Teen Savvy Coaching
Helping teens and the adults who care for them to thrive
Let’s get real about fatherhood and it has a way of making us think about the people who shaped us. Sometimes it’s the big memories that come to mind. The family vacations. The milestones. The moments that ended up in photo albums. But more often, it’s the ordinary stuff. A Saturday morning errand that somehow …
Many parents reach a moment where they realize they’re responding to their children in ways that feel familiar, even when those responses aren’t aligned with the parent they want to be. Maybe you hear your own parents’ words coming out of your mouth. Maybe you find yourself reacting before you’ve had time to think. Or …
When most people think about ADHD, they picture a child bouncing off the walls or struggling to sit still in class. But ADHD is so much more complex than that. In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Melissa and I sat down with child psychiatrist, Dr. Chad Lennon, to talk about what ADHD actually …
As parents, we spend so much time trying to help our teens succeed that sometimes we accidentally create pressure instead of connection. In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Melissa and I sat down with 19-year-old TEDx speaker and Cloud9 founder Sonia Suthar, and I LOVED every bit of it.. Sonia shared insight after …
If your teen melts down during math homework, avoids math altogether, or insists they’re “just bad at math,” you are far from alone. In this week’s Parenting Shrink Wrapped episode, we sat down with Dr. Aditya Nagrath, founder of Elephant Learning Mathematics Academy, to unpack something that affects far more teens than most parents realize: …
What is mom guilt, really? Mom guilt is that feeling that no matter what you’re doing… it’s not enough. It’s not always about something you did wrong. Sometimes it’s just the quiet fear that you’re not getting it right. In this episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we talk about both–the real mistakes, and the imagined …
If your child is experiencing teen bullying, it can feel overwhelming, confusing, and deeply personal. As parents, this stuff makes us feel helpless. Our instinct may be to jump in and fix it. And eventually, that may be necessary. But at the outset, the most effective support starts with understanding what’s really happening. What Actually …
Talking to teens about depression can feel overwhelming, but avoiding it often creates more confusion than clarity. In this week’s Parenting Shrink Wrapped episode, Sam and Melissa sit down with Kendall Concini, author of Cloudy Day Chronicles, to explore a powerful truth: teens don’t need perfect parents… they need honest ones. And Kendall’s honest experience …
If you’re parenting a teen right now, you’ve probably seen moments where their emotions feel bigger than the situation. And sometimes… those emotions might turn into behaviors that scare you. Self-harm. Shutting down. Explosive reactions. Here’s what most parents don’t realize: Self-harm isn’t usually about wanting to die.It’s about trying to cope. In this episode …
If you’re a parent of a teen, chances are college conversations are either already happening… or right around the corner. And here’s the truth: Paying for college without debt is top of mind for most families—but figuring out how to actually make that happen is more complicated than ever. Between FAFSA changes, rising tuition, and …
If you have a teen or young adult who feels overwhelmed about their future, you’re not imagining it–the landscape they’re stepping into is completely different from the one we entered. The pressure to “figure it out” can feel intense. But what if the goal isn’t clarity right away?What if the goal is actually curiosity? In …
When we think about parenting, we tend to focus on what we say to our kids. But what if the most powerful lessons we’re teaching them have nothing to do with our words? What if they’re learning from how we show up in our relationships? It’s Not About the Broccoli (or the Gummy Bears) In …
Work-life balance for parents isn’t just a scheduling problem.It’s a systems problem. In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we spoke with Dr. Rosina McAlpine, founder of Win-Win Parenting, about why working parents experience some of the highest levels of stress and burnout…and what needs to change The Impossible Expectation Parents are often expected …
Family vacations are supposed to be restorative. So why do so many parents come home needing another vacation? In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we get real about family vacation expectations–and how to travel with kids without setting yourself up for disappointment. Changing Locations Doesn’t Change Personalities Your teen who resists at home …
If you want to teach your child healthy financial habits, start with this truth: They are learning about money from you long before you ever hand them a debit card. In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we spoke with Lori Atwood, founder of Fearless Finance, about what it really takes to raise financially …
There is a cruel little twist of biology that no one talks about. Just as our teens enter puberty, many of us enter perimenopause. And it can feel like everything is unraveling at once. In this episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we sat down with Dr. Susan Zink to unpack what actually happens in the …
One of the most disorienting moments in parenting is realizing that your child is wired with a completely different personality than yours. You’re structured. They’re improvisational.You’re reserved. They’re intensely social.You’re fast-moving and decisive. They’re slow, deep, and deliberative. Or flip it. And suddenly you’re living with a human who makes choices, reacts, and recharges in …
Teenagers are emotional. That’s normal. Hormones, social pressure, school stress, and growing independence all come with big feelings. But sometimes what looks like “typical teen moodiness” is actually something deeper. Understanding the signs of teen depression can help you step in early and get your child the support they need. On this week’s Parenting Shrink …
Blended families and step-parenting are no longer the exception. They are part of everyday family life for millions of parents and kids. And yet, many adults step into these roles without a clear roadmap for how to build trust, manage discipline, and support kids who are already navigating change. In a recent episode of Parenting …
Parent conversations about bodies and boundaries can feel awkward, overwhelming, and easy to avoid. Many parents worry about saying the wrong thing or sharing too much too soon. But the truth is, these conversations don’t need to be perfect to be powerful. When parents focus on connection instead of correctness, kids feel safer asking questions, …
Parents today are navigating an overwhelming amount of information about teen mental health diagnosis. Anxiety, ADHD, depression, autism — labels are everywhere, and many kids are learning to define themselves by them. But what if some of what we’re seeing isn’t pathology at all? In this episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we speak with researcher …
Parenting has never just been about what we do. It’s also about what we carry. The mental load of parenting–the constant thinking, anticipating, worrying, remembering, and managing–is often invisible to everyone except the person holding it. And for many parents, especially those raising teens, that load can feel overwhelming. In this episode of Parenting Shrink …
My husband hates ceremonies. Like–hates them. Our oldest is graduating from college this spring, and I’m just waiting for the “Can’t’ they just mail the diplomas and call it a day?” conversation that will inevitably go down. It’s not that he’s not proud of our son, or happy about whatever accomplishment is being “ceremonied”. He …
If you’ve ever received a text from another parent and instantly felt that sinking I really don’t want to say yes feeling… you’re not alone. One of the trickiest parts of parenting isn’t just navigating our kids’ needs—it’s navigating what other parents expect from us. Birthday parties. Sleepovers. Playdates. Curfews. Group outings.And eventually… substance use, …
