This Is So Awkward

Youth is marked by the feeling that anything is possible, a readiness to take on the world. And then somewhere along the way, many of us lose that feeling. Photographer and New York Times bestselling author Kate Parker has captured the feeling of unstoppability in her new book, Force of Nature. She shares how she found inspiration in young women across the country, and how we might rediscover it in ourselves. Show Notes: Order Kate's book: Force of Nature Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Girls and young women who specialize in sports and dance are vulnerable to the female athlete triad – an interconnected set of risks which include eating disorders, amenorrhea (loss of menstruation), and osteoporosis. We explore these issues and the reasons why they post long term physical and mental health dangers to young people. Even more, we examine how many of these risks are not particular to females, but affect male athletes as well. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So much about school has changed over a generation, not the least of which includes a dramatically amped-up college process. By understanding today’s educational landscape, we can help kids develop the tools they need in the classroom and the real world beyond. Ana Homayoun, author of Erasing the Finish Line, is perfectly poised to teach us all. Show Notes: ERASING THE FINISH LINE: The New Blueprint For Success Beyond Grades and College Admissions. More on Ana Homayoun Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thought supporting your kid through high school was the end of the stressful parenting days? Think again. These days, summer jobs and internships are the next hurdle in our high pressure world. We dissect how life has changed from back in our day with the ultimate goal of keeping in perspective what really matters. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Care and Keeping of You turned 25! And its younger sibling, The Care and Keeping of You 2 is 10. You don’t want to miss this special episode where author of the original TCKY, Valorie Schaefer, and Cara describe their anniversary collaboration – a behind the scenes look at what was changed in this iconic book, starting with much more inclusive content. The world has changed… The Care and Keeping is keeping up. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cara is now on the banned booklist – that’s a new milestone! Cara is the doctor behind The Care and Keeping of You, a 25-year old beloved book about body changes that was recently banned from the children’s section at the Huntington Beach Library. Which means it’s harder for kids to find good body information but, meanwhile, they’re one click away from porn with no safeguards put in place. We talk about all the reasons books like these are critical to help keep kids healthy and safe, and why limiting kids’ access to porn is where energy should be spent instead. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re all for sex education in schools, but it’s as important (maybe more so!) for these conversations to happen at home, too. The trick is making them inclusive and shame-free while acknowledging our communities and contexts. Melissa Carnagey, sex educator and founder of Sex Positive Families, is full of thoughtful and actionable guidance for families. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A heartfelt listener question that stopped us in our tracks is also a version of one we get frequently: My teen daughter treats me so badly that I just want to pull away from her. Our advice starts with the science behind adolescent mood swings and then moves into setting limits in the heat of the moment and beyond. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s more complicated than ever to have conversations with tweens and teens about politics. Cue Beth and Sarah from Pantsuit Politics, who guide us along the bumpy path of raising civic-minded kids, from informing without catastrophizing to instilling values without hitting them over the head. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do teenagers faint? Also known as vasovagal syncope, this form of passing out can happen for a bunch of different reasons. We get into all of them. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Cleveland Clinic on vasovagal syncope Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The concepts related to gender feel confusing to many. Aydin Olson-Kennedy, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than fifteen years of experience providing psychotherapy to transgender and non-binary people, joins us to better understand all of this. He offers advice about how to best support all kids allowing caregivers to be loving and inclusive. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 70% of kids drop out of youth sports by 13. Here to discuss the factors that have gone into the “professionalization” of youth sports and how to raise truly empowered athletes on all levels is Kirsten Jones, former D1 athlete, performance coach, and author of “Raising Empowered Athletes." Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A recent uproar blames tween girls for clogging the aisles at big box beauty stores like Sephora, lathering their faces with expensive skincare and makeup products designed for adults. A few of the brands have doubled-down, pitching their lotions and potions to kids living through a deeply vulnerable moment in their development, placing them in the crosshairs of social media influencers and savvy marketers. Girl-world expert turned corporate guru Rachel Simmons helps untangle this complex web of forces and offers some ways forward. Show Notes: Rachel Simmons Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caring for kids is not a straight line (especially during puberty!). Enter developmental psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman, host of the Raising Good Humans podcast and author of the new book The 5 Principles of Parenting, with research-based advice delivered as only Aliza can – profound and hilarious all at once. Show Notes: The Five Principles of Parenting Raising Good Humans podcast Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Getting physical and getting hives – two things that aren’t commonly thought about simultaneously. But over the past couple of decades, allergies, especially to food, have become front-and-center. As has hook-up culture. We were reminded by a listener that their intersection deserves attention, too, when we got this question: How do I teach my kid to be safe and respectful when hooking up with someone who has allergies? And if my kid is the one who’s allergic, how do they stay safe while getting intimate? Show Notes: FARE: FoodAllergy.org Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anxiety abounds: it was surging before COVID, but then leapt to new highs (> 20% of all kids!) during and after the pandemic. We’re joined by LCSW Amy Killy to learn about innovative anxiety management strategies like SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), because having tools to manage anxiety makes us all a little less anxious. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Holidays! Today we re-run our Season 1 episode with Henry + Zoe Winkler is a father/daughter. This is a master class on how grandparents play loving, supportive and epicenter-of-fun roles in their grandchildren’s lives. If we’re lucky, children have grandparents who can act as an extra set of trusted adults, helping them navigate the twists and turns of childhood. But every parent knows that when it comes to grandparents, the rules tend to get thrown out the window - cake for breakfast anyone? We laughed and cried during this inspirational conversation with a very special family… we think you will, too. Show Notes: This Is About Humanity Alien Superstar Book Series Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples MediaTranscript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve had countless requests to dive into the topic of neurodiversity, and we’re thrilled to start here with podcaster, author, and founder/CEO of Tilt Parenting Debbie Reber. It’s a conversation about puberty plus ADHD, autism, and so much more. Show Notes: Tilt Parenting Differently Wired: A Parent’s Guide to Raising an Atypical Child with Confidence and Hope Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That’s a wrap! It was such an honor to spend the past two months speaking across the country about our new book This Is So Awkward. Even though we did a lot of talking, we also did a lot of listening and learning, too. Passing along the top lessons learned from speaking to thousands of folks through the fall. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Middle school is hard enough, and then you add puberty. Here to walk us through the trials, tribulations, and yes JOYS of it all is Phyllis Fagell, school counselor, journalist, and author of two books about surviving and thriving in middle school. Plus, she’s simply delightful! Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Taking a positive approach to health and sex education works better than fear mongering. Still, though, we need to talk about the scarier consequences of sex, starting with STIs and STDs. In this episode, we cover the most common infections, how they are transmitted, and how they can be prevented or treated. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Getting a tween or teen to say thank you can sometimes feel like pulling teeth, but it’s not always about saying the exact words. The long game is about cultivating a sense of gratitude in kids and learning to decipher the different ways they might choose to show their appreciation. Spoiler alert: it’s not always in the way we might expect. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some of the best advice we’ve heard for how to talk to boys about everything from health to sex to friendship comes from award-winning educator and writer, Christopher Pepper. He offers invaluable insights into the lives of teen boys. Show Notes: TeenHealthToday.com TalkToYourBoys.com Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Revealing our newest project: a reliable, relatable and fun health and sex ed curriculum arriving in the next few weeks! We’ve had this in the works for a while, but our book tour audiences across the country have provided new inspiration. Now we’re reaching out to our listeners: What would you want to see included? And if you’re an educator, how can we make the teaching as light a lift as possible? Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s no federally mandated standard for sex education – in fact, there aren’t consistently enforced standards across states or even local school districts. Jaclyn Friedman, founder of Educate US, joins us to un-complicate this web of loose and widely-varying recommendations, ultimately explaining where parents and educators alike go from here. Show Notes: Jaclyn Friedman https://educateusaction.org/resources/ https://siecus.org/state-profiles/ Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discipline is about teaching kids, not about punishing them. It can be challenging to take that approach when managing our kids’ behavior, but ultimately the goal is for kids to do better next time. Our consequences need to keep that goal in mind and Tina Payne Bryson joins us to give us a pathway toward that goal. Show Notes: Tina Payne Bryson Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Divorce and changing family structures create complexity for everyone. When kids are going through puberty, this adds a layer on top of already shifting physical, social, and emotional worlds. Family lawyer Sophie Jacobi-Parisi combines professional insights with deep empathy to help families manage this transition within a transition. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Connect with Sophie on LinkedIn and on Instagram Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To celebrate the launch of our new book, THIS IS SO AWKWARD, we are sharing an Ask Us Anything hosted by comedian, co-creator of Big Mouth (and Vanessa’s brother) Nick Kroll. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Data guru Emily Oster joins us to talk about puberty in a way only an economist can. She’s as warm and funny as she is devoted to good research, which is why she has become a wonderfully loud voice in the world of parenting. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Parent Data Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s a super common question that we get all the time: How do I know if content is appropriate for my kid? The short answer is: It depends. The longer answer in this episode takes into account a variety of factors. The ultimate answer may still be… it depends. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caring for tweens and teens is complex at baseline, but add to that navigating moving countries, changing schools and learning whole new cultural systems… it can be a very complicated stew! Dr. Anisha Abraham offers clear guidance – including reminders about the upsides of growing-up cross-culturally – for those walking this winding path. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus High School Back to School Workshop Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adults get a lot wrong when it comes to kids and technology. Here to bridge this divide is expert in media and tech, and the author of Growing Up in Public, Devorah Heitner. She provides insights for balancing kids’ burgeoning independence and guidance for creating constructive approaches to this complex issue. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus Middle School Back to School Workshop High School Back to School Workshop Growing up in Public: Coming Of Age In A Digital World Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One year ago, we finished writing our book, This Is So Awkward. The summer writing frenzy ended with giddy laughter and exhaustion. We pressed record literally five minutes after turning it in to be able to share, one day, what we learned about ourselves, each other and puberty in the process. A year later (and a month before publication) is that day! Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus Middle School Back to School Workshop (this ends 9/19) High School Back to School Workshop (this ends 9/26) Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pediatric endocrinologist (and our personal hero) Dr. Louise Greenspan has lots to say about the latest research on early puberty. This episode covers emerging data from one specific study run during the Covid pandemic. Are the trends found recently blips? Or the beginning of a new, new normal? Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus Middle School Back to School Workshop High School Back to School Workshop Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kids’ changing friendships during the middle and high school years are a profound part of growing up. While developmentally normal, these changes can be confusing and sometimes painful but they can also be exciting and filled with new opportunities. We will walk through what to say (and what not to say) to kids through these shifts. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus Middle School Back to School Workshop High School Back to School Workshop Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Young people are struggling under the weight of today’s toxic achievement culture. Journalist Jennifer Wallace’s new book, Never Enough, provides rigorous research to help make sense of how we got here, shedding light on the critical underpinnings of how to combat this issue in our own families. Show Notes: Never Enough by Jennifer Wallace Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus Middle School Back to School Workshop High School Back to School Workshop Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our families and our kids don’t always turn out the way we expect, with surprising difficulties or unexpected setbacks along the way. Dayna Abraham to the rescue! She’s an educator and parent of three neurodivergent kids managing her own ADHD. None of this stops her – in fact, it fuels her – from offering clear, tactical guidance and humorous reassurance for dealing with the most challenging parenting situations. Show Notes: Calm the Chaos Lemon Lime Adventures Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus Middle School Back to School Workshop High School Back to School Workshop Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly everyone enters summer with lofty tech goals (fewer screens! more fresh air!). Whether you achieved them or not, going back to work and school inevitably means more tech is back in the mix. This episode offers scripts for talking to kids about keeping up good habits and shedding the less good ones. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus Middle School Back to School Workshop High School Back to School Workshop Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Back for a second visit to the podcast, author/blogger/mom Uju Asika shares insights about raising Black boys in the UK. This conversation picks up where our episode from last season left off, covering issues about race, sexism, masculinity, and cultural influences on tweens and teens across the globe. Show Notes: Raising Boys Who Do Better with Uju Asika Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s easy – and quite human – to identify a symptom or two or three and roll them into a diagnosis. This is as true for kids as it is for adults, so we walk through a bunch of scenarios (and role plays!) about how to handle tween and teen self-diagnosis. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When scientist David Hu realized there was no age-appropriate book for his son to understand his penis – a part of the body his son found deeply fascinating – David wrote one! The resulting book is filled with eye-popping and entertaining scientific facts (like the speed of farts vs the speed of ejaculation). We can promise this episode will have you laughing hysterically and deeply engrossed at the same time. Show Notes: The P-Word: A Manual for Mammals Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every summer has its own soundtrack, and then there’s the one that’s on replay year after year: that endless conversation about the importance of hydration. Learning to care for a growing body means understanding how to stay hydrated and also how to recognize when you’re not. Pro tip: every bit of info in this episode applies to people done with puberty, too. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listeners often ask us to address sibling dynamics during the adolescent years. Frankly, that could be its own multi-episode series. But just because it’s a vast topic doesn’t mean we can’t toe into the conversation. So in this episode, we start by tackling birth order and sibling relationships during these years, getting into only-child dynamics too. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We tend to be prepared for waterworks at graduations and send-offs, but sometimes big emotions sneak up at unexpected moments. Summer is a time with lots of such moments, so in this episode we talk through how to handle tears… or just let them flow. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’re sending a kid away for part of the summer – or even if you’re just sending them off for the day – here are the key conversations to have before getting too far into summer. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the adults raising boys understand their biological and social development, they can better support and guide them. Jennifer Fink is a writer, podcaster, and mom of four (boys) who makes it her mission to change the way we think about caring for adolescent boys(!!). Show Notes: Twitter: @jlwf @BuildingBoys FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/945086638893108 Instagram: @j_l_w_f Substack newsletter -- Building Boys Bulletin - https://buildingboys.substack.com/ Website: https://buildingboys.net/ Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve covered body positivity and eating disorders on this podcast, but one topic we haven’t hit: orthorexia, an obsession with "healthy" eating. The precise definition is still up for debate and it’s not yet recognized as a clinical diagnosis. Nonetheless, it’s increasingly recognized as a type of disordered eating, and adolescence is a common time for it to emerge. Show Notes: National Eating Disorders Association Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The hand-off for healthcare responsibility from parents to teens can be complex and bumpy. But it’s a practical – and ultimately legal – necessity! Dr. Sara Levine, Adolescent Medicine specialist, offers sage guidance starting with this central tenet for the ongoing process: start the process early. Show Notes: Sara Buchdahl Levine, MD, MPH, FAAP On Instagram with Caraway Health Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Part 2 of our series with disability rights activist Emily Ladau. In this conversation, Emily up-ends the wide ranging assumptions many people make about disabled people and sexuality. Show Notes: Emily Ladau Demystifying Disability National Council for Independent Living Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Disability rights activist Emily Ladau describes her experience through puberty with a physical disability, sharing her own story in the most eye-opening, heartwarming conversation. If you’ve never thought about what it’s like to transform physically and emotionally while managing physical limitations, this episode will open your mind. Show Notes: Emily Ladau Demystifying Disability National Council for Independent Living Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email [email protected] To submit listener questions email [email protected] Watch the full episode on Youtube! Produced by Peoples Media Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices