Healthy Teen Life

Feeling stressed all the time and not sure what to do about it? Here’s what almost nobody tells you: stress isn’t the problem. Stress is actually your body’s check engine light. In this solo episode, Leslie breaks down what’s really driving your stress and shares three simple habits to start before midterms and finals, that can make a significant difference.

Resources mentioned:

College Countdown Roadmap - free download

Episode 203: The 2-Minute Body Trick That Calms Your Anxiety Fast

Need support right now? Talk to a parent, school counselor, coach, college health center, or doctor. If you ever feel hopeless or think about hurting yourself, call or text 988 any time, day or night.

Mentioned in this episode:

College Countdown Roadmap

If you’re a high school senior heading to college next fall, or you’re the parent of one, this one’s for you.

Ever wonder if your relationship with food is actually okay? In this episode, registered dietitian Jessica Setnick joins Leslie to talk about the early signs that eating has become more than just eating — the connection between stress and food, why body image gets distorted, and how to know when it's time to talk to someone. This one's for anyone who's ever felt confused, guilty, or "off" about food.

[01:19] Why diet culture messaging is louder than it used to be

[03:45] How eating problems actually start

[07:31] Two questions to ask about any "should" message about your body [10:49] Why stress affects your eating

[15:24] Yellow flags in how you think about food

[19:01] Why your brain doesn't show you an accurate picture of your body

[27:34] What's different about high school and college [31:43] How to know when it's time to get help

[36:48] Can you actually have a healthy relationship with food?

Resources mentioned:

• Freshman Formula
• Parent Masterclass - for parents of high school students planning to attend college or college freshman already on campus
• Free Clarity Call with Leslie

Why college can feel so hard and what to do about it.

Feeling homesick weeks into college and wondering if something's wrong with you? It's not — and it's incredibly common. In this episode, Leslie breaks down "the dip," the very real adjustment phase that hits after the initial excitement of college fades, plus 3 beliefs that quietly fuel homesickness anxiety and 3 things you can actually do about it starting today.

Listen now if you've been feeling off, out of place, or unsure whether what you're feeling is normal — it is, and this episode will help.

Chapters:

[00:00] Is it normal to feel this bad right now?

[02:17] Why it hits so hard right now: "the dip"

[04:12] 3 beliefs driving your homesickness anxiety

[06:38] 3 things you can actually do about it

[10:08] How long transition really takes

[10:42] When it's more than homesickness — getting extra support

[11:40] Free resources for you and your parents

Resources mentioned:

• Episode 197: What Nobody Tells Freshmen About the First Semester of College
• Free Clarity Call with Leslie
• Free "Four Conversations" Guide for parents

Been going to therapy for months and still feel stuck? You're not alone — and it might not be you. In this episode, Dr. Stacey Krauss explains why weekly one-on-one therapy doesn't work for many teens and college students, how group therapy and higher-frequency care can actually move things faster, and how to speak up when sessions aren't landing. If you've ever thought "therapy just isn't for me," this one might change your mind.

Chapters:

[00:00] When therapy feels like it's going nowhere

[01:33] Meet Dr. Stacey Krauss

[02:40] What to do when therapy isn't enough

[04:23] Why one bad fit makes people quit therapy

[05:41] Speaking up when sessions aren't working

[07:40] How group therapy shifts the dynamic

[09:29] Mental fatigue and bouncing between therapists

[11:42] What group therapy is actually like

[13:29] Why session frequency matters

[15:22] Fitting it into a packed schedule

[20:51] Who group therapy works best for

[23:16] When individual therapy is the better fit

[24:55] How to find group therapy options

[28:07] College mental health services as a starting point

[29:48] Dr. Krauss's final advice: start with your future vision

About the guest:

Dr. Stacey Krauss is CEO of Transitions Counseling and Consulting, an intensive mental health clinic helping adolescents and families navigate severe clinical crises without hospital stays. She's a double board-certified clinical psychologist, Bronze Star recipient, and former Chief of Behavioral Health at Fort Bragg, where she led the Army's largest behavioral health program, overseeing mental health services for thousands of soldiers and their families. She now applies that crisis expertise to adolescent care, helping teens and parents understand when IOP or PHP may be the right level of support between weekly therapy and hospitalization.

Resources mentioned:

• Transitions Counseling and Consulting
• Dr. Stacey Krauss on LinkedIn

Connect with Leslie:

Parents: Schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie here for support helping your high school teen or college student build healthy life skills and independence for college and beyond.

• Website: leslierosecoaching.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/leslierosecoaching
• Facebook: facebook.com/leslierosecoaching

Disclaimer

Stuck in a loop of "I need to do better," "I need to be more organized," "I need to stop procrastinating"? In this episode, we flip the question. Instead of asking what you need to fix, ask who you actually want to be — and why that one shift changes everything about how you make decisions. Leslie breaks down a simple 4-step framework plus two action steps you can start today to discover who you want to be.

[00:00] Why "I need to do better" is the wrong question

[02:21] Your daily choices are building your identity

[03:39] Step 1: Know Yourself

[05:09] Quick mention: The Freshman Formula

[06:01] Step 2: Trust Yourself

[07:27] Step 3: Choose Yourself

[08:53] Step 4: Lead Yourself

[09:51] Coming back to the question: who do you want to be?

[10:42] Your 2-step action plan for this week

Dealing with roommate drama right now? You're not alone — approximately 7 out of 10 college students go through some version of it. In this episode, I break down the 3 phases every roommate relationship hits (honeymoon, annoyance, and get-along-or-bust), the one communication shift that actually defuses conflict, and what to do if it's truly not working -- there are options like a roommate agreement. Plus my own freshman year roommate story and what I wish I'd known sooner.

What you'll hear:

[00:00] The "are we fighting?" moment every freshman knows

[01:56] Reality check — how common roommate conflict actually is [02:36] For high schoolers: how to pick a good roommate before move-in

[04:34] For current students: why getting along actually matters

[05:44] The 3 phases: honeymoon, annoyance, get-along-or-bust [08:44] Quick mention: The Freshman Formula

[09:33] The 4 things that actually fix roommate friction

[11:32] Worst case scenario — RA, agreements, room changes

[12:33] The one takeaway to remember

RESOURCE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Freshman Formula details

Connect with Leslie:

Parents: Schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie HERE to help your teen or young adult build healthy habits, confidence, and prepare for the transition to college so they can live well,

Follow me on Instagram: @leslierosecoaching

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps us reach more teens, college students and parents who need these insights. Thanks for your support and see you next week!

Ever notice your shoulders creep up to your ears when you're stressed, even when nothing's actually wrong? Your body still thinks it's being chased by a tiger. In this episode, somatic practice expert Annie Vinje breaks down what's really happening in your nervous system when you're anxious — and simple, science-backed ways to calm it down in real time, no 20-minute meditation required.

Listen now to find a somatic reset you can actually stick with.

Then leave a comment - what tip was most helpful for you?

[02:10] What your body does when you're stressed

[04:17] Why daily somatic practice matters, not just on hard days

[06:10] Why this generation of teens especially needs this

[10:09] Doom scrolling vs. "hope questing" on social media

[14:58] Simple body check-ins you can do anywhere

[18:18] The breathing technique that resets your nervous system

[21:21] Meditation myths — it doesn't have to look "perfect"

[23:14] Finding your thing: yoga, journaling, and restorative rest

[29:07] Alternate nostril breathing to wake up your brain

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Annie's website: annievinje.com

Why am I tired checklist (free)

Connect with Leslie:

Parents: Schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie HERE to help your teen or young adult make healthy choices on their own.

Website: leslierosecoaching.com

Follow me on Instagram: @leslierosecoaching

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps us reach more teens, college students and parents who need these insights. Thanks for your support and see you next week!

Disclaimer

Has this happened to you: your body goes into full panic mode over something small — and you can't figure out why? That's your nervous system talking. In this episode, Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge breaks down exactly what your nervous system does, why stress builds up like water filling a cup, and how to empty it before it overflows. We get into why some people bounce back from stress fast while others stay overwhelmed for hours, and Dr. Roseann shares three simple, science-backed tools you can use today.

LISTENER OFFER: Dr. Roseann is offering a FREE Nervous System Starter Kit for listeners! You can grab it HERE

Listen now to learn how to calm your body down quickly.

Then try this today — pick one tool mentioned in the episode and use it 3 times today. Then leave a comment and tell me how it felt.

[01:48] Why nervous system health matters for teens

[02:50] What is the nervous system? Sympathetic, parasympathetic & the "stress cup"

[05:11] What dysregulation actually looks like (over- vs. understimulation)

[07:38] How to tell if it's really your nervous system — not just "being dramatic"

[11:10] Why some people calm down fast and others stay overwhelmed

[19:24] 3 simple reset tools: breathwork, the "heart hug," and humming

[26:21] Using positive mantras to retrain your nervous system

[27:59] How to know if your nervous system is actually healthy

[36:22] Simple ways to start today — and finding an accountability buddy

Dr. Roseann's website: droseanne.com

Book: The Dysregulated Kid

Connect with Leslie:

Parents: Schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie here to help your teen or young adult learn to make healthy decisions, care for themselves and navigate life with confidence.

Website: leslierosecoaching.com

Instagram: instagram.com/leslierosecoaching

Disclaimer

Ever lose track of time doing something you love — then completely dread starting your homework two minutes later? That's flow, and you can actually trigger it on purpose to help you do the things you want to do. In this episode, I'm talking with Laurie Smith, author of The Flow Habit, about how to get into a flow state even when you have zero motivation. We break down her 4-step FEAL method (Focus, Engage, Equalize, Listen & Let Go), why perfectionism is on the rise in teens, and how flow can quiet that inner critic voice for good.

Listen now to find your own flow habit and finally get out of your head.

[02:20] What "flow" really means

[03:27] Why flow quiets your inner critic

[06:04] The rise of teen perfectionism and achievement culture

[07:38] Flow as a "rebellious act" — connecting to your own joy

[14:10] The FEAL framework: Focus, Engage, Equalize, Listen & Let Go

[17:10] Finding your sweet spot (not too much pressure, not too little)

[22:06] Real flow habits — vacuuming, doodling, and the "floatovator"

[25:56] Laurie's book, The Flow Habit, and the free 28-Day Flow Challenge

[27:10] Using flow to break free from social media and phone scrolling

Resources mentioned:

• Laurie's free 28-Day Flow Challenge
• The Flow Habit (book)

Connect with Leslie:

Parents - schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie HERE

Website: leslierosecoaching.com

Instagram: instagram.com/leslierosecoaching

We just hit 200 episodes — so which ones actually stuck with you? In this solo recap, I'm counting down the top 5 episodes of all time and breaking down why I think each one hit different. From body image and comparison, to resilience after hard stuff, to why procrastination isn't really a focus problem — this episode is basically a highlight reel of everything that's helped you most so far.

Here are some of the topics that interest you most:

• Body image and size acceptance
• Building resilience after adversity
• Why teens need more fun, not less
• The real reason you procrastinate
• Morning routines that actually reduce stress
• Food, fitness, and recovery for teen athletes
• Ditching caloric deficit thinking for good

Listen now to catch what you missed — or revisit the episode that hit hardest the first time.

Connect with Leslie:

Parents: Schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie here to help your teen or young adult resolve weight and unhealthy eating habits, while improving body image and self-esteem.

Grab Leslie's free guide: 5 Ways to Help Your Teen Eat Better Without Making Things Worse

• Website: leslierosecoaching.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/leslierosecoaching
• Facebook: facebook.com/leslierosecoaching

Disclaimer