Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens

Do your mornings start with chaos and a mental to-do list that never ends? What would shift in your day if you took just three intentional minutes for yourself each morning?

In this deeply affirming and humorous episode, Colleen OGrady welcomes Erin Morrison, author of Three Minutes for Mom: 365 Days of Empowerment, Encouragement, and Growth for a More Connected Motherhood. Erin shares how a simple daily practicerooted in short reflections and compassionate reminderscan transform a mothers emotional landscape. From real talk on mom bods and meltdowns to metaphors like feelings are like laundry, the conversation covers how small mindset shifts can help moms feel more grounded, connected, and confident. Erin emphasizes that empowerment doesnt mean being perfectit means believing in your goodness, even on the messy days. Together, Colleen and Erin remind moms that it's not personalit's developmentaland that motherhood is an ongoing experiment, not a performance.

As the creator of The Conscious Mom, Erin's approach to motherhood gives mothers exactly what they need: tools to make tiny shifts and create big change. With two master's degrees in Counseling from Columbia University and a specialization in conscious parenting, Erin uses her down-to-earth, non-judgmental style to help mothers f feel more confident, connected & calm. As a mom of two, she understands the dynamics of parenting-and lives them herselfso she can help parents everywhere dramatically and positively improve their relationships with their children.

Three Takeaways:



You dont have to be perfect to be a great mom. Let go of the pressure to get it all right. What your kids need most is your presence, not your perfection.

Start your day with you. Taking just a few minutes in the morning for reflection, gratitude, or a grounding ritual can completely change your energyand what you bring to your family.

Believe in your child, even when you cant believe their story. When your teen spirals into dramatic thinking, stay grounded. Your belief in themeven when they dont believe in themselvesis an anchoring force.

Find out more at https://theconsciousmom.com/ Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/itstheconsciousmom/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you dreaming of a peaceful family vacation but dreading the inevitable teen drama? Have you ever come home from a trip feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation?

In this episode of Power Your Parenting: Moms of Teens, Colleen O’Grady sits down with family travel coach Laura Rahn to explore how family vacations can become meaningful, memory-making experiences rather than stress-filled disasters. Together, they unpack why so many well-intentioned trips go off the rails—hint: it often starts before the bags are even packed. Laura shares her “Dream, Design, Depart” process, helping families clarify the purpose of their trip, communicate expectations ahead of time, and include teens in the planning process so everyone feels heard and invested.

Laura Rahn is a retired educator and a certified Family Travel Coach. She lives in Virginia with her husband and wonderful dog. As a military BRAT, she has been traveling her whole life. Laura has been involving her two adult daughters in the vacation planning process since they were old enough to have a voice and loves sharing her passion for family travel with others.

One key takeaway is that clear communication is everything—bringing your teen to the table early allows for shared expectations and fewer meltdowns. Another is to define the "why" of your vacation before picking the "where"; when everyone understands the purpose, the rest falls into place. Finally, moms are reminded not to lose themselves in the hustle—you matter too, and it’s okay to want something out of the vacation that’s just for you. After all, a truly great family trip leaves everyone feeling restored and connected.



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Learn more about Laura at https://www.seldomadullmoment.com/ 



Freebie: bit.ly/42xgCFH  PDF of "The Busy Parents Guide to Start Planning that Dream Vacation with your Family"

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Does your teen frequently get angry?

In this episode, we talk about what anxiety-driven anger looks like in our teens. Kelsey Torgerson Dunn, MSW, LCSW, specializes in anxiety and anger management therapy for kids, teens, and college students. She opened her group practice, Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, in early 2017. She practices cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness skills, and often finds that just having someone on your side is the most helpful part of counseling.

Kelsey recently published When Anxiety Makes You Angry written for teens.  “Using a proven-effective approach rooted in evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), When Anxiety Makes You Angry will help you identify the anxiety beneath your anger, accept difficult emotions—rather than fighting or trying to ignore them—and learn healthy coping and self-regulation skills to help you find emotional balance. You’ll also discover how to “train your brain” to stop and think before reacting; and how to choose calm over chaos when faced with the things that trigger your anxiety or anger.

To learn more contact Kelsey at https://www.kelseytorgersondunn.com/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselingwithkelsey/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3500 TEENS ・ 2 RESEARCHERS ・ 1 QUESTION What are adults missing about teens and technology? A lot.

Harvard University Project Zero researchers, Common Sense Media collaborators, and real-life parents Emily Weinstein and Carrie James are the authors of BEHIND THEIR SCREENS: What Teens are Facing (and Adults are Missing). In their book, James and Weinstein combine their years of research on technology use by adolescents—including data gathered during the first year of the COVID pandemic—to explore how teens use their phones, messaging apps, social media, and more to navigate their real-world relationships in new and surprising ways. The authors also have the benefit of the expertise of teens themselves. By working with dozens of middle and high school students across the United States—part of the authors’ Teen Advisory Council—Weinstein and James explain in adolescents’ own words why they do what they do online, and what tweens and teens wish their parents understood about the connected world they're living in.

Emily Weinstein is a Research Director at Project Zero at Harvard and a Lecturer at the Graduate School of Education. Carrie James is a sociologist and Principle Investigator at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the author of Disconnected: Youth, New Media, and the Ethics Gap (MIT Press). The authors' work has been covered in Time, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic, and they are sought-after speakers on teens and technology. You can learn more at www.behindtheirscreens.com         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered if trusting your teen more could actually make them more responsible? Or do you find yourself constantly worrying and feeling like it’s your job to control everything in their life?

In this episode of Power Your Parenting – Moms with Teens, host Colleen O’Grady sits down with Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson, co-authors of The Self-Driven Child and their latest workbook, The Seven Principles for Raising a Self-Driven Child. Together, they explore how fostering a sense of autonomy in teens can actually make them more motivated and resilient. They discuss the critical difference between control and influence, the importance of parents being a non-anxious presence, and how stepping back can help teens step up. Through relatable examples and real-life experiences, they illustrate how letting go of excessive monitoring and trusting teens to navigate their own decisions—while still providing guidance—can lead to stronger relationships and more self-sufficient young adults.

 William Stixrud, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist and a faculty member at Children's National Medical Center and George Washington University Medical School. He lectures and writes widely on the adolescent brain, meditation, and the effects of stress, sleep deprivation, and technology overload on the brain. He is on the board of the David Lynch Foundation.    Ned Johnson is the founder of PrepMatters and the coauthor of Conquering the SAT: How Parents Can Help Teens Overcome the Pressure and Succeed. A sought-after speaker and teen coach for study skills, parent-teen dynamics, and anxiety management, his work has been featured on NPR, NewsHour, U.S. News & World Report, Time, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.   Here are three key takeaways from this conversation: First, teens need to develop a sense of control over their own lives to build confidence and resilience—over-managing them often backfires. Second, maintaining a calm and supportive presence as a parent is more effective than reacting with anxiety, as emotions are contagious. Lastly, success isn’t defined by a perfect academic record or a linear path—giving kids room to make mistakes and learn from them is one of the greatest gifts a parent can provide. This episode will leave you with a fresh perspective on parenting and practical ways to create a more positive, less stressful dynamic with your teen.

Learn more at https://theselfdrivenchild.com/

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