#32 - When Your Teen Pulls Away: Why Coaches, Teams, and Strong Women Matter

About this episode

Sara and Michelle discuss the challenges of adolescence for teen girls and the importance of strong adult women and coaches in their development.

In this episode, Sara and Michelle explore the tender and tricky stage of adolescence, when teen girls naturally begin pulling away from their mothers while forming their own identities. Through the lens of coaching 12- to 16-year-old athletes, they discuss why girls need strong adult women outside their family, how sport provides healthy role models and peer examples, and why parents need to guide—not “lawnmow”—their kids through discomfort. For parents, this conversation is a reassuring reminder that the push-pull of the teen years is normal, and that teams, coaches, captains, and trusted adults can help girls build independence, confidence, communication skills, and resilience. Top 3 Takeaways Pulling away is developmentally appropriate, as a mom we can hold space to allow this process Healthy role models, like your athletes female coach, team mom and older team mates can be very valuable Supporting our children through the challenging times when things may not be going their way, acknowledging the emotion but allowing them to find their own ways through

People in this episode

Hosts: Sara, Michelle

Topics covered

• adolescence
• teen girls
• coaching
• independence
• role models
• resilience

Keywords

• teen athletes
• coaching
• parenting
• role models
• confidence
• communication skills
• resilience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Soul Sister Leadership

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• #30 - Coachability: The Skill That Changes Everything S2.12 · April 1, 2026 · 22 min
• #29 - Confidence First, Results Follow: The Playing Time Paradox S2. 11 · March 25, 2026 · 29 min
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