Parents & Teens Rising: Practical Tools for Raising Confident, Connected Teens

Jasmyne Chandler, Teen & Parent Coach and Rites of Passage Guide

Welcome to Parents and Teens Rising, the podcast where we dive deep into the challenges and triumphs of raising teens and young adults in today’s world. Hosted by Teen and Parent coach Jasmyne Chandler, this show is all about empowering parents, teens, and young adults to step into confidence, connection, and courage.Through practical tools, real conversations, and inspiring stories, you’ll learn how to build stronger relationships, support your teen’s authenticity, and navigate everything from anxiety and self-esteem to purpose and independence.Whether your teen feels stuck, stressed, or simply different from the “norm,” this podcast will help you show up with more clarity, compassion, and confidence—while giving your teen the tools they need to rise.

  1. 2d ago

    EP. 58 How This Can Be Your Best Season of Parenting Yet: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Your Teen

    I don't think parenting teenagers has to be our hardest season. I actually think it can be our best one, the season where our relationship with our kid really solidifies right before they launch into adulthood. In today's episode, I'm walking you through 10 steps to build a stronger connection with your teenager, pulled from my coaching program and a blog post I wrote on the same topic, with some personal stories mixed in along the way. The big idea underneath all 10 steps: connection isn't about what your teen is doing, it's about how you're showing up. And I find that so empowering, because it means we have way more influence here than it feels like in the hard moments. Here's what we cover: Why showing care every single day, even on the hard days, plants a seed that builds long-term emotional safetyThe 5-to-1 ratio (from the research of Dr. John Gottman and Daniel Goleman) and why our positive interactions need to far outweigh the negative onesWhy focusing on what I can actually control, myself, is the real lever for change, even when my teen is pushing every buttonWhy consistency matters more than length when it comes to making time for real connectionHow staying steady, even when my teen is testing limits hard, builds a trust that lastsWhy offering respect, even when it doesn't feel earned yet, changes how open my teen is with meHow practicing the pause helps me model regulation instead of adding fuel to the fireWhy picking my battles protects my emotional bandwidth and our relationshipThe power of seeing and naming the good, and why what I focus on in my teen is often what they start to believe about themselvesHow letting playfulness lighten the mood can repair a tense moment faster than any lecture ever couldThis episode is for any parent who wants a real, practical starting point for closing the distance with their teen, one small, everyday moment at a time. Connect with me: Instagram: @jasmyne.guidedpassages 🔗 https://guided-passages.com/

    EP. 58  How This Can Be Your Best Season of Parenting Yet: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Your Teen
  2. Sep 23

    Ep 56. The Social Media Driver's License: Preparing Your Tween or Teen for Their Phone with Jennifer Berger

    Would you let your teenager get behind the wheel of a car with zero lessons and no permit? That's basically what we do with smartphones, and today's guest is here to change that. I'm joined by Jennifer Berger, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Ready Set Screen, and honestly, this is the conversation I wish I'd had access to when my own kids were still preteens. Jennifer has spent 20 years as a media literacy educator, and has worked directly with more than 10,000 preteens and teens, with 95% of them reporting real improvements in their mental health and self-esteem afterward. Her organization recently launched its flagship program, the Social Media Driver's License, and we get into exactly what that is and why she built it that way. If you've ever felt torn between wanting to protect your kid from their phone and knowing you can't realistically keep them off it forever, this conversation is going to feel like a deep breath. We get into a lot, including: Why Jennifer thinks of preparing kids for social media the same way we prepare them to drive a car, and why "the driver's license" metaphor just makes senseHer honest take on monitoring apps and reading your teen's texts, and why she compares heavy monitoring to restrictive dietingWhat she actually says to parents who are worried something serious might be going on with their teen onlineHow the course handles harder topics like AI, porn, and online strangers without over-scaring or under-preparing kidsWhy shame, even over something as small as an accidental Google search, is one of the biggest things getting in the way of kids talking to usWhy the research on phones and mental health is messier than people think, and how Jennifer still landed on taking action anywayThe reality that "just delay it" isn't always realistic when a kid's entire social world is already onlineWhy teaching kids to simply question what they're seeing, who made it and why, can change how they feel about themselves almost immediatelyI really loved this one, and I think you will too. Jennifer's approach isn't about fear, it's about equipping your kid to actually think for themselves out there. About Jennifer Berger: Jennifer Berger has been a media literacy educator for 20 years. She's helped more than 10,000 preteens and teens learn to question the messages they receive through media, with 95% reporting improvements in indicators of their mental health and self-esteem. Jennifer is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Ready Set Screen, based in San Francisco, and recently launched its flagship program, the Social Media Driver's License. Connect with Jennifer & Ready Set Screen: Website: www.readysetscreen.org Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn & TikTok: @readysetscreen The Social Media Driver's License is available now to families: socialmediadriverslicense.org Free Sample of the Social Media Driver's License: https://courses.socialmediadriverslicense.org/sign-up More media literacy resources Jennifer mentioned: National Association for Media Literacy Education: namle.org | YouTube MediaWise: www.mediawise.org | YouTube American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health: aap.org Connect with Jasmyne: Instagram: @jasmyne.guidedpassages 🔗 https://guided-passages.com/

    Ep 56. The Social Media Driver's License: Preparing Your Tween or Teen for Their Phone with Jennifer Berger
  3. Sep 9

    Ep. 54 Your Teen Isn't Overreacting: The Science Behind Teen Anxiety

    If your teen freezes up before school, avoids social situations, or spirals into what-if thinking, this episode is for you. I'm walking you through what's really happening beneath your teen's anxiety and why pep talks and reassurance so often fall flat. We'll cover why some teens' alarm systems run louder than others, how the pandemic disrupted key years of social practice, why LGBTQIA+ and marginalized teens carry an extra layer of anxiety, and the data behind what's become a national trend. And we'll get into the first grounding principle that changes how you support your teen: anxiety is a body-first experience, not a logic problem. In this episode, you'll learn: Why you can't reason your teen out of anxietyHow the amygdala and prefrontal cortex shape your teen's response to stressThe difference between functional worry and concerning anxietyWhat the latest CDC and Trevor Project data tell us about teen anxiety ratesWhy body-based tools like breathing and grounding come before any thinking toolResources mentioned: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan HaidtUnder Pressure by Lisa DamourCDC data on anxiety disorders in children and teensThe Trevor Project's 2024 National Survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental HealthGet the freebie: 5 Steps to Help Your Anxious Teen a free guide with practical steps you can start using with your teen today.  Connect with Jasmyne: Instagram: jasmyne.guidedpassages Website: https://guided-passages.com

    Ep. 54 Your Teen Isn't Overreacting: The Science Behind Teen Anxiety
  4. Sep 2

    Ep 53. Parenting Through Grief, Loss, and a World in Crisis

    In today's episode I'm sharing something a little different, a more personal and vulnerable episode than usual. Life has been hitting hard lately, both in my own world and in the world around us, and instead of showing up with tips and strategies like I normally do, I wanted to be honest about what it actually looks like to navigate hard seasons as a parent. I have a feeling a lot of you are carrying something heavy right now too. Here's what we cover: Why letting our kids face hard, uncomfortable transitions, even when every instinct tells us to rescue them, is often exactly what they needHolding grief and big life transitions at the same time, and what that's taught me about staying present for my family while still being humanWhy it's okay, and even important, for our kids to see that we don't always have it all togetherPlus, the tools that are helping me stay grounded through hard seasons, and might help you too: Allow yourself to actually feel itUse your regulation tools (breath work, movement, pausing before reacting)Practice real self-compassionPrioritize joy and gratitude, even in hard seasonsLean into creativity as an antidote to anxietyFind and stay in communityCommit to small, consistent micro actionsTell your kids the truth, in an age-appropriate wayThis episode is for any parent feeling the weight of things right now, personally or in the world around them, who needs a reminder that they're not alone in it. Connect with Jasmyne: Instagram: @jasmyne.guidedpassages 🔗 https://guided-passages.com/

    Ep 53. Parenting Through Grief, Loss, and a World in Crisis
  5. Aug 26

    Ep 52. Why Punishment Doesn't Work: Sam Straub and Dr. Melissa Wellner on Moving From Control to Connection With Your Teen

    In today's episode I'm joined by Dr. Melissa Wellner, a double board certified adolescent psychiatrist, and Samantha Straub, a licensed therapist, educator, and parenting coach and founder of Teen Savvy Coaching. Together they co-host the podcast Parenting Shrink Wrapped, and they brought so much wisdom and lived experience to this conversation, both as clinicians and as moms themselves. This was such a rich discussion, and I know you're going to walk away with a lot from it. Here's what we cover: The real difference between discipline and punishment, and why those words get used interchangeably even though they're not the same thingWhy punishment tends to teach kids to hide their mistakes or lie instead of actually learning from themSam's simple framework for figuring out what's actually needed in a moment: safety, values, or skillsWhy discipline has to evolve as your child moves through different developmental stages, and why what worked last month might not work nowHow to regulate your own emotions in the heat of the moment so you can come back and actually teach instead of reactWhat to do when your teen pushes back or refuses to engage with the repair processHow to move from a control mindset to a teaching mindset, and why starting small mattersWhy relationship is the foundation that makes all of this possible, especially with a resistant teenThe one shift both Melissa and Sam want every parent to walk away withThis episode is for any parent trying to hold boundaries and accountability without sacrificing connection and trust with their teen. Connect with Samantha Straub / Teen Savvy Coaching: Website: teensavvycoaching.com Facebook: @TeenSavvyCoachingWithSamanthaStraub Instagram: @teensavvycoaching Connect with Dr. Melissa Wellner / Annapolis Psychiatry: Website: annapolispsychiatry.com Facebook: Annapolis Psychiatry Parenting Shrink Wrapped (Melissa & Sam's podcast): Instagram: @parentingshrinkwrapped Facebook: facebook.com/parentingshrinkwrapped YouTube: @ParentingShrinkWrapped Connect with Jasmyne: Instagram: @jasmyne.guidedpassages 🔗 https://guided-passages.com/

    Ep 52. Why Punishment Doesn't Work: Sam Straub and Dr. Melissa Wellner on Moving From Control to Connection With Your Teen

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Welcome to Parents and Teens Rising, the podcast where we dive deep into the challenges and triumphs of raising teens and young adults in today’s world. Hosted by Teen and Parent coach Jasmyne Chandler, this show is all about empowering parents, teens, and young adults to step into confidence, connection, and courage.Through practical tools, real conversations, and inspiring stories, you’ll learn how to build stronger relationships, support your teen’s authenticity, and navigate everything from anxiety and self-esteem to purpose and independence.Whether your teen feels stuck, stressed, or simply different from the “norm,” this podcast will help you show up with more clarity, compassion, and confidence—while giving your teen the tools they need to rise.

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