Shows
Camp Wild Heart07. What Keeps Me Hopeful: Being Active for Trans Kids with Jessica LaheySo many of us are trying so hard to protect our kids from failure of any kind.Getting it wrong and having regrets is scary! Of course we want to protect our kids from that. But really, when we hover over their homework or swoop in with a plan to fix it when they're struggling, we're protecting ourselves from our anxieties about being a good enough parent.There's kind of no better time to fail than when you're a kid. The stakes are still pretty low. When kids learn...2025-07-011h 03
She Believed She Could™ PodcastThe Gift of Failure: How to Raise Confident, Capable Kids with Jessica LaheyWhat if letting your kids fail is the greatest gift you can give them? In this empowering conversation, New York Times bestselling author and educator Jessica Lahey joins Allison to explore how failure builds resilience, why competence matters more than confidence, and what every parent should know about preventing addiction in kids. From her work in classrooms and adolescent rehabs to writing for The Atlantic and The New York Times, Jessica delivers research-backed wisdom for raising healthy, self-sufficient children in today’s high-pressure world.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why failure is essential to a chil...2025-05-2724 min
The Erica Diamond PodcastJessica Lahey: Raising Resilient and Addiction-Resistant KidsEpisode Description In this powerful and insightful episode, Erica sits down with Jessica Lahey—teacher, bestselling author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation, and a leading voice in parenting, education, and child welfare. With deep personal and professional experience, Jessica shares practical strategies and grounded wisdom on how to raise kids who are emotionally strong, self-motivated, and resilient in the face of failure and substance use risk. From letting kids stumble to fostering autonomy, and from addiction prevention to healthy, shame-free conversations, this episode is a must-listen for any parent, educator, or caregiver who wa...2025-05-0858 min
Bottomless to Sober67. You Might Be the 1 in 10—and You’re Not AloneIn this episode:Whether you’re raising kids, teaching, or questioning your own drinking—this one’s for you.Addiction isn’t about being bad. It’s about being human—and healing is possible. I share some powerful stats from author Jessica Lahey, and reframe the shame with truth and compassion.Resources:My Interview With Jessica Lahey in 2024Jessica Lahey's SiteCoaching InformationBottomless to Sober – Coaching, Classes, and WorkshopsTranscript2025-04-1311 min
Tuesday Talks!"The Gift of Failure" by Jessica Lahey (Part 2)Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!What happens when federal funding for education is put on ice? Join us as Coach Val and Dr. Tiffany reflect on the potent role of responsibility in shaping a child's development. Inspired by Jessica Lahey's "The Gift of Failure," we share practical nuggets on how parents can instill independence and self-reliance from preschool to high school. Our conversation highlights the immense value of allowing children to stumble and learn from their mistakes, building confidence and autonomy. Forget about dangling carrots; instead, we champion the power of cultivating intrinsic motivation...2025-02-1234 min
No Guilt Mom | Overcoming Mom Guilt, Parenting Tips, & Self Care for Moms329: ENCORE: The Gift of Failure with Jessica LaheyAs a parent, how to raise self-reliant kids is a hard question.We all want kids who take care of themselves and their families, but many families struggle with how to get there.In today's podcast, Jessica Lahey joins us and shares with us simple, yet far from easy, parenting tips that are a great place to start.This is an ENCORE presentation of podcast episode (013) The Gift of Failure with Jessica Lahey. It originally aired in October 2020.Resources we shared:
Our Mind, Body Unicorn Challenge is...2024-12-2647 min
Avoiding the Addiction Affliction"What to Say?" with Jessica LaheyWords matter. Words are powerful, so powerful that many of us avoid talking about certain topics because of the emotions the words create. Jessica Lahey, the author of the New York Times bestselling books, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence, discusses losing her good friend to depression and suicide and her hesitancy in writing about it. Jessica’s work, including her article about her friend Mary Moore, and contact information can be accessed at Jessica Lahey. Ou...2024-11-1338 min
The Hamilton ReviewJessica Lahey: Author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction InoculationThis week, we welcome New York Times Bestselling author, Jessica Lahey to The Hamilton Review! In this conversation, Jessica discusses her two books: The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. Enjoy this conversation! Jessica Lahey is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a C...2024-10-2255 min
The Grow Kinder PodcastOvercoming Overparenting with Jessica LaheyIn this episode of the Grow Kinder® podcast, Dr. Tia Kim sits down with educator and author Jessica Lahey to explore the vital role of social-emotional learning (SEL) in nurturing children’s success—both academically and emotionally. Jessica talks about how parents can embrace failure as a way to foster resilient adults, sharing vulnerable real stories of overparenting that highlight its impact.
In this episode, you’ll find effective strategies to combat overparenting. You’ll also learn more about the link between SEL programming and substance use prevention, and how advocating for nurturing environments can help foster the emotional intelligence needed to...2024-09-2634 min
Be Well by Kelly LevequeThe Parent’s Guide to Letting Go: Teaching Your Kids to Embrace The Gift of Failure with Jessica LaheyIn today's episode, we meet Jessica Lahey, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Gift of Failure: How The Best Parents Learn To Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. Informed by over two decades of teaching experience and a robust writing career, Jessica shares her relatable insights on education and parenting.I absolutely devoured this book and I’m thrilled to dive into it with Jessica. We break down a few of its most illuminating parenting insights, like the importance of allowing children to experience failure and how it contributes to their growth and resilience. Je...2024-08-091h 25
FITFOJessica Lahey - On Giving our Kids "The Gift of Failure"Welcome back to another episode of the “Figure It the Father Out” Podcast! Today, we have the pleasure of having a New York Times Best Selling Author, Jessica Lahey, on the pod with us.
Jess speaks to parents, educators, school administrators, coaches, pastors, and community leaders about the science of learning, motivation, engagement, and substance abuse prevention, all in service to the belief that adults have the power to help kids become more autonomous, competent, connected, and fulfilled. Her first book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succe...2024-08-021h 00
Bottomless to Sober52. Raising Healthy Kids: Insights from Jessica Lahey on Substance Use PreventionIn this episode:
Preventing substance use in children starts earlier than you might think—right from kindergarten. In this eye-opening episode, I welcome Jessica Lahey, an educator, New York Times bestselling author, and speaker, who shares insights from her book The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. Jessica highlights the developmental differences in how young people respond to substances and provides parents, educators, and community members with the tools they need to have effective and informed conversations about substance use and safety. Discover how cumulative, consistent efforts are far more impactful than one-time di...2024-06-2158 min
Healthy Parenting Handbook with Katie Kimball016: How We’re Failing Our Kids by Not Letting THEM Fail with Bestselling Author Jessica LaheyI’ve been telling everyone about this book!Ever since I read The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey, it has truly changed my parenting. My mindset about the mistakes my kids make and little accidents they have is totally more peaceful, and the whole time I was absorbing the information, I was thinking, “How can I interview this author so I can share her amazing wisdom with my audience???”Turns out all I had to do was post something I had done using the Failure Philosophy with one of my k...2024-04-0959 min
This Is So AwkwardJessica Lahey on The Addiction InoculationSubstance use and abuse education is critical to keeping kids healthy and safe through adolescence and beyond. We’re joined by bestselling author and teacher Jessica Lahey who combines the best research about teen brains with clear how-to-advice. This episode is so rich with science and data, you’ll revisit this episode down the road. Show Notes:Jessica Lahey Videos The Addiction Inoculation by Jessica LaheyDopamine Nation by Anna LemkeHigh by David and Nic SheffOrder our book This Is So AwkwardC...2024-04-091h 07
Mom Founder Imagination Hub223: My Kid Left Her HW at Home, Should I Take It to School for Her? Jessica Lahey, a NYT Bestseller Weighs InWelcome to episode 223. Do you rush to fix your child's mistakes, shielding them from failure? Many moms do! Maybe it's a forgotten homework assignment or a missed deadline. This episode is your guide! New York Times bestselling author Jessica Lahey shares a relatable story of when she had to decide: intervene and save her daughter, or let her face the consequences of forgetting homework. In this episode, you'll learn: • How Jessica handled the homework situation (and the surprising lesson her daughter took away!) • The #1 thing moms can do to avoid over-parenting or under-parenting • How to create situations where your child...2024-03-2639 min
Word of Mom RadioAuthor Jessica Lahey Returns to Girls That Create with Erin Prather StaffordSeason 2 Kicks-Off with Jessica Lahey and her New York Times bestselling book "The Gift of Failure: How The Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed". Lahey is a teacher, speaker and mom who has written about education, parenting, and child welfare for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and her biweekly column “The Parent Teacher Conference” ran for three years at The New York Times.
Listen to our chat from Season One, The Addiction Inoculation and the importance of understanding substance abuse and prevention.
Find out more about Lahey and her work at jessicalahey.com and follow on Ins...2024-02-2635 min
Master of Life Awareness 🧠"The Gift of Failure" by Jessica Lahey - Book PReview - Learn to Let Go, So Your Children Can SucceedThe Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey, a mother and a teacher, lays out a blueprint with targeted advice for handling homework, report cards, social dynamics, and sports. Most importantly, she sets forth a plan to help parents learn to step back and embrace their children’s failures. Hard-hitting yet warm and wise, The Gift of Failure is essential reading for parents, educators, and psychologists nationwide who want to help children succeed.
How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed
"The Gift of Failure" by...2024-01-1021 min
School StoryThe Gift of Failure By Jessica Lahey Book Review | School Story 010Welcome to my latest adventure in the world of words and wisdom!
🌍📚 Today, I'm diving deep into a book that turns traditional thinking about success and failure on its head: "The Gift of Failure" by Jessica Lahey. 🔄🎁
🔍 What's Inside This Video? 🔍
In this summary, I'm unpacking the treasures hidden in Lahey's groundbreaking work. You'll discover:
Why letting kids make mistakes is the secret sauce to their success 🍲🌟
How overparenting smothers the flame of independence in children 🔥➡️💧
Real-life stories and examples that will make you go, "Aha!" (or "Oh no!") 😲🤔
🤓 For Whom Is This Video? 🤓
Parents who want to raise resilient, capable kids 🚸
Ed...2023-12-2730 min
The Perinatal Podcast077 - The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence with Jessica Lahey
This week on The Perinatal Podcast, Jessica Lahey joins me to chat about how to set our kids up for success in regard to what they put in their bodies even from a young age, what to have intentional conversations about quitting things like piano and soccer, even how to be a happier parent. What a delight it was having Jessica on to share about the effects of over-parenting, how to help build autonomy in our children, and how all of this is not done in one simple conversation, and I'm so excited to share our discussion with you!
...2023-10-171h 01
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators301: Fine-tuning the conversation about failure with Jessica LaheyJessica Lahey is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. Jess was awarded the Research Society on Alcohol’s Media Award for “outstanding journalistic efforts of writers who cover empirical research on alcohol” […] “for her book The Addiction Inoculation and advocacy for the recovery community.” Over twenty years, Jess has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in both public and private schools, and spent five years teaching in a drug an...2023-09-1156 min
Alcohol Tipping Point How to Talk to Your Kids About Drinking with Jessica LaheyToday’s episode is all about our kids and how to best talk to them about drinking and other substances. I’m honored to have Jessica Lahey on the show to guide the conversation.
Jessica Lahey is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. Jess has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in both public and private schools and spent five years teaching in a drug an...2023-08-2356 min
Edit Your Life | Simplify + Declutter Your Home, Time, and Mental SpaceUntangling Overparenting (with Jessica Lahey)Figuring out how to step back in a culture of involvement is hard but doable. Christine chats with educator and author Jessica Lahey about letting go of control, how ignoring the grade portal actually encourages learning, how lovingly stepping back doesn’t have to feel like walking away, and more.RELATED EPISODES (for additional resource links, visit the show notes)
Raising Teenagers (with Mary Dell Harrington)
Simple + Compassionate Parenting Tactics (with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson)
Supporting Kids Through Continued Uncertainty & Stress (with Dr. Lisa Damour)
Raising Differently Wired Kids (with Debbie Reber)
How To Improve Communication with...2023-07-1347 min
Beyond the PrescriptionJessica Lahey on Talking to Teens about AlcoholYou can also listen to this episode on Spotify!Did you know that all children, regardless of genetics, are at risk for substance abuse?Jessica Lahey is a New York Times bestselling author, mother, and parent educator on teen substance use. Her most recent book, The Addiction Inoculation, is a practical guide to help children grow up to be healthy and addiction-free. On this episode, Jessica sits down with Dr. McBride to discuss her own path to sobriety, the myths about substance abuse in adolescents, and how to help kids feel comfortable setting h...2023-07-0352 min
Mindful Mama: Raising Kind, Confident Kids Without Losing Your Cool | Parenting Strategies For Big Emotions & MorePreventing Alcohol Issues in Your Kids- Jessica Lahey [402]None of us want our kids to grow up addicted to alcohol or drugs, but how do we prevent it? It turns out there are research-based ways to inoculate our children to the harmful effects of addiction (turns out, it starts with being open, honest and giving good information). Jessica Lahey comes on the Mindful Mama Podcast to help us raise healthy kids in a culture of dependence.If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a sc...2023-05-2354 min
Hopestream for parenting kids through drug use and addictionJessica Lahey, NYT Best Selling Author on The Addiction Inoculation, Inviting Failure and The Ultimate Challenge For ParentsABOUT THE EPISODE:Jessica Lahey has been surrounded by addiction her whole life. As a person now in long-term recovery, she grew up around alcoholism, came to her own reckoning with dinking, has taught every grade from 6-12, worked with adolescents in residential treatment, and written two New York Times best-selling books, The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation. Jessica’s books are a gift to parents looking for ways to set their kids up for the best possible outcome regarding substances and the ability to navigate life independently as they progress through hig...2023-04-271h 03
The Sober Mom LifeHow to Protect Our Kids From Addiction with Jessica LaheyToday I’m joined by author Jessica Lahey to tackle one of the biggest topics in our community: How do we keep our kids safe from the trick of alcohol? This conversation is so important and enlightening! Jessica shares about her own sobriety journey while also giving us so much knowledge about the risk factors for substance abuse, practical tips on how to talk to you kids about alcohol, and so much more. Get your copy of Jessica Lahey’s book, Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Cultu...2023-04-2455 min
Word of Mom RadioAuthor Jessica Lahey on Girls That Create with Erin Prather Stafford on WoMRadioJoin Erin Prather Stafford and her guest, Jessica Lahey, for a talk about Lahey's book "The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence" and how parents and caregivers can prevent substance abuse in children. For over 20 years, Lahey has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in both public and private schools, spent five years teaching in a drug and alcohol rehab for adolescents in Vermont, and serves as a prevention and recovery coach at Sana, a medical detox and recovery center in Stowe, Vermont.
Find out more about Lahey and her work at jessicalahey.com. Follow L...2023-04-0350 min
The Peaceful Parenting Podcast082: The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence with Jessica LaheyOne of the hardest and scariest parts of parenting is learning how to navigate substance abuse and dependency within our kids. Of course we don’t want our kids to use drugs or alcohol- and we know we can’t control them. So in a society with rising dependency on harmful substances, how can we help our children stay safe and make conscious choices? Joining me for this conversation is Jessica Lahey, the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Par...2022-12-2851 min
Wherever You Go There You AreTalking to our children about Substance Abuse Disorder: A conversation with Jessica LaheyIn this weeks podcast we are joined by Jessica Lahey. We discuss her second book, "The Addiction Inoculation, Raising Healthy kids in a Culture of Dependence. " Jessica discusses her relationship with alcohol and her journey to sobriety, as well as providing clear, evidence based information on how to help our children avoid substance abuse. Jessica Lahey is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. Over twenty years, Jess has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in bot...2022-10-261h 05
Your Child is Normal: with Dr Jessica HochmanHow to prevent substance abuse in our children? Part 2 with Jess Lahey!Send us a textJessica Lahey returns for a part 2 discussion! On last weeks episode we discussed her book, "The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed" and on this weeks podcast we discuss her second book, "The Addiction Inoculation, Raising Healthy kids in a Culture of Dependence. " This podcast episode is an important episode for parents raising children ---as she gives clear, evidence based information on how to help our children avoid substance abuse. Her book is an incredible and pertinent book for parents to read....2022-10-1725 minYour Child is Normal: with Dr Jessica HochmanEpisode 58: The Gift of Failure, with NYTimes best selling author Jessica Lahey!Send us a textThis weeks podcast is joined by educator, writer and speaker Jessica Lahey (@jesslahey), who holds a deep interest in exploring what motivates children to learn. Jessica is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a J.D. concentrating on juvenile and education law from the University of North Carolina School of Law. She has also spent many years as an English and writing teacher, a correspondent for the Atlantic, a commentator for Vermont Public Radio, and she wrote the “Parent-Teacher Conference” column for the New York Times.She is also the author...2022-10-1039 min
The Liz Svatek ShowJessica Lahey- The Addiction Inoculation- Are You or Your Teens Drinking Too Much? - Episode 127Episode Description:
Are we drinking too much? Is it okay to let our teenagers drink? What if we monitor and supervise? Theses are the questions I wanted to ask Jessica Lahey, Author of The Addiction Inoculation and prevention and sobriety coach at an evidence-based medical detox and recovery center in Vermont.. Her journey to sobriety and her work with adults and teens have led her to the answers we are going to give you today. Can we inoculate our kids against addiction? Prevent them and us from self medicating? Awareness is the first step.
Connect with: Jessica!
Website:
https://www...2022-10-0547 min
Vision Driven Mom With ADHDLetting Go So Our Kids Can Succeed With Jessica Lahey (Rebroadcast)During this episode of the Vision Driven Mom podcast, Jessica Lahey shares gold nuggets from her book The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and the important lessons we can learn alongside our kids when we, as parents, get out of the way.
WE TALK ABOUT:
What executive functioning is and why it’s crucial to foster these skills during adolescence
Puberty is so much more than hormones. The human brain goes through an incredible growth spurt during adolescence
Middle school is...2022-09-0148 min
Old Fashioned On PurposeS10 E5: The Incredible Gift of Failure with Jessica LaheyWhen it comes to how to motivate kids, our society gets a lot wrong.If you ever find yourself seconding guess your parenting choices that don't always look like the rest of society's parenting choices, definitely listen in to my talk with Jessica Lahey today.If, on another note, you've had a rough gardening season, or just want to improve your garden soil, check out this episode's sponsor, Redmond's Agriculture, & my favorite soil kit option on the market, right here: theprairiehomestead.com/soiltest. Be sure to use code HOMESTEAD & save 15% off your entire order!2022-08-221h 02