Is the idea of productivity helpful? Harmful? How does it affect our mental health and well-being? How do the teens relate to productivity culture? In the midst of New Year's resolutions and goals, we revisit this episode about the pressure to be productive and how it affects us. We're working on new episodes for 2024. If you have any ideas you'd like to share, email us at team@thisteenagelife.org
For many folks, January is a theoretically a time of goal setting and self-improvement aspirations. Of course, many of us want to grow and change, but do we have to do it in a particular way in a particular way? In this episode, teens from This Teenage Life discuss their fraught relationship with the idea of New Year's driven goals/resolutions and share ways that better help them become the people they want to be.
In the fast-paced, tech-driven world we live in, it can be easy to become self- centered...specifically human-centered. In this episode, we hear from the teens about animal-friends who keep them grounded and inspired. We also hear from the prolific naturalist and author Sy Montgomery (Molly's hero) and illustrator Matt Patterson, creators of Of Time and Turtles , a gorgeous book about healing, time, and learning from other creatures. Thank you to Sy, Matt, and their turtle community! Check out M...
For many of us here at This Teenage Life, how we talk to ourselves influences how we connect with others. In this episode, teens and experts share about their experiences and understandings of self talk, along with strategies for shifting thoughts that undermine us into thoughts that are more supportive. Here are some resources to learn more about strategies for more positive self talk. Teen Vogue on talking to your younger self CMI on how to change negative thinking patterns CMI on helping kids...
From tests, to essays, to the constant pressure to be productive...many teens at This Teenage Life are expressing how academic stress is overpowering their love of learning. How can teachers and students come together to change this — to foster wonder, joy, and help heal our relationships with learning. In this episode we explore all kinds of strategies including totally shifting the way we teach and learn math. This Teenage Life is sponsored by the XQ Institute, the leading organization dedicat...
Here we’re responding to listener emails requesting an episode on how to navigate being queer while also living in religious communities where it’s stigmatized to be LGBTQ+. To explore this tension, we interview LGBTQ+ activist, Chaim Levin, who speaks about his experience being gay, coming out, and ultimately closing the conversion therapy center used amongst his religious community. This episode was made via a conversation between teens and Chaim, but teen voices have been re-recorded with adu...
Whether it be drifting apart from old friends, having a friend move to a new place or school, or severing ties with toxic friends, losing touch with people can be difficult and painful. In this episode, we're talking about the many different kinds of friend "breakups," as TTL participants share their experiences and advice.
When teenagers feel seen and heard as whole people by teachers, it makes a huge difference in their experience at school. In this episode, we hear from teens and educators from across the U.S. about how teachers can foster strong connections with teens and build the trust needed for authentic check ins. This Teenage Life is sponsored by the XQ Institute, the leading organization dedicated to rethinking the U.S. high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in college, c...
The world is heavy right now. The wars unfolding are tragic and many of us feel devastated and helpless. In this moment, what are some small things we can do to cultivate compassion and kindness in ourselves? How can we be the peace we want to be with the people and animals around us? In this episode, teens share how they practice compassion and reach out to connect with others to feel less alone and overwhelmed in the world. Here is the organization, the Yellow Tulip Project, described by its O...
Our hearts are broken for those affected by the conflict and violence going on in the Middle East right now. We call to TTL community members to be the peace and humanity the world desparately needs.
This summer, Molly, the adult who works on This Teenage Life, visited the Seeds of Peace Camp, which brings together youth from regions of conflict including teens from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, India, Pakistan, and the U.S. She spoke with campers from the Middle East and South Asia who had taken the leap to meet folks "the other side." Many of them defied the opinions of their political leaders and communities, traveling thousands of miles to speak with teenagers on the opposite side of...
It's been a while since our last episode on the topic, so after many requests, we're making another episode on periods. In this one, teens share stories and reflections on getting their periods for the first time, navigating the logistics and their feelings about periods, and working to destigmatize menstruation. At the end of the episode, we speak with the inspiring Jordana Kier, co-founder of LOLA , a comapany that makes great mensturation products for people who get their periods. To hear our...
Social and academic dynamics are especially complex during the transition back to school. Some students are entering new schools for the first time while others are reuniting with friends they haven’t seen in months. In this episode, the teens discuss their back-to-school emotions, strategies for entering a new school year, and tips teachers can use to make the beginning more welcoming. This episode is sponsored by the XQ Institute. Check them out at xqsuperschool.org . If you're a student, or a...
In this episode, one of the amazing teens who works on the show shares her story about how she's navigating and processing the absence of her mom in her life — the ways she has struggled and grown, and how she has strengthened other connections that support her.
Universities in the U.S. are starting up again. For many students, espeically freshmen, there's a lot of feelings around making friends. How do I connect with people? Are the people I'm meeting the first week going to be my foregver friends? How do I expand beyond my comfort zone and meet new kinds of people? In this episode, Carson, one of the college students who works on the show, and her friends explore how to cultivate friendships in college.
With the new Barbie movie recently released, we're feeling nostalgic for childhood. On this episode, we're discussing our favorite toys, what they mean to us, what we think about letting them go (or not), and how each of us keeps our inner child alive.
Walking may seem like a simple, everyday activity, but for many TTL participants, it's a way to destress and find inner peace. In this episode, we discuss the important role that walking plays in our mental health.
We need sleep to stay healthy, and grown-ups often talk about how we should sleep more. But falling asleep can be hard. Between smart phones, overthinking, and FOMO, there’s a lot that can get in the way. In this episode, we share our experiences surrounding sleep. To hear other episodes on sleep, check our old episode on dreams: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6olXgG65l92SQos4bNPD8y?si=511f0455470c4857
One of our most popular episodes is our first episode on Loneliness. But many of our episodes center around this feeling, and This Teenage Life basically exists so that we can authentically connect with ourselves, each other, and the natural world in service to feel less alone in the universe. In this episode, the teens reflect on what loneliness feels like for them and how they deal with it. We explore this topic with science journalist and Radiolab senior correspondent, Molly Webster. Molly ju...
Over the summer, we have the opportunity to dig into books that reflect our tastes, interests, and which transport us to other worlds. In this episode, we explore how we choose summer reading books, what we like to read over the summer, how this reading can be different from assigned reading, and how reading for pleasure can change us. This episode is sponsored by the XQ Institute. Check them out at xqsuperschool.org. If you're a student, or even a teacher who may be listening to better understa...
Teens on the internet — it's a hot topic. At its worse, there's the youth mental health crisis, phone addiction, and cyberbullying. At its best, there's emapthic online friendships, creativity, expanded perspectives, and deep knowledge seeking. In this episode, we describe our own relationships with the internet, social media, online friends, and more. We discuss the ups and downs of how the internet helps us learn, provokes FOMO, and how it's also the only reason This Teenage Life can exist!...
Applying to college in the U.S. is an multi-step, often emotional process. It can be challenging to write personal essays that construct neat narratives. And while we often try our best to get accepted to universities we like and can afford, for many of us, the college application process involves our first explicit experience of rejection and reframing of back-up options as opportunities. In this episode, teens from This Teenage Life talk about their experiences of the college application proce...
Many of us struggle with social awkwardness and anxiety about social interactions. In this episode, inspired by listener emails, we discuss our relationship to social anxiety and how we deal with it.
Growing up can be confusing. It's easy to look to the past or future and fantasize about "when we all had it figured out." But for many of us, looking back can feel bittersweet, especially when we think of the "simplicity" of being a kid. In this episode of This Teeange Life, we talk about our nuanced relationships with nostalgia.
This Teenage Life currently has four dialogue groups. This May we want to start a group specifically focusing on teens (ages 13-19) who identify as boys since most people in our other groups identify as girls. We’ll be running it with actor Sullivan (Matt) Jones. If you want to join, email us at team@thisteenagelife.org FYI, we're starting a new dialogue group for everyone this summer. So if you're interested, just reach out:)
For many of us, writing is an outlet — a way to create and access other worlds or express our feelings. On this episode, we're exploring our relationships to journaling and how it helps us be ourselves.
This Teenage Life has teen contributors from dozens of countries. While we may have different languages and cultures, we've all had the experience of feeling excluded. In this episode, teens from across the world share their reflections on navigating cliques and popularity.
After many emails from listeners requesting an episode on music, we've finally made one about the songs we're listening to and what they mean to us. The episode shares our reflections. The link below is the playlist with the tunes:) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2LdkRdV7l4d7dhb91uwRNl?si=256363b25c2b46d9&nd=1
When you're in middle or high school, dress code can be a big part of your life. It can free you from thinking about what you have to wear, or it can make you incredibly self-conscious about your body. In this week's episode, we talk about our experiences of dealing with dress codes and how they make us feel.
Many of us have or want adult in our lives who make us feel safe, seen, and heard. When teachers take the time to get to know us, they often transcend their role as subject guides and become more like life mentors. In this epsiode, we discuss how teachers can be open and make us feel safe while also being professional. This episode is sponsored by the XQ institute. Check them out at xqsuperschool.org . If you're a student, or even a teacher who may be listening to better understand your students...
