Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens

Have you ever felt like your teen is more disconnected than ever—and you’re not quite sure how to reach them?

In this episode we're talking about something so many moms are feeling but may not fully understand—this sense of disconnection with our teens. It can feel like you’re trying, but something just isn’t landing. In today’s world—post-pandemic, with screens, stress, and shifting social norms—connection isn’t as natural as it once was. But here’s the good news: it can be rebuilt, and often in simpler ways than you might think.

My guest today is Amber Chandler, an eighth-grade English teacher, author, and mom of two teens. She recently wrote Reclaiming Connection: How Schools and Families Can Nurture Belonging in a Scared New World. Amber brings both professional insight from the classroom and personal experience as a parent to this important conversation. Her work focuses on helping families, schools, and communities better understand how to foster belonging and meaningful connection in a rapidly changing world.

In this episode, we talk about how the pandemic disrupted teens’ social development and why many are struggling more with in-person connection. Amber shares why it’s too simplistic to blame technology alone and instead encourages us to look at the bigger picture of how connection has changed in our homes and communities. We explore how teens often don’t express their appreciation—but deeply feel it—and why small, everyday moments matter more than big experiences. Amber offers practical ways to connect with your teen, including understanding their unique communication style, knowing when to pause instead of push, and leading with empathy before jumping to discipline. We also talk about the importance of modeling humility through apology and how creating simple opportunities for real-life interaction can help teens rebuild confidence and connection.

3 Takeaways:


Connection begins with empathy. When teens feel understood, they are far more open to influence and guidance.


Small moments matter most. It’s the everyday interactions—not the big events—that build lasting connection.


You have more impact than you think. Even if your teen doesn’t show it, they notice, value, and are shaped by you.

Follow at https://www.instagram.com/amberrainchandler/
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In this eye-opening episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with Dr. Maree Davies, cognitive psychology expert and author of Teaching Critical Thinking to Teenagers: How Kids Can Be Street Smart About AI, Algorithms, Fake News, and Social Media. Together they explore why critical thinking is one of the most essential life skills for today’s teens—and how parents can help develop it at home.

Dr. Davies explains how social media platforms and AI algorithms are designed to capture attention, influence thinking, and keep teens engaged. She shares practical ways parents can help teens become more aware, more curious, and less vulnerable to manipulation, misinformation, and online rabbit holes.

This conversation is packed with wisdom for raising thoughtful, self-aware, and resilient teens in a digital world.

Key Takeaways:

1. Critical thinking starts with curiosity, not lectures.
Instead of telling teens what to think, ask questions like: Does that sound right to you? What do you think? Where could we verify that? Curiosity builds stronger thinkers than criticism.

2. Parents should model critical thinking out loud.
When parents say things like, Hmm… I’m not sure that’s true. Let’s check another source, teens learn how thoughtful adults process information.

3. Teens need connection, not isolation, to navigate digital life well.
When teens feel safe talking with parents about what they’re seeing online, they are far more likely to ask for help, question misinformation, and make smarter choices.

Memorable Quote:

"Critical thinking is not something we do alone—it grows through talking, listening, and thinking together." – Dr. Maree Davies

Learn More at: https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/mj-davies

Follow at: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/maree-davies-22a39411
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In this thought-provoking episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with educator and author Dr. Deborah Kenny to explore what it really means to raise a well-educated teen in today’s world. While many parents feel pressure around grades, test scores, college resumes, and performance, Dr. Kenny offers a much deeper and more meaningful vision of education.

She explains that a truly good education is not just about getting A’s or doing well on standardized tests—it’s about helping kids become thoughtful, curious, morally grounded, independent thinkers. Together, Colleen and Dr. Kenny talk about how parents can look beyond GPA and begin asking bigger questions: Is my teen learning how to think? Can they write well? Can they have respectful disagreement? Are they developing purpose, leadership, and character?

Dr. Kenny also discusses the limitations of today’s education system, the importance of cultivating agency and ethical purpose, and how moms can fill in the gaps at home when schools focus too heavily on performance over deeper learning. The conversation also touches on technology, AI, and how to help teens develop critical thinking in a world full of noise, distraction, and shallow messages.

This episode is a powerful reminder that what matters most is not just whether our teens are successful on paper—but whether they are becoming wise, capable, grounded young adults.

3 Takeaways from the Episode

1. A good education is about much more than grades.

A truly well-educated teen is not just high-achieving—they are curious, thoughtful, compassionate, and able to think independently. Parents can help shift the focus from “How did you do?” to “What are you learning?”

2. Writing, discussion, and deep thinking matter.

Dr. Kenny emphasizes that writing is “thinking on paper.” If teens aren’t being taught to write carefully, revise thoughtfully, and engage with ideas deeply, they may be missing one of the most important parts of a strong education.

3. Moms can shape a deeper kind of learning at home.

Even if schools are focused on test scores and performance, moms can still cultivate meaningful education by encouraging curiosity, purpose, ethical reflection, reading, and thoughtful conversations about the world around them—including AI and technology.

Memorable Quote

“Focus on the learning, the grades will come.”

Guest Bio

Dr. Deborah Kenny is the founder of Harlem Village Academies and the Deeper Learning Institute, and one of the most influential educators in the country. She has been honored with the Columbia University Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award and was named on Oprah’s Power List and Esquire’s Best and Brightest. She holds a PhD in Comparative International Education from Columbia University and is the author of The Well-Educated Child. She is also the mother of three grown children and lives in New York City.

Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/deborahkennyhva/?hl=en

Learn More at: https://www.thewelleducatedchild.org/

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368 Handling Big Mom Emotions

In this powerful and deeply validating episode, Colleen O’Grady talks with returning guest Eli Harwood, licensed therapist, attachment expert, bestselling author, and founder of Attachment Nerd. Eli shares insights from her new book, How to Deal with Your ______ So Your Kids Don’t Have To, and helps moms understand why their own emotions matter so much in parenting.

Together, Colleen and Eli explore how feelings like anger, anxiety, loneliness, judgment, and control can quietly shape the way we show up with our tweens, teens, and young adults. Eli explains that parenting doesn’t just shape our kids—it also sharpens and develops us. She offers a compassionate framework for understanding our emotional habits, attachment patterns, and the ways our own childhood experiences can affect our parenting today.

This conversation is full of hope, practical wisdom, and powerful reminders that you do not have to be a perfect mom to create a secure, connected relationship with your child. What matters most is your willingness to reflect, repair, and keep growing.

3 Takeaways from the Episode


Your emotions matter more than you think.
The way you handle your own feelings teaches your teen how to handle theirs.


Control can cost connection.
When moms parent from fear and control, it often creates more distance instead of influence.


Repair is more powerful than perfection.
You don’t have to get it right all the time—what matters most is coming back, owning it, and reconnecting.

About Eli Harwood

Eli Harwood, MA, LPC is a licensed therapist, bestselling author, educator, and widely respected attachment expert who has spent nearly two decades helping people build secure, healthy relationships. She is the author of Securely Attached, Raising Securely Attached Kids, Uniquely Us, and How to Deal with Your Blank So Your Kids Don’t Have To. Eli is passionate about helping parents become more emotionally aware and connected so they can create the kind of relationships their kids can truly feel safe in. She is also the creator of the popular platform Attachment Nerd. Eli is a mom of three and brings both professional expertise and real-life parenting experience to this conversation.

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attachmentnerd/?hl=en

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