This Teenage Life

Many of us have or want adult in our lives who make us feel safe, seen, and heard. When teachers take the time to get to know us, they often transcend their role as subject guides and become more like life mentors. In this epsiode, we discuss how teachers can be open and make us feel safe while also being professional. This episode is sponsored by the XQ institute. Check them out at xqsuperschool.org. If you're a student, or even a teacher who may be listening to better understand your students, you can join the conversation at XQ America on social.

In this episode of This Teenage Life, we hear from teens who have published their stories with Novelly, a platform amplifying teen voices. We hear about what it means to be a writer, and the powerful possibilities of storytelling. If you're interested in reading awesome teen authors or becoming a teen author yourself, check out Novelly at:  https://www.novelly.org/

Welcome to the first episode of Season 8 of This Teenage Life! The teens discuss their relationships with exercise: Where are the lines between healthy and unhealthy habits? How can an accountability buddy make it easier to find practices you enjoy? We also hear from Kristin Hoffner, a kinesiology professor at Arizona State University, who shares insights on the science of movement and its connection to mental health. Support for this episode comes from ASU Learning Enterprise. We invite you to explore the Online Health and Wellness Universal Learner Course. Designed for learners at any stage, this course covers a wide variety of health-related topics to improve your personal health and well-being. It even offers an option to earn college credit. Visit the link to learn more: https://courses.ulc.asu.edu/introduction-to-health-and-wellness-hep-100/

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 codingthefuture101@gmail.com 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 team@thisteenagelife.org.

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 team@thisteenagelife.org. 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/  

How does diet culture negatively affect us? How does what we see on social media impact how we feel about what we eat? How do we move past diet culture towards more healthy relationships with food?   In this episode, we develop more holistic framings of nutrition. Teens describe their negative experiences of diet culture and then share how they've worked to develop more positive associations with food and shared meals.    In conversation with registered dietitian and program manager of ASU's Health Literacy Initiative, Natasha Burrell, we learn how to think more comprehensively about diet and health.   This episode is sponsored by ASU's Learning Enterprise.  To learn more about ASU and This Teenage Life's partnership, go to https://info.learning.asu.edu/this-teenage-life.  

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    

In this throwback episode, we talk about our experiences of academic pressure and academic validation and how it makes us feel.

In this episode requested by listeners, the teens chat all about teeth! What its like to get braces, teeth insecurities, dentist stories, interesting rituals, and more. Even though we all have teeth, there are a variety of different experiences that come with that! 

Connecting with the natural world can bring about a spectrum of feelings, especially after spending most of the day inside at school or work. Even though it can be such a grounding and energizing experience, many of us struggle to find time to get outside. In this episode, the teens chat about how where they live impacts the way they connect with the natural world, how it feels when they do, and the impact of using nature to disconnect from the day to day grind.

We are excited to announce that for folks age 14-25 living in the United States, you are eligible to participate in this next round of the National Contribution Project. Learn more and apply at www.contributionproject.org/national. Applications are due February 21st. 

In this "part 2" of our episodes on friend breakups, the teens explore the emotional dimensions of losing friends. How does it feel to be distant from someone you used to be so close to? What can we do to get closure at the end of a relationship? How can we heal emotionally?  

Here at This Teenage Life, we’ve uncovered a phenomenon called “too muchness.” It’s a fear of being “too much” that can lead to self policing that holds us back from being our authentic selves. In this re-release of one of our favorite episodes, we talk about our fears and critiques of “too muchness,” how it feels, and where we think it comes from. If you are looking to join a community that will embrace you for who you are, please consider joining one of our new dialogue groups! We would love to get to know you and provide a warm, supportive environment to connect with other young people. Send us an email at team@thisteenagelife.org 

It's a tough time. Fires. Political turmoil. When we're at home and feeling sad, angry, or anxious, what are some strategies we use to comfort ourselves? In this re-release of one of our favorite episodes of This Teenage Life, we discuss what we do to make ourselves feel better. If you are looking to add comfort to your life, please consider joining one of our new dialogue groups! We would love to get to know you and provide a warm, supportive environment to connect with other young people. Send us an email at team@thisteenagelife.org