
Episode 137: The Soft Skills Nobody Teaches (But Every Kid Needs) with Kari Kampakis
From MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in marriage , family , Christian parenting , and finding purpose by Cynthia Yanof
February 25, 2026 · 43 min
About this episode
Cynthia Yanof discusses essential soft skills for kids with guest Kari Kampakis, focusing on perseverance and work ethic in parenting.
Well, I went to A&M last weekend to see Brett and speak to the loveliest group of women, and let me just say: visiting girls in college versus boys is a completely different experience. Completely. Different. More on that on today’s show. Today’s guest is Kari Kampakis—or the “raising girls whisperer,” as I like to call her. She is so wise, steady, and incredibly helpful when it comes to understanding girls, and I loved getting to go to Birmingham last fall to tape a few shows with her in person at her home. She’s just as darling and thoughtful off the mic as she is on it. We’re doing two weeks with Kari, and this is week one. In this conversation, we dig into the soft skills that matter more than we often realize—especially perseverance and work ethic—and how those qualities are actually built in the everyday moments of parenting. Kari shares practical, encouraging insight on helping kids take ownership of their effort instead of just their results, and why consistent habits and character formation often matter far more than natural talent in the long run. Whether you’re raising girls or boys, there is so much wisdom here for every parent. I can’t wait for you to tune in…
People in this episode
Host: Cynthia Yanof
Guest: Kari Kampakis
Topics covered
- soft skills
- parenting
- character formation
- perseverance
- work ethic
- raising girls
Keywords
- soft skills
- parenting
- Kari Kampakis
- perseverance
- work ethic
- raising girls
- character formation
Sponsors
Time4Learning
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Is Your Daughter Ready?: 10 Ways to Empower Your Girl for an Age of New Challenges
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