Many of us spend a lot of time worrying, thinking about, and navigating expectations about our friendships. Wondering "How close are we really? Do we call ourselves "best friends" yet?" Do we need to have a "best friend" to have meaningful relationships, anyway?

In this episode, we explore the idea of best friends, how we relate to this idea, stories about changing relationships, navigating changing relationships, and reflect on our feelings about friendships and how they affect us.

One of the biggest pressures of getting older is the idea of having to “figure things out” by yourself. How do we navigate the pressure to “know what we’re doing” while also being flexible and open to new things? How do we process the reality that life might turn out differently from our childhood dreams? How do we process that life is less linear than we imagined? 

In this episode of This Teenage Life, the teens talk about the anticipation of moving from high school to college and beyond. They grapple with expectations to figure out who they are and what they want to be “when they grow up," even while also recognizing that there is no end to growing up, and that all of life is a process of growing.

Looking for a free, youth-run summer opportunity? Check out Coding the Future, a free, virtual, personalized program run by teens that helps other young people learn how to code. You can also email them at [email protected]

This Teenage Life will also be running some fun and creative clubs and workshops this summer. If you're interested in learning more, email us at [email protected].

Throwback episode on a popular topic...periods!

In this episodes, teens share stories and reflections on getting their periods for the first time, navigating the logistics and their feelings about periods, and working to destigmatize menstruation.

To hear our first episode on periods, check it out here on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

In this episode, we reflect on the idea of self care and the many ways we take care of ourselves without expensive products and "glow ups."

We compare fancy routines and performances of self care on the internet with everyday  actions we take to feel well-regulated and whole.  We hope this episode brings you some joy and self-kindness during this Mental Health Month:)

Please spread the love and share the show, subscribe, and, if you like the show, give us a 5-star review!

Grief, adversity, and trauma are common, formative human experiences that people move through and grow from. Yet, we often avoid talking about this process, making it harder to understand how people make meaning from grief.

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) offers us a paradigm for how to make sense of hard experiences and move forward in ways that deepen our connections with ourselves and each other.

In this episode, teens share their stories and we hear from Dr. Taryn Greene, a research psychologist who works with the Boulder Crest Foundation to study PTG.  Check out Boulder Crest's PTG story challenge, with opportunities to win funding to share your story.

To learn more about posttraumatic growth, check out the resources below. And as always, if you want to reach out, email us at [email protected].

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/struggle-well/202303/how-to-use-grief-to-grow

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/struggle-well/202305/navigating-trauma-is-not-easy-expert-companions-can-help

https://bouldercrest.org/research-resources/what-is-posttraumatic-growth-ptg/

Clear skin, "feminine features," "snatched bodies," — we’re often taught to associate our self worth with how we line up with societal expectations about beauty.

In this throwback episode, we speak openly and honestly about our body insecurities, where they come from, and how we are working on them.

As kids, it’s often hard to see that parents are not just parents. They’re human beings who have their own needs, emotions, styles, fragilities, crushes, etc. In this re-release of one of our favorite episodes, we talk about moments when we began to discover that parents are, in fact, people too.

As we evolve as people, so does our relationship to music. In this episode, the teens discuss their own musical journeys - how their taste has changed, live music they've experienced, favorite songs, and how music helps build connection. 

To check out what our community is listening to these days, take a listen to our playlist on Spotify: This Teenage Life: Music We Love