Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens

Today the content comes straight from the Joyful Courage for Parents of Teens FB group. I talk a lot with my clients and here on the pod about "energetic responsibility" and a mama posted a question asking me to go deeper. The result is this podcast!

My guest today is Michelle Icard.

Michelle is a member of the Today show parenting team and NBC News Learn. The author of Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen and Middle School Makeover, her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Redbook, Time, and People.

Her leadership curriculum for middle schoolers, Athena's Path and Hero's Pursuit, have been implemented at schools across the U.S., and her summer camp curriculum is offered at more than twenty camps each summer. She lives with her family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Takeaways from the show:

• Being the leader and designer of your life
• Michelle’s new book: 14 talks by age Fourteen
• How lots of little conversations are more helpful than one big conversation
• BRIEF acronym
• Conversation crashers
• Be specific with your kids
• Isolation is a part of exploring independence
• Sitting inside of having tough conversations with your child
• Having trust in your kids that they will learn from their mistakes
• Having a neutral expression while talking to your kids

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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In this episode of the Joyful Courage Podcast, I have a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation with Christina Olivetti — a writer, educator, and passionate advocate for gender inclusion. Christina shares her powerful journey of raising her transgender son, Jake, and the deeply personal story behind her memoir, About Bliss.

We talk about so much — from the importance of gender-affirming care and navigating medical decisions, to the emotional highs and lows that come with parenting a transgender child. Christina’s honesty, wisdom, and compassion shine through, and she offers incredible insights for parents who are walking a similar path or simply want to understand and support the trans community better.

She also speaks about her involvement with Free Mom Hugs, a national organization offering love and support to LGBTQ+ families — a truly inspiring part of the conversation.

I encourage all parents to tune in. Whether you’re raising a trans child or want to show up more fully as an ally, this episode is an important listen. Let’s keep growing, learning, and showing up with love.

Find more show notes and info about our sponsors ata: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-578-love-gender-and-advocacy-with-cristina-olivetti/

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This week is a solo show and I am totally going free style. There aren’t much for show notes, I hope you listen and that what is shared resonates with you. We are all in this together!

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My guest today is Dr. Shefali Tsabary.

Dr. Shefali begins by sharing her journey into motherhood & discovering conscious parenting. She shares a bit about what her new book, “The Parenting Map” covers. Casey and Dr. Shefali talk about how challenging it is to look inward and how we work towards growth, not perfection. They dig into challenging any narratives you may have for your own children and finding your flow. Casey asks how we can get past the “smoke screen” and dig in deeper into what’s going on with misbehavior. They talk about teens practicing regulation and about how individuation & defiance are not only developmentally appropriate but necessary. Dr. Shefali shares her five F’s of parents: fighter, fixer, feigner, freezer, fleer and how to acknowledge and calm your ego. They wrap up talking on being in partnership with your child, how & why negotiating with your kids can actually be a good thing, and why we don’t use punishment.

Takeaways from the show

• What is conscious parenting?
• Dr. Shefali’s new book: “The Parenting Map”
• The challenges of looking inward
• Parenting is about growth, not perfection
• Challenging & deconstructing your narratives
• The “iceberg” and “smoke screen” behind behaviors
• Defiance is developmentally healthy
• Dr. Shefali’s five F’s of parents: fighter, fixer, feigner, freezer, & fleer
• Acknowledging and calming your ego
• Why & how negotiating with your kids can be positive

For complete show notes including transcripts, visit our website here.