Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens

Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens

Welcome to the Joyful Courage Podcast - a place where parents of tweens and teens come to find inspiration, information and encouragement in the messy terrain of adolescence This season of parenting is no joke - and while the details of what we are all moving through might be slightly different, we are having a collective experience. This is a space where we center building relationship, nurturing life skills, and leaning into our own personal growth. My name is Casey O’Roarty, I am a parent coach, Positive Discipline LEad Trainer, and captain of the adolescent ship over at Sproutable. I am also a speaker and published author. I have been working with parents and families for over 20 years and continue to navigate being a mom with my own two young adult kids. I am honored that you are here… Please give back to the pod by sharing it with friends, or on social media, and rate and review on Apple or Spotify - work of mouth is how we grow! Thanks - enjoy the show!

Episodes

Eps 614: Revisiting what it means to pass on the energetic responsibility to our teens

October 6, 2025 • 36 mins
Today is a replay - I'm diving into one of the biggest challenges we face as parents of teens: letting go of energetic responsibility. If you're exhausted from holding the weight of your teen's schoolwork, choices, and future while they seem to coast along, this episode is for you. I'll explain why our kids can't truly learn responsibility until we stop carrying it for them, share my own raw story about my daughter and vaping, and ...
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Eps 613: How to Be the Parent Your Teen Actually Turns To

October 2, 2025 • 44 mins
In this episode of the Joyful Courage Podcast, I'm breaking down how to build real trust with your teenager—the kind where they believe you when you say "you can tell me anything." It's not about what we say, but how we show up when mistakes happen. I share practical ways to stay calm during the hard conversations, validation techniques that work, and how our daily micro-moments cement safety. If you want your teen to come to you f...
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Eps 612: Emily Redondo on Recovery & Family

September 29, 2025 • 48 mins
In this episode of Joyful Courage, I sit down with Emily Redondo, a mom, author, and survivor of addiction, to talk about the messy, beautiful reality of parenting. We dive into how shame, regret, and perfectionism can hold us back—and how modeling courage and embracing mistakes are powerful models for our kids. Emily shares her experience with recovery, self-forgiveness, and building honest relationships with her children, even th...
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Eps 611: Middle School Series Part Four - Connection and Courage

September 25, 2025 • 47 mins
Part four of my Middle School Mini Series is here! In this episode, I share powerful Positive Discipline tools that build connection and courage with your tween or teen. From family meetings and special time, to curiosity, validation, encouragement, and rituals—these practices create belonging and strengthen relationships during the messy middle school years. Parenting in adolescence isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence, con...
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Eps 610: Lisa Katona Smith Talks Teen Substance Use

September 22, 2025 • 52 mins
In this powerful episode of the Joyful Courage Podcast, I sit down with certified peer recovery specialist, family consultant, TEDx, speaker and author Lisa Katona Smith to talk about how parents can stay calm, connected, and effective when teens experiment with substances, in active addiction, recovery or face big struggles. We explore Lisa’s Parallel Recovery approach — staying regulated, setting clear limits, and leading with cu...
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Eps 609: Middle School Series Part Three - Life Skills to Nurture

September 18, 2025 • 31 mins
Middle school is the perfect training ground for life skills — and in part three of the Middle School Series on Joyful Courage, I’m sharing how we can guide our tweens and teens as they practice the tools they’ll need for independence, resilience, and healthy relationships. From self-regulation and problem solving to organization, time management, communication, and self-advocacy, I unpack why these skills are still developing, why...
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Eps 608: Calming teenage anxiety with Sophia Vale Galano

September 16, 2025 • 54 mins
In this week’s Joyful Courage Podcast, I sit down with therapist and author Sophia Vale Galano to talk about helping teens manage anxiety while staying grounded as parents. We explore how to meet our kids with empathy, guide them toward support without fixing, and keep conversations about mental health open and natural. Sophia offers practical tools from her book Calming Teenage Anxiety plus fresh insight on resilience, therapy, an...
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Eps 607: Dr. Jean Twenge and the 10 Rules for Tech with Teens

September 11, 2025 • 32 mins
Parenting teens in the digital age is no small task. In this episode, I talk with Jean Twenge about the realities of screen time, social media, and AI. We dive into why it’s important to own our mistakes, set clear limits, and remember that phones are a privilege—not a right. Jean shares real-life examples from her own family, and we get into the challenges of parental controls, pushback from teens, and how to encourage critical th...
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Eps 606: Middle School Series Part Two - Essential Conversations

September 8, 2025 • 49 mins
In this episode, I dive into the tough but essential conversations we need to be having with our middle schoolers — around tech, social media, consent, substances, mental health, and more. I remind parents that silence doesn’t protect our kids; it leaves them to figure things out through peers or the internet. Instead, we can lead with curiosity, plant small conversational seeds, and revisit these topics over time. Our job isn’t to...
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Eps 605: Middle School Series Part One - Growth, Change and Belonging

September 4, 2025 • 29 mins
Middle school is a wild ride — bodies changing, moods shifting, friendships evolving, and parents wondering how to keep up. In this first episode of my four-part middle school series, I unpack the developmental landscape of early adolescence and share how we can shift from managing to mentoring our kids. Listen in for insight on belonging, peer influence, critical thinking, and why curiosity is your greatest parenting tool during ...
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Eps 604: Alyssa Blask Campbell on Parenting Big Feeling Teens

September 1, 2025 • 53 mins
On this week’s Joyful Courage Podcast, I welcome Alyssa Campbell, author of Big Kids, Bigger Feelings. We dive into what’s really going on in our teens’ nervous systems and how parents can support them through big emotions, transitions, and tough conversations. We talk about the power of rest, family meetings, and shifting from talking about our kids to talking with them. If you’ve ever wondered how to help your teen regulate, feel...
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Eps 603: Building structure and connection with older teens

August 28, 2025 • 37 mins
Parenting a teen with neurodiversity, mental health challenges, or a fiery personality can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re realizing senior year is here and boundaries have been blurry. In this week’s Joyful Courage podcast, I respond to a listener questions by sharing some practical scripts and strategies for setting limits with firmness and kindness, handling explosive pushback, and rebuilding connection (even if resent...
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Eps 602: Revisiting peaceful parenting and letting go of our teens with Sarah Rosensweet

August 25, 2025 • 51 mins
Carrying on with the back-to-school season theme and all the big emotions it brings for teens — and for parents. In this episode of the Joyful Courage Podcast, I’m revisiting my conversation with parent coach Sarah Rosensweet to talk about validation, trust, and connection during this challenging transition. We dive into why control backfires, how curiosity opens doors, and ways to stay steady when teens push us away. I share my ow...
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Eps 601: Revisiting Validation, Mutual Respect and Back to School

August 21, 2025 • 26 mins
Back-to-school season stirs up ALL the emotions for our teens—and for us too. In this replay episode, I’m diving deep into how validation and mutual respect can shift everything at home. Your teen’s emotional world is real, big, and often overwhelming. If we dismiss it, we damage connection. If we validate it, we build trust. Don’t miss this one—it’s a must-listen for parents navigating the rocky weeks of school transition. Find...
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Eps 600: Zoya Brar Talks Parenting, Stress, and Nervous System Awareness

August 18, 2025 • 58 mins
In this episode of Joyful Courage, I sit down with Zoya Brar to explore the deep connection between stress, the nervous system, and how we show up as parents. Together, we unpack how to regulate before hard conversations, recognize hidden stress, and lean into practical tools like breathwork, mindfulness, and technology boundaries. This conversation empowers parents to see their teens with compassion, repair relationships, and find...
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Eps 599: How to Talk to Your Teen About the New School Year

August 14, 2025 • 40 mins
Back-to-school season with tweens and teens can stir up anxiety, avoidance, and tricky conversations. In this episode, I share Positive Discipline tools and mindset shifts to help you move from “manager” to “mentor” so your teen feels respected, supported, and believed in. We’ll cover how to center yourself, start with curiosity, set clear agreements, and trust the process—because it’s about life skills, not perfect grades. Join me...
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Eps 598: Revisiting the real work of parenting through the middle school years

August 11, 2025 • 41 mins
Middle school is a major transition, and in this replay episode I talk about how we can prepare—not panic—as our tweens start to explore identity, tech, friendships, risk-taking, and independence. I offer insight into what’s happening developmentally, what we need to normalize (from vaping and friend drama to sex and substance conversations), and how to set healthy boundaries while staying connected. You'll hear practical ways to s...
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Eps 597: From Shut Down to Open Heart - Using Validation to Reconnect with Your Teen

August 7, 2025 • 35 mins
In this episode of the Joyful Courage Podcast, I dive deep into one of the biggest struggles parents of teens face—wanting to fix our kids’ problems instead of truly seeing and hearing them. I share real-life examples, practical Positive Discipline tools, and introduce my new acronym, VIBE: Validate, Inquire, Breathe, Empathize. By learning to validate our teens’ emotions without rushing to fix, we build trust, create emotional saf...
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Eps 596: Being an "otrovert" with Dr. Rami Kaminski

August 4, 2025 • 60 mins
Ever feel like your teen doesn’t quite fit into the “introvert” or “extrovert” box? In this week’s episode, I talk with psychiatrist and author Dr. Rami Kaminski, who introduces the idea of the “otrovert”—someone who thrives as a non-joiner, deeply connected to a few people but resistant to the pull of the group. We explore how embracing this way of being can free parents from pushing kids to “fit in” and instead celebrate who they...
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Eps 595: Revisiting Meeting and creating life as it unfolds

July 31, 2025 • 43 mins
This solo episode comes straight from my heart. Inspired by my morning routine, I pulled cards and reflected deeply on what it means to take full responsibility for generating the love, connection, and joy I want in my life—especially as a parent of teens. I talk about how we respond to the inevitable unfolding of life, how we often contribute to relationship dynamics without realizing it, and the courage it takes to choose differe...
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