Teenagers Untangled has been picked by The Times UK as one of the top podcasts for parents

Skills Episodes

May 13, 2025

142: Why school exam systems need to change and how to support our own kids now

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? The intense, content-heavy exam system in the UK kicks off at this time of year with GCSEs and A levels; high-stakes exams that can feel like a make-or-break moment for teenagers. I've already discussed with Susie how we can support our teens through the stress, which you can download here: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/exam-revision-parenting-through-the-pressure/ This time I'm joined by jo…

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May 6, 2025

141: Success: What really shapes who we become and are parents that important?

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? What really shapes success — nature, nurture, luck? It's a perennial question. The Family Dynamic is a brilliant, captivating exploration of families in which all of the children became high-achievers. The award-winning author, Susan Dominus, has woven academic research into a book of wonderfully engaging family stories that tease out the role played by our environment: Parents with a bold vision, ...…

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March 10, 2025

133: How to plan ahead for an empty nest that's full of possibility

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? Empty nest syndrome is real, and can be very painful to navigate. I've already discussed it with Susie, including ideas for how we can manage our feelings in a positive way to help us move on. https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/empty-nest-how-to-cope-when-your-teen-moves-out-also-manners-what-are-they-and-what-should-we-te/But are we looking at it in the wrong way? Change management specialist, Hanna …

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March 4, 2025

132: Work: What we parents can do to help our kids end up with a meaningful role in society.

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? Another day another newspaper headline that says young people aren't working. According to the Financial Times newspaper, 13.4 per cent of people in the United Kingdon in the 16 to 24 age group were not in employment education or training - “NEET” - at the end of last year. The ONS figures showed a higher rate of young men outside work or training, with 14.4 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds classed as …

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Feb. 4, 2025

128: Life skills: How to supercharge them with a working holiday.

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? Sponsored by JENZA Positively life changing is how I would sum up the time I spent working abroad during my gap year. I met people with a completely different world view, different language, and learnt to navigate many challenges alone. It gave me a positive, can-do attitude to life. Now my teens are 16 and 18, I want to make sure they have the confidence to meet whatever life throws at them head-on. Given…

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Jan. 21, 2025

126: Momguilt: reducing the overwhelming mental load to decrease stress. An interview with Sam Kelly

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? Stress can be a major problem for parents who're constantly juggling tasks and responsibilities. The mental load can feel overwhelming at times and the list literally never ending. So when I discovered Sam Kelly has a brilliant way to: ✅Avoid burnout. ✅Have a happier home life. ✅Help our kids to be successful in life. ✅Avoid nagging. ✅Break the old stereotypes cycle. I had to get her on the show. A mo…

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Nov. 26, 2024

118: Cancel culture. Bullying or bravery?

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? The suicide of a young man at Oxford University has prompted a warning letter to the UK Government about 'cancel culture' on campus. The review into his death 'identified evidence of a concerning practice of social ostracism among students, often referred to as a cancel culture,' according the coroner. '[The review's] evidence was that this behaviour, where individuals are iso…

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Oct. 22, 2024

113: Motivation: How to motivate your teenager. An interview with eminent Psychologist David Yeager

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? When kids hit puberty they become driven by a core motivation that many of us adults don't fully appreciate. It's not simply fun, or sex; they're looking for experiences that give them social status and respect. According to David Yeager, author of 10-25: The Science of How to Motivate Young People, a societal belief that teens and young adults are lazy and incompetent causes us to misunders…

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Dec. 16, 2021

1: Your parenting toolbox and tidy teen rooms: Rummaging in your toolbox and how you get your teenager to tidy their room.

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover? Just when you thought that you’d got the hang of parenting, your child changes again... and now they're a teenager. In this episode, we have a rummage in your parenting toolbox to work out what’s in there, and how useful it actually is. And in Tangling with your Teenager, we gather all of your suggestions to answer Natalie’s question. ‘How do I get my son to do what I say, and tidy his room?’ Answers …

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