
281: ENCORE: Talk to Your Boys: Raising Confident, Caring Young Men
From Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life by Dr. Lisa Damour
July 21, 2026 · 42 min
About this episode
The episode discusses strategies for parents to connect with their sons and understand the challenges boys face in expressing emotions and navigating masculinity.
If your son is shutting down, pulling away, or turning to the internet to answer questions you wish he'd brought your way, this episode is for you. Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their conversation with Joanna Schroeder and Christopher Pepper, co-authors of the book “Talk to Your Boys,” to cut through the noise about boys, masculinity, and what's actually happening inside the minds of tween and teen sons.. Joanna brings her background in gender studies and years as Executive Editor of The Good Men Project. Christopher has spent his career as an award-winning health educator teaching thousands of students about emotions, relationships, and healthy masculinity. Together, they share what years of research and real conversations with boys have taught them — and their findings might surprise you. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN: - Why boys suppress their emotions to fit in, and how that loneliness and disconnection quietly builds over time - The specific strategies that actually get boys to open up — from the questions that really work to the power of doing things side by side - Why boys are uniquely vulnerable to toxic online influences, and how to build the media literacy skills they…
People in this episode
Hosts: Dr. Lisa Damour, Reena Ninan
Guests: Joanna Schroeder, Christopher Pepper
Topics covered
- raising boys
- masculinity
- emotional health
- parenting strategies
- media literacy
- connection with boys
Keywords
- boys
- parenting
- emotions
- healthy masculinity
- communication
- tweens
- teens
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Good Men Project
Books & works: Talk to Your Boys
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