Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens

I’m excited to have Hunter Clarke Fields (AKA Mindful Mama) back with us today, to tell us about her new book, Raising Good Humans Every Day. Hunter shares some very practical tips to help us busy and often stressed moms to come back to calm. Make sure you stay to the end of the episode where she shares a wonderful meditation that you will want to listen to over and over again. Hunter Clarke-Fields MSAE, E-RYT (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a Mindfulness Mentor, Mindful Mama Podcast Host, Mom, Global Speaker, and Number 1 Bestselling Author of “Raising Good Humans” with a New Book: “Raising Good Humans Every Day” (Aug 1, 2023). Hunter has over 20 years of experience in meditation and yoga practices, and helps moms bring more calm and family cooperation into their daily lives. She is a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, the creator of the Mindful Parenting Course and Teacher Training, and has taught mindfulness to thousands worldwide, including a recent trip to Egypt. Hunter presents talks on parenting, is a certified teacher of Parent Effectiveness Training. In addition, Hunter coaches smart, accomplished, over-stressed individuals on how to cultivate mindfulness. Hunter is the mother of two active daughters, who challenge her every day to hone her craft! Her work has appeared in CNBC Make It, Parade, Paleontology, Motherhood Moment, The Hollywood Digest, along with on ABC Portland, NBC Milwaukee, and CBS South Bend,Kansas Public Radio, and many podcasts. And as part of her self-care, Hunter likes to do Scottish country dancing. Learn more about Hunter at ⁠https://MindfulMamaMentor.com⁠ Follow Hunter on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmamamentor/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Were you a “good kid” growing up—and did anyone ever ask how you were really doing on the inside? In this eye-opening episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with trauma therapist and author Maggie Nick to explore the hidden cost of being the “good kid.” While these kids are often praised for being easy, responsible, and well-behaved, many are silently struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, and a deep fear of disappointing others. Maggie shares her personal story of being a lifelong people-pleaser who looked “sunshine and rainbows” on the outside but felt intense pressure and self-criticism on the inside. Through her own healing journey, she discovered that shame—not behavior—is often at the root of the good kid pattern. This conversation helps parents understand how well-intentioned parenting, combined with a child’s temperament and sensitivity, can unintentionally create kids who disconnect from their own needs in order to feel loved and accepted. 💡 3 Key Takeaways 1. “Good” Behavior Can Hide Internal Struggles Good kids often look like they’re thriving—but many are anxious, self-critical, and disconnected from their own wants and needs. They’ve learned to focus outward—keeping others happy—while losing touch with themselves. 2. Shame Shapes Identity More Than We Realize When kids receive messages like “I expected more from you” or “What’s wrong with you,” they don’t just change behavior—they internalize it. The takeaway becomes: “Something is wrong with me.” This can follow them into adulthood. 3. Small Parenting Shifts Can Break the Cycle You don’t have to overhaul your parenting—just adjust your approach: Move from criticism to curiosity Allow your child to struggle without shame Stay connected: “I don’t like the behavior, but I’m always on your side” These small shifts help your teen stay connected to themselves—and to you. Learn More at: https://www.instagram.com/maggiewithperspectacles?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/maggiewithperspectacles?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we help our teens stay hopeful when life is hard? In this episode, I talk with psychologist and optimism expert Dr. Deepika Chopra, author of The Power of Real Optimism: A Practical Science-Based Guide to Staying Resilient, Curious, and Open Even When Life Is Hard. We explore the difference between toxic positivity and real optimism, and why trying to cheer our teens up when they’re upset often backfires. Dr. Chopra explains that real optimism doesn’t deny hard feelings—it helps teens learn how to move through them. We also discuss why teens need validation before solutions, how parents can unintentionally fall into pessimistic thinking about their kids, and how shifting our language and mindset can help teens build resilience and confidence. Dr. Chopra shares practical ways parents can help teens develop optimism as a skill—by reminding them that emotions are temporary, helping them collect evidence of their strengths, and modeling optimism in our own lives. This conversation will encourage parents who may feel discouraged with their teen and remind them that hope and growth are always possible. 3 Takeaways for Parents 1. Validate feelings before fixing the problem. Teens aren’t looking for us to immediately cheer them up or solve their problems. They want to feel heard, understood, and safe expressing their emotions. 2. Optimism is a skill—not a personality trait. Teens can learn optimism by recognizing that difficult feelings are temporary and by remembering past challenges they have overcome. 3. Focus on strengths, not just problems. When parents constantly focus on what their teen is doing wrong, it can shape how both the parent and the teen see them. Looking for evidence of strengths helps teens build confidence and resilience. Learn More at: https://www.drdeepikachopra.com/ Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/drdeepikachopra/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are going to love this episode. Today we are going to dive into a teenager's emotional life. I think what makes parenting teens so challenging is dealing with their intense emotions. Sometimes you're the target of their emotional storms and sometimes they turn their emotions inward. You worry about them being depressed or anxious. How many times have we brought up a simple request to our teen, but it turns out to be not so simple because it triggers a huge emotional response? Moms can find themselves avoiding talking about important topics because they don’t know how to handle their emotions. I invited Dr. Lisa Damour, the author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, to talk about this nuanced subject of teenage emotions. In this episode we focus on her chapter called Managing Emotions, Part One: Helping Teens Express Their Emotions and the following chapter called Managing Emotions, Part Two: Helping Teens Regain Emotional Control Recognized as a thought leader by the American Psychological Association, Lisa Damour, Ph.D., co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast, writes about adolescents for the The New York Times, appears as a regular contributor to CBS News, works in collaboration with UNICEF, and maintains a clinical practice. She is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood and Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. She and her husband have two daughters and live in Shaker Heights, Ohio. To find out more about the Emotional Lives of Teenagers go to ⁠https://drlisadamour.com/ ⁠ And while you are there go to the tab that says How Can I Help to get your downloadable bookmarks. Follow Lisa on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lisa.damour/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Midlife moms are carrying so much—parenting teens, managing work, holding families together, and often supporting aging parents at the same time. It’s no surprise so many moms feel emotionally depleted, overstretched, and quietly burned out. In this episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with Dr. Allison Alford, author of Good Daughtering: The Work You’ve Always Done, The Credit You’ve Never Gotten, and How to Finally Feel Like Enough, to name a role many women live out—but rarely talk about: daughtering. Dr. Alford explains why adult daughters often don’t recognize (or receive credit for) the mental and emotional labor they carry, and how that invisibility can fuel guilt, resentment, and burnout. Together, they explore what it looks like to define “good enough,” set healthy boundaries, and create more balance—without losing love or connection. ✅ 3 Key Takeaways Daughtering is more than what you “do.” It includes emotional labor, mental load, planning, worrying, smoothing conflict, and carrying responsibility—often unseen and unmeasured. Burnout grows when expectations stay unspoken. Many women feel “never good enough” because they’re trying to meet a standard that hasn’t been clearly defined—by their parents, siblings, or even themselves. You can define “good enough” and still be loving. Healthy daughtering includes boundaries. You don’t have to overfunction to prove your worth—and you’re not responsible for managing everyone else’s feelings. 👤 About the Guest Dr. Allison Alford holds a PhD in interpersonal communication from the University of Texas at Austin and is a leading scholar on daughter and family communication. Her work has been featured in outlets like The Atlantic and Oprah Daily, and she previously hosted the Hello Mother, Hello Daughter podcast. Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/daughtering101/?hl=en Learn More at: https://daughtering101.com/about/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you have a teen whose emotions feel huge and explosive—and nothing you say seems to calm things down?Do you find yourself reacting out of fear, walking on eggshells, or second-guessing whether you’re doing any of this “right”? In this episode, Colleen O’Grady talks with therapist and author Katie K. May about what’s really happening when teens have big, intense emotions—and why common parent responses (like “You’re fine” or “Relax”) often backfire. Katie introduces the concept of “fire feelers,” teens who experience emotions as all-consuming, and explains how self-destructive behaviors can become a desperate attempt to shut down emotional pain. You’ll learn why validation is the fastest way to lower emotional intensity, how “radical acceptance” helps parents stop fighting reality and start rebuilding connection, and why parents need a plan to regulate their own nervous system so they can respond instead of react—especially when safety is a concern. Guest Bio: Katie K. May Katie K. May is a licensed therapist, author, speaker, and group practice owner. She founded Creative Healing, a multi-location teen support center in the Philadelphia area, and is the author of You’re On Fire, It’s Fine: Effective Strategies for Parenting Teens with Self-Destructive Behaviors. With lived experience as a teen who turned to self-harm, Katie is one of a select few board-certified DBT clinicians in Pennsylvania. She equips parents and clinicians with practical, trauma-informed tools to decode behavior as survival and create lasting change. Three Takeaways Validation lowers the emotional “fire.” Before problem-solving, teens need to feel seen and understood—validation helps calm the nervous system and opens the door to change. Radical acceptance reduces parental suffering. Accepting “this is where we are” doesn’t mean approving—it means stopping the fight with reality so you can respond more effectively. Parents need their own regulation plan. A “stress meter” and a proactive calming strategy help moms manage fear, avoid catastrophic thinking, and stay steady when emotions run high. Learn More at: https://katiekmay.com/ Follow at https://www.instagram.com/katiekmay/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if grief isn’t something you “get over,” but something you learn to carry—without losing yourself in the process? In this powerful conversation, Colleen O’Grady talks with grief expert and widowed mom Krista St. Germain about what grief really looks like—beyond the outdated “five stages” idea. Krista shares her personal story of losing her husband suddenly and what she learned the hard way: grief doesn’t end, it changes—and healing comes from integrating loss into your life with compassion, emotional safety, and realistic expectations. Together, they explore how grief shows up differently in families (including anger, shutdown, clinginess, and conflict), why time doesn’t “heal” on its own, and how parents can support grieving teens without forcing conversations or pressuring anyone to “be okay.” Krista St. Germain is a Master Certified Life Coach, post-traumatic growth and grief expert, widow, mom, and host of the Widowed Mom Podcast. After her husband was killed in a crash caused by an impaired driver, Krista rebuilt her life using tools from life coaching, nervous system regulation, and modern grief science. She now coaches and teaches widows—and educates the broader public—so people can move forward without being harmed by outdated, isolating grief myths. Grief isn’t a problem to solve—it’s an experience to understand. When a teen becomes clingy, angry, or shuts down, start with: “How does this make sense?” Instead of pushing for words, offer steady presence, reassurance in the present, and emotional permission. Healthy grieving includes both sorrow and restoration. The Dual Process Model helps families stop judging themselves: you’ll naturally move between “loss-oriented” moments (crying, remembering, handling logistics) and “restoration” moments (laughing, hobbies, friends). Healing lives in the back-and-forth. Watch for secondary losses—and name them. Grief isn’t only the big loss. It’s also the “paper cuts” that keep coming: milestones, holidays, weddings, traditions, even taking something down in the house. Naming a moment as a secondary loss reduces shame and helps you respond with compassion instead of “What’s wrong with me?” When your teen won’t talk but is acting different: “I notice you’ve been wanting to stay close lately. That makes a lot of sense after what happened. You don’t have to talk about it, but I’m here—and we’ll get through this together.” When anger shows up (yours or theirs): “Something big is underneath this. We can take a pause. I’m not here to fight you—I’m here to understand what’s going on.” When you feel guilty for laughing or having a good moment: “This is the restorative bucket. I’m allowed to breathe. Grief and joy can exist in the same life.” Learn More at: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/ Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices