Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam

If you want your teen to thrive within our current hypercompetitive culture and uncertain landscape, this episode is for you.   

In this episode  I’m joined by Cindy Muchnick, Educational Consultant and author of The Parent Compass: Navigating Your Teen's Wellness and Academic Journey in Today's Competitive World, which Katie Couric selected as one of the top 11 fall parenting reads. 

Cindy shows us how we can best support our teens without having to frantically tutor, manage, and helicopter them.  

7 points to the Parent Compass

1. Intact relationships

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Buy the Parent Compass on Amazon

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others would appreciate the guidance and encouragement, please take a quick moment to rate and review. Reviews from my listeners are extremely valuable and greatly appreciated. Review on iTunes.

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This is my 3rd anniversary episode with Jamie Edelbrock. Jamie was my very first podcast guest back in 2019. Pre-Pandemic! We were both just starting a new chapter in our life story and scared! 

Since then, Jamie has become a prolific advocate for children's mental health. She’s published two award-winning children’s books: Tangled Up and Be the Sparkle, which shine a positive, hopeful light on mental health and therapy. She’s also raising 3 teen girls of her own.

Jamie and I talk about what she’s been up to, lessons learned, and 9 powerful ways parents can Be the Sparkle for their teenagers.

1. Be calm

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Buy Tangled Up

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others would appreciate the guidance and encouragement, please take a quick moment to rate and review. Reviews from my listeners are extremely valuable and greatly appreciated. Review on iTunes.

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If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Google, Spotify. You can also subscribe from the podcast app on your mobile device or listen LIVE in my Private Facebook Group.

If you want to prepare your teen to be successful in their careers or whatever they decide to do in the future, this episode is for you. 

In this episode I’m joined by Michael Trezza, the Founder and CEO of Giant Leaps Learning, an online after-school enrichment program. Michael and his team help kids master the skills they’ll need become great leaders not just in the future, but right now.  

Michael talks to us about the foundational routines and behaviors he believes are essential for setting our teens up to thrive.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Learn more about Gian Leaps Learning

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others would appreciate the guidance and encouragement, please take a quick moment to rate and review. Reviews from my listeners are extremely valuable and greatly appreciated. Review on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Google, Spotify. You can also subscribe from the podcast app on your mobile device or listen LIVE in my Private Facebook Group.

Do your teen’s erratic mood swings and emotional outbursts make you feel like you’re on a never-ending rollercoaster ride? Then this episode is for you.

The challenge of dealing with teen emotions is difficult for parents and teens alike. Parents feel like they’re walking on eggshells unsure of what will set their teen off or what to do about it when they do. Teen’s feel overwhelmed by growing demands around school, grades, performance, and behavior and the expectation that they should be able to handle it all and still be pleasant to be around. Although it may seem like a lose-lose situation at times, there are things we can do to change the dynamic.

In this episode, I’m joined by Gina Nelson a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the creator of the 10-step method to Combating Teen Anxiety.  

Gina teaches us how to help our teens manage their big emotions and have conversations about tough topics in a way that makes them feel safe and calm.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Combating Teen Anxiety free mini course

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others would appreciate the guidance and encouragement, please take a quick moment to rate and review. Reviews from my listeners are extremely valuable and greatly appreciated. Review on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Google, Spotify. You can also subscribe from the podcast app on your mobile device or listen LIVE in my Private Facebook Group.

Are you baffled about why your teen is so anxious? Do you want to know how to help them? If so, this episode is for you.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 32% of teens suffered from an anxiety disorder in the last year compared to just 19% of adults, and the numbers keep growing. 

What’s going on?!

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Loretta Breuning, author of many personal development books, including Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Endorphin Levels. She is also the Founder of the Inner Mammal Institute which helps thousands of people make peace with their inner mammal.

Dr. Breuning teaches us how anxiety shows up in the brain and how we can use that information to help our teens (and ourselves) manage anxiety more effectively.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Books by Dr. Loretta Breuning
  • Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, and Endorphin Levels

• Inner Mammal Institute Video Series

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others would appreciate the guidance and encouragement, please take a quick moment to rate and review. Reviews from my listeners are extremely valuable and greatly appreciated. Review on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Google, Spotify. You can also subscribe from the podcast app on your mobile device or listen LIVE in my Private Facebook Group.

If your teenager has low self-confidence or is anxious about being picked on, this episode is for you.

7 in 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school, and friendships.  Boys struggle with self-esteem almost as much. When teens feel bad about themselves, they may try to avoid normal daily activities like going to school, or often engage in unhealthy activities like cutting, bullying, disordered eating, and even losing themselves in video games. 

What can we do?

In this episode, I’m joined by Clinical Psychologist, Kate Lund, who has worked with major hospitals, schools, and hundreds of parents. Her international bestselling book Bounce is the ultimate guide to helping children build resilience and thrive in all areas of life.  

Kate and I discuss:

• How to help your teens build resilience

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Kate Lund’s Website

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others would appreciate the guidance and encouragement, please take a quick moment to rate and review. Reviews from my listeners are extremely valuable and greatly appreciated. Review on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Google, Spotify. You can also subscribe from the podcast app on your mobile device or listen LIVE in my Private Facebook Group.

If you’re worried your teen may be sending or receiving inappropriate snapchats, texts, and DMs, this episode is for you.

According to the CDC sexting can damage a teen’s self-image, is linked to cyberbullying, increases rates of depression and other mental health issues, and may even result in felony charges.

Yet, this activity has become somewhat normalized even expected among teens. Nearly 15% have sent an explicit or suggestive image or message, and one out of four teens have received one. 

In this episode, I’m joined by Christy Keating, founder and CEO of The Heartful Parent, to discuss how to talk to our teens about consent, and what to do if we discover they’ve been sexting. 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• The Heartful Parent website

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others would appreciate the guidance and encouragement, please take a quick moment to rate and review. Reviews from my listeners are extremely valuable and greatly appreciated. Review on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Google, Spotify. You can also subscribe from the podcast app on your mobile device or listen LIVE in my Private Facebook Group.

If you have a plus-sized teen struggling with their body image or not feeling accepted, this episode is for you.

Thanks to media, advertisers, and the ever-growing weight-loss industry, we live in a society that believes the thinner the better. This has led to an increase in eating disorders for both women and men, which has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

To counter this dangerous trend, many are trying to reignite the body positive movement that was first launched in the 60’s. The goal is to shift the focus from thin as the image of “health” to the acceptance and celebration of all sizes and weights. But we still have a long way to go!

In this episode I’m joined by Pam Luk, the founder of Ember & Ace, an athletic wear brand exclusively for plus size kids (PSKs).  Pam and I discuss:

• The impact of today’s thin culture on our kids

Thanks for Listening!

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If you know or suspect your teen is using drugs or want to prevent them, this episode is for you.

More than half of teens surveyed said they have experimented with substances such as alcohol, marijuana, vaping, and prescription drugs. Some are able to stop easily, some are not, some have no interest in even trying. 

In this episode I’m joined by KL Wells, the Founder of Voices InCourage, to help parents navigate teen drug use and addiction.

In this episode we cover:

• What parents can do if they suspect or know their child is using.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Voices InCourage website 

Thanks for Listening!

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recently declared adolescent mental health a national emergency, as rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts continue to skyrocket. The pandemic brought this serious issue to the forefront, but this uptick started years before COVID arrived on the scene.  

Sadly, and too often, the parents of these teens are the last to learn about their child's mental health struggles—and often too late to take action.

In this episode, I’m joined by Elliot Kallen, the Co-Founder and President of A Brighter Day, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing suicide by helping teens manage their depression and stress. Elliot is going to teach us what warning signs to look for and what we can do to protect our teens from the number one preventable cause of death.

Key Takeaways

• Warning signs: drastic change in behavior patterns (sleep habits, eating, socializing) 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Text "BRIGHTER" to 741741 for 24/7 mental health support

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it with a friend.

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