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Gen Z is Screaming for Help Are We Listening? w/ Dr. Zee (Dr. Zabina Bhasin)
Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.
Today I’m joined by Dr. Zabina Bhasin (Dr. Zee) a Cornell-trained child & adolescent psychiatrist, global youth advocate, and Forbes Next 1000 entrepreneur. She’s the founder of Listen to the Kidz, and she argues that listening isn’t a “soft skill”; it’s infrastructure and that every school should teach it as core curriculum.
In this episode, we dive into why kids don’t trust adults (and how to earn that trust back), what it means to teach listening like math, and why Dr. Zee doesn’t chase virality she chases durability in her work with young people and systems change.
ABOUT GUEST:
Dr. Zabina “Dr. Zee” Bhasin is a Cornell-educated child psychiatrist and founder of In KidZ, an edtech advancing multicultural education and children’s emotional wellness. A Forbes NEXT 1000 honoree featured by Good Morning America and Today Parents, she’s been recognized as Champion of Diversity & Inclusion at the Toy of the Year Awards and was a 2023 Women in Toys Social Impact nominee.
Dr. Zee serves on the boards of The Toy Association and United Sikhs and advises Concordia. She leads Listen to the KidZ and KidZ for Democracy; her book Listen to the Kids is forthcoming.
KEY NOTES:
Why Kids Don’t Trust Adults: What’s driving the breakdown and why it matters now.
Raising vs. Guiding: The mindset shift that changes how adults show up for kids.
Durability > Virality: Staying focused on impact instead of noise, branding, and trends.
The “Listening Class” Solution: Why communication skills should be a core school subject.
Listening as Infrastructure: Making trust, dialogue, and social harmony teachable at scale.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Episode trailer
01:27 - Intro
03:12 Meet Dr. Zee + her mission
04:22 Childhood: moving from India to California
05:43 Identity, belonging, and becoming “American”
08:59 Community, culture, and early leadership lessons
11:04 Dyslexia, shame, and finding her voice
14:03 Why she chose medicine + child psychiatry
17:40 The start of Listen to the KidZ
22:58 Who society ignores (and why that matters)
24:27 Impact vs noise: “durability, not virality”
28:10 The “communicative conversation” (how to really listen)
30:17 What changes when adults listen (anxiety → collaboration)
31:14 Listening without an agenda (and the social media trap)
33:34 “Kids don’t trust adults” + generational blame
35:58 Showing kids democracy at home (rules + digital contracts)
38:32 Adult kids: staying connected without control
48:57 Stop raising kids, start guiding
51:04 ADHD, passions, and parenting for adaptability
56:13 Language as a compass (the “right turn” analogy)
57:47 Kidz for Democracy: youth voice + civic engagement
01:01:27 The ABC Dialog: bridging gun-control polarization
01:04:55 The ROI of listening (why systems don’t change)
01:07:09 First action: a listening class in every school
01:10:03 How to support Dr. Zee + Outro
THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:
- Listen to the KidZ: https://listentothekidz.com/
- Dr. Zee (official): https://www.dr-zee.com/
- In KidZ: https://www.inkidzco.com/
- Kidz for Democracy event page: https://kidzfordemocracy.rsvpify.com/
- Concordia profile (Dr. Zee): https://concordia.net/community/dr-zabina-bhasin/
Organizations referenced:
- The Toy Association: https://www.toyassociation.org/
- UNITED SIKHS: https://unitedsikhs.org/
- NRA: https://home.nra.org/
- Jubilee Media: https://www.jubileemedia.com/
Schools/education referenced:
- ABC Unified School District: https://www.abcusd.us/
- Whitney High School: https://www.whitneyhs.us/
- CSULB (Long Beach): https://www.csulb.edu/
- Cornell University: https://www.cornell.edu/
Pop-culture reference:
- Billy Joel – “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (official): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g
- Fall Out Boy – “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (lyric video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LkVKCWL0U4
TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:
🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qt8cYHeIcDmDV8zPKNxMw
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compassiviste-dialogues/id1735926709
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compassiviste/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@compassiviste
Twitter: https://twitter.com/compassiviste
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/compassiviste/
Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟
View all episodes
By Compassiviste DialoguesWelcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.
Today I’m joined by Dr. Zabina Bhasin (Dr. Zee) a Cornell-trained child & adolescent psychiatrist, global youth advocate, and Forbes Next 1000 entrepreneur. She’s the founder of Listen to the Kidz, and she argues that listening isn’t a “soft skill”; it’s infrastructure and that every school should teach it as core curriculum.
In this episode, we dive into why kids don’t trust adults (and how to earn that trust back), what it means to teach listening like math, and why Dr. Zee doesn’t chase virality she chases durability in her work with young people and systems change.
ABOUT GUEST:
Dr. Zabina “Dr. Zee” Bhasin is a Cornell-educated child psychiatrist and founder of In KidZ, an edtech advancing multicultural education and children’s emotional wellness. A Forbes NEXT 1000 honoree featured by Good Morning America and Today Parents, she’s been recognized as Champion of Diversity & Inclusion at the Toy of the Year Awards and was a 2023 Women in Toys Social Impact nominee.
Dr. Zee serves on the boards of The Toy Association and United Sikhs and advises Concordia. She leads Listen to the KidZ and KidZ for Democracy; her book Listen to the Kids is forthcoming.
KEY NOTES:
Why Kids Don’t Trust Adults: What’s driving the breakdown and why it matters now.
Raising vs. Guiding: The mindset shift that changes how adults show up for kids.
Durability > Virality: Staying focused on impact instead of noise, branding, and trends.
The “Listening Class” Solution: Why communication skills should be a core school subject.
Listening as Infrastructure: Making trust, dialogue, and social harmony teachable at scale.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Episode trailer
01:27 - Intro
03:12 Meet Dr. Zee + her mission
04:22 Childhood: moving from India to California
05:43 Identity, belonging, and becoming “American”
08:59 Community, culture, and early leadership lessons
11:04 Dyslexia, shame, and finding her voice
14:03 Why she chose medicine + child psychiatry
17:40 The start of Listen to the KidZ
22:58 Who society ignores (and why that matters)
24:27 Impact vs noise: “durability, not virality”
28:10 The “communicative conversation” (how to really listen)
30:17 What changes when adults listen (anxiety → collaboration)
31:14 Listening without an agenda (and the social media trap)
33:34 “Kids don’t trust adults” + generational blame
35:58 Showing kids democracy at home (rules + digital contracts)
38:32 Adult kids: staying connected without control
48:57 Stop raising kids, start guiding
51:04 ADHD, passions, and parenting for adaptability
56:13 Language as a compass (the “right turn” analogy)
57:47 Kidz for Democracy: youth voice + civic engagement
01:01:27 The ABC Dialog: bridging gun-control polarization
01:04:55 The ROI of listening (why systems don’t change)
01:07:09 First action: a listening class in every school
01:10:03 How to support Dr. Zee + Outro
THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:
- Listen to the KidZ: https://listentothekidz.com/
- Dr. Zee (official): https://www.dr-zee.com/
- In KidZ: https://www.inkidzco.com/
- Kidz for Democracy event page: https://kidzfordemocracy.rsvpify.com/
- Concordia profile (Dr. Zee): https://concordia.net/community/dr-zabina-bhasin/
Organizations referenced:
- The Toy Association: https://www.toyassociation.org/
- UNITED SIKHS: https://unitedsikhs.org/
- NRA: https://home.nra.org/
- Jubilee Media: https://www.jubileemedia.com/
Schools/education referenced:
- ABC Unified School District: https://www.abcusd.us/
- Whitney High School: https://www.whitneyhs.us/
- CSULB (Long Beach): https://www.csulb.edu/
- Cornell University: https://www.cornell.edu/
Pop-culture reference:
- Billy Joel – “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (official): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g
- Fall Out Boy – “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (lyric video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LkVKCWL0U4
TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:
🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qt8cYHeIcDmDV8zPKNxMw
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compassiviste-dialogues/id1735926709
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compassiviste/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@compassiviste
Twitter: https://twitter.com/compassiviste
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/compassiviste/
Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟