Episodes

In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Tanya Meessmann. After a successful career in corporate America, Tanya pivoted, and now has a company called Girl Shaped Flames. Tanya mentors young ambitious girls and she helps them develop self-confidence and self-belief. As a mom to two teenage sons, I live in a world that's mostly boy-focused. So it was a pleasure to talk to Tanya about her experience with girls and what we as parents can learn about raising teens. Much of our conversation revolves arou...

In this episode, I welcome John Walsh to the podcast. John is a bestselling author, speaker, coach, and business advisor with a passion for helping students and young professionals accelerate their potential and stand out when it matters most. As the president and CEO of StandoutX, he and his team work with other experts around the world to inspire and develop the next generation of high performers, leaders, and difference-makers in business and in life. Before becoming the leader of the Standou...

In this episode, I’m joined by Jordan Paris. Jordan has achieved so much success at such a young age that I just had to share his story with you. During our conversation, Jordan talks about his journey to entrepreneurship, why he believes we should all begin with the end in mind, and the importance of choosing a college major that will deliver a return on investment (ROI). He has great advice for young people about starting a business and shares why he felt compelled to start his super successfu...

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Laurie Bodine. Laurie is the founder of START Leadership, an education, and training company. The work she does with families and schools gives parents and teachers evidence-based tools to equip kids with the mindset and skills that they need to lead well, be well and do well in today's increasingly competitive and rapidly changing world. During our conversation, Laurie offers great advice and actionable tips for parents to help our te...

I am thrilled to welcome Blake Boles to the podcast. Blake is the founder and director of Unschool Adventures, as well as an author, speaker, educator and podcaster. During our conversation, Blake and I discuss the various alternative learning paths and why parents need to learn to release control of their kids’ education in order to build a more authentic relationship. Blake is an expert in the field of self-directed learning and he shares lots of great advice and insights for parents to help t...

In today's episode, I have two special guests joining me. One is my son, Ethan. He's 16 years old and a junior in high school. Also joining me is Jay DuSold. Jay has spent decades working with teens and their parents as a speaker, writer, learning experience designer, mentor, and coach. His work as a career guide began in 2014 while helping his own son figure out what to do after high school. He now works with teens around the world, helping them discover their career DNA and identifying careers...

I am delighted to welcome Maia Agranoff to the podcast. Maia is the mom of two young men who have both taken very different journeys than what many kids experience. One of her sons started his own business when he was just 13 years old and reached a million dollars in sales by the time he turned 16. What I love about this conversation is that Maia has so much experience and wisdom. I always say, try and surround yourself with parents whose kids are older than yours, because they have so much val...

In today's episode, I'm joined by my youngest guest to date. Her name is Charlotte and she's 14 years old. Charlotte is quite an amazing young woman. At the age of 12, she started her own Pinterest business and now, two years later, she's created a course to teach others. Charlotte's mom, Annette, also joins us during this conversation and we talk about parenting young entrepreneurs, why we need to give teens the space to fail, and how we can encourage and foster their entrepreneurial spirit. Th...

My guest this week is Ken Burke. Ken is the founder and CEO of The EntrepreneurNOW! Network. He is a speaker, serial entrepreneur, mentor, and author. Ken founded MarketLive, a market-leading, enterprise-class eCommerce software platform used by major merchants generating two billion dollars in online sales through the platform. He sold MarketLive to Vista Equity Partners in 2016. Ken authored the book, “Intelligent Selling: The Art and Science of Selling Online,” as well as hundreds of industry...

In this episode, I'm joined by mother and daughter Punam and Lyla Saxena. As the mother to four young adults, Punam has years of experience parenting teens and has lots of valuable advice to share. Lyla is a current college student and is wise beyond her years. She offers great suggestions for teens who are figuring out their path after high school. During our conversation, we talk about the importance of communication skills, how to help our teens build confidence, and why it's critical that te...

In this week’s episode, I welcome Dr. Shelly Gruenig to the show. Shelly is a homeschool mom of three successful adults, a STEM entrepreneur, and a career coach. During our conversation, we talk about the importance of exposing kids to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) from an early age. Shelly believes that our teenagers want to do hard things, and she has some great suggestions about how to get them engaged. You won’t want to miss Shelly’s “failing forward” philosophy and what ...

With schools getting ready to reopen over the next few weeks, parents need helpful tips and strategies to guide their teens as they return to campus. There’s no better source for accurate, science-based information than my guest today, Diana Stark. Diana is the Director of Infection Prevention and Control for Oviedo Medical Center and UCF Lake Nona Medical Center located in central Florida. During our conversation, Diana shares helpful advice and sound recommendations for parents to help keep th...

In this episode, I am joined by Loren Kelly and Rebecca Stansfield. As she approached the end of her sophomore year of college, like many students, Becca was really starting to feel the pressure to choose a major. She was unsure of what her path would be beyond college and really needed some help in declaring a major. So she sought out help from Loren and they've worked together to help Becca design a plan for college and beyond. During our conversation, you'll hear all about Loren’s process for...

Preparing ourselves for the empty nest phase isn’t always easy. Parents typically spend more time and effort focusing on getting their kids ready for their next chapter and spending little or no time preparing themselves. In this week’s episode, I welcome my friend and fellow podcaster, Colleen Rosenblum to the show. Colleen has a lot of wisdom and insight to share based on her own journey to becoming an empty nester. During our conversation, Colleen stresses the importance of parents thinking a...

In this week's episode, I am delighted to welcome Christopher St-Hilaire to the podcast. Christopher is an extraordinary young man and he is proof that bumpy roads lead to beautiful destinations. At the young age of fifteen, Christopher was feeling uninspired and uninterested in what he was learning in high school, so he made the difficult decision to take a "leave of absence" from high school in search of the path that was best for him. As you'll hear during this episode, it turned out to be th...

In this episode, I am joined by Gabe Nossier. Gabe is a transformative life coach for athletes. He works with professional athletes, weekend warriors, non-athletes, and parents of athletes in workshops, small groups, and individual coaching sessions. Gabe also hosts the "Clarity for Parents of Athletes" podcast, which is designed to help guide parents through stories from professional athletes about their journey through sports. During our conversation, Gabe talks about motivating kids both on a...

My guest today is Calvalyn Day. You might remember Calvalyn from episode 9 of the podcast. She is a former school counselor and now works as a coach and consultant serving schools across the country. Calvalyn is also the author of two books, Drag Em Kicking and Screaming and Authentically Engaged Families. She has a wealth of experience working with families and teens. Most importantly, Calvalyn is a mother of four daughters, and Mimi to 4 grandsons. I invited Calvalyn back to the podcast this ...

I am thrilled to welcome Joanna Lilley to the podcast this week. Joanna is a Therapeutic Consultant, Gap Year Consultant, and College Success Coach. During our conversation, Joanna shares helpful advice for parents of teens to help us transition from parent to partner. As our teens make their way through high school and out into the world, we as parents need to learn how to empower our kids to be responsible and accountable for their own future. For those teens headed to college this fall, Joann...

In this week's episode, I am delighted to introduce you to Morgan Peterson. Morgan is a rising college senior at North Carolina State University majoring in Fashion and Textile Management. Morgan is a highly-motivated young woman. Through her own creativity and perseverance, she found a way to secure not one but FOUR internships this summer. Morgan wasn't always a confident go-getter. She struggled with social anxiety as a teen but worked hard to overcome her fears and develop self-confidence. D...

In this week’s episode, I’m delighted to welcome back Golden Ticket Prof, Dr. Anna Stumpf. Anna is passionate about helping young people succeed and today she shares all of the reasons that LinkedIn is a valuable tool for teenagers and young adults. You might be thinking that without a lot of work experience or not being very far in their career, LinkedIn is a waste of time for young people. This episode will prove you wrong. Anna talks all about why teens and young adults need to get started on...

It’s no secret. Our teens and young adults are facing a competitive and uncertain job market. In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Leah Jewell. Leah is the former Managing Director for Employability Learning Solutions at Pearson, where she built learning solutions for high school, higher education, and adult lifelong learners, specifically around accelerated skills pathways to industry certifications, stacked credentials, and career preparation. Leah recently pivoted from corporat...

In this episode, I am delighted to welcome Dana Malstaff. Dana is the CEO and Founder of Boss Mom. She is a mother, author, speaker, business strategist, podcaster, blind spot reducer, and movement maker. Dana launched the Boss Mom brand with her first book Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro in 2015 and has turned the brand into an international movement. Now she has over 30,000 students in various courses and an organically grown Facebook group...

During this time of uncertainty, high school and college students are worried about what their future holds while in college and beyond. As soon the quarantine is lifted and businesses begin hiring again, the job market will be more competitive than ever. How can a college student choose a major that they enjoy while also ensuring they will find employment after graduation? And how should a recent or soon-to-be college graduate approach the ultra-competitive job market? This week's episode is t...

In this week's episode, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Susan Spencer and her daughter, Charlotte Cramer. I was intrigued by an article that I read online written by Susan and I knew I just had to reach out and interview them. Luckily for me, they accepted my invitation. Their story begins when Charlotte made the difficult decision to leave college after her sophomore year. My conversation with Susan and Charlotte is heartfelt and inspirational. They talk candidly about the challeng...