New Year’s resolutions are fine, but goal setting is better. This reframe makes physical and emotional wellness more achievable, for kids as it is for adults. But sometimes, in an effort to get “healthy,” people of all ages develop behaviors that are anything but. This episode opens with our what’s in and what’s out list for 2025 – far more fun than standard resolutions – and offers tips for identifying when health goals turn unhealthy.

Show Notes:

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Episode on Orthorexia

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Produced by Peoples Media

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One week ago, Los Angeles erupted in flames. Firestorms engulfed entire communities on both the east and west sides of town. Thousands have been displaced, losing not just their homes but their schools, parks, and community gathering spots. In this episode, we cover how to prepare for emergencies – not just the physical items you need to have at the ready, but also the conversations to be had with tweens and teens. It will surprise no one that this is not one talk but many. 

Newsletter with LA Resources 

Show Notes:

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To celebrate Phyla’s exciting new launch, we’re offering 25% off your first order. Go to phyla.com and enter the code "puberty" at checkout.

Order our book This Is So Awkward

Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com

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Produced by Peoples Media

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In the evolving narrative around motherhood and work, our guest, Neha Ruch, founder of Mother Untitled and author of The Power Pause, is on the frontlines. She emphasizes the diverse choices women make regarding career pauses for family life, highlighting the tradeoff of foregoing one’s professional identity for a period with more time spent with our children. We cover everything from the primacy of adult friendships to “teen-ternity” (pausing when our kids are older), and the significance of planning for career transitions. 

Show Notes:

Join our LESS AWKWARD MEMBERSHIP 

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Mother Untitled

The Power Pause

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Produced by Peoples Media

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Kids have different learning styles, sometimes to the pride (or frustration) of their parents. They also have different learning modes, that can shift and change even throughout the day. Journalist Jenny Anderson and education researcher Rebecca Winthrop have created a framework to understand why kids become disengaged learners or unhappy achievers, and how the adults in their lives can help to re-engage, support, and encourage them.

Show Notes:

Join our LESS AWKWARD MEMBERSHIP 

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To celebrate Phyla’s exciting new launch, we’re offering 25% off your first order. Go to phyla.com and enter the code "puberty" at checkout.

Order our book This Is So Awkward

Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com

To bring us to your school or community email [email protected]

To submit listener questions email [email protected]

Watch the full episode on Youtube!

Produced by Peoples Media

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Handling complicated sibling dynamics while managing the adolescent years can be a heavy lift. Having kids at different stages of puberty, not to mention the impact of mood swings on the family, can require very careful navigating. Luckily Dr. Corinna Tucker who specializes in the science of sibling relationships, guests on the podcast to help with all these tricky questions.

Show Notes:

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Psychology Today blog: the Science of Siblings.

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Produced by Peoples Media

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There are a million things we tell kids to keep them safe and as they grow up, the conversations evolve. But there are 5 specific topics – narrower conversations, if you will – that adults need to cover with teens before they head out the door for the night.

Show Notes:

Join our LESS AWKWARD MEMBERSHIP 

Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code AWKWARD to receive UP TO $300 off air purifiers

Go to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returns

To celebrate Phyla’s exciting new launch, we’re offering 25% off your first order. Go to phyla.com and enter the code "puberty" at checkout.

Order our book This Is So Awkward

Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com

To bring us to your school or community email [email protected]

To submit listener questions email [email protected]

Watch the full episode on Youtube!

Produced by Peoples Media

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Nick Kroll – the comedian, actor and Big Mouth creator – sits down for an honest, authentic conversation about what life was like as someone late to the puberty party. Nick offers a window into how developing and growing later than his peers affected him in both good and hard ways throughout his life. This is a great episode to listen to with a late bloomer in your life!

Show Notes:

Join our LESS AWKWARD MEMBERSHIP 

Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code AWKWARD to receive UP TO $300 off air purifiers

Go to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returns

To celebrate Phyla’s exciting new launch, we’re offering 25% off your first order. Go to phyla.com and enter the code "puberty" at checkout.

Order our book This Is So Awkward

• Nick Kroll Bio
• Uncertain Parenting interview with Dr. Molly Colvin
• Big Mouth on Netflix
• More information on late bloomers: Decoding Boys by Cara Natterson, Chapter 4

Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com

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Produced by Peoples Media

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Parents juggle so many decisions about their kids’ health – from preventive ones (Should they get that vaccine?) to urgent ones (Do we need to go to the Emergency Room?!) There’s not a singular approach, but pediatrician Dr. Jessica Hochman has a lot to say about how to make the best decisions for your family.

Show Notes:

Join our LESS AWKWARD MEMBERSHIP 

Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code AWKWARD to receive UP TO $300 off air purifiers

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To celebrate Phyla’s exciting new launch, we’re offering 25% off your first order. Go to phyla.com and enter the code "puberty" at checkout.

Ask Dr Jessica 

The Meg Foundation for Pain

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Produced by Peoples Media

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Telling kids to “suck it up” doesn’t translate into resilient, emotionally healthy kids. But in one of our recent viral videos on our @less.awkward Instagram account, many commenters still espouse that very approach – kids are soft these days; they have toughen up; you’re raising snowflakes; you’re kid isn’t going to be able to cope in the real world… This episode explores the research showing why suck it up parenting doesn’t work nearly as well as empathic parenting. 

Show Notes:

Join our LESS AWKWARD MEMBERSHIP 

Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code AWKWARD to receive UP TO $300 off air purifiers

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To celebrate Phyla’s exciting new launch, we’re offering 25% off your first order. Go to phyla.com and enter the code "puberty" at checkout.

IG Reel referenced in episode 

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Produced by Peoples Media

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There’s a tremendous list of stressors bearing down on teen girls – body image struggles, mental health issues, and academic pressures just to name a few. The key to supporting them is finding ways into connection and conversation. Licensed Clinical Social Worker Cathy Cassani Adams leverages decades of clinical, academic, and personal experience to advise adults on how to reach teen girls.

Show Notes:

Join our LESS AWKWARD MEMBERSHIP 

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Restoring Our Girls

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Produced by Peoples Media

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Ask a bunch of 6th graders to define “popularity,” and you’ll get as many answers as kids. It’s hard to define – for tweens, teens, and even adults – but popularity can have powerful impacts on friendships and well-being. This episode explores the types of popularity: being well-liked vs powerful. We cover the connection between popularity and social control, intimidation, even bullying. While the topic might transport us back to our middle school days, popularity in both its good and bad forms persists well into adulthood.

Show Notes:

Join our LESS AWKWARD MEMBERSHIP 

Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code AWKWARD to receive UP TO $300 off air purifiers

Go to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returns

To celebrate Phyla’s exciting new launch, we’re offering 25% off your first order. Go to phyla.com and enter the code "puberty" at checkout.

Order our book This Is So Awkward

Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com

To bring us to your school or community email [email protected]

To submit listener questions email [email protected]

Watch the full episode on Youtube!

Produced by Peoples Media

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices