Helping Teens Build Emotional IQ - Awareness, Regulation, and Self-Confidence

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What if your teen could stop being “managed by the world” and start managing themselves? That is the heart of this Turning Winds Podcast episode, where host Kevin Zundl sits down with Carl Baisden to tackle one of the biggest game changers in adolescent treatment: emotional IQ.

Carl pulls back the curtain on what emotional intelligence really is and why it matters more than grades, discipline, or even motivation. For many teens, powerful emotions arrive like tidal waves. They react, they lash out, they shut down, and the cycle repeats. What they do not realize is that their lack of emotional awareness is running the show. At Turning Winds, the goal is not to fix broken kids, but to help them see and repair the broken processes that hold them back.

In this conversation, you will hear how emotional IQ training transforms reactivity into regulation and shame into curiosity. Carl explains why curiosity is the secret weapon. Instead of beating themselves up, teens learn to get curious about their own patterns. That curiosity builds confidence, because when they can map cause and effect in their own emotional lives, they realize they have control. With control comes real self-worth.

Parents will recognize the power of this shift. Think about the difference between a teen who shouts, “You make me so mad!” and one who pauses to ask, “Why did that hit me so hard?” That is emotional intelligence in action, and it is exactly what Turning Winds staff teach in the moment every single day.

Carl also gives a behind-the-scenes look at the stages of change most students go through. In the beginning, they need constant management and structure. Three months in, they start owning their language, behaviors, and coping skills. By six months, many are managing half their challenges on their own. By the time they are ready to transition home, the goal is clear: a self-managing young person who knows when they are off track and has the tools to intervene before things spiral.

This episode is not just for families in treatment. It is for any parent who has watched their child be overwhelmed by emotions, or who has struggled with their own. Emotional IQ is a skill set that changes everything from anger to self-confidence, from impulsivity to resilience. As Carl reminds us, it is not just about teens. It is something every parent can practice too.

If you are ready to understand what drives your teen’s behavior beneath the surface, and how awareness, regulation, and confidence can reshape their future, this is the conversation you cannot afford to miss.

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To learn more about Turning Winds, visit turningwinds.com or call 800-845-1380.