Are the words you're speaking building connection or creating distance with your teen?
Could everyday phrases be unintentionally fueling your child’s anxiety or shame?

In this heartwarming and eye-opening episode, Colleen O'Grady talks with Amy Hughes—mother of nine, writer, parenting coach, and author of the upcoming book Words Like Honey. Together, they explore the profound impact of the words we speak to our children, especially during the teen and young adult years. Amy shares how common phrases like “hurry up” or “don’t be sad” can trigger stress responses in kids and how language rooted in fear or control can erode connection. Drawing from her own imperfect journey and deep experience as a mother, Amy introduces the “4 Rs” framework—Rethink, Replace, Reframe, and Repair—offering parents a path to more intentional and healing communication. The episode is a compassionate reminder that it’s never too late to choose grace-filled words that build trust and nurture faith.

Amy Hughes is a writer, speaker, and parenting coach based on California’s Central Coast. A mother of nine children ranging from toddler to 30 years old, Amy’s warmth, humor, and real-life parenting wisdom have made her a sought-after conference speaker. She’s a featured contributor to Wild + Free and has been published in Scary Mommy, Encourage, Christian Unschooling, and more. Her upcoming book, Words Like Honey: How to Avoid Unintentional Harm, Model Kindness, and Nurture Your Child's Faith Through What You Say, is available wherever books are sold. Find her at simplelittleamy.com or on Instagram @simplelittleamy.

Three Key Takeaways:

Our words shape our children’s inner world. Phrases we say often—like “be careful” or “what’s wrong with you?”—can unintentionally trigger anxiety, shame, or self-doubt. Awareness is the first step to change.

Repair is always possible. Even if we’ve said the wrong thing in the past, taking ownership and apologizing can restore connection and model humility and growth.

Life-giving language builds trust. Instead of threats, comparisons, or venting, Amy encourages us to use specific encouragement, curiosity, and kindness to create lasting bonds with our teens and young adults.

Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/simplelittleamy/?hl=en

Learn More at https://simplelittleamy.com/

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Are you worried that your relationship with your teen will fade once they leave home? Have you ever wondered what your role as a mom should look like once your child becomes an adult?

3 Key Takeaways:

It's Never Too Late to Be a Great Parent – Repair and growth are possible at any stage, but it takes humility, emotional regulation, and a willingness to do your own work.

Let Go of Fear-Based Parenting – Adult children need confidence, not control. When we lead with fear, we risk damaging trust and closeness.

Support Looks Different Now – Ask your adult children, “How can I support you right now?”—and be willing to listen without fixing. That simple question builds safety and connection.

Learn more at https://www.parentingadultchildrentoday.com/

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In this episode I have a great conversation with Lisa Hinkelman, author of Girls Without Limits: Helping Girls Succeed in Relationships, Academics, Careers, and Life. Lisa has recently released her second edition of Girls Without Limits, Her first edition was published in 2013.

Lisa and I talk about how much has changed for girls in the past ten years. Lisa raised a very important question. "What skills does a girl need to not have sex with someone she doesn't want to have sex with.? or "What skills does a girl need to not send a nude picture?" Lisa stated that it's not a "character deficit it's a skills deficit." Girls need to be taught concrete and discrete skills like being able to stand up for herself, setting boundaries ahead of time, know how to enforce that boundary verbally and physically, knowing who to talk to when she needs support, knowing how to deal with coercion, and when to end or leave a situation.

Lisa Hinkelman, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX). She is a counselor, educator, researcher and author. Hinkelman's work for the past fifteen years has focused on the critical issues impacting girls and how schools, parents and educators can effectively support and encourage girls' interpersonal, educational and career growth. Previously, as a Counselor Education faculty member at The Ohio State University, her teaching and scholarly research focused on social and emotional learning, non-academic barriers that impact learning and girls' self-concept development. She was selected as a Nominated Changemaker for The White House United State of Women, Smart Business CEO of the Year and is a Draper Richards Kaplan Social Entrepreneur Fellow. 

Contact Lisa at ⁠https://rulingourexperiences.com/⁠

Follow Lisa at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/rulingourexperiences/

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Would you like your teens to have better manners and show respect to you, your home, and others?

My guest today literally wrote the book.

Brooke Romney is a writer, speaker and leader of an online community who helps moms of teens and tweens create meaningful, healthy and enjoyable relationships with their children through practical application, education and community. Her goal is for every family to feel confident and connected. The mother of four boys ages tween to adult, Brooke knows parenting perfection isn’t real and takes an honest and hopeful approach with her audience. Her best-selling book 52 Modern Manners for Today’s Teens (Volumes 1 & 2) provides weekly tips to help parents and teens navigate the complexities of today’s world. The follow-up, 52 Modern Manners for Kids, will feature tips for kids and tweens aged four to 12 and is set to release this August. Brooke's work has been featured in The Washington Post, Scary Mommy and Forbes. Brooke and her family live in Utah.

Here are some examples of her modern manners for teens

In this episode she shares her secrets to getting teens to actually listen (and not blow you off) and follow through with these manners.

Follow Brooke on Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/brookeromneywrites/⁠

and ⁠https://brookeromney.com/

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Are there any anxious mothers out there? Have you ever been shamed for being an anxious mother?

Well, I definitely have been an anxious mom, just ask my daughter. Actually I have never met a mom especially a mom of a teen who hasn’t had to deal with anxious thoughts. Moms are going to worry. the challenge is how to make anxiety useful and not be a constant source of agony. In this episode we talk about how to get curious about anxiety and learn from it.

Joining us today is Yael Goldstein-Love. She is the author of the novels The Passion of Tasha Darsky, described as “showing signs of brooding genius” by The New York Times, and The Possibilities, forthcoming in July. She also practices psychotherapy, with a particular interest in the transition to parenthood, and is working toward her doctorate in clinical psychology. Her dissertation research focuses on how mothers experience their anxiety for the unknown futures of their children. She is a graduate of Harvard University and currently attends The Wright Institute. Her writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal Speakeasy Blog, The Atlantic online, The Forward, Commentary, and other places. She lives with her six-year-old son and a very patient cat in Berkeley, CA.

Here are a couple of quotes from Yael's article on maternal anxiety.

"There is a mismatch between the primal maternal drive to protect our offspring and our knowledge that we’re largely powerless to do so, and this gap between what we long to do as mothers taxed with seeing the next generation in, and what we can realistically do as human beings, is one of the more brutal gifts of evolution. No wonder anxiety is such a fundamental part of motherhood."

"We don’t often think about the sheer existential heft of caring for a child, and how anxiety is baked right into it. To honor this aspect of mothering would be to look head-on at realities we all find harrowing: that life is fragile, we never know what’s coming next, we suffer, and in the end we die. Maternal worry gets at the heart of what is terrifying about being alive, and about loving."

Learn more at: ⁠https://www.yaelgoldsteinlove.com/⁠

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Are your teen’s mood swings more than “just hormones”?Are your own symptoms—fatigue, anxiety, or low libido—being dismissed as “normal”?

In this powerful episode, Colleen O'Grady interviews Dr. Julie Taylor, functional medicine physician and author of The Hormone Manual, about the misunderstood role hormones play in both teens and moms. Dr. Taylor debunks the myth that hormones are simply a “female issue” to be silenced, minimized, or medicated. Instead, she explains how hormones—especially progesterone and testosterone—are central to our emotional and physical well-being. From gut health in childhood to PMS, PMDD, birth control, perimenopause, and menopause, Dr. Taylor outlines how hormone imbalances often go undiagnosed and untreated, leading to anxiety, depression, migraines, and more. She urges moms to listen to their bodies—and their daughters’—and seek out root-cause, functional medicine solutions.

Dr. Julie Taylor is a bioidentical hormone specialist and functional medicine doctor with a thriving practice in Pasadena, California. She aims to restore health and wellness to her patients by treating the whole person. She sees patients, men and women of all ages in her practice where she emphasizes preventive medicine reversing chronic disease and finding the root cause of all symptoms. She focuses especially on menopause management and helping women find quality of life as they age.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

Hormones are everything. Progesterone is a natural antidepressant, and estrogen/testosterone imbalances can lead to anxiety, mood swings, migraines, and loss of motivation or libido.

Teen symptoms like PMS, heavy periods, acne, and even suicidal thoughts may stem from hormone imbalances, not mental illness—and can often be treated naturally.

Birth control may mask symptoms but cut off vital communication between brain and ovaries. Non-hormonal options like the copper IUD are safer, and hormone testing is essential before defaulting to antidepressants.

Find out more at: https://julietaylormd.com/

Follow on Instagram at : https://www.instagram.com/julietaylormd/

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Do you feel like your home energy often mirrors your teen’s mood—and not in a good way? What if you could shift the atmosphere in your home without saying a word?

Lisa Danahy (C-IAYT, YACEP, MS) is a powerful educator and entrepreneur. Her non-profit, Create Calm, has facilitated cultural shifts and deep healing for thousands of students, teachers, and families in hundreds of schools and community organizations across the country since 2016.

With an MS in Yoga Therapy and BA in Psychology, over 30 years as a school administrator and SEL curriculum developer, and certification as an advanced educator and trainer, Lisa is highly skilled at creating accessible, evidence-based, successful curricula for behavioral and emotional regulation, as well as physical and mental health. She is the author of Creating Calm in Your Classroom.

Key Takeaways:

Your calm is contagious. You don’t need to fix your teen’s mood. When you regulate yourself first—through breath, movement, or mindfulness—you model what emotional balance looks like and help them get there too.

Energy is meant to move. Whether it’s stress, anxiety, or frustration, Lisa offers easy movement practices like “Washing Machine Twists” that help shift big energy safely out of the body.

Start where you are. You don’t need a yoga mat or a quiet room. Mindful movements and breath can happen in the kitchen, before you walk in the house, or alongside your dysregulated teen—with or without their participation.

Learn more at: https://createcalm.org/

Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/create_calm_yoga/

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Is your teen glued to their screen this summer? Do you know the difference between typical teen behavior and true digital distress?

In this powerful episode, Dr. Jennifer Zumarrarga, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, joins Colleen O’Grady to talk about the growing issue of digital distress—the emotional strain and anxiety caused by excessive screen use. Together, they explore how screens are impacting teens' mental health, from sleep issues to depression and even self-harm. Dr. Zumarrarga shares how her clinical work has evolved as digital habits have become a root cause of many emotional and behavioral issues in teens. The conversation dives deep into how the pandemic escalated screen dependency, how to spot signs of distress, and why setting boundaries around technology use is more critical than ever—especially during summer.

Jennifer Zumarraga, MD is a specialist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology at El Camino Health in California. She has over a decade of experience working with children and adolescents of all ages. Dr. Zumarraga began her career in research at the National Institute of Mental Health, focusing on youth with ADHD. She went on

Three Key Takeaways:

Excessive screen time affects the basics: Sleep, nutrition, mood, and social interaction often suffer when teens are glued to their devices. Look for changes like irritability, withdrawal, or academic decline.

Limits are necessary—and hard: Teens often push back when you try to cut screen time. But consistency, clear boundaries, and calm conversations (held when everyone is regulated) can help establish healthier habits.

Help teens reclaim their summer: Work with your teen to create a list of 30–50 non-digital activities, develop a daily structure, and encourage real-world social connections. This effort now can prevent more serious mental health issues later.

Learn more at:

https://www.getcare.elcaminohealth.org/providers/jennifer-zumarraga-md-1518987601-1

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Are you worried your teen will experiment with alcohol, vaping, or other risky behaviors?
Do you wonder how to have those crucial conversations without getting shut down—or tuned out?

In this powerful episode, Dr. Crystal Collier joins Colleen to unpack the science behind teen decision-making, impulsivity, and risk. With compelling insights from her own story and decades of research, Dr. Collier explains how dopamine, brain development, and social pressure collide in the adolescent years. She shares how high-risk behaviors like vaping, binge drinking, and overusing tech can alter executive functioning—and what parents can do to help. From early prevention strategies to family code building, refusal skills, and brain-based praise, this episode offers actionable steps to help your teen thrive.

Crystal Collier, PhD, LPC-S, is a therapist, prevention researcher, educator, and author of The NeuroWhereAbouts Guide and Know Your Neuro: Adventures of a Growing Brain children's book series. The Know Your Neuro prevention model was selected for the Prevention and Education Commendation from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

You can prevent risky behavior—but it takes consistency, brain-based conversations, and setting a clear family code. Starting early (even in 3rd grade) is ideal, but it’s never too late to begin.

Risky behavior alters brain development. Dopamine surges from vaping, drinking, or pornography can delay or damage the frontal lobe’s growth—impacting impulse control, empathy, and decision-making.

Refusal skills matter. Teens are more likely to say yes when they haven’t rehearsed saying no. Helping your teen develop assertive or even humorous ways to resist peer and social media pressure is critical to their safety and confidence.

Let your parenting be grounded in neuroscience—and empower your teen to protect their most valuable asset: their brain.

Learn more at https://www.drcrystalcollier.com/

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Are you parenting a teen with ADHD and wondering why they seem so emotionally intense? Have you ever felt helpless watching your child spiral from rejection or frustration, unsure how to support them?

In this deeply compassionate and eye-opening episode, Colleen interviews Jheri South—a mom of seven neurodivergent children, ADHD coach, and parent mentor—about the often overlooked emotional side of ADHD, especially Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). Jheri shares her raw and inspiring journey from being a single mom in survival mode to becoming an empowered advocate and guide for parents of neurodivergent teens. Together, they discuss why ADHD isn’t just about distractibility—it’s about difficulty regulating attention and emotion. Jheri explains how understanding the neurological wiring of ADHD can radically shift a child’s self-worth and a parent’s approach. She also unpacks how a simple coaching tool helped her son break through emotional paralysis—and why parents must do their own work to create a stable foundation for healing and growth.

Jheri’s insights are grounded in both lived experience and professional expertise. She explains why many parents misinterpret emotional dysregulation as defiance, how girls often mask their symptoms, and why RSD episodes are not moments for discipline but for space and understanding. If you’ve ever wondered whether medication, coaching, or mindset work is the right path, Jheri provides a balanced, informed perspective—along with hope that your teen can thrive.

💡 Takeaways for Moms

ADHD is not just about focus—it’s deeply emotional. Many kids (and adults) with ADHD struggle with rejection sensitivity and emotional swings that can look like laziness, disrespect, or defiance. Recognizing this rewires your approach from frustration to empathy.

Connection matters more than perfection. Sherri emphasizes that building a relationship based on fun, love, and trust—not just academic success or behavior management—is what truly sustains teens, especially those with ADHD.

Support starts with you. Parents who ask, “How can I do this better?” create a healing path forward. Your mindset, consistency, and willingness to understand your child’s brain can make the difference between chaos and clarity.

Find out more at: https://jherisouth.com/

Follow Jheri at https://www.instagram.com/msjherisouth/

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