Claim OwnershipParenting teenagers untangled. š Your Weekly Hug
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Ā© 2026 Parenting teenagers untangled. š Your Weekly Hug
Description
Hello, I'm Rachel Richards, former BBC Correspondent, CNBC Europe World News Anchor and mum, on a mission to make parenting teens much less stressful, and even enjoyable.Ā
Why not try listening to my award-winning āhugā where you can put down the baggage your parents handed you and relax.Ā
Itās your chance to reflect on what's in your baggage; what's still working, and what needs to be tossed aside. You'll also pick up skills and ideas to help you navigate each new stage of your parenting journey.
Each week, I pick a topic, research it, and find you the best answers. Whether interviewing experts, chatting with my mindfulness guru friend, Susi Asli, or getting the lowdown from my own teenagers.
You'll hear what experts are saying about the problems we face and the way other parents are struggling. Itās a chance to think about your parenting, shame and judgement free.
As the world leading expert on your own child you can then make your own choices about what works for you and your family.
Do you have a question, a story, or just need to vent? Drop me a line at teenagersuntangled@gmail.com (total privacy, no judgment, promise).
What the Independent Podcasting Awards Said:
āThe advice in this podcast is universally helpfulānot just for parents of teenagers.ā
Ā āA great mix of personal stories and professional insightārefreshing, informative, and packed with extra resources.ā
Ā āThe chemistry between Rachel and Susie is fantastic. Itās like sitting down with smart, funny friends who actually get it.ā
Join the conversation! Find me on Facebook & Instagram.
Want more from Susie? Check out her courses at www.amindful-life.co.uk
180Ā Episodes
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Ask Rachel anything While counseling sex offenders, Anna Sonoda, LCSW learned firsthand that grooming, the prelude to child sexual abuse, is intentional, gradual, and observable. Her message to us is, we're not bad parents, we just have a skills gap and she wants to fill it. I grew up in an era of stranger danger, but the truth is the vast majority of abuse happens inside our homes, online and offline, with people our kids know. So how can we spot the signs that a predator is moving in ...
Ask Rachel anything Hint: it depends on how you define happy and successful. We all want our kids to be happy and successful but what does that mean? In today's episode, I'm joined by Giselle Goodwin, author of Can Women Really Have it All? to talk about our definitions of success and happiness, and how they impact the way we parent. In this changing landscape where what we inherit can mean more than how hard we work what expectations should we have, and what message should we be giving...
Ask Rachel anything Updated to correct the music issues at the beginning: This episode will change how you see ābad behaviourā and might just change how you see yourself, too. In this powerful conversation, with Dr Jody Carrington unpack what every parent and teacher needs to know about emotional regulation ā and why youāre probably doing better than you think. In this episode, we cover: What emotional regulation really isThe āflipped lidā model and the role of the prefrontal cortexWhy ...
Ask Rachel anything I thought we'd kick off the new year with an episode on how building our own community of people we admire can dramatically change our future and break from a difficult past. In this episode, I talk with Mitchell Osmond, who transformed his life from financial instability, marital strife, and addiction to a thriving marriage, debt repayment, and personal health. Mitchell attributes his turnaround to two pivotal moments: a marital fight and a funeral that made him questi...
Ask Rachel anything The anxiety epidemic: In 2020 the UK charity Mental Health Foundation surveyed more than 2,000 children and found 50 per cent of teenagers aged 13-19 were experiencing anxiety they found hard to control. Substack notes and PDF to go with this episode: https://substack.com/@teenagersuntangled/note/c-193100671?r=2u24i0&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web https://teenagersuntangled.substack.com/p/the-rise-in-teen-anxiety Suggested books: Ā·&nbs...
Ask Rachel anything None of us likes blowing a fuse when our teen does something that triggers us, but we all do it at some point. Nicky asked us to discuss this topic after she felt she'd overreacted to bad feedback from her son's teachers. We know it fixes nothing and leaves us feeling worse than before, but can we keep smoothing it over with an apology? Click the link at the bottom to access all the tips from the episode and also a parentās worksheet to help you unpack your fe...
Ask Rachel anything What's the point of fathers? Michael Ray, father and gender equality campaigner says the way they're portrayed in the media and advertising sends the impression that they are either bumbling idiots or not an important part of raising kids. It was only when Michael was left raising his daughter alone that he became conscious of how little support there is for men taking on less traditional roles in the home. He highlights the lack of representation of fathers in media and a...
Ask Rachel anything It's our connections, whether friends or partners, that make us want to get up and face our challenges every day. So when kids start a new school, college or university it's a time when friendships become the most important thing. With Phoebe about to leave for university, and Amelia recently started at a new college we thought it would be a great time to reflect on the evolving nature of friendships. In the conversation, the girls emphasize the importance of h...
Ask Rachel anything The happiess hack article by Dana Millbank: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/10/24/happiness-purpose-community-contribution/ Checkout my Substack: teenagersuntangled.substack.com Support the show Please hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit. You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom where you can click on a star then you can leave your message. P...
Ask Rachel anything Struggling with homework battles, school stress, or understanding ADHD in your teen? In this episode I was joined by executive skills coach Sean Geraghtyāauthor of āIāll Do It Laterāāto unpack the real challenges (and hidden strengths) of neurodivergent teens. As someone who is navigating neurodivergence at home, I found Sean's advice on executive function, school portals and building better family relationships invaluable. He gives actionable tools for e...
Ask Rachel anything My substack, where you can access a readable version of this episode: teenagersuntangled.substack.com Support the show Please hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit. You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom where you can click on a star then you can leave your message. Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. When you look after yo...
Ask Rachel anything In this episode clinical psychologist, Dr. Chloe Carmichael discusses the increasing anxiety among people about expressing their opinions due to fear of being "cancelled" or socially isolated. What she is seeing is that this fear extends beyond politically charged topics to everyday conversations and self-consorship on an increasing level. With that, there's been a rise in "no contact" trends, where individuals cut off relationships over political differences, leadin...
Ask Rachel anything Anxiety episode: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/anxiety-in-teenagers-also-rules-and-how-to-set-ones-your-teens-will-follow/ How to help complex kids: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/108-how-to-support-struggling-complex-kids/ Sleep episodes: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/96-sleeping-in-until-late-during-the-holidays-tips-for-coping-with-teens-and-tweens-whore-waking/ https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/how-to-fix-your-teens-sleep-with-jessica-bryant-163/ www.hoo...
Ask Rachel anything There's so much talk about masculinity and how boys should be, but not an awful lot of advice for parents on raising confident, caring young men in todayās world. If youāve ever wondered how to really connect with your son, or how to navigate the big topics of screen time, masculinity, emotions, or tough conversations about sex, consent, and technologyāthis episode is for you. Youāll learn why boysā emotional lives are often misunderstood, how to move from authoritar...
Ask Rachel anything "Learning is struggle, and kids need to get comfortable struggling with learning." That's according to Jenny Anderson, who spends much of her time writing about what is happening at the frontline of parenting, education and AI. She explains that the big problem for educators and parents who want the best for their kids is that Silicon Valley is trying to take away as much of the struggle as possible. "The F word in Silicon Valley is friction. They want to get rid of ...
Ask Rachel anything Why is it that so many teenagers today seem to be struggling with mental health? In this conversation, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Matt Richtel reveals the surprising science behind adolescent development, explaining why teens aren't 'difficult' they're doing an important job and how there's a fundamental mismatch between biological adolescent development and the world in which we now life. One of the key problems nowadays is that kids are going into puberty ea...
Ask Rachel anything To lose a child is one of the worst things any of us an imagine. To lose him at 16 to a recreational drug is an unbearable pain. That's what happened to Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE, but she has turned her pain into an incredible quest to turn her 'I wish I'd known', suffering into a book, a drugs education foundation, and support for all of us parents so we never have to go through the pain she has suffered. In this incredible conversation, Fiona discusses the importance ...
Ask Rachel anything For this Sunday catch up I was joined by Susie Asli to discuss the challenges of parenting during times of personal loss, such as the death of a pet or a parent. We share our experiences of our childrenās different reactions to grief and the importance of allowing them to grieve in their own ways. We also talk about the transition to university, the generational differences in parenting, and the importance of respecting teenagersā independence. I introduced a n...
Ask Rachel anything Sleep's a FREE performance-enhancer, so why are so many teens not getting enough? For us parents, sleep is the thing we all obsess about when we first bring our babies home, but if you're anything like me by the time they hit teens we've become pretty lax around that solid bedtime routine. In fact, research shows that around 2/3rds of teenagers aren't getting adequate sleep. Why does this happen? In my case, I was exhausted from years of implementing a solid routine and ...
Ask Rachel anything Whatever food fears we've inherited, or learned, will be passed on to our kids unless we understand and challenge our beliefs, according to food psychologist, Dr Anna Colton. As she rightly points out, fear-mongering about killer bars or toxic foods is way more dangerous, long-term, than the food itself. In this episode we talk openly about my own struggles with my family's attitude to food, and Dr Colton explains in detail why it's way better to prevent our kids de...
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Great episode! Question 'what do you want to change for the better in your next learning year?' is so meaningful!