Where Parents Talk: Evidence-based Expert Advice on Raising Kids Today

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how companies hire, and the career advice many teens and young adults are getting hasn’t caught up. In this episode of Where Parents Talk, host Lianne Castelino speaks with Scott Kosch, an AI business transformation entrepreneur, angel investor, father of two and author of A Student’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of AI.

After 25 years watching how employers decide who to hire, and many conversations with CEOs and investors leading AI change, Scott noticed something: even the people driving the technology didn’t know what to tell their own kids. That led him to write a practical, research-based guide for high school and college students.

Scott explains why AI is here to stay, how using AI to do the work of learning can undermine a student’s education, and why young people will need to take more ownership of their learning. He also shares fresh ways to think about high school, choosing a college, picking a major and planning a career in an AI-driven world. It’s a helpful conversation for parents of tweens, teens and young adults who want to guide their kids with facts instead of fear.

Takeaways:

• AI is here to stay; students must contend with it proactively rather than burying their heads, prioritizing responsible device usage and disciplined study habits to preserve genuine learning.
• Caution that using AI to do your homework corrupts the learning process, undermining independence, discipline, and the development of real-world problem-solving skills employers value.
• Advise students to take agency over their education: reassess majors, college choices, and career pathways through an AI-aware lens instead of following outdated parental roadmaps.
• Many adults genuinely lack answers about AI; foster open communication with your teens so decision-making feels collaborative rather than paternalistic.
• Emphasize balancing technological fluency with protections for mental, emotional, and physical health — set social media and device boundaries to maintain wellbeing.
• Cultivating process-oriented learning, critical thinking, ethical judgment around consent & relationships, and resilience against bullying amplified by online platforms.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Where Parents Talk
• ChatGPT

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

How can parents help children build resilience, overcome self-doubt, and navigate the challenges of growing up in an increasingly complex world?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks with Ann Paphitis, a resilience coach, speaker, personal reinvention expert, and former school leader who worked with children struggling with anxiety, depression, bullying, and other challenges.

Drawing on her professional experience and journey as a mother of three, Ann shares practical insights into how parents can nurture resilience in children and teens while building their confidence, self-esteem, and independence.

Discover why patience, empathy, and meaningful communication are essential to helping young people overcome adversity, and why understanding your child's unique perspective matters more than assuming you know how they feel. Ann also explores how parents can reassure children that their worth and their family's love are not defined by academic setbacks or mistakes.

The conversation examines the delicate balance between protecting children and allowing them to learn through experience, take responsibility for their choices, and develop the skills they need to thrive as young adults. Ann shares a practical approach to managing fear by helping children work through worst-case scenarios, put challenges into perspective, and recognize that even difficult outcomes can be overcome.

In a world where information overload, negative news, and uncertainty can affect young people's mental well-being, Ann explains why encouraging hope, celebrating positive stories, and creating opportunities for children to experience success are vital to building lasting resilience.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How parents can build resilience, confidence, and emotional strength in children and teenagers.
• Why listening without judgment helps strengthen parent-child communication.
• How to support tweens and teens struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, fear of failure, or bullying.
• Why repeated practice and small successes help children believe in their abilities.
• How to reassure children while encouraging independence, accountability, and healthy decision-making.
• When professional support can help bridge communication gaps between parents and children.
• How to help young people manage uncertainty, navigate negative news, and maintain hope for the future.

whereparentstalk.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Cambridge

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

What does secure attachment really look like in everyday parenting—and why does the parent-child connection remain so important as children grow into teens?

In this Where Parents Talk podcast episode, host Lianne Castelino speaks to child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist Dr. Debbie Raphael shares practical, research-informed insights from her upcoming book, Carry My Strength.

Drawing on more than 20 years of clinical experience, her own journey as a mother, and current research on relational health and positive childhood experiences, Dr. Raphael explores what helps children develop a strong sense of self, healthy relationships and resilience.

The discussion explores secure attachment from toddlerhood through adolescence, why teens still need a secure parental “home base,” how parents can help children develop distress tolerance without trying to fix every problem, and why emotional regulation starts with the adults in a child's life.

Dr. Raphael also explains how our own childhood experiences can influence the way we respond to our children, how parents can interrupt unhealthy intergenerational patterns, and why “good-enough parenting” may be a healthier and more realistic goal than perfection.

She reminds parents to make room for something that can easily get lost in the demands of parenting: joy.

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

Takeaways:

• I remind parents that secure attachment lets children carry our strength, fostering independence, trust, and long-term emotional health.
• We emphasize that distress tolerance starts with the parent — model calm regulation rather than fixing every problem for your child.
• I suggest viewing parenting as a job with boundaries — it reduces reactivity rooted in our own childhood trauma and ACEs.
• We advocate for cultivating shared joy daily: it's not optional fluff but a protective factor for mental, emotional, and physical health.
• I recommend practical strategies—clear communication, consistent discipline, and sensible limits on device usage and social media—to protect adolescents' mental health and reduce bullying risks while teaching consent and healthy relationships.
• We remind parents that hormonal changes during adolescence amplify emotional reactivity; combining empathy with structure helps teenagers practice independence without abandoning safety.
• I encourage self-awareness: exploring your childhood narrative and seeking support or therapy transforms intergenerational patterns and improves parent-child communication.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Where Parents Talk
• Michigan Medicine

How do you raise a mentally strong child in a world filled with academic pressure, social media, anxiety, disappointment and constant comparison?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks to Amy Morin, psychotherapist, speaker, podcast host and international bestselling author.

Morin shares practical, evidence-informed strategies for helping tweens, teens and young adults develop mental strength. Drawing from her books 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do and 13 Things Mentally Strong Kids Do, as well as her experience as a therapeutic foster parent, Morin explains why mental strength isn't something children simply grow into—it is a set of skills parents can intentionally teach and reinforce.

She explores the three building blocks of mental strength: how children think, how they manage emotions and how they behave. She discusses why parents should resist the urge to shield kids from every disappointment, how to teach children to cope with failure and discomfort, and why natural consequences can be powerful learning opportunities.

The conversation also tackles parenting out of guilt, helicopter parenting, confidence versus external validation, praising effort rather than outcomes, emotional regulation, and the skills kids need before entering the world of social media and smartphones.

For parents raising tweens, teens or young adults, this episode offers practical ways to help children become more resilient, emotionally capable and confident—while learning how to handle life's challenges for themselves.

Takeaways:

• We must intentionally teach mental strength: thoughts, emotional health, and actions together, not something children are simply born with.
• I recommend starting emotion conversations early—toddlers through tweens—so communication and coping skills develop before hormonal changes complicate everything.
• We resist parenting out of guilt and sheltering kids from pain; disciplined natural consequences build independence and long-term resilience.
• Before handing over devices, we teach emotional regulation and device usage limits so children tolerate discomfort without defaulting to social media.
• We praise effort over outcome to cultivate internal validation, prevent dependence on external praise, and protect mental health.
• Make failure a dinner-table topic: normalize mistakes, practice problem-solving, and encourage kids to learn rather than hide missteps like cyber slip-ups or bullying incidents.
• From my lived experience, I learned not to give away my power; focus on controllables, uphold consent & relationships boundaries, and prioritize physical and emotional health.
• Three practical practices we recommend: label feelings daily, challenge unhelpful thoughts through conversation, and reinforce small acts of disciplined perseverance.

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

What happens when the coping mechanism that got you through high-pressure executive life becomes the very thing that costs you your family? In this candid episode of Where Parents Talk, host Lianne Castelino sits down with Nick Jonsson — executive coach, psychotherapist, keynote speaker, best-selling author, and Ironman triathlete — who spent years using alcohol to manage the stress of a demanding corporate career before hitting a breaking point that changed everything.

Now in his ninth year of sobriety, Nick shares the unfiltered story of how hustle culture and an unspoken family expectation to "always work harder" masked years of unhealthy coping, and how he rebuilt a broken relationship with his teenage son — one Minecraft session at a time.

Parents will learn Nick's five-step resilience framework (Surrender, Purpose, Connection, Goals, Discipline), practical strategies for having honest conversations with teens about stress, substance use, and mental health, and why modelling vulnerability — not perfection — is what actually builds resilient kids.

Whether you're navigating your own stress, worried about a teen's coping habits, or simply want a more connected family life, this conversation offers real, actionable insight grounded in lived experience.

Topics covered:

addiction recovery, executive burnout, hustle culture, parenting teenagers, father-son relationships, resilience coaching, healthy coping mechanisms, family communication, teen mental health.

Takeaways:

• Surrender—admitting blind spots and vulnerability—is the essential first step toward resilient mental health.
• Replacing numbing behaviours like late-night social media and excessive device usage with meaningful purpose and discipline.
• Making amends and restoring connection with family rebuilds trust after addiction and improves emotional and physical health.
• Introducing a five-step resilience framework—surrender, purpose, connection, goals and discipline—that gives practical structure to recovery and everyday life.
• Modelling coaching-style conversations with my teen, acknowledging hormonal changes while promoting independence, communication and consent & relationships.
• Caution against over-shielding kids from stress because age-appropriate honesty reduces secrecy, bullying risk and supports emotional health.
• Recommending a simple life audit, asking for help early, and using coaches or voluntary groups to protect mental health and family resilience — because recovery becomes service, not a party trick.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Where Parents Talk
• whereparentstalk.com
• ChatGPT
• Netflix
• Minecraft

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

How can parents build stronger relationships with their children’s schools—and feel genuinely heard in the process?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks with Shani Dowell, former educator, entrepreneur, mother of two and founder of Possip, a parent engagement platform designed to help schools close the communication gap between home and school.

Dowell shares her perspective as both a former teacher and parent on why effective parent-school communication can be so challenging, particularly in a post-pandemic education landscape where parents want greater involvement while teachers and school administrators are facing unprecedented demands.

The conversation explores the important difference between parent engagement and truly listening to parents, why parents may hesitate to speak up for fear of being labelled “difficult,” and how schools can create more meaningful two-way communication with families.

Dowell also offers practical advice for parents who feel unheard by their child’s teacher or school, including how to start a productive conversation, when to put concerns in writing, how to establish expectations with a teacher at the beginning of the school year, and how parents can advocate effectively without escalating conflict.

The episode also examines common misconceptions between parents and educators, the value of positive feedback for teachers and school staff, and why parents and schools are ultimately working toward the same goal: helping children thrive.

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

Are today's children missing the life skills they need to succeed—not just in school, but in life?

In this episode of Where Parents Talk, host Lianne Castelino speaks with educator, former classroom teacher, and Anywhere Learning founder Amélie Drouet about why traditional education often falls short when it comes to teaching resilience, independence, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

After spending 15 years in the classroom, Drouet noticed that more students were struggling with foundational life skills that directly affected their ability to learn. Her experience homeschooling her own children while travelling inspired a new approach: combining academics with meaningful, real-world experiences that spark curiosity and confidence.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• Why life skills and academic learning should go hand in hand
• Simple everyday activities that teach math, literacy, science, and responsibility
• How cooking, chores, travel, and family routines become powerful learning opportunities
• Why boredom may actually be essential for creativity and child development
• How parents can use technology as a learning tool instead of a distraction
• Practical ways to raise capable, independent, and motivated children—without adding more to your busy schedule

Whether your child attends public school, private school, or is homeschooled, this episode offers practical parenting strategies to help children thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

Are today's parents protecting their children—or unintentionally holding them back?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk Podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks with Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids movement, co-founder of Let Grow, journalist and author, about why childhood independence has become one of the most important parenting conversations of our time.

Nearly two decades after being labeled "America's Worst Mom" for allowing her nine-year-old son to ride the New York City subway alone, Skenazy explains how parenting culture has shifted—and why fear, anxiety and overprotection continue to prevent many children from developing confidence, resilience and real-world life skills.

Learn why manageable risk is essential for healthy child development, how parents can distinguish between genuine danger and exaggerated fear, and why giving children more age-appropriate freedom may actually reduce anxiety for both kids and parents.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why childhood independence is critical for building resilience and confidence
• How over-parenting and constant supervision can limit healthy development
• The surprising research on children's safety and parents' perceptions of risk
• Why free play and unstructured time matter more than ever
• How the Let Grow movement is helping families raise capable, confident children
• The connection between independence, anxiety and emotional well-being
• Practical ways parents can gradually give children more age-appropriate freedom
• Why kids often want real-world independence more than additional screen time

Whether you're raising elementary-aged children, tweens or teens, this conversation offers evidence-based insights that challenge conventional parenting wisdom while helping families prepare children for adulthood with confidence.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Let Grow
• Free Range Kids
• New York Daily News
• University of Michigan
• Daniel Schuchman
• Peter Gray
• Jonathan Haidt

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

Is your child's gaming really about the game — or something deeper? On this episode of Where Parents Talk, host Lianne Castelino talks with Nathan Graham, AI strategist, entrepreneur, and author of Why Won't He Just Log Off? A Parent's Guide to Video Game Addiction and the Needs Behind the Screen.

Nathan spent nearly seven years as a self-described gaming addict, losing a job and nearly losing his relationship to marathon sessions of World of Warcraft, before a single conversation with a mentor changed the course of his life. Today he helps parents understand what's really driving compulsive gaming in kids and teens.

In this conversation, Nathan unpacks the four core human needs — certainty, adventure, significance, and connection — that video games so effectively fulfill, and why understanding them is the key to helping a child who games too much. He explains how parents can tell the difference between a kid who simply loves gaming and one who's using it to cope, why timers, confiscated consoles, and lectures so often backfire, and how to set screen time boundaries that actually hold — without alienating your teen.

Parents will walk away with practical, compassionate strategies for connecting with a gaming-obsessed child: how to build trust, ask the right questions, and help kids meet those same needs for belonging and significance in healthier ways.

Takeaways:

• Navigating the complex world of gaming addiction requires understanding the emotional needs of our children.
• Parents should engage in open communication, entering their child's gaming world without judgment to truly understand their perspective.
• Setting boundaries collaboratively with teens fosters a sense of independence and responsibility, making rule-breaking less likely.
• Recognizing the signs of gaming as a coping mechanism can help parents address underlying emotional health issues effectively.
• Gaming can provide valuable life skills like teamwork and resilience, highlighting the importance of a balanced approach in parenting.
• Ultimately, parenting is about progress, not perfection; small changes can lead to significant improvements over time.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• World of Warcraft
• Todd Skinner

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

whereparentstalk.com

How do sports shape the values our children carry into adulthood?

In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks to award-winning sports journalists Donovan Bennett (CBC Sports) and Kate McKenna (TSN, CTV's The Social). The couple share how working in sports has impacted the way they are raising their two young sons.

From navigating healthy competition and emotional resilience to balancing screen time, encouraging teamwork, and redefining modern masculinity, Donovan and Kate offer thoughtful, real-world parenting insights rooted in both their professional and personal lives. They discuss the lasting life lessons sports can teach, the importance of positive role models, why youth sports should prioritize participation over performance, and how parents can foster confidence, empathy and inclusion in today's rapidly changing world.

Takeaways:

• Navigating the complexities of parenting amidst hormonal changes in children requires effective communication and discipline.
• The impact of device usage and social media on children's emotional health is a pressing concern for today's parents.
• Promoting independence in children involves teaching them about consent and healthy relationships from an early age.
• Bullying remains a significant issue in sports culture, and parents must address it proactively with their children.
• Physical health and emotional well-being are intertwined, especially during the formative years of adolescence.
• Encouraging participation in sports can foster resilience and teamwork, countering the pressure of a win-at-all-costs mentality.

This podcast is for parents, guardians, teachers and caregivers to learn proven strategies and trusted tips on raising kids, teens and young adults based on science, evidenced and lived experience.

You’ll learn the latest on topics like managing bullying, consent, fostering healthy relationships, and the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health.

Links referenced in this episode:

• whereparentstalk.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• CBC
• TSN
• CTV
• Raptors
• Tempo
• PWHL
• NWSL
• Ottawa Rapid
• Lewis Hamilton
• Serena Williams
• Shae Gilgeous Alexander
• Jared McCain
• Natalie Achonwa