Parenting Teenagers Untangled
If you've found yourself wondering why is my teenager suddenly so angry? How much screen time is too much? Should I take their phone away at night? Why have they lost all motivation? What do I do about vaping, friendship problems, anxiety, parties, dating, exams… or a teenager who simply won’t talk to me? You're in the right place.This podcast helps you become a Fearless Parent: One who fears less and wonders more. Whatever the problem, message us and we'll either discuss it on the podcast or let you know which episode is best for you because there’s a ve...
What Our Teens Need Most From Us Parents When Things Are At Their Worst
Ask Rachel anything
This episode will change how you see “bad behaviour” and might just change how you see yourself, too.
In this powerful conversation, with Dr Jody Carrington, we unpack what every parent and teacher needs to know about emotional regulation – and why you’re probably doing better than you think.
It fits perfectly with the lessons I've been learning as the mother of a badly injured daughter who needs me to stay strong while she gets back on her feet. You can read all about it by clicking here
...
Applying expert parenting advice in real life: Talking to Teachers, and Bullying
Ask Rachel anything
Who doesn't want a simple answer to their problems? In all honesty I often hope to find one, but it's not really feasible when parenting teenagers. I love talking with experts who give us terrific advice - such as Dr Naomi Fisher and Dr Dominique Thompson - but when it comes to the messy job of parenting it can feel way more complicated in day to day life than we would hope.
In this conversation Katherine Radice and Rachel Richards discuss the m...
The Hot Water Bottle Warning Every Parent Needs
Ask Rachel anything
Just over a week ago, my daughter was badly burned when her hot water bottle split along the seam. She needed specialist care at the Queen Victoria Hospital burns unit which became famous for Archibald McIndoe’s work treating badly burned WWII airmen.
Instead of going back to university, she spent her 20th birthday recovering at home, unable to walk.
In this community catch-up episode I’ll tell you what happened, what we learned about treating burns, and what I want you to do tonight:
If someone gets burned, cool...School Refusal, EBSA, and Teen Burnout: The Parent's Guide with Dr Naomi Fisher
Ask Rachel anything
What’s behind a teenager’s struggle to get to school—and how can parents help without turning every morning into a battle? In this episode, journalist and host Rachel Richards talks with clinical psychologist Dr. Naomi Fisher, author of The Teenagers’ Guide to Taking Control of Your Education, about school avoidance, burnout, demand avoidance, and the questions parents often have about autism and ADHD.
Drawing on her own experience of struggling at school and decades of work with young people and families, Naomi challenges us to look beyond labels and ask what a t...
Cancel Culture: Helping Your Teen Handle Disagreement and Exclusion
Ask Rachel anything
Has your teenager come home upset because their friends have suddenly turned against them? Or have you heard that your child is part of a group chat where everyone is being urged to stop talking to someone? When a friendship conflict spreads through a whole group—and onto social media—it can be hard for parents to know what to say, when to step in, and how to help without making things worse.
In this episode of Teenagers Untangled, I’m joined by Dr Dominique Thompson, a physician and expert in supporting young...
Are we parents too soft on our teens or too hard on ourselves? Weekend Wonder Room
Ask Rachel anything
It’s one thing hearing what experts think, but I’m always left wondering how their advice translates into the real life of a parent. If you’re wondering too then you’re going to love this chat between Katharine Radice and me. In it, we discuss what was said in my interviews with Dr Leonard Sax and Dr Tara Porter.
Basically we cover the reality of setting healthy boundaries around gaming and phones, talking with teens about online risks, choosing supportive schools, mentors & building trust, confidence, and independence—without chasing perfection.
Don’t...
Motivating Boys in a World of Gaming, AI & Porn.
Ask Rachel anything
If your son seems apathetic, glued to gaming, or strangely unbothered by school, you are not alone, and you are not imagining it. I decided to create this discussion because I have been contacted by so many parents about the lacklustre attitudes they are seeing in their sons, looking for advice on what to do.
Around the world, boys are falling behind academically, drifting socially, and retreating into screens. Meanwhile, girls are outstripping boys at school and university, and often hiding their own struggles under high achievement (a topic I recently covered...
Stressed About Parenting Your Teen? Reduce Perfectionism
Ask Rachel anything
Are you trying so hard to be a good parent that you might be doing too much for your tween or teen, and accidentally making life harder for both of you?
In this episode of Parenting Teenagers Untangled, Rachel Richards talks with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Tara Porter about her new book "Good Enough" and why good enough parenting is actually the best kind of parenting.
Drawing on more than 25 years working in adolescent mental health, Tara explains how so many teens—whatever their diagnosis—secr...
A Better Way for Parents to talk to Teens About Screen Time: Fear Less & Wonder More
Ask Rachel anything
We’re living through an age where it can feel like our teenagers’ entire lives are happening behind a screen we can’t see.
Meanwhile mental health problems in teens are a rising problem that is being blamed on their devices.
The instinctive response for many of us is to clamp down: ban certain apps, monitor every move, or take away devices altogether.
But as Professor Candice Odgers put it so powerfully:
“You can’t ban your way out of a mental health crisis. You have to build instea...Banning Social Media Won't Work: How Parents Can Actually Help Teens
Ask Rachel anything
Are smartphones and social media really damaging our teenagers’ mental health – or are we looking in the wrong place? In this episode, Rachel Richards talks with Professor Candice Odgers, a leading expert on adolescent mental health in the digital age, to unpack what decades of research actually show about teens, tech and wellbeing.
We explore why today’s teenagers are doing better than many headlines suggest, the real size of the link between phones, social media, anxiety and depression, and why offline risks are the bigges...
Nagging Your Teenager? We Parents Talk Family Routines, in the Wonder Room
Ask Rachel anything
As a teenager, I grew up in a home with almost no routines. No one talked about what needed to happen when, and I remember constantly thinking, “What am I supposed to do now?” Life felt like reinventing the wheel every day. I didn’t feel safe, and I felt a lot of energy went into trying to cope in the chaos.
Now, as a parent and host of Teenagers Untangled, I’ve come to see routines not as dreary box‑ticking exercises, but as powerful tools for connection, calm, and joy. In this Wo...
Teen Girls Mental Health, Intense Pressure, and How Parents Can Help
Ask Rachel anything
If your teenage daughter says, “I have anxiety,” “my ADHD was out of control today,” or calls a friend “toxic,” it can feel both strangely sophisticated and oddly shallow at the same time. She has language. She has labels. But somehow, you’re still not sure what’s really going on inside her.
In this episode with psychiatrist Dr Suzanne Garfinkel-Crowell, author of Girlhood Translated: Understanding Girls in the Age of Therapy Speak and Self-Diagnosis, we pulled back the curtain on what this language is doing for girls — and what it’s doing to them...
Curiosity: What’s wrong with my teen? At the Big Hug Community Cafe
Ask Rachel anything
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Wirohugo for your incredible donation. You are so kind!
Here’s the question posed by one of our community using the Ask Rachel Anything button:
My fifteen year old boy seems to show no curiousity about the world. Does not know countries, capitals, does not read (except when incentived). Today, he didn't recognise the neighbouring village which we drive through many times. He is middling at school but good at some subjects. So, not a dunce! Is it digital distraction? Is it common? I sea...
Starting Secondary School: How to Help Your Child With Friends, Homework & the Big Transition
Ask Rachel anything
They're the oldest in their primary and suddenly our babies have to cope with being the youngest in their senior school. It's a big leap, and it comes just at the point when our kids are becoming much more aware of themselves and others with a big dollop of puberty-driven insecurity.
It's easy to worry about them making friends, coping with their newfound indepenence; complicated timetables, different classrooms, homework, buses and remembering their passwords.
Here to help us figure it all out is Katherine Radice, author of the Parents Guide t...
Teenagers, AI & Friendship: Is ChatGPT Changing How Our Kids Connect? Parenting Unpacked in the Wonder Room
Ask Rachel anything
Is AI changing the way teenagers understand friendship? Should we worry about teens turning to chatbots for advice and emotional support? And what can parents do to help their children build strong, real-world relationships?
Welcome to a new Teenagers Untangled Community Catchup, where Rachel Richards is joined by teacher, author and mum of two teenagers Katherine Radice to talk through what's happening in the world of teenagers — from the news and the latest research to the problems parents are dealing with at home.
This week, we start with GCSE re...
Teen Friendship Problems: How to Help Your Teen Make and Keep Friends
Ask Rachel anything
So many parents come to me saying 'My teen has no friends. What should I do?' and I can't help wondering if we are missing one of the most important ways to help them. Being good at friendships ourselves.
Think about it. If we're not good at making and maintaining friends ourselves, who will our babies learn their friendship skills from?
In this episode of Teenagers Untangled, I’m joined by author, broadcaster, and founder of The Friendship Lab, Sheridan Voysey, to unpack why 20–25% of adults now say they have...
Empty Nest Syndrome: How to Cope When Your Child Leaves Home Vintage
Ask Rachel anything
What happens when the children we’ve poured our hearts, time, and energy into finally leave home? If you’re facing the prospect of a child heading off to university or moving out—and feeling anything from pride and excitement to grief, anxiety, or a loss of identity—this episode is for you.
First, I revisit a powerful conversation with mindfulness coach Susie Asli, where we unpack empty nest syndrome:
why feelings of grief, loneliness, or even physical symptoms like sleeplessness and nausea are a normal response,how your...Exam Results: What if my teen doesn't get the grades they want? Vintage
Ask Rachel anything
A listener parenting a teen son wrote to say both of them felt pretty stunned when he was rejected from the university he'd set his heart on. She asked for the best way to help our teenagers cope with this sort of disappointment.
I thought it was a great question and a good opportunity to also look at how we parents can best navigate when our teen has worked for years toward a dream - a top university place, exam results, a team, a part - and it doesn’t happen. The dis...
Is Your Teen Ready for University? What Parents Need to Know INTERVIEW WITH MY TEEN
Ask Rachel anything
Sending your teen off to university can feel both exciting and terrifying. In this episode of Parenting Teenagers Untangled, I talk with my 19-year-old daughter Phoebe, home after her first year at Oxford University, about what parents really need to know to prepare their teens for university life.
We cover the big worries parents Google most: how teens make friends in Freshers’ Week, coping with the academic workload, dealing with drinking, drugs and peer pressure, managing money and budgeting, handling homesickness and mental health, and how to balance independence with safety.
I...
How to Stop Yelling at Your Teen: Stay Calm, Set Boundaries & End Power Struggles
Ask Rachel anything
Are you tired of yelling at your teen – and hating yourself afterwards?
In this episode of Teenagers Untangled, I talked with parenting and relationship coach Diane Sorensen about how to stay calm with teens, stop power struggles, and set healthy boundaries without becoming a pushover.
If you’re dealing with eye-rolling, “disrespectful” attitudes, shouting matches, and constant tension at home, this conversation will help you:
Understand why you get so triggered by your teen’s behaviorShift from controlling behavior to nurturing real connectionUse simple emotional regulation tools to pause before you explod...Step-Parenting Teens: Why Connection Matters More Than Discipline
Ask Rachel anything
If you’ve ever fallen in love with someone who already has children, or tried to blend two families and thought, “Why is this so hard? What’s wrong with me?” – this episode is for you. You are not broken, and you are definitely not alone.
I was joined by Masha Rusanov, coach, writer, and author of Repatterned.
Together we unpack:
Why step‑parenting can feel so emotionally different from parenting your biological childrenHow to prioritise connection before correction with bonus kidsThe idea of “natur...Parenting Guilt: Bad Parenting Science, The Motherhood Myth & What Actually Matters
Ask Rachel anything
Are women naturally good at being mothers or is that a cultural myth?
It matters because if we believe women are naturally good at it then they deserve no kudos for the work they do and when we do struggle it lays the blame firmly at our feet, rather than the society we live in.
In this episode, I was joined by historian and postnatal practitioner Alex Bollen, author of Motherdom, to unpack the “good mother” myths shaping our culture—and our guilt.
We challenge the idea that care is “...
The vital parenting shift: becoming a mentor to your teen
Ask Rachel anything
Welcome to a special mini-series from Teenagers Untangled — seven simple, practical "parenting seeds" to plant over a week, preparing for when your child moves into secondary school or returns from summer.
These are gentle shifts, not rules to perfect: They're designed to help you focus on what really matters, and reduce your stress.
They'll help you to move from fixing problems to mentoring your child, build emotional safety at home, and give your teen the confidence to make good choices.
These are the big picture things I wish I had...
Reading Festival Advice From Teens: Vintage INTERVIEW WITH MY TEENS
Ask Rachel anything
Announcing my summer top tips series where I give you a short episode of tips organised around themes to help you focus on what you and your tween or teen needs to prepare you for the new school year.
Make sure you’re following the show to ensure you don’t miss any and if you want to get them early and have the tips delivered weekly directly to you just click here Send me the free newsletter and enter our email address. You’ll get them straight to your mailbox...
Teaching Teens About Money: Investing, Gambling & the Money Lessons Schools Miss
Ask Rachel anything
Seven in ten teenagers say they're very or extremely interested in investing. Not just curious, genuinely, actively interested. The problem is that most of us parents didn't become aware of investing until we were young adults or older, and half of parents say they wish they'd started sooner. That's a regret a lot of us are carrying around quietly, and without realising it, some of us are passing that same late start on to our kids.
Teenagers today aren't waiting. They're already getting an education, just not necessarily the right one. They're...
Teen Exam Stress: How to Help Without Nagging, Pressuring or Taking Over
Ask Rachel anything
Exam stress — are your teen’s exams quietly overwhelming them (and you)?
In this episode of Teenagers Untangled I spoke with Katherine Radice, author of The Parent’s Guide to Exam Stress, to explore:
* Why teens withdraw and how parental questions can shut down conversations about school
* What makes exams uniquely stressful (risk, public outcomes, long timelines)
* How parents can build calm, constructive conversations and listen so teens feel safe to share
* Practical strategies: establishing effective work habits, rewarding effort vs. outcomes, scaffolding responsibility, and it...
How to Raise a Good Citizen: Teaching Teens Critical Thinking, Politics & Civic Responsibility
Ask Rachel anything
Who's teaching our teens how to be good citizens; someone who feels a part of society and enagages meaningfully in creating a world we all want to live in rather than someone who just buys stuff?
In this episode I talked with Lindsey Cormack, political scientist and author of How to Raise a Citizen, about why we parents must see it as our job to raise capable, engaged citizens.
With civics instruction waning in schools, Lindsey shares actionable strategies to turn everyday moments into lessons about government, community impact, and p...
What's a Good Parent? A Bonus Episode in Which I Ask My Own Teenager
Ask Rachel anything
In this bonus episode Amelia and I discussed how hard it is to get parenting right, focusing on the misconceptions of gentle parenting and the importance of setting high expectations with support.
The full listen to the full episode and read all of my thoughts on it by clicking here. It doesn't cost you anything, it's just a better place for me to store it.
We thought it would be really useful for you to hear us talking so that you can get ideas for how y...
Why Teenage Boys Pull Away: The Crisis of Connection With Dr Niobe Way
Ask Rachel anything
What are we really telling boys about how to be a man? And why do so many teens seem to be struggling with how to be in the world, from masculinity to friendship, and mental health?
In this conversation with Professor Niobe Way (NYU developmental psychologist, author of Deep Secrets and Rebels with a Cause), we dug into 40 years of research with adolescents. Her work is extraordinary because she has done something deceptively simple and radically powerful:
She listened to teenagers carefully, over time, and took what they...
Teen Gambling Is Surging: How Gaming & Loot Boxes Are Hooking Our Kids
Ask Rachel anything
There's been an alarming rise of teen gambling, according to Commonsense Media, with half of 16-17-year-old boys reporting gambling in the past year; surpassing alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana use.
Commonsense media says 'we're at a pivotal moment for boys' well-being. We can either let gambling become normalized during a critical period of their development, or we can act now—with education, safeguards, and real accountability.'
In this episode Dr. Chung highlights the role of gaming, particularly loot boxes and mystery boxes, in priming teen brains for gambling. She em...
Teen Brain Health: Screens, Dopamine, Junk Food & How to Raise a Thriving Teen
Ask Rachel anything
If you’ve ever looked at your teen glued to a screen, living on junk food, or melting down over “nothing” and thought, What am I doing wrong? — this episode will change how you see everything.
In today’s fast-paced, often overwhelming world, understanding how to foster resilience, well-being, and cognitive development is key to raising thriving children
Today's guest, Dr Katy Granville-Chapman, author of Growing Minds: The Science of Raising Thriving Teens”, gives us the evidence-based information we parents need to support our children's brain health. She explains:
How big tech...Teenagers and Grief: How to Support Your Teen Through Death or Serious Illness: Vintage
Ask Rachel anything
Parenting tweens and teens is challenging enough, but when someone in the family becomes seriously ill or dies, it can feel overwhelmingly difficult. In all honesty, we Westerners are terrible at talking about death, often avoiding it, so when it comes to talking with teenagers about the subject most of us don't feel equipped.
Many who have suffered a loss, or are suffering a serious illness will tell you that friends often fall away just at the time when they are most valued, because they're embarrassed or uncomfortable about the situation.
<...
Is Your Teen Being Manipulated Online? Teaching Critical Thinking in the Age of AI
Ask Rachel anything
Our teenagers are growing up in a world saturated with information, outrage, and algorithms designed to keep them scrolling. As parents, it can feel overwhelming: How do we help our kids navigate AI, social media, fake news, and online manipulation—without either over-controlling them or throwing up our hands?
In this episode, I talk to Dr Maree Davies, senior lecturer at the University of Auckland and author of Teaching Critical Thinking to Teenagers: How kids can be street smart about AI, algorithms, fake news and social media.
Her work is al...
Parenting Teens With an Angry or Critical Partner: How to Handle Conflict at Home
Ask Rachel anything
“My husband is highly critical of the teenagers, gets angry over little things and yells, so I’m having to make up for his behavior, and I often avoid involving him in parenting decisions."
This message came into my Substack. It was a plaintiff request for support and a plea to know how others deal with the problem.
When I posted it (with her permission), a flood of parents said, “This is my life too.”
If you're dealing with high conflict in your home, whether with your teens or your p...
Is the Manosphere Teaching Your Son to Hate Women? How Parents Can Respond
Ask Rachel anything
“Is my son secretly being taught to hate women?”
If you’ve ever heard your boy casually repeat a line from Andrew Tate… seen him disappear into his room with his phone… or wondered what on earth he’s absorbing on TikTok and YouTube, this episode is for you.
The manosphere is grooming boys to believe women are the enemy—and most parents don’t even realise it’s happening.
In this conversation, I’m joined by teacher and author of Unmasking the Manosphere, Matt Pinkett to unpack how these...
Teen Exam Stress & Motivation: What Actually Helps (and What Makes It Worse) INTERVIEW WITH MY TEEN
Ask Rachel anything
It's exam season and so important to keep a steady ship with all of the stress in the house.
I thought it would be a great time to interrupt my youngest, Amelia, for an honest chat about what she sees as both good and bad strategies for supporting teenagers through exams, and homework; particularly those with dyslexia and ADHD.
We wanted to give parents hope, an honest insight into how bumpy the road can become, and how long it can take to figure out what the best way of supporting yo...
Phones: Bedtime Battles for Parents of Teens AMA
Ask Rachel anything
When taking phones at night turns into a power struggle
One of the hardest things about parenting teenagers is that the battles that matter most often happen at exactly the moment we have the least capacity to deal with them.
A mum wrote to me about the nightly struggle over handing in her 13-year-old daughter’s phone. She’s exhausted by bedtime. Her daughter pushes back, calls her dad, and suddenly what should be a simple boundary becomes a negotiation, then a row. We’ve all got to the po...
How to Connect With Your Teen: Stop Trying to Be the Perfect Parent
Ask Rachel anything
So many parents of teens quietly worry that they’re “failing” — not doing enough, not staying calm enough, not getting the outcomes they hoped for.
This episode is an invitation to step off that perfectionist treadmill. Instead of parenting for perfect grades, perfect behavior, or perfect choices, we explore how to parent for connection: building daily rituals of togetherness, modeling honest self-care, and using compassionate self-talk so your teen can develop a kinder inner voice too.
You’ll hear practical ways to show your child they’re loved for who they are, not...
Teen Dating, First Love & Heartbreak: What Parents Need to Know
Ask Rachel anything
When parenting teens through their first experience of love and attraction it can bring up a lot of feelings we thought we'd neatly packed away; the intensity of that first crush, the humiliation of not being chosen, the heartbreak that felt like it would swallow us whole.
As a parent trying to support our kids through it can be tricky because our teens’ first love stories can collide with our own unfinished ones.
In this episode of Teenagers Untangled, I’m joined by professor Lisa Phillips, author of First Love...
When Your Teen’s Dream Falls Apart: Helping Them Cope With Failure & Rejection
Ask Rachel anything
A listener parenting a teen son wrote to say both of them felt pretty stunned when he was rejected from the university he'd set his heart on. She asked for the best way to help our teenagers cope with this sort of disappointment.
I thought it was a great question and a good opportunity to also look at how we parents can best navigate when our teen has worked for years toward a dream - a top university place, exam results, a team, a part - and it doesn’t happen. The dis...
