Parenting Teenagers Untangled for Fearless Parents: Fear le…
Winner Best Parenting Podcast and rated in the top 1.5% worldwide Most parenting advice tells you what to do; I help you see things differently. At the core of that is my mantra: Fear Less Wonder More. I developed the phrase because I've been studying positive psychology, which has proven that shifting away from our negative emotions can open our minds to many more options and naturally help us see the answers we need. So much parenting advice focuses on our fears, but I want you to be a fear less parent who feels more wonder. Try to usee the words 'I wonder' whenever you find youself thinking about your child. See what it brings up, then ask. I’m Rachel Richards, a former BBC correspondent, CNBC Europe World News Anchor, parenting coach and mum of four; two teens and two bonus daughters. Every week, I interview world-leading experts, dig into the latest research, and challenge the assumptions that leave so many parents feeling anxious, guilty or stuck. Because I don’t believe it’s just about having more information. I believe parents need a different lens. Fear tells us our teenager is lazy, rude, addicted or deliberately difficult. Wonder asks, What’s really going on? What need, skill or fear might I be missing? When we replace fear with curiosity, we make better decisions, drop our judgement and start connecting, and raise young people who are more resilient, independent and emotionally healthy. If you’re tired of parenting through worry, conflict or self-doubt, you’re in the right place. Join thousands of parents each week as we learn to Fear Less. Wonder More.
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Sept. 1, 2026
The Pressure Teen Girls Aren’t Talking About — and How Parents Can Help
Ask Rachel anything If your teenage daughter says, “I have anxiety,” “my ADHD was out of control today,” or calls a friend “toxic,” it can feel both strangely sophisticated and oddly shallow at the same time. She has language. She has labels. But somehow, you’re still not sure what’s really going on inside her. In this episode with psychiatrist Dr Suzanne Garfinkel-Crowell, author of Girlhood Translated: Understanding Girls in the Age of Therapy Speak and Self-Diagnosis, we pulled back the cu...
Aug. 31, 2026
Curiosity: What’s wrong with my teen? At the Big Hug Community Cafe
Ask Rachel anything Thank you, thank you, thank you, Wirohugo for your incredible donation. You are so kind! Here’s the question posed by one of our community using the Ask Rachel Anything button: My fifteen year old boy seems to show no curiousity about the world. Does not know countries, capitals, does not read (except when incentived). Today, he didn't recognise the neighbouring village which we drive through many times. He is middling at school but good at some subjects. So, not a d...
205
Aug. 25, 2026
Starting Secondary School: Mistakes To Avoid
Ask Rachel anything They're the oldest in their primary and suddenly our babies have to cope with being the youngest in their senior school. It's a big leap, and it comes just at the point when our kids are becoming much more aware of themselves and others with a big dollop of puberty-driven insecurity. It's easy to worry about them making friends, coping with their newfound indepenence; complicated timetables, different classrooms, homework, buses and remembering their passwords. Here ...
Aug. 22, 2026
Exams, AI Friends and More Joy: Parenting Unpacked in the Wonder Room
Ask Rachel anything Welcome to the Wonder Room where Richards, and Katharine Radice, wonder about three huge areas in our teens’ lives right now: Exam results and school pressure – how to respond to GCSE grades in a way that protects motivation and self-worth, rather than letting national headlines define your child.Schools and teachers – why constant school-bashing can damage our teenagers’ relationship with education, and how to talk about school in a way that keeps teachers as allies, not ...
204
Aug. 18, 2026
My Teen Has No Friends: Loneliness, Friendship and How Parents Can Explain & Model the Skill
Ask Rachel anything So many parents come to me saying 'My teen has no friends. What should I do?' and I can't help wondering if we are missing one of the most important ways to help them. Being good at friendships ourselves. Think about it. If we're not good at making and maintaining friends ourselves, who will our babies learn their friendship skills from? In this episode of Teenagers Untangled, I’m joined by author, broadcaster, and founder of The Friendship Lab, Sheridan Voysey, to unpack ...
203
Aug. 11, 2026
Empty Nest: How to Cope When Your Teen Goes off to College or University. Vintage
Ask Rachel anything In this episode of Teenagers Untangled, we’re talking about what happens when the children we’ve poured our hearts, time, and energy into finally leave home. If you’re facing the prospect of a child heading off to university or moving out—and feeling anything from pride and excitement to grief, anxiety, or a loss of identity—this episode is for you. First, I revisit a powerful conversation with mindfulness coach Susie Asli, where we unpack empty nest syndrome: why feelings...
Aug. 11, 2026
Exam Results: What if my teen doesn't get the grades they want? Vintage
Ask Rachel anything A listener parenting a teen son wrote to say both of them felt pretty stunned when he was rejected from the university he'd set his heart on. She asked for the best way to help our teenagers cope with this sort of disappointment. I thought it was a great question and a good opportunity to also look at how we parents can best navigate when our teen has worked for years toward a dream - a top university place, exam results, a team, a part - and it doesn’t happen. The d...
202
Aug. 4, 2026
How to Prepare Your Child for College & University: The Teen view on Friends, Safety, Study, Money and Freshers Week.
Ask Rachel anything Sending your teen off to university can feel both exciting and terrifying. In this episode of Parenting Teenagers Untangled, I talk with my 19-year-old daughter Phoebe, home after her first year at Oxford University, about what parents really need to know to prepare their teens for university life. We cover the big worries parents Google most: how teens make friends in Freshers’ Week, coping with the academic workload, dealing with drinking, drugs and peer pressure, ...
201
July 28, 2026
How to Be a Calm Parent to Teens using Boundaries with Diane Sorensen
Ask Rachel anything Are you tired of yelling at your teen – and hating yourself afterwards? In this episode of Teenagers Untangled, I talked with parenting and relationship coach Diane Sorensen about how to stay calm with teens, stop power struggles, and set healthy boundaries without becoming a pushover. If you’re dealing with eye-rolling, “disrespectful” attitudes, shouting matches, and constant tension at home, this conversation will help you: Understand why you get so triggered by your te...
200
July 21, 2026
Blended Families: How to Connect With a Child Who Doesn't Accept You
Ask Rachel anything If you’ve ever fallen in love with someone who already has children, or tried to blend two families and thought, “Why is this so hard? What’s wrong with me?” – this episode is for you. You are not broken, and you are definitely not alone. I was joined by Masha Rusanov, coach, writer, and author of Repatterned. Together we unpack: Why step‑parenting can feel so emotionally different from parenting your biological childrenHow to prioritise connection before correction with b...
Recent Blog Posts
July 19, 2026
How to Spot Grooming: Warning Signs Every Parent Should Know
A practical guide for parents: I scuffed the diamond-scattered pavement at the bus stop, shivering in a thin, borrowed coat and old school uniform, my socks rolled down the way cool kids wore them back where I came from. January in the UK is quite …
March 5, 2026
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Dec. 4, 2025
Christmas: Joy or Juggernaut?
I’ve heard that the illuminated Coca Cola lorry and commercials signals the start of the Christmas countdown for many. I think it’s an apt symbol of the juggernaut that is Christmas, and I’m going to talk about how I jumped off. ‘I’m dreading Ch…
About the Host
Rachel Richards
Host
I've worked as a BBC Correspondent, a World News Anchor for CNBC Europe and a Parenting Supercoach for Parent Gym, supporting parents in the most deprived boroughs of London.
I'm the mother of two bonus-daughters, now in their twenties, two teenagers, and married to the most amazing, but messy, man. I live in a Tudor house in the UK countryside, walk my two cockapoos daily and read voraciously.
My main purpose in making this podcast is my desire to break negative family cycles so I can understand and parent my own teens better.
I'm a lover of yoga, jogging, hiking, skiing, flying, reading, music, and all types of adventurous travel.
Originally born in Zambia, I'd lived in six different countries by the age of ten and thank my lucky stars to have settled in the UK.
Most of all I am loving the opportunity to give back for all the good fortune I've had in my life.