Healthy Teen Life

Feeling stressed all the time and not sure what to do about it? Here’s what almost nobody tells you: stress isn’t the problem. Stress is actually your body’s check engine light. In this solo episode, Leslie breaks down what’s really driving your stress and shares three simple habits to start before midterms and finals, that can make a significant difference.

[01:35] What stress really looks like (the 11 p.m. panic)

[02:43] Stress is normal, not proof something is wrong

[03:36] The thing nobody tells you: stress is the check engine light

[05:32...

Ever wonder if your relationship with food is actually okay? In this episode, registered dietitian Jessica Setnick joins Leslie to talk about the early signs that eating has become more than just eating — the connection between stress and food, why body image gets distorted, and how to know when it's time to talk to someone. This one's for anyone who's ever felt confused, guilty, or "off" about food.

[01:19] Why diet culture messaging is louder than it used to be

[03:45] How eating problems actually start

[07:31] Two questions to ask about any "should" message about yo...

Why college can feel so hard and what to do about it.

Feeling homesick weeks into college and wondering if something's wrong with you? It's not — and it's incredibly common. In this episode, Leslie breaks down "the dip," the very real adjustment phase that hits after the initial excitement of college fades, plus 3 beliefs that quietly fuel homesickness anxiety and 3 things you can actually do about it starting today.

Listen now if you've been feeling off, out of place, or unsure whether what you're feeling is normal — it is, and this episode will help.

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Been going to therapy for months and still feel stuck? You're not alone — and it might not be you. In this episode, Dr. Stacey Krauss explains why weekly one-on-one therapy doesn't work for many teens and college students, how group therapy and higher-frequency care can actually move things faster, and how to speak up when sessions aren't landing. If you've ever thought "therapy just isn't for me," this one might change your mind.

Chapters:

[00:00] When therapy feels like it's going nowhere

[01:33] Meet Dr. Stacey Krauss

[02:40] What to do when therapy isn't en...

Stuck in a loop of "I need to do better," "I need to be more organized," "I need to stop procrastinating"? In this episode, we flip the question. Instead of asking what you need to fix, ask who you actually want to be — and why that one shift changes everything about how you make decisions. Leslie breaks down a simple 4-step framework plus two action steps you can start today to discover who you want to be.

[00:00] Why "I need to do better" is the wrong question

[02:21] Your daily choices are building your identity

...

Dealing with roommate drama right now? You're not alone — approximately 7 out of 10 college students go through some version of it. In this episode, I break down the 3 phases every roommate relationship hits (honeymoon, annoyance, and get-along-or-bust), the one communication shift that actually defuses conflict, and what to do if it's truly not working -- there are options like a roommate agreement. Plus my own freshman year roommate story and what I wish I'd known sooner.

What you'll hear:

[00:00] The "are we fighting?" moment every freshman knows

[01:56] Reality check — how common roommate conflict actually is...

Ever notice your shoulders creep up to your ears when you're stressed, even when nothing's actually wrong? Your body still thinks it's being chased by a tiger. In this episode, somatic practice expert Annie Vinje breaks down what's really happening in your nervous system when you're anxious — and simple, science-backed ways to calm it down in real time, no 20-minute meditation required.

Listen now to find a somatic reset you can actually stick with.

Then leave a comment - what tip was most helpful for you?

[02:10] What your body does when yo...

Has this happened to you: your body goes into full panic mode over something small — and you can't figure out why? That's your nervous system talking. In this episode, Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge breaks down exactly what your nervous system does, why stress builds up like water filling a cup, and how to empty it before it overflows. We get into why some people bounce back from stress fast while others stay overwhelmed for hours, and Dr. Roseann shares three simple, science-backed tools you can use today.

LISTENER OFFER: Dr. Roseann is offering a FREE Nervous System Starter Ki...

Ever lose track of time doing something you love — then completely dread starting your homework two minutes later? That's flow, and you can actually trigger it on purpose to help you do the things you want to do. In this episode, I'm talking with Laurie Smith, author of The Flow Habit, about how to get into a flow state even when you have zero motivation. We break down her 4-step FEAL method (Focus, Engage, Equalize, Listen & Let Go), why perfectionism is on the rise in teens, and how flow can quiet that inner critic voice for good.

Li...

We just hit 200 episodes — so which ones actually stuck with you? In this solo recap, I'm counting down the top 5 episodes of all time and breaking down why I think each one hit different. From body image and comparison, to resilience after hard stuff, to why procrastination isn't really a focus problem — this episode is basically a highlight reel of everything that's helped you most so far.

Here are some of the topics that interest you most:

If you're using AI to knock out your homework in five seconds so you can go hang out with your friends, this episode is for you. Not to lecture you. To show you what's actually at stake in a few years when you're applying to college and trying to get hired, and why the way you're using AI right now is quietly deciding which side of that transition you land on.

Today's guest is Amy Love, a Harvard MBA, former Fortune 500 chief marketing officer, and founder of Discovering AI. She's a nationally recognized speaker who helps parents...

If your mornings feel like a chaotic scramble the second your feet hit the floor, or you start the day already stressed, foggy, grumpy, or behind before school has even started, this episode is for you. There's a specific 10 minute morning routine that changes everything, and summer is the perfect window to build it before school starts back up.

Today Leslie walks you through the exact morning routine she recommends to teens and college students. It's not the basic "make your bed and eat breakfast" version most people talk about. It's a nervous system informed routine that...

Getting to college is one thing. Thriving there is a completely different skill set, and most freshmen figure it out the hard way while they're also trying to keep up with huge lecture halls, new schedules, and an unfamiliar campus. This episode is the roadmap nobody puts in your orientation packet.

Today's guest is Cynthia Coufal, a life coach who spent 36 years working with teens and young adults. She started as a special education teacher, became a school counselor, and now helps young people build the tools to manage anxiety and grow into capable, confident adults

If you're a teen seeking more independence and you want to start handling things on your own, or if you're planning on moving into your own place and feeling a little unsure of how to prepare, this episode is for you. Katie Kimball, founder of Raising Healthy Families, breaks down the three life skills that will change everything about how you show up in the world once you leave home, and how to start proving to yourself (and your parents) that you're ready.

Today's guest is Katie Kimball, a former teacher, two time TEDx speaker, mom of...

If you've ever lost weight, gained it back, and convinced yourself it must be a willpower problem, this episode is for you. Kamy's whole message is the opposite. Excess weight in a teen is almost never about willpower, the food itself, or how much you move. It's a symptom of something deeper that nobody has helped you name yet.

Today's guest is Kamy Moussavi, founder of Step Together, an organization that helps families address the true roots of children's excess weight (which Kamy sees as emotional stress, undiagnosed ADHD patterns, family dynamics, and life overwhelm, not just...

If you've been hard on yourself, beating yourself up to push yourself to perform, holding impossible standards, and still ending up disappointed, anxious, lonely, or not enough, this episode is for you. Most teens are running this same loop and most don't have the language for why it isn't working anymore.

Today's guest is Dr. Jerry Weichman, a clinical psychologist and the founder of The Weichman Clinic. Dr. Jerry has worked with more than 6,500 families in 27 years of practice and uses a solutions focused approach that works with the whole family and the whole teen. He recently...

If you've been told that getting healthier starts with a diet and an exercise plan, this episode is going to flip that on its head. Real, lasting change starts in your mind, not on the scale, and the work of building the right foundation comes before anything you eat or any workout you do.

Today's guest is Jonathan Boulware, a lifestyle behavior change specialist and the founder of You Can Beat Obesity. Jonathan spent years carrying close to 300 pounds and walked through the exact battle he now coaches other people through. After his mother's passing, he made...

If you've ever finished a snack, a meal, or a whole container of food and then sat in the aftermath wondering how you got there and why you did it, this episode is for you. Binge eating and overeating don't usually start with the food. They start with something underneath that nobody has helped you name yet.

Today's episode is a solo with Leslie, sharing the story of a friend who recovered from binge eating disorder and what her story can teach you about why the diet rules and the willpower and the food restriction aren't the...

Depression doesn't always look the way you've been told it looks. Sometimes it shows up as a slow heaviness. Sometimes it shows up as a loop in your head you can't seem to climb out of. Sometimes it shows up as isolation, exhaustion, or the feeling that nothing you do is going to matter. Wherever it shows up for you, this episode is for you.

Today's guest is Brian Sachetta, an author, blogger, and mental health advocate behind Get Out of Your Head, a brand and book series that helps people work through anxiety and depression with...

Your skin is more than what it looks like. It's the largest organ in your body, it's the first responder talking to your nervous system, your immune system, and your endocrine system, and it's covered in a living microbiome that's quietly doing protective work for you all day. Which means the stuff you put on it matters way more than you've been told.

Today's guest is Jodie Scott, cofounder of Green Goo and a master's level expert in health psychology and psychoneuroimmunology, which is the connection between your immune system, nervous system, and psychology. Jodie spent years...

If you're feeling stuck right now, like life just sucks, like nothing is going your way and you can't see how it's going to get better, this one is for you. Hard things happen to every single one of us. The question is never whether they happen. The question is what you do with them when they hit.

Today's guest is Ty Gibson, a speaker and mindset advocate whose entire framework is built around one core principle. There are no options when it comes to doing what it takes. Ty has lived this from the inside out...

If you're a high school senior heading to college, or already a freshman who's hitting some academic walls, this one is for you. There's a stretch of skills your teachers probably aren't teaching, your parents may not have had to learn the same way, and that nobody is sitting you down to walk you through. They're the skills that decide whether your first year of college feels manageable or completely impossible.

Today's guest is Dr. Tara Williams, owner and founder of Innovative Collegiate Consultants, an organization that helps neurodivergent students with IEPs transition from high school to...

If you're a high school senior who just committed to a college, or you've already graduated and you're heading to your freshman year, this one is for you. You did it. You got in. You made the call. And the next chapter is genuinely one of the wildest, most growth filled seasons of your entire life. New city, new people, new freedom, new version of you. It's exciting.

Here's what almost nobody is telling you. The academic prep, the dorm shopping, the roommate matching, all of that gets covered constantly. The part that actually trips most freshmen...

If you're a teen who thinks losing weight is the goal, today's episode might change how you see food, your body, and what "healthy" actually means. Diet culture has been lying to every single one of us for a long time. The corset you didn't know you were wearing. The caloric deficit you've been taught to chase. The size you think will finally make you feel enough. None of it is what it told you it was.

Carrie Lupoli is a nutrition education expert, founder of Diet Disruptors, host of a top nutrition podcast, and co-creator of...

If staying focused, getting started on tasks, or managing everything on your plate feels impossible, you are not broken and you are not behind. In this episode, Leslie sits down with executive function coach Lauran Kerr-Heraly to break down what executive function skills actually are and why they are something every teen can learn regardless of where they are starting from.

From procrastination to planning to keeping your focus when your phone is right there calling your name, Lauran walks through practical, low-pressure strategies you can start using today. Whether you are neurodivergent, buried in college prep...

Have you ever wondered whether the person messaging you online is actually who they say they are? In this episode, Leslie sits down with Dr. Bronwen Carroll, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Boston Medical Center, to have the conversation that most adults are not having with teens but absolutely should be. Dr. Carroll breaks down the real risks of sexting, explains what sextortion is and how fast it can escalate, and walks through the exact grooming behaviors predators use both online and in person so you know what to watch for.

Whether you are active on...

School teaches you a lot of things, but what about how to deal with stress, navigate awkward social moments, or feel like you actually belong? In this episode of Healthy Teen Life, Leslie sits down with Kevin Dahill-Fuchel, a licensed clinical social worker and executive director of Counseling in Schools in New York City, to talk about the emotional and social skills that matter just as much as your grades but that almost no one is teaching you.

If you have ever felt overwhelmed, unsure of yourself, or like you are just trying to keep it all...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking I just want to stop eating this but I can't, or why did I eat that when I didn't even want it? You are not alone and it is not about willpower. In this episode of Healthy Teen Life, Leslie breaks down what is actually going on with your eating and introduces a different approach called mindful mindset eating that might finally make it all click.

This is not the slow down and smell your food version of mindful eating you have probably heard before. This is about reconnecting with your...

Have you ever felt like your body is something you need to fix? In this episode of Healthy Teen Life, Leslie sits down with Dr. Joey Skelton, a pediatrician and author of Your Child Is Not Their Weight, to talk honestly about what your body size actually means, what it does not mean, and why the number on the scale tells you far less than our culture wants you to believe.

If you have ever felt judged for how your body looks, confused about BMI, or unsure how to talk about food and weight in a way...

Are you fueling your body, moving enough, and getting the sleep you actually need to perform your best? In this episode of Healthy Teen Life, Leslie sits down with Dr. Chris Koutures, a pediatric and sports medicine physician at Active Kids MD, to talk about how teen athletes can build real sustainable habits around food, fitness, and recovery.

If you have ever wondered whether you are eating the right things at the right times, felt like exercise has started to feel more like an obsession than something you enjoy, or struggled to get enough sleep between school...

Have you ever eaten lunch and then felt like falling asleep in your next class? Or crushed it at practice one day and felt completely empty the next? That is not random — it could be your food talking. In this episode of Healthy Teen Life, Leslie breaks down how to build a personal fuel plan that actually works for your unique body, your schedule, and your life.

This is not about strict meal plans, going organic, or following someone else's diet. If you have ever wondered why what works for your teammate or your best friend does no...

Are you fueling your body enough to actually perform your best? In this episode of Healthy Teen Life, Leslie sits down with Michele Pettinger, a nutrition expert and lifelong runner who started running at 12 and now runs ultra marathons, to talk about what teen athletes need to eat to train well, recover faster, and protect their long term health.

If you've ever felt exhausted at practice, hit a wall mid-workout, or wondered whether what you're eating is helping or hurting your performance, this episode is for you. Michele breaks down exactly what a full day of fueling...

Have you ever felt like the sport you once loved has started to feel more like a job? In this episode of Healthy Teen Life, Leslie sits down with Harvey Araton, a 25-year New York Times columnist and author of The Goal of the Game, to talk about what youth sports pressure is doing to young athletes and how you can start playing for yourself again.

If you have ever stayed in a sport because quitting felt like letting everyone down, wondered whether you love the game or just love the approval, or felt like the pressure...

Did you know that 1 in 5 teenagers may be struggling with disordered eating right now and most don't even realize it? In this episode of Healthy Teen Life, Leslie breaks down what disordered eating actually is, why it's so easy to miss, and why catching it early is one of the most powerful things you can do for your health and future.  

If you've ever felt anxious around food, guilty after eating, or like your thoughts about your body are taking up way too much space in your head, this episode is for you. Leslie walks through 15 of the most c...

If you have ever felt like you're not good enough, not confident enough, or that one bad moment defines who you are, this episode is for you. Leslie sits down with Laura Ollinger, Teen & Parent Well-Being Coach, speaker, and certified Parent-Child Whisperer™, to get into the hidden ways self-doubt shows up in everyday teen life and, more importantly, what to actually do about it. Blending neuroscience, positive psychology, and her own experience raising four teens, Laura brings humor, heart, and real science to one of the most common struggles teens face today.

This one is for teens wh...

Stress and anxiety can feel unavoidable in your teen and college years — from school pressure and exams to friendships and expectations. But what if there was an easy way to manage it?

In this episode, Leslie sits down talks with Ariel Balfour to break down why stress feels so intense and how stress isn’t something to fear — it’s a signal.

We explore simple, Ariel's powerful 4-step reset you can use anywhere to calm your nervous system, think clearly, and regain control — plus a few additional practices that support your efforts and boost results. This episod...

Teen stress, emotional regulation, and mental health are deeply connected to how the brain works. When teens and college students are under pressure, the emotional brain can override logic, leading to overwhelm, impulsive reactions, and feeling out of control. This isn’t a willpower problem — it’s a stress response in the brain.

In this episode, Leslie talks with psychologist Dr. Laurel Mellin, founder of Emotional Brain Training (EBT), about how stress affects the teen brain and why common advice like “try harder” or “just calm down” doesn’t help.

We discuss:

The emotional brain...

Stop waiting to “feel motivated.” Learn how to actually build motivation to eat healthy, move your body, and stick with it — even on low-energy days.

We often think we just need to “get motivated” to eat better, work out, or finally stick to healthy habits. Think again. In this episode, we break down why motivation isn’t what you think it is — and why waiting to feel motivated keeps you stuck.

You’ll learn how motivation actually works in your brain, why it fades so fast, and the simple steps to build it through action — even when you feel...

Feeling exhausted, anxious, bloated, foggy, or just not yourself—even though doctor visits end in more questions than answers, and your labs come back “normal”?

Having health concerns as a teen or college student can be concerning when you're not sure what's going on. But not getting clear answers can be even more stressful, frustrating and sometimes, feel hopeless.

In this chat with functional medicine practitioner Hali Laricey we break down 5 key blood markers often missing from common blood work that most patients don't know about -- and how having them can be the key to rev...

AI filters, photo editing, and social media beauty standards are changing the way teens and college-age young adults see themselves — often without them even realizing it. In this episode, Leslie talks with artist and researcher Gretchen Andrew about how AI-driven images are shaping self-perception, setting unrealistic expectations, fueling comparison, and quietly impact mental health.

Discover: