Positive World, Positive People

What happens when you see a problem and decide you can't just walk past it? We often talk about making a difference as if it requires some huge, perfectly planned movement. But meaningful change can begin with something much more personal: noticing what's happening around you, caring about the people affected, and deciding to take that first step. To share their own story through similar circumstances, today, I'm joined by Shreyaa and Esha Venkat, the co-founders of NEST4US.

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We think of courage as something dramatic, like standing up for what we believe in or acting despite fear. But courage can also show up in much smaller moments, especially during adolescence. It can mean speaking up when your friends disagree, taking a social risk, admitting that you're wrong, or doing something even when you're worried about how others might react. So what actually happens psychologically when we decide whether something is worth the risk? To help us understand the science behind courage, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Cynthia Pury.

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Think back to when you were little. Summer vacation seemed endless. Waiting for your birthday felt like forever. Even one school year felt incredibly long. But somehow, as we get older, the opposite seems to happen. Weeks disappear. Months seem to blur together, and before we know it, another year has passed. So why does that happen? For today's episode, we're exploring one of the most fascinating questions about the human mind: why time seems to speed up as we grow older, and how memory, attention, novelty, and the way we process experiences shape our perception of time, especially as adolescents. To help us explore this, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Adrian Bejan.

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When we think about curiosity, we often picture young children asking endless questions about the world around them. But somewhere along the way, many of us stop asking "why?" as often as we used to. School becomes more focused on finding the right answers, life gets busier, and sometimes curiosity quietly takes a back seat. But what if curiosity is about much more than simply learning new facts? In today's episode, we're exploring the hidden benefits of curiosity, including how it shapes learning, relationships, resilience, and personal growth throughout the teenage years. To help us explore these questions, I'm delighted to welcome Dr. Susan Engel.

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Welcome back to Change Starts Small, a series within Positive World, Positive People, where I speak with activists, innovators, and leaders who are creating meaningful change. We often hear stories about young people who accomplish something incredible, and the story seems to end there. Someone has an idea, creates something amazing, receives recognition, and suddenly they're known for that one accomplishment; however, people don't stop growing at their first success. To help us explore this journey, I'm excited to welcome Andini Makosinski.

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Think about how many pieces of information you've already seen today. Within just a few minutes, we've often absorbed more information than people once encountered in an entire day. Here's the challenge: not everything we see is true. Some information is carefully researched. Some is misleading by accident. And some is intentionally designed to spread confusion. As teenagers growing up in a digital world, learning how to think critically may be just as important as learning what to think. To help us better understand misinformation and its role among adolescents, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Stephan Lewandowsky.

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As teenagers, it's easy to hear that we're "too young" to make a difference. Many of us can't vote yet, and sometimes it can feel like our opinions don't carry much weight; however, civic engagement doesn't begin on your eighteenth birthday. It begins the moment you start paying attention, asking questions, and choosing to get involved. So today, we're exploring why adolescents should be involved in politics and civic life, how civic engagement contributes to identity development, critical thinking, leadership, and why participating early can shape a lifetime of meaningful involvement in society. To help us explore these ideas, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Elizabeth Matto.

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Nearly everyone has experienced a moment when a relationship changes because of something that was said, or something that wasn't. As adolescents and young adults, we're constantly building new relationships while also learning how to handle conflict, disappointment, and trust. But apologizing and forgiving aren't always as simple as they seem. So today, we're exploring the questions: Why can apologizing feel so uncomfortable? What separates a meaningful apology from one that falls flat? And how does forgiveness shape our relationships and emotional well-being during adolescence? To help us explore these questions, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Everett Worthington.

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In this series, we highlight activists, innovators, and leaders who work to create a more equitable and opportunity-filled future, often by recognizing a missing piece and acting against it. Additionally, at the heart of this series is the idea that meaningful change doesn’t always begin with something big; it often starts with one person noticing something discrepant and deciding to do something about it. Today’s guest is someone whose work is focused on expanding access to opportunity and rethinking what success after education can look like. I’m honored to welcome Aimée Eubanks Davis, founder and CEO of Braven.

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Whether we realize it or not, most of us spend time wondering what other people think of us. Did I say the wrong thing? Do people actually like me? What impression am I leaving? During adolescence, these questions can feel especially important. Our reputations begin to shape friendships, opportunities, and even how we see ourselves. But why do other people's opinions carry so much weight? And is our reputation really as permanent as it sometimes feels? For today's episode, we're exploring how reputation and impressions shift during adolescence and why they impact our growth over time. To help us understand this, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Mark Leary.

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