Teenage Kicks Podcast

Owen Wood suffered from anxiety as a young teenager. He tells me how he coped, what his parents did to support him, and what helped him at school during those years. We talk about how travelling on a budget during Race Across The World taught him to have faith in himself, and how he copes with the nerves of travelling alone now.    Owen says that, just because you're an anxious teenager, it doesn't mean you're going to be an anxious adult. The trick, he says, is to try new things anyway, and to have faith in your own ability to take care of yourself. The more you experiment and realise that you can survive difficult things, the more confident you become.    Who is Owen Wood?    22 year old Owen Wood lives in Hertfordshire and is currently training to be a commercial airline pilot. However, you might know his name from season 4 of Race Across The World, which he won along with his friend Alfie Watts. After winning on the show last year, he went straight back out to Southeast Asia to do it all over again! He's now planning on doing the same in Australia later this year. We talk about how it felt to be on the TV programme, and stress and excitement of the race.    You might be forgiven for thinking that Owen owes his travel confidence to a carefree attitude to life, but he talks openly about his struggles with anxiety as a teenager. He's now an ambassador for teenage mental health charity The Mix, a website for teenagers and young adults where you can find information and support for most issues you might face as a teenager.    Useful links:   * Free counselling at The Mix [https://www.themix.org.uk/get-support/speak-to-our-team/the-mix-counselling-service] * Owen on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/owen.wood02/]

Evan Transue started suffering with panic attacks at the age of 5. He had no family history of trauma, and due to his seemingly great life, his panic attacks went misdiagnosed for over 10 years. During this time, he developed other mental health conditions, and eventually turned to substances to numb the pain. Eventually he was diagnosed with panic disorder, and had an aha moment that changed his life. We talk about what panic attacks feel like, how they can lead to depression, and how parents can help support teenagers as they learn to deal with them. Evan now hasn't had a panic attack in 10 years. Who is Evan Transue?  Evan is the host of The Health Detective Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-health-detective-podcast-by-functional-diagnostic/id1547734801] and owner of Bucks County Light Therapy [https://www.buckscountylighttherapy.com/] and Functional Medicine Center. He graduated from Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN) in 2017. Prior to finding FDN he and his mother had suffered with a variety of health challenges for over a decade. The FDN system transformed his and his mom's lives so profoundly that all of his work is now centered around spreading its teachings. Evan speaks professionally to middle and high school students about mental health challenges and to date has spoken to 50,000 students. More teenage parenting from Helen Wills * Helen Wills Counselling and Parent Coaching [https://helenwills.com/] * Actually Mummy parenting teens blog [https://www.actuallymummy.co.uk/] * Helen on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/iamhelenwills/] Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected]. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page [https://zencastr.com/privacy-policy] Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-cunningham-245586266/]

Parents often worry about the teenage years. The term 'threenager' is frequently used to describe the toddler tantrums that leave parents tearing their hair out. I used it myself, with an eyeroll and a wry smile, but now that I've been through the teenage years I'm apologetic about that. I think it's patronising, and it doesn't help our relationships with our teens.  Katia Vlachos has experienced this from the teen point of view, and it took her until adulthood to realise that her 'good girl' behaviour wasn't serving her. She talks to me about how easy it is to raise a people-pleasing teenager (even when we think we're on the receiving end of full-scale rebellion), and why it's not such a good thing to have a teenager who sticks to the rules.  Who is Katia Vlachos? Katia Vlachos is a coach and author of a new book called Uncaged. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uncaged-Good-Girls-Journey-Reinvention/dp/B0D94Y7JRF/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QwzM-p6u89XLuqprT_3DtFkj3xIO866m4cD1u4-L04xo7yhiU0Y1oWIY4egD-7cE18xSgyxGHvFjnvgu26bKwlgaoIpZHBLPqVwnJzIGWP8.FOii9QOKAhDkp2TUIR7rnSglrV3sEAK6OIq1VU6sBA4&dib_tag=se&qid=1725351504&refinements=p_27%3AKatia+Vlachos&s=books&sr=1-3] Raised in a traditional Greek family, Katia's early years were spent trying to please others as the perfect daughter and student, but she often found ways to embrace her rebellious spirit - including sneaking out at night and driving off into the sunset on the back of her boyfriend's Harley Davidson. As she grew up, Katia became more weighed down by this 'good girl' persona she'd be trying to live up to until one day, when she was in her 40s, she faced the reality that the life she was living had been designed to make other people happy and not herself. After a series of life-altering events – including the death of her beloved father and the end of her 17-year marriage – Katia confronts how being obsessed with being seen as 'good' has affected her life decisions and sets out on a path of self-discovery and reinvention. Unpicking how she had been conditioned since childhood to chase societal approval and put the needs and desires of others above her own, Katia used her experiences to write a book about her story and inspire other women who are fed up of feeling guilty for wanting more. * Katia's book - Uncaged: A Good Girl's journey to reinvention [https://amzn.to/3X5rVBS] * Katia on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/katia.vlachos/] * Katia on LinkedIn * KatiaVlachos.com [https://www.katiavlachos.com/] * How to Fail podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-fail-with-elizabeth-day/id1407451189] More teenage parenting from Helen Wills * Helen Wills Counselling and Parent Coaching [https://helenwills.com/] * Actually Mummy parenting teens blog [https://www.actuallymummy.co.uk/] * Helen on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/iamhelenwills/] Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected]. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page [https://zencastr.com/privacy-policy] Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-cunningham-245586266/]

Today's guest is content creator and copywriter Tom Pinks, who is The number of teenagers saying they don't drink alcohol is 39% [https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/huge-rise-in-low-and-no-alcohol-consumption-among-young-adults-yougov-poll-shows/686689.article#:~:text=Nearly%20four%20in%2010%20(39,from%20drinking%20alcohol%20at%20all.]. Tom talks about how he was bullied at secondary school before eventually finding a way to take control and stand up for himself. He was also dealing with his mum's diagnosis of cancer and says that it could have been quite a dark time had it not been for the resilience that kicked in as he learned to take care of his emotions. He also talks about feeling shy when he started university - have a listen to Tom's top tip for making friends in a new environment! Tom says this is when he started using alcohol to hide his shyness and pretend to be more extroverted than he was. Whilst he says it didn't feel like a problem in the moment, he struggled to keep up with the drinking of Freshers and eventually realised it was too much. Tom told me how he eventually cut down on drinking and became isolated as he distanced himself from friends who were drinkers.  He was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and had to take time out to address it. He tells us how difficult that experience was, and what help is available now to young people going through similar, from free counselling to support of communities online.  Tom's experience of being sober since then is fascinating to listen to - from being fully alive at the music gigs he loved, to the experience of dating without alcohol. Who is Tom Pinks?  Tom is a mental health professional, writer and podcaster for The Mix, the UK's leading digital support service for under 25's. A former teacher, Tom now spends his time ensuring as many teens have the resources they need to thrive in life. Whether this be written guides on navigating relationships, identity, and general wellbeing, or podcasts with experts on how to manage and improve mental health. Tom has been living sober for almost 18 months, and is an advocate for clean living after witnessing the many benefits this brought into other parts of his life. He now practices transcendental meditation daily, and puts his love and energy into hosting events across London designed to help young people make new friends. Useful links: * The Highly Sensitive Person [https://amzn.to/3EhA53C] (affiliate link) * The Mix [https://www.themix.org.uk/] - essential support for under 25s, including free counselling * Tom's blog about sober dating [https://www.themix.org.uk/sex-and-relationships/single-life-and-dating/sober-dating-52118.html] More teenage parenting from Helen Wills * Helen Wills Counselling and Parent Coaching [https://helenwills.com/] * Actually Mummy parenting teens blog [https://www.actuallymummy.co.uk/] * Helen on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/iamhelenwills/] Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected]. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page [https://zencastr.com/privacy-policy] Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-cunningham-245586266/]

My guest today has written a book about how much we underestimate teenage girls, and why we'd do well as parents to listen more to what they have to say. Chelsey Goodan has interviewed dozens of teenage girls about what's going on in their lives, and what they need from adults in order to thrive. We talk about perfectionism and self-esteem, shame around sexuality, and the best way to get teenagers to develop a healthy relationship with their phones and social media – spoiler alert, it doesn't involve banning apps and confiscating their phones. Chelsey talks about her own experience of being a people-pleaser as a teenager. Always wanting to be the 'good girl', Chelsey didn't realise how much this tendency was hurting her. She goes on to tell us how she became a 'recovering perfectionist' and gives some ideas to support mothers who have carried perfectionism into their parenting journey. She also tells me that trying to protect our girls can backfire by giving them a victim mentality. Instead, she says, we need to empower teenage girls to trust their own inner voices, know what they need, and have agency over their own safety and directions. She answers the question "is social media dangerous" and has an interesting take on how we can introduce our teenagers to smartphones.  Chelsey has written a great book about how what teenage girls are really feeling and how judged they often feel. It's a brilliant explanation of what's going on for our daughters and how we can support them more constructively to be the best they can be emotionally. You can find Chelsey's book here: * Underestimated: The wisdom and power of teenage girls [https://amzn.to/4hKA0Ed] (affiliate link) * Chelsey's website [https://www.chelseygoodan.com/] * Chelsey on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chelseygoodan/] More teenage parenting from Helen Wills * Helen Wills Counselling and Parent Coaching [https://helenwills.com/] * Actually Mummy parenting teens blog [https://www.actuallymummy.co.uk/] * Helen on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/iamhelenwills/] Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected]. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page [https://zencastr.com/privacy-policy] Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-cunningham-245586266/]