Host Mya Dunlop, the CEO and Founder of Teen Brain Trust, shares the story of how a conversation with her oldest son who was struggling during his first year in college went totally off the rails. But thanks to a friend's insight into microinvalidation, she course-corrected and learned a parenting lesson in the process. 

Teens are obsessed with thriving socially—so how are they so clumsy and awkward in social situations? Episode host Robin Friend, Teen Brain Trust Co-Creator and Lead Course Designer, dives into the four main factors that neuroscience can explain. He breaks down the frequently cringey process of development that the writer Quentin Crisp—not a neuroscientist—aptly described as rebelling and conforming at the same time.

Research incontrovertibly shows that across the globe, teens are gonna party... And probably drink alcohol, too. In this episode, host Mya Dunlop, Teen Brain Trust CEO/Founder and mom of three adolescent boys, explores why teens' developing brains seek out partying in particular. Plus, she dives into a few ways parents can actually help their kid healthy manage partying without looking like hypocrites or provoking their teen to lie about it.

When you tell someone you have a teen, they never say, "Oh, that's a fun age." We're here to change the pervasively cynical attitude about adolescence for parents, educators, and anyone else who spends time with a teen.  

"We" is the team behind Teen Brain Trust, made up of parenting-science experts (including parents!) dedicated to the empowerment of teens and preteens. HopePunk Parenting podcast hosts include Mya Dunlop, Founder/CEO and mom of three adolescent boys, Robin Friend, Co-Creator and Lead Course Designer, and more super-interesting guests yet to come!

FYI: The podcast's episodes are mostly short-form (under 10 minutes), and packed with the maximum information because we know your time is at a minimum. We hope you join our growing a community of people passionate about empowering the next generation of change makers, and we hope you subscribe and leave us a review if you enjoy the mini-episodes.