Loud Enough Podcast

Dawn Spragg
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Loud Enough: is a podcast from the Teen Action and Support Center that creates space for honest dialogue about what teens are really facing today. This podcast is hosted by Dawn Spragg, MS, LPC, CEO of TASC and will include teens, parents and caregivers, community partners, and trusted experts. Each episode will aim to elevate teen voices and explore practical, compassionate ways to support them. Through real stories and thoughtful conversation, Loud Enough invites families and communities to move beyond fear and judgment toward connection, understanding, and hope. This podcast is for anyone who believes teens deserve to be heard, supported, and empowered as we build a healthier, more positive youth development narrative—together.

Episodes

  1. 15 APR

    Ep. 4 - Full Circle Service: Helping Teens Find Their Voice

    A lot of people still treat teen community service like a chore or a consequence. We see something different: volunteering is one of the fastest ways for teenagers to build purpose, empathy, and real-life skills that stick. Dawn Spragg sits down with Brady Herbert, Manager of Youth Empowerment Programs at the Teen Action and Support Center (TASC), to talk about what “service learning” looks like on the ground in Northwest Arkansas and why the way we frame it matters. We unpack how TASC started supporting teens with mandated community service hours and why we refuse to call service a punishment. Brady shares what happens when teens move from “I have to do hours” to “I can actually contribute” through projects like visiting senior homes, supporting the Diaper Collective, and volunteering at food pantries. Along the way, we talk resiliency builders such as contribution, connection, competence, confidence, and caring and how trusted adults and teen-to-teen leadership can change a young person’s trajectory. You will also hear the barriers that keep teens from volunteering more often, especially transportation, time, and stigma, plus practical ways schools, nonprofits, and families can lower those hurdles. We end with ideas for National Volunteer Week, family volunteer nights, and a simple way to get started if a teen is bored and looking for something meaningful to do. If you care about youth empowerment, service learning, and volunteer opportunities for teens, this conversation will give you stories, research, and practical next steps. Subscribe for more, share this with a parent or community partner, and leave a review to help more people find Loud Enough.

    37 min

  2. 15 MAR

    Ep. 3 - Making and Investment in Teen Lives

    Teen life isn’t noisy, it’s deafening. Between social media pressure, constant comparison, academic strain, and invisible grief, many teens carry more than adults realize. We invited a seasoned parent and financial planner who’s also a former board member, along with a newly licensed counselor who once navigated profound loss as a teen, to unpack what true investment in young people looks like, and why it delivers the best return you’ll ever see. We draw a sharp line between contribution and investment. A contribution is a one-off gesture; an investment is patient, engaged, and adaptive. You’ll hear how a family moved from panic and pride to therapy and openness after a 19-year-old’s breakdown, and how that shift, “care, but don’t carry," changed everything. We talk frankly about anxiety, depression, substance use, and the shame that keeps parents quiet, then show how dropping secrecy accelerates healing. Alongside that, we spotlight grief that teens often face alone, not only through death but through broken friendships and sudden life changes, and how chosen family and steady routines can keep a young person grounded. The heart of our conversation is speed and specificity. Four-to-six-month waitlists are unacceptable for a teen in crisis; it’s the mental health version of sending someone with a broken bone home without a cast. We make the case for more teen-focused therapists, rapid access pathways, and integrated support models where counseling sits next to programs that meet basic needs, teach life skills, and keep teens connected to purpose. When we treat teens as experts in their own story and build systems around that truth, autonomy grows, stigma drops, and progress compounds. You’ll leave with practical steps: learn what typical adolescent behavior looks like, practice hard talks early, build contacts with school counselors and youth leaders, and make a clear promise, if you’re overwhelmed, we’ll find help fast. If this conversation resonates, share it with a parent, teacher, or coach who needs a roadmap. Subscribe for more grounded, hopeful stories, and leave a review to help other caregivers find tools that work.

    28 min

  3. 15 FEB

    Ep. 2 - Northwest Arkansas Goes All In for Teens

    Want to see what happens when a city decides teens truly matter? We pull back the curtain on two decades of work at the Teen Action and Support Center and show how Northwest Arkansas is moving beyond labels to real support. Our focus is simple and bold: build protective factors early, amplify youth voice, and align the whole community around belonging. We start with the origin story, spotting a gap in teen-focused services, and the decision to invite teens and local partners to co-design solutions. From there, we dig into what adolescents actually need: space to figure things out, adults who listen without fixing, and safe-to-fail environments that turn missteps into learning. We explore a trauma-informed shift from “what’s wrong with you?” to “what happened, and what do you need?” and why adolescent brain development demands patience, structure, and empathy. Social media raises the stakes, so consistent mentorship and meaningful after-school options matter more than ever. Evidence guides the path. We connect the dots to the Iceland prevention model and Communities That Care, showing how coordinated investments in family supports, arts, sports, and youth leadership can reduce risk behaviors while boosting graduation, employment, and community pride. Then we ground the data in lived results: service learning that builds identity instead of punishing, teen parents graduating on time at a 95 percent rate, and former TASC participants returning as volunteers and therapists. Prevention isn’t soft; it’s strategic, and it saves both money and futures. We also share practical takeaways for parents, educators, and civic leaders: set a no-questions-asked pickup plan, ask better questions at school (“what’s needed?”), fund inclusive after-school choices, and retire labels like “troubled.”  If you want a hands-on way to help, our All In For Teens casino night brings the community together to fuel prevention and intervention while highlighting powerful youth stories. Join us, subscribe for more conversations that center on teen voices, and leave a review to help more people find these tools. Ready to go all in for teens? Let’s build it together.

    42 min

  4. 30 JAN

    Ep. 1 - Stop Scrolling, Start Listening: A New Year with TASC

    Ever wonder what teens actually want from a new year? We kick off Loud Enough by asking them directly, and the answers might surprise you. Think more sleep, less scrolling, better friendships, small wins that build momentum, and a deeper sense of purpose. We talk about why teens share goals with friends before adults, how to reduce pressure without lowering expectations, and what it takes to turn good intentions into everyday habits. Our team breaks down a whole teen well-being approach, physical, social, emotional, mental, and environmental, so parents and mentors can see the full picture. We unpack how constant exposure to social media, global news, and school stress fuels silent trauma and comparison, and we offer practical ways to respond with support instead of judgment. Then we dig into the eight Cs of resilience, competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping, control, and compassion, and share real stories of teens growing these muscles through service, skill-building, and low-stakes practice that leads to high-stakes readiness. We also spotlight teen parents, who balance their own growth with caring for a child. From play dates that rebuild community to step-by-step plans for licenses, jobs, and childcare, we focus on connection and dignity. Throughout, our goal is simple: shift the question from “What’s wrong with teens?” to “What’s happening to teens?” and respond with tools that build autonomy and safety. If you care about youth mental health, positive youth development, and raising resilient, confident teens, this premiere sets the tone for a year of honest, actionable conversations. Subscribe, share with someone who supports teens, and leave a review with one insight you’re taking into your week.

    49 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

Loud Enough: is a podcast from the Teen Action and Support Center that creates space for honest dialogue about what teens are really facing today. This podcast is hosted by Dawn Spragg, MS, LPC, CEO of TASC and will include teens, parents and caregivers, community partners, and trusted experts. Each episode will aim to elevate teen voices and explore practical, compassionate ways to support them. Through real stories and thoughtful conversation, Loud Enough invites families and communities to move beyond fear and judgment toward connection, understanding, and hope. This podcast is for anyone who believes teens deserve to be heard, supported, and empowered as we build a healthier, more positive youth development narrative—together.

Information

  • Creator
    Dawn Spragg
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Loud Enough Podcast
  • Show Website
    Loud Enough Podcast