Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens

Do you think you can maintain your calm and parent a teen? Well Hesha Abrams believes you can. In fact, she believes you can "Hold the Calm".

⁠Hesha Abrams ⁠is on a mission to help people from all walks of life to find a solution when it seems impossible. A recipient of the Brutsche Award for Excellence in Mediation and 2021 Women Leaders in The Law, Hesha is an internationally recognized attorney, mediator and negotiator for crafting highly creative settlements and resolutions in very difficult matters. She has successfully mediated thousands of parties and was an innovator in the mediation field serving on the legislative task force that drafted landmark ADR laws and taught mediation and negotiation at the 2001 International Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in The Hague.

Hesha recently published, Holding the Calm the Secret to Resolving Conflict and Defusing Tension. And we are going to discuss the secret in this episode. So if you would like to resolve conflict and defuse tension in your family then listen to this episode.

Contact Hesha at ⁠https://www.holdingthecalm.com/
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Are you a mom who feels like you’ve lost your spark—like so much of your life has been poured into raising your teen that you’re no longer sure what lights you up?

In this episode, I sit down with Laura Best, author of Born to Buzz, to talk about how moms can reconnect with their passions without blowing up their lives to do it. Laura shares a refreshing and realistic approach: you don’t have to quit everything—you can rediscover your energy and purpose right where you are.

Laura Best is a motivational keynote speaker, bestselling author, and founder of Passion Collective—a global community helping people reconnect with what they love. With over 25 years of experience as a corporate marketing leader, she has worked with major brands like U.S. Bank and now helps individuals and organizations unlock passion to drive energy, engagement, and fulfillment in both work and life.

We explore why so many moms feel disconnected from themselves during the teen years, how guilt keeps us stuck, and why prioritizing your own fulfillment isn’t selfish—it actually makes you a better parent. Laura offers practical tools to help you reconnect with what you love, even if you’ve completely lost touch with it.

If you’ve been feeling flat, burned out, or like you’ve disappeared somewhere along the way—this episode is your invitation to come back to life.

✨ 3 Takeaways

1. It’s not selfish to prioritize yourself—it’s necessary.
When moms engage in what lights them up, they show up calmer, more present, and more connected. Taking care of yourself benefits your teen too.

2. You don’t need a big life change—start small.
You don’t have to quit your job or overhaul your life. Reconnecting with passion can begin with small, consistent moments that bring you joy.

3. Look back to move forward.
If you feel lost, think about a time when you felt most like yourself. What were you doing? That’s a clue to what still matters to you—and what you can bring back into your life.

Learn More at: https://www.passioncollective.co/book

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Were you a “good kid” growing up—and did anyone ever ask how you were really doing on the inside?

In this eye-opening episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with trauma therapist and author Maggie Nick to explore the hidden cost of being the “good kid.” While these kids are often praised for being easy, responsible, and well-behaved, many are silently struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, and a deep fear of disappointing others.

Maggie shares her personal story of being a lifelong people-pleaser who looked “sunshine and rainbows” on the outside but felt intense pressure and self-criticism on the inside. Through her own healing journey, she discovered that shame—not behavior—is often at the root of the good kid pattern.

This conversation helps parents understand how well-intentioned parenting, combined with a child’s temperament and sensitivity, can unintentionally create kids who disconnect from their own needs in order to feel loved and accepted.

💡 3 Key Takeaways

1. “Good” Behavior Can Hide Internal Struggles
Good kids often look like they’re thriving—but many are anxious, self-critical, and disconnected from their own wants and needs. They’ve learned to focus outward—keeping others happy—while losing touch with themselves.

2. Shame Shapes Identity More Than We Realize
When kids receive messages like “I expected more from you” or “What’s wrong with you,” they don’t just change behavior—they internalize it. The takeaway becomes: “Something is wrong with me.” This can follow them into adulthood.

3. Small Parenting Shifts Can Break the Cycle
You don’t have to overhaul your parenting—just adjust your approach:

Move from criticism to curiosity

Allow your child to struggle without shame

Stay connected: “I don’t like the behavior, but I’m always on your side”

These small shifts help your teen stay connected to themselves—and to you.

Learn More at: https://www.instagram.com/maggiewithperspectacles?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

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In this episode, Colleen O’Grady talks with pediatric obesity specialist Dr. Joey Skelton about one of the most sensitive topics for parents of teens: how to address weight and eating habits without causing shame or harm. Drawing from his new book, Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World, Dr. Skelton explains how well-meaning parents can unintentionally heighten body image struggles, disordered eating, and family tension when they focus too much on weight.

Dr. Skelton introduces the idea of “threading the needle”—supporting a teen’s health without feeding the cultural obsession with body size. He encourages parents to move away from comments, pressure, and restriction, and instead create a home environment built on love and structure. That means modeling healthy habits, setting consistent routines around meals and snacks, limiting food-related commentary, and avoiding moral labels like “good” and “bad” foods.

Colleen and Dr. Skelton also explore the difference between healthy eating, disordered eating, and eating disorders, the emotional impact of weight talk in families, when parents should be concerned, and how to help teens develop a healthier relationship with food and their bodies. This episode offers practical, compassionate guidance for moms who want to protect both their child’s physical health and emotional well-being.

Three key takeaways from this episode:

1. Talking about weight can backfire.
Even loving comments like “Do you really need another cookie?” may be heard by teens as criticism or shame. Dr. Skelton encourages parents to focus less on weight and more on creating healthy family routines.

2. Replace pressure and restriction with love and structure.
Rather than policing food, parents can help by planning meals, setting snack and dinner routines, eating together when possible, and modeling a balanced relationship with food and movement.

3. Your teen’s worth is never defined by their body.
Helping teens build body confidence starts with what parents model at home—avoiding negative body talk, not commenting on appearance, and reinforcing that health, character, and identity matter far more than weight.

Learn More at:

https://school.wakehealth.edu/faculty/s/joseph-skelton

https://www.wakehealth.edu/specialty/b/brenner-fit

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How do we help our teens stay hopeful when life is hard?

In this episode, I talk with psychologist and optimism expert Dr. Deepika Chopra, author of The Power of Real Optimism: A Practical Science-Based Guide to Staying Resilient, Curious, and Open Even When Life Is Hard.

We explore the difference between toxic positivity and real optimism, and why trying to cheer our teens up when they’re upset often backfires. Dr. Chopra explains that real optimism doesn’t deny hard feelings—it helps teens learn how to move through them.

We also discuss why teens need validation before solutions, how parents can unintentionally fall into pessimistic thinking about their kids, and how shifting our language and mindset can help teens build resilience and confidence.

Dr. Chopra shares practical ways parents can help teens develop optimism as a skill—by reminding them that emotions are temporary, helping them collect evidence of their strengths, and modeling optimism in our own lives.

This conversation will encourage parents who may feel discouraged with their teen and remind them that hope and growth are always possible.

3 Takeaways for Parents

1. Validate feelings before fixing the problem.
Teens aren’t looking for us to immediately cheer them up or solve their problems. They want to feel heard, understood, and safe expressing their emotions.

2. Optimism is a skill—not a personality trait.
Teens can learn optimism by recognizing that difficult feelings are temporary and by remembering past challenges they have overcome.

3. Focus on strengths, not just problems.
When parents constantly focus on what their teen is doing wrong, it can shape how both the parent and the teen see them. Looking for evidence of strengths helps teens build confidence and resilience.

Learn More at: https://www.drdeepikachopra.com/

Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/drdeepikachopra/

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