Shows
Listen MoreEpsiode 7-MATURITY-A conversation with a group of 20-somethings about how today’s college students self-discover during their time on campus and what they wish they had known in Middle School.Meet Jesse, Lexa, Amani and Cherie. One about to graduate college, one with two years left to go-due to two separate gap years-one who left college after her first year and one who has been out of college for a few years.We had a fascinating conversation. Here are some the key takeaways:Success seems to be defined only by how much esteem, recognition and money you will have in your chosen profession.The only definition of success that has ever really been presented to us in the academic world is based...2021-12-2139 minListen MoreEpisode 6-ANTICIPATION-a conversation with four high school seniors about how they see their path forward, why that road causes so much stress and how they rely on each other to maintain their sense of what’s really important.Meet Felicia, Caroline, Chris and Daniella-four High School seniors (when I spoke with them last Spring). They all went to the same magnet school in suburban New Jersey.Here are some of the questions I asked them:How do you define success and where did that definition come from?How’s your relationship with your phone?What was the college application process like for you?Are you able to talk about mental/emotional health with your parentsWhat would you say, in retrospect, to...2021-12-0434 minListen MoreEpisode 5-EXPLORATION-One on one conversations with High School students.Meet Lauren, Luca and Anna: One High School Sophomore, One High School Junior and one College Freshman.All from different parts of the country.All trying to find that balance between being a high-achieving student and taking time to enjoy life and get to know themselves.I talked with these kids about how they define success and how society has defined success FOR them-and whether or not the two go together. These definitions-and the inherent anxieties that accompany them-seem to be handed over to our kids at an i...2021-11-2936 minListen MoreEpisode 4B CHALLENGES-A continued conversation with Bryan Doerries about how letting our kids struggle with difficult choices and hard situations is the best gift we can give them on the road to a fulfilling adulthood.The Greeks understood that there is a lot to be gained from sharing stories of your own struggles and pain with other people. Young people need to be taught that this is part of the human experience, that this is normal-and even healthy. Parents and academic institutions need to create environments where negative and contrary thoughts are permitted. Without these, how will our kids learn to examine their attitudes and beliefs and ultimately develop their own individual value systems-which will guide their choices and decisions throughout their lives? Research shows-and the positive psychology movement confirms- that long-term w...2021-11-1835 minListen MoreEpisode 4A-STRUGGLE-A conversation with Bryan Doerries of Theater of War productions about how the ancient Greeks prepared adolescents for adult life and why we should be doing the same.The Greeks understood that adolescence is a time of infinite possibility. Does our current narrow definition of achievement truly enable our kids to access that wide variety of opportunities? Our guest is Bryan Doerries, founding and artistic director of Theater of War. Bryan explains how the Greeks trained their young people for the vicissitudes of life and empowered them to express themselves. And while they trained their youth for participation in either the military and/or civic affairs-they balanced this with encouraging and empowering their youth to explore the world and take risks, so that t...2021-11-1049 min
Listen MoreEpsiode 3-ANXIETY-How today’s culture is fueling our kids’ anxiety and depression and what we can do to ease the pressure.One third of our teens and emerging adults are struggling with anxiety-and less than 50% of those kids get any kind of mental health treatment or guidance.Today we speak with John MacPhee, the Executive director and CEO of The Jed Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that has been in existence for 20 years, working to strengthen the emotional health of teens and young adults. John gives us an overview of the many factors affecting this rise, including:-a constant influx of information-economic pressure, inequality and division-political division and...2021-11-0254 min
Listen MoreEpisode 2-VALUES-How letting our kids find their own path to defining what matters may ultimately be the surest way for them to lead fulfilling lives.VALUES are what inspire our actions and choices -the moral compass that guides our lives and makes us feel purposeful.How do our kids transition from a full-on acceptance of what their parents espouse to a place where they can also gain exposure to and have a chance to process and assess other perspectives?What are the Issues and circumstances that may help-or hinder-our kids’ ability to define their values, so that they can move forward into adulthood with strong guiding principles?How do we measure the impact on our kids of an...2021-11-0140 min
Listen MoreEpisode 1-SUCCESS-How defining success more broadly might help our kids to be less stressed and more excited about the future.Is admission to a brand name college truly the start of the road to a happy life? Has the pressure to get in taken time and focus away from teens’ ability to explore and stumble and dream? How has the definition of adolescence and emerging adulthood changed over time and what might those changes mean for the ways in which we have adapted or changed our parenting of today’s teens. What might be the consequences of letting our own anxieties about our kid’s accomplishments, which can lead us to protect them from falte...2021-10-3153 min
Listen MoreLISTEN MORE introduction If you ask any parent what they want for their kids, almost all will say “I just want my kids to be happy”. But what exactly IS happiness, and is happiness even the right word to describe what we are after? Words aside, the real question is how do we help our kids achieve a sense of fulfillment in life? 2021-10-3004 min