Ep 62 The Value of a Gap Year with Dr. Justin Coulson

About this episode

Kristi McVee and Dr. Justin Coulson discuss the challenges boys face today and the importance of a gap year in fostering resilience and purpose.

In this episode of Conversations with Kristi , Kristi sits down with Dr. Justin Coulson to explore a topic that feels increasingly urgent for parents today: raising boys.   Together, they dive into why so many young men are struggling to find their footing and what it actually takes to raise a generation that is resilient, purposeful, and grounded . Dr. Coulson shares his own "failure to launch" story-from failing school to a decade-long radio career before finding his true calling in psychology-and explains why the path to adulthood isn't a race .  They unpack the "Hope Theory," the dangers of "vanity careers," and the power of "Autonomy Support," providing a roadmap for parents who want to move from controlling their kids to guiding them .     This is a candid, insightful conversation about shifting the narrative for our sons and helping them become men who make the people around them feel "safer and stronger" . Content Covered in This Episode The "Crisis of Purpose" : Why kids today have more freedom than ever but less direction and resilience .   Dr.   Coulson’s Journey: From the bottom 15% of his class to a PhD in psychology and the "Happy…

People in this episode

Host: Kristi McVee

Guest: Dr. Justin Coulson

Topics covered

• raising boys
• resilience
• gap year
• autonomy support
• purpose
• parenting

Keywords

• gap year
• raising boys
• resilience
• autonomy support
• Hope Theory
• Crisis of Purpose
• psychology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Happy Families

More episodes of Conversations with Kristi

• Ep 65 They’re Not Leaving You - They’re Just Doing a Lap with Michelle Mitchell · May 27, 2026 · 50 min
• EP 64 Building healthy digital habits and relationships with Jocelyn Brewer · May 13, 2026 · 55 min
• Ep 63 Sometimes "just one more" is all we need with Brooke McIntosh · April 29, 2026 · 57 min
• Ep 61 The challenges parents face discussing tough topics with Kimberly King · April 1, 2026 · 49 min
• Ep 60 Your Baby Isn’t Giving You a Hard Time - They’re Having a Hard Time with Monique Christidis · March 18, 2026 · 1h 0m
• EP 59 Why Connection Comes Before Protection with Neil Milton · March 4, 2026 · 54 min