Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life
Parenting a tween or teen? Buckle up. Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life tackles the questions that keep parents up at night — academics, friendships, mental health, screens, meltdowns, and more. Every week, psychologist Lisa Damour teams up with a different expert to answer a real parent's real question — no fluff, no judgment, just practical, evidence-based advice you can actually use. Dr. Damour and her colleagues also turn their attention to the emotional rollercoaster of raising kids — the moments that leave you feeling uneasy, overwhelmed, or just plain alone. You don't have to have it all figured out. You just have to hit play. Keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr. lisa damour, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence
Episodes
October 20, 2026 • 38 mins
Your seventh grader walks in the door in tears because the group chat just made it painfully clear she’s being pushed out (this time, over Halloween costumes), and now you're wondering whether to coach her on what to say or stay quiet so you don't make it worse.
Here’s the good news: this is a typical - if painful - experience in middle school and early high school. Friendships and social standing get reshuffled as kid...
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October 13, 2026 • 49 mins
You're thinking about signing your kid up for a travel-heavy club team with a price tag that makes you wince - and a co-parent who sees the whole thing differently. Might saying yes to club sports support your talented kid while undermining the rest of family life?
It's a miserable spot to be in. We don’t want to hold our kids back, but we also worry about what club sports might cost our families in terms of time, money, and...
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October 6, 2026 • 29 mins
Right now, a lot of families are thinking about how to talk with their kids — especially their sons — about consent and how sexual partners deserve to be treated. And if you find something graphic on your teen's screen, you face another challenging question: what is this actually teaching my teen, and is it already too late to do something about it?
Here's what makes this conversation more important than ever: accordin...
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September 29, 2026 • 30 mins
Your sobbing middle schooler has just seen a Snapchat of their friend group hanging out without them and feels devastated …and you have no idea whether you should call the other parents, try to help your child cheer up, or just stay out of it.
Watching kids be excluded by friends they’ve had for years often leaves parents feeling bewildered, upset, helpless - or all of the above. Feeling angry on your kid’s beha...
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September 22, 2026 • 43 mins
Perhaps your kid has left college before graduation and seems to be drifting along. Or maybe your high school student doesn’t seem to be “lit up” about anything. If this is your teen, every well-meaning "how's your kid doing?" from a friend can feel like it’s poking at an emotional bruise.
Are you worrying too much, or is this actually a problem? Is your kid “failing to launch” or have the...
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September 15, 2026 • 34 mins
Your kid announces they’re cutting out sugar. No cookies or dessert, just carrots and hummus for lunch on repeat. You notice they’ve lost a little weight. And somewhere in the back of your mind, a voice keeps asking: is this fine, or is this not fine?
Are you being anxious, or are you being appropriately worried? That in-between space is exhausting. If that’s where you are right now, you’re not overreacting...
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September 8, 2026 • 37 mins
You may know this scene: your kid forgot practice gear again, an assignment vanished into the void, and you're wondering if your teen is just disorganized — or is there something more serious going on?
That mix of exhaustion and frustration is real. Chasing lost details, worrying that you may have dropped the ball, wondering if you're overreacting to normal middle school or high school organization struggles, or missing some...
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September 1, 2026 • 23 mins
If you've ever wondered whether you're doing enough to help your child feel good about themselves, Dr. Lisa Damour has curated her most essential guidance on confidence, self-esteem & self-compassion into one episode for you.
This encore “Best of Ask Lisa” compilation offers a research-backed roadmap for raising kids with a solid sense of self-worth — and for parents who want to model that from the inside out...
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August 25, 2026 • 48 mins
The college admissions process doesn't have to consume your family. If it already feels that way, this episode is exactly what you need.
Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their conversation with Rick Clark, higher education leader, co-author of “The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together,” and a career insider in college admissions at Georgia Tech. Rick has spent years he...
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August 18, 2026 • 32 mins
If you've repeatedly asked your kid to help out and they still don’t follow through, this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.
Dr. Lisa Damour breaks down why nagging doesn't build a work ethic — and what actually does. From linking privileges to responsibilities, to knowing exactly when to step back and let natural consequences do the teaching, this encore episode gives parents of tweens and teens a practical...
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August 11, 2026 • 47 mins
You know screens and social media can be risky for your kid. But do you know exactly what harm looks like… and what actually protects them from it?
Dr. Lisa Damour revisits her conversation with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, pioneering pediatrician, author, and California's first Surgeon General, recorded live at the Common Sense Summit on Kids and Families. A globally recognized expert on Adverse Childhood Experiences and toxic...
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August 4, 2026 • 23 mins
Your kid comes home devastated after being left out, dropped, or caught in the middle of a friendship blowup. You may want to help, but don’t know what to say—or whether you should step in at all. Take heart: this episode will help you navigate the situation with confidence.
In this encore “Best of Ask Lisa” compilation, Dr. Lisa Damour has curated her most essential guidance on friendship conflict, bullyin...
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July 28, 2026 • 37 mins
If mealtimes in your home feel like a power struggle, or you're exhausted from worrying whether your kid is eating well, this episode will come as a relief.
Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their conversation with Dr. Reshma Shah, a Stanford-affiliated pediatrician, public health expert, and co-author of the award-winning book “Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families.”
With over 20 year...
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July 21, 2026 • 42 mins
If your son is shutting down, pulling away, or turning to the internet to answer questions you wish he'd brought your way, this episode is for you.
Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their conversation with Joanna Schroeder and Christopher Pepper, co-authors of the book “Talk to Your Boys,” to cut through the noise about boys, masculinity, and what's actually happening inside the minds of tween and teen sons..&nbs...
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July 14, 2026 • 38 mins
Is your family stressed, anxious, and fixated on getting your teen into a "dream school"? What if that's the wrong goal entirely?
Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their conversation with Jeff Selingo, bestselling author and higher education expert, to reframe the process of searching for the “right” college. After more than 25 years of studying what actually helps students thrive in college, Jeff has a finding t...
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July 7, 2026 • 30 mins
If you feel like you're doing too much for your kids — and it’s time for them to do more for themselves — this episode is your roadmap out.
Dr. Lisa Damour makes the case for using summer to foster independence in our kids. The summer months provide the perfect window to hand off real responsibilities to your tween or teen in a way that actually sticks. From laundry to cooking dinner to managing their own appoint...
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June 30, 2026 • 41 mins
Does your teen seem more attached to their friends and their phone than to you? That's not just a feeling, and it's not a phase you have to wait out.
Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their conversation with two of the world's leading experts on child development, globally renowned physician and author Dr. Gabor Maté, and developmental psychologist and author Dr. Gordon Neufeld, to address how parents can stay connected to t...
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June 23, 2026 • 43 mins
If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD (or you suspect they might have it) this episode will change the way you see them.
Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their candid, funny, and genuinely moving conversation with Penn and Kim Holderness — viral content creators, bestselling authors, podcasters, and authors of “ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD.”
Together, they strip away the sh...
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June 16, 2026 • 31 mins
If watching "Adolescence" on Netflix left you feeling worried about your son, this episode will help you turn your concerns into action.
Dr. Lisa Damour breaks down what the show gets exactly right about adolescent boys: why they're emotionally constrained by culture, how that vulnerability gets exploited by toxic online figures like Andrew Tate, and what parents can do right now to connect with their sons. This is our most-watche...
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June 9, 2026 • 31 mins
If your child has just come out to you — or you sense they might be questioning their gender identity — you may be wondering what to say, what to do, and how to get this right. This episode is here to help.
Dr. Lisa Damour walks parents through one of the most important conversations of adolescence: how to respond when your tween or teen comes out as gay, lesbian, or bi, or expresses a non-traditional gender identity. ...
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