Podcasts · Kids & Family · Education

Parenting Teenagers Untangled

Rachel Richards

225 episodes

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.

More about the show

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 very good chance we’ve already talked about it on this podcast.

Teenagers Untangled has a huge and growing library of episodes covering the questions, worries and challenges that come with raising tweens and teenagers. Rather than scrolling through hundreds of episodes trying to find the right one, use the search bar to search for what’s happening in your family right now.

How to search:

Simply type a keyword or short phrase into the search box.

Try things like:

anger • anxiety • phones • motivation • sleep • ADHD • vaping • alcohol • friendship • school • exams • lying • boundaries • consequences • social media • first love • university • leaving home

You can also try different words if your first search doesn’t bring up exactly what you need. For example, if you’re worried about your teenager being rude, you might also search respect, anger, conflict or communication.

The search will bring up relevant Teenagers Untangled episodes so you can go straight to the conversations that are most useful to you.

Think of it as a parenting database, So don't feel you need to start with our newest episode — start with your question.

And if I haven't covered your question yet, tell me. Some of my best episodes begin with a question from a parent just like you.

Whatever stage you're at, you don't have to figure it all out from scratch. Chances are, we've already started untangling it.

For those of you who want to read my thoughts beyond the podcast, or who just want to help me feel like the pebbles I have dropped in the ocean of life are making a difference, why not join my community on Substack?

You’ll get one-to-one support and printable PDF’s that give you the top tips from each podcast episode so you have your own little, bespoke manual.

COMMUNITY: I’ll be offering regular extras, including tips and thoughts, that help you tune into what matters.

NOTES: So many listeners say they have rewound the episodes to write down notes, well now there’s no need. Paid subscribers will have a weekly, downloadable, summary of the top tips from each episode, so you don’t have to take notes.

Please let me know if there are any old episodes for which you’d like the notes. I’m very happy to supply them.

Episodes page 1 of 5

  1. Calm Down, Repair Conflict, and Reconnect: The Wonder Room

    · 38 min · Bonus

    Ask Rachel anything I've really needed a reminder of how emotional regulation works, and how to see the best in everyone, over the past three weeks. I think Dr Jody gave us the best talk on this and I loved her so…

  2. What Our Teens Need Most From Us Parents

    · 50 min · S6 E8

    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…

  3. Applying expert parenting advice in real life: Talking to Teachers, and Bullying

    · 42 min · S6 E7

    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…

  4. The Hot Water Bottle Warning Every Parent Needs

    · 6:21 · Bonus

    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…

  5. School Refusal, EBSA, and Teen Burnout: The Parent's Guide with Dr Naomi Fisher

    · 52 min · S6 E6

    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…

  6. Cancel Culture: Helping Your Teen Handle Disagreement and Exclusion

    · 32 min · S6 E5

    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…

  7. Are we parents too soft on our teens or too hard on ourselves? Weekend Wonder Room

    · 51 min · Bonus · Explicit

    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…

  8. Motivating Boys in a World of Gaming, AI & Porn.

    · 1 h 00 min · S6 E4

    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…

  9. Stressed About Parenting Your Teen? Reduce Perfectionism

    · 34 min · S6 E3

    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…

  10. A Better Way for Parents to talk to Teens About Screen Time: Fear Less & Wonder More

    · 39 min · Bonus

    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…

  11. Banning Social Media Won't Work: How Parents Can Actually Help Teens

    · 41 min · S6 E2

    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…

  12. Nagging Your Teenager? We Parents Talk Family Routines, in the Wonder Room

    · 29 min · Bonus

    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…

  13. Teen Girls Mental Health, Intense Pressure, and How Parents Can Help

    · 49 min · S6 E1

    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…

  14. Starting Secondary School: How to Help Your Child With Friends, Homework & the Big Transition

    · 48 min · S5 E48

    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…

  15. Teenagers, AI & Friendship: Is ChatGPT Changing How Our Kids Connect? Parenting Unpacked in the Wonder Room

    · 33 min · Bonus

    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…

  16. Teen Friendship Problems: How to Help Your Teen Make and Keep Friends

    · 41 min · S5 E47

    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…

  17. Empty Nest Syndrome: How to Cope When Your Child Leaves Home Vintage

    · 56 min · S5 E47

    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…

  18. Exam Results: What if my teen doesn't get the grades they want? Vintage

    · 36 min · Bonus

    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…

  19. Is Your Teen Ready for University? What Parents Need to Know INTERVIEW WITH MY TEEN

    · 55 min · S5 E46 · Explicit

    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…

  20. How to Stop Yelling at Your Teen: Stay Calm, Set Boundaries & End Power Struggles

    · 32 min · S5 E45

    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…

  21. Step-Parenting Teens: Why Connection Matters More Than Discipline

    · 42 min · S5 E44

    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…

  22. Parenting Guilt: Bad Parenting Science, The Motherhood Myth & What Actually Matters

    · 29 min · S5 E43

    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…

  23. The vital parenting shift: becoming a mentor to your teen

    · 14 min · Bonus

    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…

  24. Reading Festival Advice From Teens: Vintage INTERVIEW WITH MY TEENS

    · 45 min · Bonus · Explicit

    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…

  25. Teaching Teens About Money: Investing, Gambling & the Money Lessons Schools Miss

    · 29 min · S5 E42 · Explicit

    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…

  26. Teen Exam Stress: How to Help Without Nagging, Pressuring or Taking Over

    · 49 min · S5 E41

    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…

  27. How to Raise a Good Citizen: Teaching Teens Critical Thinking, Politics & Civic Responsibility

    · 28 min · S5 E40

    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?…

  28. What's a Good Parent? A Bonus Episode in Which I Ask My Own Teenager

    · 9:44 · Bonus

    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.…

  29. Why Teenage Boys Pull Away: The Crisis of Connection With Dr Niobe Way

    · 58 min · S5 E39

    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…

  30. Teen Gambling Is Surging: How Gaming & Loot Boxes Are Hooking Our Kids

    · 33 min · S5 E38

    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…

  31. Teen Brain Health: Screens, Dopamine, Junk Food & How to Raise a Thriving Teen

    · 44 min · S5 E37

    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…

  32. Teenagers and Grief: How to Support Your Teen Through Death or Serious Illness: Vintage

    · 43 min · S5 E36

    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…

  33. Is Your Teen Being Manipulated Online? Teaching Critical Thinking in the Age of AI

    · 52 min · S5 E35

    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…

  34. Parenting Teens With an Angry or Critical Partner: How to Handle Conflict at Home

    · 33 min · S5 E34 · Explicit

    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…

  35. Is the Manosphere Teaching Your Son to Hate Women? How Parents Can Respond

    · 35 min · S5 E33

    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…

  36. Teen Exam Stress & Motivation: What Actually Helps (and What Makes It Worse) INTERVIEW WITH MY TEEN

    · 35 min · S5 E32

    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…

  37. How to Connect With Your Teen: Stop Trying to Be the Perfect Parent

    · 24 min · S5 E31

    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…

  38. Teen Dating, First Love & Heartbreak: What Parents Need to Know

    · 47 min · S5 E30

    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…

  39. When Your Teen’s Dream Falls Apart: Helping Them Cope With Failure & Rejection

    · 36 min · S5 E29

    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…

  40. Andrew Tate, the Manosphere & Teen Boys: What Parents Need to Know - Vintage

    · 33 min · S5 E28

    Ask Rachel anything Parenting teen boys wrote three years ago asking us to discuss how we can talk to boys about influential online figures like Andrew Tate. The 'bros' act both as an inspiration to achieve great…

  41. Think You’re Failing as a Parent? You’re Probably Doing Better Than You Imagine

    · 1 h 18 min · S5 E27

    Ask Rachel anything If you’ve ever lain awake at night wondering whether you’re getting this parenting thing horribly wrong, you need to hear this conversation with surgeon and author Gabriel Weston. Gabriel is a…

  42. Sextortion & AI Fake Nudes: What Every Parent of a Teen Needs to Know”

    · 33 min · S5 E27 · Explicit

    Ask Rachel anything A teenager no longer has to send a nude for a sexual image of them to end up online. AI can now take an ordinary photograph of a child or teenager and create a convincing fake nude. Add…

  43. Teen Anxiety & Achievement Pressure: How to Raise Successful Kids Who Know They Matter

    · 27 min · S5 E26

    Ask Rachel anything We all want our teenagers to do well. But what happens when encouragement turns into achievement pressure — and our kids start believing their grades, popularity, appearance or success determine…

  44. Estranged Adult Children: Why They Cut Parents Off & What We Can Do Now

    · 35 min · S5 E25 · Explicit

    Ask Rachel anything When Brooklyn Beckham publicly announced he didn't want to reconcile with his parents he was joining a painful catalogue of family stories that have gone wrong. Estrangement is reportedly on the…

  45. Teen Body Image & Social Media: How to Protect Their Self-Esteem. Vintage

    · 31 min · S5 E24

    Ask Rachel anything Puberty can make teenagers painfully aware of their changing bodies. Add Instagram, TikTok, advertising and the pressure to fit in, and it's little wonder that so many teens struggle with body…

  46. Teen Friendship Problems: How to Help When Your Child Is Struggling Socially

    · 55 min · S5 E23

    Ask Rachel anything 'Early adolescence is a friendship meat grinder, and your kid will eventually find their people,' according to Megan Saxelby of Wild Feelings. But oh boy it's tough! Megan wants parents to know…

  47. Help Your Teen Thrive: Science-Based Advice for Focus, Anxiety, ADHD & Big Emotions

    · 39 min · S5 E22

    Ask Rachel anything We want our kids to do as well as possible, so when they mess up, do dumb things, or seem to be failing, it's easy to focus on their mistakes and what they should do instead. Naomi Glover, a…

  48. Is Your Child Being Groomed? 4 Warning Signs That Could Protect Your Child

    · 48 min · S5 E21

    Ask Rachel anything While counseling sex offenders, Anna Sonoda, LCSW learned firsthand that grooming, the prelude to child sexual abuse, is intentional, gradual, and observable. Her message to us is, we're not bad…

  49. How parents of teens can raise happy, successful adults

    · 52 min · S5 E20

    Ask Rachel anything Hint: it depends on how you define happy and successful. We all want our kids to be happy and successful but what does that mean? In today's episode, I'm joined by Giselle Goodwin, author of Can…

  50. The One Thing Your Teen Really Needs From a Parent: Emotional Regulation

    · 49 min · S5 E19

    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 unpack what every parent and teacher…

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