Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens Colleen O'Grady LPC, LMFT, author, speaker & C-Suite Radio

How can you create a sense of adventure and belonging in your family, even when life gets messy?
What are the essential values that help cultivate a healthy and connected family?
In this episode I interview Julie and Chris Bennett, authors of Fighting for Family, The Relentless Pursuit of Building Belonging.
The Bennetts share their journey of moving from Oklahoma to Los Angeles and how this adventurous leap, combined with facing personal challenges like Julie's battle with cancer, has shaped their family dynamics.
Julie and Chris Bennett are the founders of Welcome Home Lifestyle which exists to create and promote content that celebrates all things family.
Both Julie and Chris are graduates of Baylor University and have spent the majority of their 23 years of marriage working in vocational ministry. Through overwhelming challenges, they have learned how to fight for the things that matter and devote themselves to helping others do the same.
Alongside their passion for building belonging for others, they love nothing more than beach football, spontaneous road trips, and throwing a good party.
The Bennetts live in Malibu, CA where Chris serves as lead pastor of Vintage Church Malibu.
They emphasize the importance of intentionality in building family connections, advocating for open and honest conversations, and believing the best about each other, even during tough times. The Bennetts discuss their six core values for cultivating family, which include seeking to understand before being understood and working through hard things instead of walking away. They also highlight the significance of humility, vulnerability, and the willingness to learn from each other, noting that a healthy family is about being real and embracing the messiness of life together.
To learn more go to https://www.fightingforfamily.org/
Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/juliebennett_/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you worried that technology is taking over your family life, especially with your tweens and teens?
In this episode of the "Power Your Parenting" podcast, Colleen O'Grady hosts Erin Loechner, the author of "The Opt Out Family: How to Give Your Kids What Technology Can't." Erin shares her journey from being a social media influencer to leading a low-tech lifestyle. Founder of global tech-free movement The Opt-Out Family, Erin Loechner is a former social media influencer who walked away from a million fans to live a low-tech lifestyle—and is now teaching others how to do the same. Her cutting-edge work has been praised in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Huffington Post, as well as on the Today Show. When she’s not scrawling on her trusty steno pad, Erin, her husband, and their three kids spend their days chasing alpenglow, reading Kipling, and biking to town for more tortillas.
Five key points include: 1) The pervasive belief that kids need technology is challenged, suggesting families can thrive without it. 2) Erin's family motto is "be more engaging than the algorithm," focusing on meaningful offline activities. 3) The negative impacts of technology on children’s mental health are highlighted with compelling statistics. 4) Erin shares practical strategies for families to reduce screen time, such as creating device-free zones and engaging in tech-free retreats. 5) She emphasizes the importance of parents modeling low-tech behavior and fostering real-life connections to help kids develop critical thinking and a love for discovery. Additionally, Erin discusses the challenges and strategies for managing technology in schools, advocating for alternatives to digital assignments and promoting device-free environments to enhance students' focus and well-being.
Learn more at https://www.erinloechner.com/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you wondering how to support your teen through the heart-wrenching experience of grief and loss?
In this heartfelt episode, Colleen interviews award-winning writer and podcaster Clarissa Moll, who shares her personal journey of navigating grief after the sudden loss of her husband in 2019. Clarissa, a remarried widow and mother of seven, discusses her two upcoming books, "Hurt, Help, Hope" and "Hope Comes to Stay," which offer essential guidance for teens and younger children dealing with grief.
First, she emphasizes the importance of understanding that grief manifests differently for each child, ranging from clinginess to a need for solitude. Second, she highlights the necessity of self-care for parents to ensure they can support their children effectively. Third, Clarissa discusses the significance of maintaining family unity and open communication to prevent the family from splintering after a loss. Fourth, she stresses the value of creating a supportive environment that includes normalizing grief, encouraging resilience, and leveraging trusted adults to provide additional support for grieving teens.
Additionally, Clarissa advises moms to be patient with their teens' grief journey and to avoid imposing a timeline on their healing process. She emphasizes that grief can take years to process, and it's crucial for parents to provide a stable, understanding presence without pressuring their teens to "move on" too quickly. This patience and acceptance can help teens feel supported and understood, fostering a healthier, more genuine healing process. Finally, Clarissa advises moms to be patient with their teens' grief journey and to avoid imposing a timeline on their healing process. She emphasizes that grief can take years to process, and it's crucial for parents to provide a stable, understanding presence without pressuring their teens to "move on" too quickly. This patience and acceptance can help teens feel supported and understood, fostering a healthier, more genuine healing process.
Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mollclarissa/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey moms! Have you ever wondered if your teen or college student truly understands the value of money? Are they financially savvy, or do you often find them struggling to grasp the basics? Today’s episode is all about empowering you to help your teens become financially literate.
With almost twenty-five years of experience as a financial advising professional, Jeffrey Panik, MSFS, CFP® knows that his job is to help clients strike a balance between living well today and planning for the future. Throughout his career, Jeff has worked with hundreds of families, individuals, and small businesses to help them set goals, strategically manage their assets, and work toward achieving their dreams. The first in his family to attend college, Jeff believes it is imperative to start the discussion of financial literacy early to best prepare for financial success throughout life. Jeffrey is the author of Your Future Is Now: A Guide to Understanding Your Finances and Gaining Independence.
In this episode, Jeff emphasizes the importance of starting financial literacy discussions early. He provides practical tips on teaching teens about the real costs of credit cards and responsible spending. You'll learn about various budgeting tactics that suit different personalities, understand the true costs of college and how to manage student loans effectively, and discover ways to encourage your teens to work part-time and save. Jeff also highlights the value of early financial education and the impact of practical experiences like internships and part-time jobs.
Follow Jeffrey on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffpanik/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you worried about your teen spending the summer glued to their screens and losing valuable skills? In episode #271 of the "Power Your Parenting Moms to Teens" podcast, host Colleen O'Grady chats with Julia Geffner, a seasoned growth marketer and mom, about preventing the dreaded summer slide. They share practical tips on establishing routines, setting screen time limits, and exploring exciting interests through hands-on activities and enrichment programs. Discover how to make this summer not only relaxing but enriching for your teen. Tune in and transform your summer strategy!
Julia Geffner is a growth marketer, strategist, and customer experience executive and current chief digital and marketing officer at Summer Discovery, the global leader in pre-college programs for nearly six decades. She has 20 years of experience in executive and C-level digital and traditional marketing experience and revenue growth roles. She is passionate about youth education and loves that she gets to help create interactive and fulfilling learning experiences for teens.
She graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in political science and an M.B.A. from Fordham School of Business in marketing and management. Most importantly, Julia is a mom to her two incredible children.
Learn more about Summer Discovery and Julia at https://www.summerdiscovery.com/about/our-team
Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/summerdiscovery
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can moms help their tweens and teens finish the year strong? Do you see your teens procrastinating? How can moms motivate their teens to study and do their best on their finals and AP exams? This episode is full of practical tips and advice to help YOU help your teen.
Our guest today is Lisa Speransky. Lisa grew up in New York City, attending specialized public schools and Columbia University. Through years of her own experience as a well-known tutor and mentor in NYC, she came to understand how a tutoring relationship can be life-changing for a student and began expanding her company in 2003. Lisa also enjoyed a 13-year corporate career in consumer products, spending 3 of those years in a C-level role before returning to IVY to pursue her mission to help students find joy in learning.
How to motivate teens to study?
"Emphasize the higher stakes of final exams compared to regular tests, and remind them that consistent studying can prevent last-minute stress and improve performance."
How to handle procrastination?
"Encourage the use of calendar blocking to break study tasks into manageable chunks, making it easier to start and stay on track without feeling overwhelmed."
The importance of reducing stress.
"Help your teen manage exam stress by providing organizational tools and reinforcing that a single test is not the end of the world; your support and understanding are key."
To find out more about Lisa or IVY go to:
https://ivytutorsnetwork.com/about/our-team
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivytutorsnetwork/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices