhelm, and reconnect with a grounded sense of worth and possibility. She speaks directly to the silent struggles so many moms carry—the shame, pressure, worry, and emotional load that can eclipse hope—and offers a compassionate, practical roadmap for finding your way back to yourself. This episode will help you cultivate hope in your own life and model it for your teens, young adults, and entire family. Dr. Julia Garcia is a psychologist, author, and internationally recognized speaker dedicated to empowering people through the science of mental health and emotional wellbeing. For nearly twenty years, she has helped educators, students, business leaders, families, and individuals navigate fear, doubt, burnout, and hopelessness by building sustainable habits of healing. Her book, The Five Habits of Hope, blends neuroscience, emotional practice, and real-life stories from people around the world to show that hope is not merely a feeling—it’s a daily discipline. Whether through her TEDx talks, interactive workshops, or national presentations, Dr. Garcia’s mission is to make the tools of hope accessible for everyone. Three Takeaways for Moms of Teens and Young Adults 1. Hope is a Practice, Not a Personality Trait You don’t have to feel hopeful to begin cultivating hope. Each of the five habits—reflection, risk-taking, release, receiving, and repurposing—creates a pathway back to emotional regulation, self-worth, and grounded optimism. 2. Your Feelings Don’t Make You Weak—They Make You Real Emotions leads to overwhelm, burnout, and disconnection. Naming what you’re struggling with, taking emotional risks, and receiving support strengthens your resilience and helps your teen see that emotional honesty is part of wellbeing. 3. Your Kids Need to See Who You Are, Not Just What You Do When your teens witness you engaging in passion, joy, creativity, rest, advocacy, and purpose—not just managing logistics and meeting expectations. Repurposing your emotions into something meaningful teaches them that hard things can lead to beautiful outcomes. Learn More at: https://www.drjuliagarcia.com/habitsofhope/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjuliagarcia/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered why some conflicts deepen relationships while others tear them apart? What if the very moments that feel the most uncomfortable with your teen—or your partner—could become the doorway to more intimacy and trust? In this rich and eye-opening conversation, Colleen talks with Anna Lecat—researcher, author of Loving Conflict, intimacy consultant, and global speaker—about how conflict can be a bridge rather than a barrier. Anna shares her powerful framework for “fighting kindly,” transforming hard conversations into moments of connection, courage, and clarity. With stories from her own family, her multicultural life, and her work with couples and executive teams, Anna reveals how naming fears, listening deeply, and expressing humanity can turn everyday tensions into opportunities for deeper love and understanding. Anna Lecat is the researcher and author of Loving Conflict, an intimacy and conflict consultant, and a global speaker on connection, trust, and collaboration. A proud EO member and triple immigrant, she has built companies and communities across Ukraine, China, the U.S., and now France. With over 25 years of experience supporting couples, executive teams, family businesses, and high-stakes relationships, Anna blends practical tools, embodied practices, and the relational language of dance and play to help people move through conflict, build trust, and create authentic connection—in love, leadership, and life. She believes the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our relationships, and that intimacy is the key. ✨ Three Takeaways for Moms 1. Conflict is an opportunity—not a danger. When handled with presence and curiosity, conflict becomes a doorway to deeper connection with your teen, not a threat to your relationship. 2. Name the fear beneath the fight. Behind every tense moment is a fear—of being dismissed, misunderstood, or not enough. When moms and teens identify the fear, defenses soften and true dialogue begins. 3. Model the skills you want your teen to learn. You teach conflict-resolution not by lecturing, but by showing vulnerability, taking responsibility for your part, apologizing when needed, and demonstrating how adults repair relationships. Follow Anna at: https://www.instagram.com/anyalecat/ Learn More at: https://annalecat.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In todays show we talk about the importance of awe and wonder. Research reveals that the benefits of being awe-seekers is that you are more generous, curious, and more humble. Is the feeling of awe within our control or does it just happen unexpectedly? How do moms help their teenagers experience more awe? Listen as we discuss. Today’s guest is Deborah Farmer Kris. Deborah is an education journalist, parent educator Her bylines include PBS KIDS, NPR’s Mindshift, The Washington Post, the Boston Globe Magazine, and Oprah Daily. Deborah’s work is grounded in the two decades she spent as a K-12 teacher and administrator. She has a B.A. from Boston University in English, a B.S. from Boston University in Elementary Education and a Masters of Education from Rutgers University, 2009 for Counseling Psychology. . Her writing has been featured several times in The Washington Post; she is the co-author of the book Building Character in Schools: A Resource Guide; and she is the author of the picture book series All the Time, which has been featured on Oprah Daily, Slate's Mom and Dad are Fighting and more.  Learn more about Deborah at ⁠https://www.parenthood365.com/⁠ Follow on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/parenthood365/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices