Teenage Kicks Podcast

As the mother of both a teenage girl AND boy, I’ve seen how both of them have absorbed the messages in society about toxic masculinity, and I’ve been shocked at how polarising those are. I know the effect of attitudes towards women from my own experiences and my daughter’s; but I’ve also seen how damaging some of the narrative around that can be to boys and young men. Boys and young men across the UK are struggling; research shows a decline in mental health and well-being, increased isolation, a lack of safe spaces and trusted relationships, and a higher risk of engaging in gangs, violence, substance misuse, and weapon-carrying amongst boys since Covid. This is a hugely sensitive issue, so I’m going to say straight up, if anything we discuss in this episode feels difficult for you, please do raise it with me – I really think this is a conversation that needs to be opened up much more widely. Instead of toxic masculinity, Hayley talks about healthy masculinities. She says it’s an area of civil society that is often misunderstood. What is Toxic Masculinity? I think Toxic masculinity is a phrase that’s thrown around without too much thought, and with a certain amount of anger. I get why, and it’s hugely important that the issue of attitudes towards women and girls is continuously raised - as the mother of a teenage girl it feels really scary sometimes. But we also need to consider the impact on boys.  Hayley Roffey is a mum who has been working with children and young people for 2 decades, through the Global Fund for Children – she instigated their healthy masculinities initiative when she realised that there was an alarming suicide trend amongst boys and young men. Hayley tells us about the Healthy Masculinities programme and how it aims to change the messages boys are getting so that they can take responsibility for themselves in a way which supports them to be authentic.  We also talk about bullying at school, acceptance versus challenge as a parent, and the joy of having really ugly braces as a teenager.  More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast or want to hear more on parenting teenagers contact me on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Climate expert and campaigner Mark Ballabon says that today's teenagers feel under immense pressure, and have a lot of anxiety around the state of our planet. His book, Home, is described as a coming of age story for the Greta Thunberg generation. He talks to me about how teens are feeling, why some of them shut down conversations about the environment, and what we - as parents - can do to help them work out how they feel about climate change and activism.  2:30 - Mark describes his own teenage years as "a bit of a car crash". He was sent to a very academic school and found it very stressful. Mark talks about academic pressure and how it made him very introspective and self-conscious. He says it was this that eventually made him stop caring what other people thought, and start questioning the bigger issues of life.  7:15 - Mark talks about how we all compare ourselves to others, especially in the world of social media. He says "every single relationship that you will ever form in your life depends upon your relationship with yourself." 10:00 - Why empathy is so important for authenticity, and how important it is to understand each other. It's why Mark used young editors from all over the world to help him write his book.  14:00 - Why we must never - as parents - use the same slang that our kids use.  16:30 - How to listen well so we can empathise with our teenagers, and how to show up with our own authentic feelings and model emotional maturity.  25:45 - "We don't understand people because we're always assuming that we do." A brilliant quote about what stops us communicating effectively and understanding our kids.  28:20 - How should we cope with our teenagers' fears over climate change. 34:00 - Are some forms of climate activism detrimental to the cause? 40:00 - What more can we do individually to save the planet? Find out more about Mark Ballabon Read Mark's book Home More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast or want to hear more on parenting teenagers contact me on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Young maverick entrepreneur Morgan Boult was a rebel at school and told he would never amount to anything. But at 19 and Managing Director of a successful call centre, already in its 6th year of trading and incorporated when he was aged 13, he is the epitome of proving everyone wrong. But there is more to Morgan Boult's story. Here is someone amazingly unique and earmarked for bigger, greater things. During a difficult time at school, he was a rebel who saw a tough time growing up.  Add to this his mother who was a headmistress and father, a successful actuary, the pressure on him was enormous for perfect school years and a steady adolescence. But in true Sir Richard Branson style, Morgan had other ideas. Forming his first business at school selling sweets he showed business savvy almost immediately expanding beyond schoolboy expectations; getting a card machine contract with a credit card company, opening a fully functional shop in his parent's garage, and because of demand bringing two rucksacks a time full of products to school. Morgan talks about how - just because you're a square peg in a round hole at school - it doesn't mean your teenager is going to be a dropout. Morgan's parents struggled when he was constantly in trouble at school, but he says he was always going to be fine - it's just that school didn't work for him.  Morgan gives advice to parents on the best way to support a teenager who isn't conforming, and says not to lose faith in them. More about Morgan Boult: Morgan's business Hero PA Morgan on LinkedIn Atelier 21 School Also listen to this episode with Hazel Davis, a teenage runaway who's now a successful journalist.  More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast or want to hear more on parenting teenagers contact me on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Trigger warning: episode deals with suicidal ideation. Suzanne also briefly mentions the impact on her life of being raped.  My guest in this episode is Suzanne Alderson. When Suzanne’s 14 year old daughter Izzy became suicidal, following a period of sustained bullying, Suzanne found herself in a desperate place. While her daughter was immediately wrapped in professional care, Suzanne found that there was no support available to help her or her husband make sense of it all and give their child the best kind of care.  One night on suicide watch, she decided if she ever got through this time, she would ensure no other family had to navigate this journey alone. Suzanne has since set up a digital community to try and help other families facing their child’s mental illness. Parenting Mental Health is now a registered charity that supports and connects parents of young people with poor mental health. Her book ‘Never Let Go’ provides parents with the methods and knowledge they need to support, shield and strengthen their child as they progress towards recovery. 6:00 - Suzanne talks about the impact of sexual assault on her own teenage years. She mentions promiscuity, shame, low self-esteem, and how different life looked from the point of view of someone who experiences this at a young age.  9:00 - What are the unhealthy coping strategies we use when we have difficult feelings, and what would serve us better. The value of personal therapy and EMDR in processing and coming to terms with our emotions around what has happened to us.  16:00 - How emotions show up in the body and what to do about it. (See book, The Body Keeps the Score.) 23:30 - Why we can't fight our children's battles for them, and how to respect their autonomy.  30:00 - How it feels when your child is suicidal.  32:00 - What works, and how to cope as a parent of a suicidal teenager.  41:00 - Reframing your role as a parent as your child becomes an adult. "Partnering, not Parenting". What is Parenting Mental Health?  Useful Links:  The Body Keeps the Score  Parenting Mental Health Never Let Go What is EMDR? *Some links are affiliate. More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast or want to hear more on parenting teenagers contact me on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Lotte Jeffs and Stu Oakley, hosts of Some Families podcast, join me on Teenage Kicks in this episode to talk about how we approach our teenagers about gender and sexuality. Stu says here that it's completely normal for parents to find this difficult - it's a very easy conversation, where I make lots of mistakes and am not made to feel bad about it, so it's perfect for parents who don't know how to approach the subject with their teenagers.  6:00 - Fighting our homophobic upbringings as middle aged parents 7:00 - The acceptability of 'queer', and the language we need to know  21:55 - How queer identities are labelled by sex, and the need to teach kids about love and relationships beyond sex 25:10 - Working out who you are as a teenager 31:50 - How to talk to teenagers about gender and sexuality 35:15 - What to say when your child tells you about their sexuality 40:30 - How to make sure your child is an ally to their queeer friends 50:00 - What you'll get out of reading The Queer Parent Who are Lotte and Stu?  Lotte Jeffs and Stu Oakley run the podcast Some Families, is a podcast dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ families. Lotte is an award-winning magazine writer, editor, author and podcaster, and a contributing editor for Grazia. Stu is a film publicist; he's written a number of opinion pieces for the Guardian, Grazia, ELLE and NetMums about his own parenting journey and the experiences of being part of a queer family. Their recent book, The Queer Parent is the essential handbook for the LGTBQ+ community, their friends, family and allies. This informative, funny and empowering book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand and support the full breadth of the queer experience.  Useful links:  Buy your copy of The Queer Parent (affiliate link) Surviving domestic abuse as a teenager Out with Suzi Ruffell podcast Lotte's book My Magic Family for young children (affiliate link) Anna Mathur on Instagram From Gay to Ze on Instagram More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast or want to hear more on parenting teenagers contact me on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Mike Parker tells the story of how he told his family he was gay. It's the warmest story, with a family who were totally accepting, and yet Mike's vulnerability is palpable. He takes us back to that age, when he was terrified of his parents' reaction, and takes us on that journey he went on.  This podcast is for anyone who is loved, but doesn't know how they're going to tell their family the truth about their lives. It's also for their parents; Mike gives tips on how to approach your child if you think they might have something to tell you, and how to support them when they do.  More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast or want to hear more on parenting teenagers contact me on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

This week's guest Jill Grimes is a MD in a US college (like a university GP), so she's well placed to talk about staying healthy at university. But first we talk about popularity in school (spoiler - neither of us was in the popular gang in our teens), why even the popular people don't feel confident in school, and how that all changes when you hit university and everyone is in the same boat.  Once you get to university, being clever is cool, playing a musical instrument is impressive, and people don't judge you on what you're good at.  We also get some advice from Jill on homesickness at university, and how we can support our kids to stay (relatively) healthy while they're away from home.  Here's a breakdown of our conversation: 2:30 - Popularity at school, and rushing through things instead of enjoying them 4:15 - Please excuse my dog Rocket, the postman triggered him! 7:00 - Letting your teen go and how to prepare yourself 9:40 - Social anxiety as a teenager 15:30 - Sorting out acne as a teenager (listen to ep. 59 for more on medication for acne) 22:10 - How to handle homesickness at university. Tip 1: Don't go home in the first 6 weeks! 35:45 - What to do when you start feeling ill after Freshers 38:15 - What if your child gets a tattoo? (As an aside - how to handle piercings that won't heal). What to consider, the truth about tattoo colours, and how difficult it is to remove a tattoo. 50:30 - What to do about a cartilage piercing that won't heal Who is Jill Grimes? Jill Grimes, MD, FAAFP, is an American nationally recognized medical media expert, award-winning author, and proud mum of two daughters. After two decades of private practice in family medicine, Dr. Grimes now splits her time between writing, speaking, and seeing patients. She’s currently working on the 3rd edition of her latest book, The ULTIMATE College Student Health Handbook: Your Guide for Everything from Hangovers to Homesickness! Dr. Grimes is your go-to source for everything teens & young adults (& their parents) REALLY need to know about common anxieties, illnesses, injuries and so much more! The TikTok College Doc Jill Grimes MD website More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast or want to hear more on parenting teenagers contact me on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

In this episode of the Teenage Kicks podcast I talk to psychologist and therapist Dr Tara Porter about why parent/teen relationships are so fraught with misunderstandings, and what to do about it. Specifically, Tara talks about why teenagers think their parents don't understand them - her book, You Don't Understand Me*, is aimed at teenage girls, to help them navigate these tricky years, as well as giving insights into what their daughters are experiencing. *Affiliate link. We also talk about university - how to choose the best one for you, and why uni isn't necessarily the best choice. We cover parental anxiety and the pressure it can put on teenagers, and how we can encourage our kids to follow the best path for them, rather than following the crowd. Who is Dr Tara Porter? Tara Porter is a Clinical Psychologist and writer working in north-west London. ​She draws on decades of experience to provide therapy to adolescents and adults in person and online. She uses her in-depth knowledge of the teenage mindset to support parents. ​Tara offers a variety of talks and workshops with pupils, staff and parents thinking about improving mental health. ​She writes and speaks regularly in the mainstream media about mental health. Find out more at taraporterpsychologist.com. More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

In this episode I talk to Luke Grim, one half of the dad duo who run website/newsletter These 16 Things. Luke told me about the fathers' belief that kids need to be taught life skills by their parents - some that most parents don't feel equipped to teach. Their newsletter aims to walk parents through the process of having those important conversations with their kids, to teach them to think on their own and to hold their ground when culture says they should do something that goes against their morals. Who is Luke Grim? Luke is 43 years old, married with 8 kids. He and his wife homeschool them all, and they range from 16 months old to 13 years old. He grew up with a single military dad, who did the best he could. However, Luke says he got into vandalising, ran from the cops a few times at 2am, messed up at school, and got into shoplifting. He says the shoplifting began because he couldn't work out how to fit in with the crowd at school. The purpose of These 16 Things is to give some confidence and tools for parents to intentionally sit down with their teens and prepare them for hard topics and teach real skills. Too often, parents have HUGE amounts of experiences from good/bad lessons learned, yet tend to only pass these on to kids when something "happens", instead of being intentional. Have a listen! More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Marsh Family Songs Who is Danielle Marsh? Danielle is a 45 year old mum to 3 teens and a pre teen who became known during the pandemic when a Covid parody song they produced went viral in March 2020. Since then the family have continued to post parody songs and original content on a varied host of topics from the cost of living crisis, menopause, repeated political shenanigans and overuse of technology. Juggling jobs, kids, music and life Danielle and husband Ben along with Alfie, Thomas, Ella and Tess hope to find humour in even the trickiest of topics with the belief that if they discuss it round the dinner table it’s a possibility for a song!

Something a little bit different on the podcast today - we ARE going to talk about teenagers, and how they're affected by toxic relationships when things go wrong for their parents. But FIRST we talk about something a lot of us midlife mums (and dads) might relate to - FEELING BLAH. That's the title of my guest's book. Parenting author Tanith Carey writes a lot about the teenage brain. She had a tough time when her parents divorced, but it was midlife when she noticed that despite having a happy life on paper, she wasn't really feeling it. She researched this feeling that wasn't depression, but wasn't happiness either, and discovered a little used word for it - ANHEDONIA. Feeling Blah? Why anhedonia has left you joyless, and how to recapture life's highs* is an exploration of what causes the lacklustre feeling so many of us go through at times. She explains the science behind it, and - better still - tells us what to do to move beyond it and feel excited for life again. *Affiliate link She also talks me through her parents' divorce, and the toxic atmosphere she lived in before they separated. We discuss the impact that had on her emotional development, and how she developed coping strategies that affected how she would feel about life decades later. If you've ever found yourself overthinking your feelings, this is the conversation for you. Who is Tanith Carey? Tanith Carey is an author who writes books which use the latest research to offer a lucid analysis of the most pressing challenges for today’s parents. Her eleven books have been translated into 25 languages. She has written on the impact of competitive parenting on children and parents, plus friendship issues, and is one of the UK media’s leading commentators on girls’ well-being. As an award-winning journalist, Tanith also writes on psychology, social trends, childhood, adolescence and family relationships for a wide range of newspapers and magazines around the world including The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian and Daily Mail. Follow Tanith on Twitter and Instagram. More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Sarah Middleton is the writer of a new female-led coming-of-age production perfect for teenage girls (age advice is 12+). SHEWOLVES had an incredibly successful and highly critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and was named one of The Stage’s ‘Best shows of 2022’. It is now heading to the Southwark Playhouse from 21 June – 8 July 2023 and it's a really lovely, exhilarating piece for teens and adults alike. Sarah says teens are hugely under-represented in the theatre, and she aims to put that right with this, and other initiatives she runs with teenagers - some of them will perform ahead of the main show in Southwark. She also says she never sees teens in fiction doing what they do in real life - snack! Armed with a backpack full of Pop-tarts, Priya and Lou embark on a covert expedition into the wild. They want to fight back against the climate crisis and make real change, but when the wilderness closes in around them, first they have to overcome their differences and make their voices heard. Somewhere between Booksmart, Little Miss Sunshine and Thelma & Louise, SHEWOLVES is a funny and empowering play about forging friendships when you’re a bit weird, the power of hope and the underestimated smartness of teens.  Sarah also tells me about how - after winning a scholarship to a private school - she witnessed the effects of parental pressure on other girls before she thought they were ready to handle it. Have a listen, I think you'll find something that resonates.

Today's guest is Harry, aka the Champagne Socialist on TikTok. I found Harry through one of his We talk about what it's like choosing a university degree course, what kind of doors open for you while you're there, and how to approach the myriad opportunities a university degree offers. That said, Harry told me that university isn't a golden ticket. University is much more accessible to more people now, which is a good thing, but what that means is that most young people looking for their first serious job will have a degree - it doesn't set you apart. Harry says that's why it's so important to think about what else you can do to make yourself stand out, over and above the learning you'll gain during your course. He also told me that extra-curricular activity like Duke of Edinburgh awards and NCS aren't likely to improve your chances of UCAS offers from the best universities. Instead, Harry says take every opportunity to learn that's offered to you, get involved in other things outside of school and university - things you can add to your CV, and things that will expand your point of view on the world, that employers will be interested in. Harry says it can feel demoralising to have a great education and a good brain, and to still be struggling to get your ideal job. We talk about what it was like being a student during Covid lockdown - it sounds so hard, and if this was you or your child, you'll relate. Harry talks about his diagnosis of autism as a teenager, and how that affected his mental health at university during the pandemic. Who is the Champagne Socialist? 22 year old Harry started his satirical analysis of UK politics as part of a module for his university course, but it grew so quickly that he continued it long after the project was over, highlighting young people’s views on the biggest failures of our government. He now has 123k followers, and is recognised by followers who attend events just because they’ve seen Harry talk about them.   As well as producing content for TikTok, Harry is also developing a podcast where he talks about the British and global political landscape. More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Natasha Devon, MBE, joined me on the Teenage Kicks podcast to talk about something most parents of girls will be all too familiar with - friendship issues. Teenage girls don't grow out of problems with their friends as early as we'd like them to, but they do grow out of us being able to fix fallouts for them with a playdate or a sleepover. Put simply, when they're teenagers, it gets even messier. Add social media, and the permanent ability to stay connected via Snapchat and Whatsapp, and our teenage daughters need a lot of resilience to navigate the sometimes destructive arena of their social lives. Writer, presenter and activist, Natasha tours schools in the UK and beyond, delivering talks and conducting research on mental health, body image, gender and equality. From her experiences of what teenage girls talk about with her, she's written a YA novel which examines friendship problems in the context of coercive control. Toxic* is a brilliant read for teenage girls and parents alike, and food for thought for girls struggling to know how to approach friendships that feel a bit rocky at times. (*Affiliate link.) What interested me most was that the 'toxic' character in the story wasn't a bad person; she just had her own insecurities and fears that led her to unhealthy coping mechanisms with her friends. Natasha says that was deliberate. In her work with teenagers she sees the fragility behind the bravado, and understands that none of our teenagers are really equipped with the emotional maturity to empathise and support each other. In this episode Natasha explains that, and offers some tips for how to help our daughters navigate their friendships when they're not going as well as they could be. Who is Natasha Devon, MBE? Natasha presents on LBC (one of Britain’s most popular speech radio stations) every Saturday, and writes regularly for newspapers and magazines. In her charity work Natasha supports people coping with anxiety disorders, online abuse, eating disorders, and talks regularly about gender issues, all of which – as we know – affect all of our teenagers to some extent throughout their young adult years. Author of titles like A beginner’s Guide to being Mental and You can Ace School Without Losing Your Mind, Natasha speaks directly to young people. Find out more about Natasha on her website, natashadevon.com and follow her on Instagram. More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Emma Campbell on relating to a teenage daughter

I am so excited to bring you a new season of the Teenage Kicks podcast. Over the last few months I've been putting a series of really interesting conversations in the can, with a range of fascinating guests that I know are going to resonate with parents of young adults and soon-to-be teens. Find more on the podcast on my website, subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts, and come over and say hi on Instagram. You can also join my Teenage Kicks Facebook group - we're a really friendly bunch of parents who have (or have had) teenagers, and we get it!

What is modern slavery, why should we care, and what do we need to know to keep our teenagers safe? *This episode deals briefly with suicidal thoughts. If this is likely to be triggering for you, please skip this episode. Modern slavery is something we hear about on the news, but don't imagine it could happen to someone we love. I was struck by a conversation on another podcast - Two Women Chatting - about an incident that had happened to one of their adult daughters that felt like a narrow escape, so I wanted to cover the topic on Teenage Kicks. Hopefully being aware of the risks will help young adults and teenagers to avoid them, as well as knowing how to help other people who might be victims. Sujo John is an international motivational speaker and humanitarian who was launched into public speaking following his survival experience of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on New York's World Trade Centers. He's since set up YouCanFreeUs, an international human rights organisation fighting modern slavery worldwide, through advocacy, rescue and rehabilitation. In this podcast I ask Sujo why modern slavery is on the rise, why we should care, and what our children need to be aware of as they start out on their own journeys into adulthood. At one point in the podcast Sujo does some working out on a calculator as he's speaking. He's explaining how many men a trafficked sex worker will have to service in 15 years of doing the work (the average time they work). For audio only listeners, I want to share that that number was 160,000... Sujo is no stranger to trauma in his teenage years either, having had to come to terms with the death of his sister to leukaemia when he was just 9. He battled depression and thoughts of hopelessness, but describes his healing as he began to help others – something which he says he learned through having the opportunity to meet Mother Teresa. Who is Sujo John? Find out more about Sujo and his work here: Sujo's website The YouCanFreeUs foundation On instagram More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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 a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

"Severe acne affects your mental health far more than some medication ever will." Sarah Wood, mum of two young men and a teenage girl. Sarah Wood joins me on this episode to talk about her experience of teenage acne, how she coped, how she eventually treated it, and how she's supported all of her own teenagers through the same thing. Sarah first got acne when she was 12 and she still has it at 49. But nowadays she manages it with medication, and talks about how important it is to get the right treatment for acne if it's starting to affect your teenager's mental health. Sarah says that her own self-esteem took a double hit because she was already the 'clever' girl in school, with short hair - when the spots arrived, she gained the nickname "Zit-Slap". She talks about things getting better when other friends started to get spots, and she was streamed into top sets at school, so the 'clever' label didn't matter any more. However, when other kids' spots started to clear up and hers didn't, she knew she wanted to do something about it. Medication for teenage acne Sarah told me about oxytetracycline, a type of antibiotic that is usually the starting point for medication for teenage acne, once you've exhausted lotions and creams. Eventually, at the age of 40, she started taking Roaccutane, which all of her children have also taken at various times. Her son's acne developed from normal spots to huge lumps all over his face. Knowing how this could be dealt with, she took him straight to her dermatologist consultant and asked for Roaccutane. Sarah thinks there's too much scaremongering around the side-effects of Roaccutane. They range from birth defects if you take it during pregnancy (women and girls are advised to have a monthly pregnancy test whilst on the medication) to dry skin, dry eyes and muscular aches and pains. It can also (rarely) cause elevated cholesterol, so tests are done to monitor this. Sarah explains Roaccutane side-effects and how it works, and says that as parents the best thing we can do if our kids are struggling with self-esteem due to severe acne is push for a referral to a dermatologist, as this is the only way to have it prescribed, due to the monitoring required. Where to find Sarah Sarah is happy to talk about her experiences with severe acne. You can find her on: Twitter Instagram Her blog Mum of Three World Sarah has recently sent her middle child to university so we talk a little bit about the empty nest. You can get some hope on this stage from my episode on empty nesting. More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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 a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Today's guest suffered huge anxiety as a teenager. After trying all the traditional medical remedies for stress, Devorah Goldblatt discovered something she never thought would work - EFT. EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques and involves tapping on acupressure points to reduce emotional distress. It's an evidence-based treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD and phobias that's backed up with solid research. Helen is a complete skeptic where alternative therapies are concerned, so when Devorah invited her into a live experiment of tapping, she was out of her comfort zone! Find out what happened when you listen to the podcast. Devorah explains how she was hospitalised with severe anxiety and PTSD as a teenager, following an assault. She says she had all the support possible, but still couldn't get past her depression and trauma. It took a "woo-woo" friend, who convinced her to give EFT a try, to open her eyes to her own ticket back to recovery. Devorah describes how "cringe" she found the class (speaking my language!) But she went along with it and to her amazement, her stress reduced noticeably - immediately. EFT can be practiced anywhere - Devorah explains how her teenage clients tap in the toilets at school before an exam, and in the car before a driving lesson. Listen to the podcast to hear how the process works, and what Helen's experience of tapping was. Who is Devorah Goldblatt? Devorah is a holistic counselor helping teens and early 20's overcome depression and anxiety with holistic modalities. Devorah's depression and anxiety resolved permanently after 3 months of holistic treatment -- and has never recurred in nearly 20 years. That's why she does the work she does. She believes passionately that when we tell people that the only way to heal anxiety and depression is with medication and mainstream therapy, we are doing them a huge disservice. She also believes that with the skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression in our teens, it is unconscionable that we are not equipping every one of these kids with holistic tools that are now evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety. Find out more about how to do EFT tapping: You can find links to Devorah's demonstration of how to do EFT tapping on her website. Find out more about the free tapping app where you can see the points to tap. Follow Devorah's teen counselling page on Facebook. You'll find more teen anxiety tips in these episodes: Listen to Emma's story of being hospitalised with depression in her teens. Find out how journalling can help teenagers with anxiety And if your teenager is taking exams at the moment, try these tips for helping them cope with exam nerves. More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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 a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

Is your teen dating? As a parent that's been one of my most confusing stages as a parent - how do you give your teenager privacy when they start dating, but still keep them safe? If you've ever wondered if your child's choice of partner might be unhealthy, this episode is for you. Liz Merrill is a relationship and mediation expert who specialises in helping people who are in narcissistic and abusive relationships. Liz recently set up a campaign to highlight to young people the red flags they should be aware of if something doesn't feel quite right in their relationship, something which I think we would rather our teens learn sooner rather than later. In this podcast episode Helen finds out from Liz what dating red flags we should be looking for as parents, and how to discuss these with our children. You can find more from Liz on Instagram, and on her website Openspace Mediation.  More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co. 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 a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production. He gives some tips on what to look for, when not to worry, and when to get some professional support for your child's sleep problems. He also talks through some sleep tips that might help, and strategies to help your teenager feel better about their sleep and mental health.