Teen Savvy Coaching
Helping teens and the adults who care for them to thrive
If you’ve spent any time on my website, listened to the podcast, or followed Teen Savvy Coaching on social media, you’ve probably noticed the butterfly. People occasionally ask why I chose it as the logo for a business that helps parents of teens and tweens. The answer is simple. Adolescence is one of life’s greatest …
If asking your child to empty the dishwasher feels like launching a major negotiation, you’re not alone. Chores are one of the most common sources of conflict in families, especially as children get older. While it can be tempting to give up and do everything yourself, chores offer far more than a clean house. Chores …
If you’ve ever wondered where your sweet little boy disappeared to once adolescence arrived, you’re not imagining the change. Many parents experience grief as their sons become quieter, more independent, and less interested in hugs, conversations, or family time. In this episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Dr. Melissa Wellner and I welcome licensed counselor Jarrod …
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 …
When parents think about helping their teens sleep better, we usually focus on routines first. Bedtimes. Screens. Melatonin. White noise. Sleep schedules. But in this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Melissa and I explored something many of us rarely think about: the actual environment our kids are sleeping in every night. We sat down …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
If you have a high school senior in your house, there’s a good chance you’re feeling the weight of college applications right alongside them. Essays, deadlines, recommendations, test scores—it’s enough to make even the most organized family feel like they’re living inside a pressure cooker. But here’s the truth most parents don’t realize: applying to …
As parents of teens, we know this stage of life brings new opportunities—and new responsibilities. One big milestone that often comes up? Babysitting. Whether your teen is eager to start earning money, gaining independence, or just helping out neighbors and family friends, it’s natural to wonder if they’re truly ready. In this week’s episode of …
When it comes to high school back to school tips, one thing is certain—there’s no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Whether your teen is a confident senior, a pressure-packed junior, an easygoing sophomore, or a wide-eyed freshman, each grade comes with its own quirks, challenges, and opportunities. In this week’s episode of the Parenting …
If parenting triggers—like finding laundry on the floor, a missed homework assignment, or a teenager’s “I got it” shrug—ever make you lose your cool, you’re not alone. In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Melissa and I unpack what’s really going on when minor parenting moments become major meltdowns. Spoiler: it’s usually not about …
Understanding what ADHD kids wish their parents knew is the key to unlocking more compassion and more connection. Helping to have fewer power struggles. With Part 2 of our ADHD series on the Parenting Shrink Wrapped podcast, we dig into the real-life parenting challenges that come with raising neurodivergent kids. We discuss how a few …
ADHD in kids is one of the most commonly discussed—and commonly misunderstood—diagnoses in parenting today. If your mental image of ADHD involves a fidgety, blurting, can’t-sit-still kind of kid, you’re not wrong… but you’re not seeing the whole picture. In the latest episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, child psychiatrist Dr. Melissa Wellner and I take …
If it feels like your house is being held together with forgotten permission slips and lukewarm coffee, you’re not alone. May is chaos. And for parents of teens and tweens, surviving the end of the school year can feel like an extreme sport. In the latest episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Melissa Wellner, MD, and …
When hormones and mental health are running the show, your household can start to feel like a cross between a teen soap opera and a sleep-deprived group therapy session. Parenting teens is tough—but it gets even trickier when you’re juggling your own mood shifts right alongside theirs. In Episode #26 of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we …
