Teenage Kicks Podcast Helen Wills

In this episode Helen Wills talks to social media guru Nickie O'Hara about her experiences of bullying as a teenager. Shockingly, Nickie was first picked on by a teacher, and the social stigma went from there.


Nickie is now also a running mentor, and told me about how being athletic as a teenager led to her having some body image issues, and how she dealt with them at the time.


We discuss how different parents handle bullying and friendship issues when their kids are teenagers, and the pros and cons of teens using social media.


It's a heartwarming and reassuring conversation about how friendships change over the years. If this is you now, Nickie says you will get through it.


Where to find Nickie


@nickieohara on Twitter and InstagramRead her blog TYPECASTListen to running podcast The First 10 Minutes Are The WorstListen to her radio show Something for the Weekend on Ribble FM

We also talk about other accounts @pinkoddy and @stephstwogirls.


More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills:


Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens.


Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com.


There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.


You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.


For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co.


Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.


Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

This episode of the the Teenage Kicks podcast deals with a very sensitive issue. Helen Wills talks to Jill Hawkins about the death of Jill's mother when she was just 15 and in her GCSE year at school.


Jill's mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour just before Christmas, and died in January. She was just 57. Jill went into school the next day, because she couldn't think of anything else to do.


Jill says that in hindsight she knows she was suffering from depression, but didn't want to face up to her loss. Instead she distracted herself by staying out with friends or working. Home didn't feel like home after her mum died.


Things we discuss:


Talking about the person who has died is really important for recovery.Whether it's harder or easier when someone dies suddenly, or if there's time for long goodbyes.Missing out on an adult relationship with your parent.How difficult it is to face up to your feelings following a bereavement.How the death of a parent forms your own parenting when you become a mother.Anything is recoverable in your life. Write your life one line at a time, and don't worry when plans need to change, because it's all part of your story.

Who is Jill Hawkins?


Jill Hawkins has 20 years’ experience handling PR and content creation for companies within the event industry.


Jill was formerly a founding partner and director of Friday’s Media Group – founded in 1999. Clients current and past include CHS Group, The Meetings Show, RefTech, International Confex, The Queen Elizabeth II Centre, De Vere Group plc, Eventia, BI, Sledge, and Warwick Conferences. 


You can connect with Jill via her website, on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also join her networking group.


More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills:


Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens.


Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com.


There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.


You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.


For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co.


Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.


Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

In this episode of the podcast Helen Wills talks to author Toni Hargis, a mum of a teenage girl who still experiences the same sexism she did as a teenager.


Toni - along with Susanna Scott and Jennifer Howze of Britmums - has written How to Stand Up to Sexism, Words for When Enough is Enough.


We discuss the microaggressions that lead to bigger acts of sexism, both in the workplace, and in girls' personal lives, and what women and girls can do to stop them in their tracks.


Toni, Jen and Susanna offer practical advice to be used in a multitude of situations, as well as outlining what the law says in each case.


Who is Toni Hargis?


Toni Summers Hargis is an author and columnist. With a law degree and a Masters in Organisation Development under her belt, she spent years working in corporate HR, Training and Organisation Consulting.


Always ardent and vocal about women’s rights and equality, Toni was termed “difficult” in many a meeting and strives to continue in that vein, calling out sexist BS at every turn.


She has written about women’s rights issues for the past several years at Huffington Post, Medium and the BritMums website. She also blogged as Expat Mum during her years living in the USA.


You can find Toni here:


Toni on TwitterToni's website tonisummershargis.co.uk.  How to Stand Up to Sexism book.Buy the book at Amazon (affiliate link).

More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills:


Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens.


Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com.


There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.


You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.


For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co.


Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.


Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

In this Expert Guest episode of the Teenage Kicks podcast Helen Wills talks to Wendy Lund about how mindfulness and gratitude can help to change a teen's mindset and their outcomes.


Most importantly, Wendy gives parents easy tips on helping teenagers to develop a gratitude habit that doesn't involve meditating, journalling or spending time talking about their feelings!


Helen says "This episode was like therapy to record. Honestly, even if you take none of the advice to recreate with your teen, it's worth a listen for your own wellbeing!"


Teenagers don't have time to listen to adults insisting that they need to spend time on their mental health. But as parents we can encourage them into daily practices that help them see what's good about their lives.


What are the benefits of gratitude?


Wendy says "practicing any positive emotion... builds neuronal pathways in the brain... and if you're busy doing those you cannot be busy with thoughts of anxiety and depression... Thoughts produce our emotions, which drive our behaviour." So it's incremental.


It improves your mental healthPromotes proactive and prosocial behaviourDecreases materialismDecreases narcissismDecreases depression and anxietyImproves academic scoresImproves life satisfaction scoresImproves compassion

Mindfulness resources from Wendy:


Make Stress Your Friend - a brilliant TED talk by Kelly McGonigalVideo: An Experiment in Gratitude: The Science of Happiness. (Get ready for tears - happy ones!)Gratitude: a short film by Louie SchwartzbergGratitude questionnaires and scales that scientists useYou might also like this episode with Ryan Gallagher on recovering from PTSD after the death of his father.This episode with digital parenting expert Elizabeth Milovidov on bonding with your teens is also useful.

Who is Wendy Lund?


Wendy is the founder of Wellth Management, an organisation committed to helping people redefine wealth through wellness.


With an MSc in Mindfulness Studies, and following a career as a Professor of Health Sciences, Wendy helps individuals and organisations using evidence-based theory and strategies to create wellness and build stress tolerance.


Wendy on InstagramWendy's Twitter page

More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills:


Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens.


Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com.


There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.


You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.


For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co.


Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.


Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

If you're on Instagram, you'll probably know today's guest for colourful illustrations and mindful musings on supporting our own wellbeing. In episode 44 Helen Wills talks to Stacie Swift about how to convince teenagers to start journaling to develop positive mental health practices.


Stacie is a mum of three, and an illustrator who creates the prettiest posts, with the most gorgeous words on wellbeing and self-care. She’s now published a book - The Positively Awesome Journal (affiliate link) – to inspire people to start journaling, and it’s characteristically both GORGEOUS to look at, and thought provoking and inspiring to work through.


As Stacie says, the journal is "A reminder that you matter too.” And THAT is something that I think we’re all in need of remembering, every day.


How journaling supports teen mental health


Stacie says she turned to her drawings and musings when she was a teenager herself, and found it gave her space for her own feelings, to process difficult things in her life, and feel better equipped to tackle daily problems.


All of us feel pressure to focus on "doing better," on what we did wrong, and teenagers have more pressure on them than ever before. Stacie's journal encourages time spent looking at our achievements, and the things that are good in our lives, as well as giving space to acknowledging when life is difficult. She describes journaling as an anchor in life.


Designed to promote and encourage mental well-being, it is the perfect pick-me-up to help keep you uplifted, motivated and understood. You can finally write that ‘not-to-do’ list, prioritise your tasks, learn how to set social media boundaries, make your own luck, complete a feeling forecast, create a dream log, fill out a meal plan, give thanks, celebrate your progress and find plenty of room for self-reflection - all in one safe place.


Stacie is very down to earth, and describes herself as a work in progress where wellbeing is concerned, so she's very easy to listen to. Have a listen to the episode for all her wisdom.


You can find more from Stacie Swift here:


Stacie's websiteStacie on InstagramFacebookBuy the Positively Awesome Journal

More teenage parenting inspiration from Helen Wills:


Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens.


Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com.


There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.


You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.


For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co.


Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.


Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.

In the first episode of the Meet the Parents series Helen Wills Talks to Gill Mann about the death of her son Sam from Schizophrenia.


What is schizophrenia?


Schizophrenia is a mental health condition related to psychosis. People with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have episodes of psychosis, where they experience a different reality to others around them. They may have hallucinations, delusion, or hear voices.


Who is Gill Mann?


Gill Mann is a psychotherapist and author. She started her working life as a lawyer but finally was brave enough to follow her heart and re-train as a therapist. She has worked within the NHS, a university counselling service and in private practice.


Writing has always been Gill’s other passion but in 2014 it became a lifeline, when she learned that her son, Sam had died while travelling overseas.


For two years she kept a journal, writing about him and her grieving. She found herself addressing Sam too -there was so much still to say. When another bereaved mother read Gill’s journal,she urged her to publish it, saying it had made her feel much less alone.


Gill’s memoir, A Song Inside, was published by Retreat West Books in July 2020.


We talk about:


So many people live with schizophrenia very bravely, as the medications to manage it can have debilitating side effectsAround half of people with schizophrenia don't have an awareness that there's anything wrong, which can make treatment even more distressing, for themselves and for the people who love them.Managing grief after a diagnosis is important. Gill says you need to allow yourself to feel the pain, but also acknowledge the good things that still areConditions don't define a person. We need to look beyond a person's illness to see the person they are alongside it.

Find out more about the book


Read more about Sam and Gill at gillmannauthor.co.ukBuy the book on Amazon UK, US (affiliate links) or at your local independent bookstore.

Where to get support for schizophrenia and psychosis


Epic minds explains more about psychosis for anyone who is worriedMind mental health charity on psychosisInformation on psychosis from Rethink Mental Health

More teenage parenting tips from Helen Wills:


Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy a resource for midlife parents of teens.


Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com.


There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.


You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.


For information on your data privacy please visit Podcast.co.


Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.


Podcast produced by James Ede at Be Heard production.