109 | How Progress Over Perfection Helps Anxious Teens Build Confidence, Reduce Anxiety, and Create Habits That Stick with Monica Packer
About this episode
Monica Packer discusses how progress over perfection can help anxious teens build confidence and reduce anxiety.
Hi Parents! In today’s episode, I’m joined by Monica Packer, host of the About Progress podcast, certified habits and identity coach, and author of Sticky Habits: A Woman’s Guide to Reclaim Happiness, Ditch Perfectionism, and Create Habits That Last. Monica shares powerful insight into how perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking show up in both teens and adults, and why this mindset often fuels anxiety, avoidance, and emotional overwhelm. We talk about what she calls the “Hidden Habit Saboteur” and how it quietly impacts motivation, confidence, and follow-through in teens who feel like anything less than perfect is failure. We also explore how parents can shift the way they respond to mistakes, grades, and setbacks by helping teens see them as part of growth rather than evidence of failure. Monica shares practical ways to model progress over perfection at home so teens can build confidence through lived experience, not pressure. If you’ve ever watched your teen shut down because something felt too overwhelming or avoid trying altogether because they were afraid of not doing it right, this episode will give you a new lens for understanding what’s really going on underneath the…
People in this episode
Host: Monica Crnogorac
Guest: Monica Packer
Topics covered
- teen anxiety
- perfectionism
- confidence building
- parenting strategies
- habit formation
Keywords
- anxious teens
- parenting
- confidence
- perfectionism
- habits
- emotional overwhelm
- growth mindset
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: About Progress
Books & works: Sticky Habits: A Woman’s Guide to Reclaim Happiness, Ditch Perfectionism, and Create Habits That Last
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