Get on Their Turf with Dr. Suzanne Simpson

Teen mental health support for parents starts with a hard truth: a child's well-being begins at home. So why is saying that out loud so controversial?

In this episode of Get On Their Turf, Dr. Suzanne Simpson sits down with Nicole Runyon, former child psychotherapist, parent coach, keynote speaker, and author of Free to Fly: The Secret to Fostering Independence in the Next Generation. After 20 years of treating kids with severe mental health symptoms and no known trauma behind them, Nicole stopped seeing children for therapy and started coaching their parents instead.

Their conversation started as a public disagreement on LinkedIn about social-emotional learning in schools. Suzanne brings her perspective from years of teaching on a youth psychiatric unit, and together they dig into parenting responsibility, the "blame game," and why permissive parenting is not working.

In this episode:
- Why Nicole calls today's kids "the canaries in the coal mine" of a modern comfort crisis
- Should social-emotional learning belong to schools or to parents?
- The contagion effect of talking more openly about mental health
- Why kids see right through participation trophies
- How missed developmental milestones can end up looking like a mental health disorder
- "The wound isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility": ending the cycle of generational trauma
- The number one thing parents must do to build authentic connection with their kids

Chapters:
00:00 The Mental Health Parenting Crisis
01:30 Meet Psychotherapist Nicole Runyon
01:48 Why Nicole Left Traditional Therapy After 20 Years
04:26 The Problem With Social-Emotional Learning in Schools
08:10 The Contagion Effect of Destigmatizing Mental Health
15:09 The Blame Game and Political Correctness
17:22 Millennials, Technology, and Participation Trophies
26:49 Generational Trauma: Not Your Fault, But Your Responsibility
32:03 The #1 Way to Authentically Connect With Your Teen

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

Is It ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, or Trauma? 2 Questions to Ask Before a Diagnosis

Your teenager is struggling, and someone says it might be ADHD, autism, anxiety, or trauma. From the outside, they can look almost the same.

In Episode 76, I share what I saw in five and a half years on a psychiatric unit: three realities about how mental health assessments actually work, the one piece of evidence that is almost never requested, and the two questions every parent needs to ask before a diagnosis is made.

This isn't about avoiding a diagnosis. It's about making sure it reflects your child's whole story.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
 0:00 – Is It ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, or Trauma?
 1:23 – When a Teenager's Symptoms Appear Suddenly
 1:54 – Why ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, and Trauma Look Alike
 3:41 – Why No Blood Test or Brain Scan Can Confirm It
 4:32 – Long Wait Times and Rushed Assessments
 5:20 – The Early School Records Almost No One Requests
 6:17 – 3 Things to Do Before Your Child's Assessment
 7:18 – 2 Questions to Ask Before a Diagnosis

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

Dr. Suzanne Simpson sits down with divorce recovery coach Leah Marie to break down how to protect your teenager's mental health during a divorce, the top three rules for dealing with a toxic co-parent, and why silencing your own inner critic is the first step to rebuilding connection with your kids.

Divorce is consistently ranked as one of the hardest things a human being can experience, second only to the death of a loved one - and if you're a parent trying to navigate it, you were never meant to figure it out alone. In episode 75 of Get On Their Turf, Leah Marie, a certified divorce recovery coach and founder of Mindfully Ready, joins Suzanne to talk about protecting your teenager through a divorce and rebuilding connection on the other side. They cover why keeping communication in writing is your best defence against a high-conflict co-parent, the real reason teens melt down after coming home from the other house, what to say when an ex is telling your kids lies about you, and why putting your own oxygen mask on first is the first step toward showing up for your teenager.

00:00 - Meet Leah Marie
01:09 - Leah's personal story and wake-up call
02:58 - The hardest parts of divorce recovery
06:16 - Rule #1 for dealing with a toxic co-parent
07:39 - Rule #2: focus on what you can control
08:56 - Rule #3: your life outside the divorce
10:09 - Top 3 challenges kids face during a divorce
11:33 - How to handle your teenager's anger
14:02 - Why teens melt down on transition days
16:00 - The best way to reconnect after a visit
18:20 - What to do when your ex lies about you
22:45 - The truth about "doing it all" as a single parent
25:36 - How to silence your inner critic
27:44 - A simple way to connect with your teen today
30:01 - How healing yourself changes your child
33:02 - One final piece of advice
34:16 - Connect with Leah Marie

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

How to connect with your teenage child starts with three things teenagers told me they need: support, understanding, and care. This classic episode breaks down what that actually looks like, drawn from a year of research with 25 kids in a youth psychiatric unit.

What's covered:
 0:00 – Why Teenagers Lash Out
 1:22 – What It Means to Support Your Child
 2:12 – How to Understand Without Judgement
 4:57 – Engaging and Caring for Your Teen
 5:34 – How to Create a Connection with Your Teen
 7:29 – How Attachment Influences Teen Behaviour
 8:11 – Steps to Connect More Today

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

Why mental health labels can spread through a group like a contagion, and what actually protects your teenager instead of another diagnosis.

Is your teenager suddenly using words like anxious, ADHD, or depressed to describe how they feel, not because a doctor said so, but because everyone around them is saying it too? 

In this classic episode, I sit down with therapist Matt Hussey to talk about something most parents have never considered: mental health struggles can spread through a group the same way a cold does. 

We look at why more awareness hasn't lowered how much teens are struggling, how a label can help a teenager feel understood and still spread the same way, and what actually slows it down, which is connection, not another diagnosis.

0:00 The mental health contagion dilemma
2:16 Why more awareness isn't helping your teen
4:40 When normal teen behaviour gets labelled a disorder, and the birth month study that changed how I see ADHD
6:31 Why a diagnosis might not mean what you think
14:56 The true meaning of destigmatization
21:43 Can mental illness spread like a virus
26:28 Why your teen might use a label to get attention online
30:08 The one question to ask instead of accepting the label
32:22 Connection: the antidote to the algorithm

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

Discover why asking a single question works significantly better than lecturing when your teenager pushes back, and learn how to stop the cycle of yelling. 

Every parent has been in that moment: your teenager shuts down, pushes back, or says something that hits you like a wall. Every instinct tells you to react. In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Simpson breaks down why asking a question works significantly better than lecturing, correcting, or explaining. 

What You Will Learn:

• 0:00 - Why Yelling at Your Teenager Doesn't Work 

• 0:46 - The Story Behind a Teenager's Pushback 

• 2:00 - 4 Reasons Asking Works Better Than Reacting 

• 4:52 - 3 Questions That Get a Teenager Talking 

• 6:25 - Say This to Your Teenager Instead Tonight 

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

If you're an exhausted working parent, this one's for you. Erika Rothenberger joins me to talk about why "work-life balance" is the wrong goal, and why integration works better. We get into a simple daily ritual that builds connection in minutes, how to talk to your kids about your own failures without oversharing, and how surviving a violent attack in 2022 changed the way she parents.

In this episode:

0:35 Why balance is a myth for busy parents

7:00 The question that gets kids talking in the car

16:14 How trauma shapes the way we show up as parents

31:10 The one thing Erika puts first, even before her kids

Erika Rothenberger is a keynote speaker and author of Audacious Expansion. As a working mom who survived a violent attack, she shares how she turned trauma into purpose.

Connect with Erika:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikarothenberger/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikalearothenberger/

Audacious Women's Summit: https://www.erikarothenberger.com/audacious-womens-summit/

👉 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it.

Free guide: drsuzannesimpson.com

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

If your teenager has completely shut you out, reconnecting starts with getting on their turf, not with another lecture.

I'm Dr. Suzanne Simpson, and after thirty years working with teenagers, including five and a half years inside a youth psychiatric unit, here is what I know for certain: you cannot influence a child you do not connect with.

In this episode, I break down how to reconnect with your teenager, starting with what most parents get wrong first, what taking initiative actually looks like, and why listening well matters more than having the right words.

I spent a year asking twenty-five teenagers in a psychiatric unit what they needed most. It came down to this: they want to be pursued, not fixed.

0:00 When your teenager shuts you out 

0:47 What do they want to do 

1:09 Where do they want to be 

1:50 How are they feeling 

2:31 The core parenting shift 

2:59 What this is not 

3:50 What 25 teenagers in a psychiatric unit taught me 

4:48 Making time, even when it is hard 

5:48 3 ways parents stop listening 

7:24 Practical ways to show up 

8:12 What happens when you get on their turf 

10:11 You do not have to be perfect

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

Is your teenager is struggling, and are you done waiting for a broken system to catch up?

In this episode, I sit down with Chris Coulter, a father who lost his 14-year-old daughter Maddie to suicide in 2015. Chris learned the hard way where the public mental health system failed his family, and turned that knowledge into action. He built MindGrade to hold schools accountable for student mental health, and MentorWell to give teenagers the kind of consistent adult presence many of them are missing.

We talk about the early signs that show my teenager needs help, signs that are easy to explain away as normal teenage behaviour, why remediation without prevention keeps failing families, and a statistic that should stop every parent in their tracks: nearly a third of teenagers say they have no one to talk to. Chris also shares what actually rebuilt trust with his own teenagers, and how he learned to get a teenager to open up by offering presence instead of pressure.

You do not have to wait for a system to step in. Learning how to connect with your teenage child can start tonight, at home.

Get my free guide, 8 Ways to Get on Your Kid's Turf, at www.drsuzannesimpson.com

Chapters:
 0:00 Chris's story and losing Maddie
 5:30 The signs that were missed
 9:15 Where the public mental health system falls short
 12:25 Why remediation without prevention keeps failing
 15:30 Rebuilding trust with your teenager
 18:40 MindGrade: holding schools accountable
 27:00 The loneliness numbers every parent should know
 31:00 What to do right now: stop talking, start listening

This episode originally aired June 16, 2025, and the message is too important not to share again.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available.
Canada and US: Call or text 988 (24/7).
If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.

Has a failing grade ever made you want to step in and fix everything? That instinct comes from love, but it may be quietly taking a brick out of the foundation of your teenager's confidence.

In this episode, I share three things parents do when a teenager is failing that actually make things worse, and the better response for each one. I start with a real story: a friend whose son was failing a high-level math class and my one question that changed what she did next.

A failing grade is not a verdict. It is a signal. My research found that teenagers have a deep desire to succeed, and when we rescue them from failure, we rob them of the one thing that actually builds self-worth: knowing they did it themselves.

I also look at Jonathan Haidt's work on the anxious generation and why children need challenge and stress to become anti-fragile. And I walk through the shame distinction that changes everything: there is a world of difference between "I am a mistake" and "I made a mistake."

I close with the one question that reframes how we see our teenager's struggles entirely. Because you cannot build resilience in a child you are too afraid to let struggle.

👉 Get my free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at drsuzannesimpson.com

Find my podcast playlists on YouTube Dr Suzanne Simpson, at Get On Their Turf

Guest Interviews: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7xFsX7h7tflz6UKyqfa4AVPf5l9zwve

Just Me: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLi7xFsX7h7tf_CsX5hZUEBTPkz967Sy2n

New releases every second Monday 8:00 am PST.

👉 Get the free guide "8 Ways to Get on Your Kids' Turf" at https://www.drsuzannesimpson.com/#reconnect

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzannesimpson/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannesimpson/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsuzannesimpson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566148964209

Please note that the contents of this website are not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. My scope of practice is as an educator, and this work is intended to provide information for educational purposes only. Testimonials of lived experiences are opinion only and have not been scientifically evaluated.