
408: Ellen Galinsky, Adolescence & The Breakthrough Years (Author Series)
From Learn Smarter Podcast by Rachel Kapp and Stephanie Pitts- Educational Therapists
April 21, 2026 · 42 min
About this episode
Ellen Galinsky discusses her book 'The Breakthrough Years' and shares insights on how to support adolescents in their learning and development.
Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Ellen Galinsky to discuss her latest book The Breakthrough Years . Ellen is a “research adventurer,” parenting expert, president of the Families and Work Institute , former Fred Rogers Parenting Expert, a civic scientist and author. She talks about how her fundamental core question of “How can we best help kids learn and thrive?” has driven her career. She shares how she prioritizes what kids want to know–that they want us to understand them. She talks about how teens need opportunities for positive risks and how they don’t want the adults in their lives to fix things for them. This leads to a conversation about how to tolerate allowing learners to fix their own mistakes and Ellen shares her Shared Solutions strategy. She also shares what adults often experience with their teenagers and the importance of helping your learner find their passion.   Connect with Ellen: Ellengalinsky@familiesandwork.org Ellen Galinsky: Linkedin   Resources Mentioned: The Breakthrough Years Vroom Resource Mind in the Making by Ellen G alinsky   Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast   How…
People in this episode
Hosts: Rachel Kapp, Stephanie Pitts
Guest: Ellen Galinsky
Topics covered
- adolescence
- parenting
- education
- teen development
- learning strategies
Keywords
- adolescence
- parenting
- learning
- teens
- education
- Ellen Galinsky
- The Breakthrough Years
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Families and Work Institute
Books & works: The Breakthrough Years, Mind in the Making
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