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Episodes

Nov. 11, 2025

Talk to your boys: Masculinity, gaming, sexuality and emotions.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures There's so much talk about masculinity and how boys should be, but not an awful lot of advice for parents on raising confident, caring young men in today’s world. If you’ve ever wondered how to really connect with your son, or how…

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Nov. 9, 2025

Creating an open nest, new starts, family traditions, listener question about staying close to your teens

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures A little community catch-up with my nuggets of ideas for this week and a listener question about connecting and staying close to his son who is pulling away. Links to recommended episodes: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/vintage-how…

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Nov. 4, 2025

Is A.I. hijacking your child's growth? The parenting survival guide.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures "Learning is struggle, and kids need to get comfortable struggling with learning." That's according to Jenny Anderson, who spends much of her time writing about what is happening at the frontline of parenting, education …

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Oct. 28, 2025

Mental health problems in teenagers. We can't just blame phones.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures Why is it that so many teenagers today seem to be struggling with mental health? In this conversation, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Matt Richtel reveals the surprising science behind adolescent development, explaining why teens ar…

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Oct. 26, 2025

Motivational feedback, a happiness hack, and letting your teen sleepover after a party

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? The happiess hack article by Dana Millbank: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/10/24/happiness-purpose-community-contribution/ Checkout my Substack: teenagersuntangled.substack.com Support the show Please hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit. You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom …

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Oct. 21, 2025

Drugs: Half of 15 year olds have been exposed. How to talk with your kids about drugs now.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures To lose a child is one of the worst things any of us an imagine. To lose him at 16 to a recreational drug is an unbearable pain. That's what happened to Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE, but she has turned her pain into an incredible quest …

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Oct. 19, 2025

Grief, university, rules and consequences, raising boys, chores and phones. Community Catch Up

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures For this Sunday catch up I was joined by Susie Asli to discuss the challenges of parenting during times of personal loss, such as the death of a pet or a parent. We share our experiences of our children’s different reactions to grie...…

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Oct. 14, 2025

Most teenagers aren't getting enough sleep. Here's how to fix it.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures Sleep's a FREE performance-enhancer, so why are so many teens not getting enough? For us parents, sleep is the thing we all obsess about when we first bring our babies home, but if you're anything like me by the time they hit…

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Oct. 7, 2025

Preventing our kids from developing eating disorders.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures Whatever food fears we've inherited, or learned, will be passed on to our kids unless we understand and challenge our beliefs, according to food psychologist, Dr Anna Colton. As she rightly points out, fear-mongering about killer …

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Oct. 6, 2025

Oxford University, Screen Time, Homework and Listener Letter: School Refusal

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? teenagersuntangled.substack.com Screen Time Study: https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2026-24348-001.html Dr Naomi Fisher: https://naomifisher.co.uk/ School Avoidance: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/school-avoidance-what-to-do-if-your-teen-is-missing-school/ The Disengaged Teen: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/122-how-to-get-our-teens-to-love-learning-and-why-parents-are-the-missing-piece-of-the-puzzl…

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Sept. 30, 2025

Stop pushing your kids: The science of success, resilience, and reduced stress.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures Is your kid stressed or lacking motivation? What if the antidote was pushing them less and giving them more of a sense of control over their lives? It doesn't mean giving up your authority as a parent. As elite teen coach, Ned Joh…

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Sept. 23, 2025

Transforming difficult, disruptive kids.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures We all want our kids to feel they belong and have purpose, but what simple things can we do at home and in schools that will help them develop what they need? In this interview you'll hear so many great tips we can put in place at…

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Sept. 16, 2025

Conflict resolution skills for parents. Vintage.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures Conflict is normal - but it often escalates during teenage years because our kids are trying to assert their own wishes, and probably aren't very skilled at it. As parents, it's easy to fall into classic conflict traps if we …

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Sept. 9, 2025

Teens Talk: The good and bad of smart phones and social media. 158

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures FREE GUIDE: HOW TO THINK THROUGH DEVICE USE FOR YOUR TEENS https://open.substack.com/pub/teenagersuntangled/p/teens-and-screens-the-big-hug-teenagers Smartphones can be massively problematic in the hands of the young, mainly because of…

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Sept. 2, 2025

School: what to do when things go wrong.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures When things go wrong at school parents are bound to feel stressed, wanting the problem to be resolved as soon as possible. But - in the UK at least - the current complaints system is "working for no one", according to the Gov…

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Aug. 26, 2025

Mental Health, and Teen Phone Use with Oxford Psychologist Lucy Foulkes.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures How we parents manage technology in our homes, and what we put in the hands of our kids, has turned into one of the most hotly debated topics amongst parents and experts. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Lucy Foulkes, Oxford academic ...…

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Aug. 19, 2025

Lessons in parenting from adult kids who go no contact:

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=family-adventures Do you ever worry about losing touch with your kids as they grow up? In this episode of Teenagers Untangled I'm joined by Catherine Hickem, a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and founder of Parenting Adult Childre…

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Aug. 12, 2025

Teens, screens and mobiles: bans and boundaries.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=family-adventures The latest narrative around online safety, phones and devices, is pushing for bans to keep our kids safer and happier. The idea is to give them back their childhood and prevent them from accessing harmful content. Catherine Knibbs,...<…

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Aug. 5, 2025

Support: Can we offer other parents support without making them feel criticised or judged?

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=family-adventures Judgment can be both useful and harmful. When it works well it's a safety mechanism for keeping kids from being harmed. When it works badly it can create feelings of shame and fear which stop parents reaching out for help, cause u…

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July 29, 2025

Why Mothers Aren't Happy: Burnout, Mental Load and the Second Shift.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=family-adventures Women's happiness has been in decline since the 1970's despite increased freedoms and opportunities, says Dr Giselle Goodwin. I've you've ever felt burnout out and the sense that you're somehow failing at being…

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July 22, 2025

Angry teenagers: How to parent tweens and teens through their anger - Vintage.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=family-adventures We all loose our cool sometimes. but teenagers can find it particularly challenging to stay calm or calm down when enraged. It takes self-awareness and skill, and a level of brain development that just isn't there for some of them…

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July 15, 2025

How to Set Boundaries That Actually Work With Teens: Vintage.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=family-adventures Having kids can seem like a non-stop obstacle course trying to get another living being to do things, whether for their own good or our own sanity. Getting the right balance between love and discipline is incredibly tricky, and for man…

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July 8, 2025

Motivation: How to motivate a young person, teen or tween: Vintage.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=family-adventures We'd all love our children to breeze through school, enjoying a satisfying academic life, having lots of friends, and coming out at the end feeling a success. But what if you have a child that doesn't thrive in an academic en…

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July 1, 2025

Alcohol. A Smart Parents' Guide to Helping Teens Take a Healthy Approach.

Ask Rachel anything Explore Worldwide Holidays - Click here for an adventure your child will never forget: πŸ‘‡πŸ» https://www.explore.co.uk/experiences/family-holidays?utm_source=teenagers-untangled&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=family-adventures More than half of kids who've drunk alcohol under the age of 15 in the UK were offered it by their parents. Alcohol has been proven to cause seven types of cancer, according the World Cancer Research. According to other research, …

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