This Teenage Life

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, you can join the conversation at XQ America on social.

What does it mean to be a feminist? How can men support the feminist movement? Can men be feminists? In this episode, 17-year-old Stella,  explores these questions. She interviews three men about their relationship with feminism and masculinity in an effort to investigate and solidify her own relationship with feminism. Music Attribution: Spleen & Senegal by Le Chaos Entre Deux Chaises via Creative Commons.

Hobbies and passion projects are not only fun, they're powerful. They can restore us and serve as outlets for stress relief and creative expression. In this episode of This Teenage Life we share our diversity of hobbies and how they help us.  If you have any ideas for episodes or just want to reach out and say hi, feel free to email us at team@thisteenagelife.org.

On this episode, we reflect on the past year, using one word to sum it up — a great idea from one of the teens. Then, we set intentions for our next revolution around the sun together:) We are so grateful to have you as a listener and, as always, love hearing from you. Feel free to reach out and say hi or share your ideas for episodes at team@thisteenagelife.org. Happy New Year from the This Teenage Life team and talk to you in 2023!

In this episode, some of the teens share about their adventures in the theater. We discuss what it feels like to perform onstage, different lessons learned from theater, and what makes the theater community so special. We also chat with professional actor, Sullivan Jones, about his experience working in the industry. 

In this episode we talk about our experiences of academic pressure and academic validation and how it makes us feel.   This episode is sponsored by the XQ Institute. Check out their journalism challenge for 13-18 year olds based in the U.S. at: https://xqsuperschool.org/rethinktogether/2022-student-journalism-challenge/

In this episode that (inspired by a listener), we discuss what it has meant to us to find our style — how it can be connected with self expression and our own relationship to our values and our identities.

This week, we talk to licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Naomi Dambreville, about how to think about and understand overthinking and intrusive thoughts. 

Thoughts are just thoughts. They're not "real." But the meaning we make of them and power we give them can cause them to feel much bigger and more powerful than "just thoughts."  In this episode, we talk about our own experiences of overthinking and intrusive thoughts, and how we can change our interpretations of them to give them less power. Some resources on overthinking & intrusive thoughts: https://childmind.org/article/how-to-help-kids-worried-about-bad-thoughts/ https://childmind.org/guide/anxiety-in-children-quick-guide/  

For many of us here at This Teenage Life, Taylor Swift's music puts words to our emotions and helps us feel less alone in the universe. Right before her next big album release, we publish this tribute to how Taylor Swift's songs have changed us.

In this episode, we reflect on the idea of self care and the many ways we take care of ourselves without expensive products and "glow ups." We compare fancy routines and performances of self care on the internet with everyday  actions we take to feel well-regulated and whole.  We hope this episode brings you some joy and self-kindness on this World Mental Health Day:) Please spread the love and share the show!

How do you make and keep good friends? Many of us deeply value friendship. Great friends can help us be who we want to be. Yet making real, lasting friends is also something we frequently struggle with. In this episode, we discuss what we do to connect with others and how our frienships have changed over time.     This episode is sponsored by the XQ Institute. Check out the student journalism challenge they're sponsoring, eligible for teen residents of the U.S at:   https://studentjournalismchallenge.org/

Like many transitions, starting a new school year can be stressful. In this episode, we talk about our experiences and the coping strategies we use to feel more comfortable as we go back to school. We have exciting episodes and a newsletter coming out this season. Feel free to make requests for topics or just reach out at team@thisteenagelife.org. This episode is sponsored by the XQ Institute. Check out the student journalism challenge they're sponsoring at studentjournalismchallenge.org

Several months ago we received an email from a listener requesting an episode on sibling dynamics. Here, we discuss just that — our experiences of bickering with our siblings, sharing and not sharing, taking care of them, feeling responsible, and more. From all over the world we have older siblings, younger siblings, middle siblings, twins, and only children, each weighing in on what its like to have (and not have) siblings.

In this episode, some of the teens share about their experiences with therapy and we interview a professional psychologist, Dr. Malika Bhowmik, to explore questions related to therapy, mental health care, and stigmas associated with mental health. We at This Teenage Life are not mental health professionals (we're mostly teens) but below is one resources we think is particularly helpful. https://childmind.org/healthyminds/students/  

Learning to live with pimples isn't easy, especially when society, friends, and family members give us advice how to have clear skin. The reality is, breakouts are natural and mostly out of our control. In this episode of This Teenage Life, we're talking about how we relate to our acne. Big shout out to our new dialogue group who contributed to this episode!

The world is feeling pretty heavy right now so on this episode we bring you some levity: our never-before-published, first two episodes: the first is on superstitions and the other is on what we miss about childhood. 

This episode is about how a trans young man and his mom navigated his coming out and transition. Together, they demonstrate the power of love and communication between a parent and a child. We are grateful to be releasing this episode during LGBTQIA+ pride month.

Our outsides and our insides aren't always aligned. Sometimes we look happy and feel sad. Sometimes we look fine but are struggling with our health. In this episode, we hear from two young people with similar hidden disabilities and how they've managed and remained resilient in the face of their health struggles.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been and continues to be a tragedy with millions of lives lost. It also bas had a big social and emotional impact on us, especially for teens transitioning from middle school to high school or high school to college. As many of us finish up the first full school year back in person, we reflect on how our experiences of the pandemic have affected how we think, feel, and act.