FRESH EPISODE: Helping a perfectionist see the rainbow of success rather than black and white.
Parenting teenagers, untangled: The award-winning podcast for parents of teens and tweens.

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April 17, 2024

85: Perfectionist teens and tweens who can't cope with getting things wrong.

Nobody likes making mistakes, but some of us find it much harder than others. Whilst most of us look on with admiration at the kid who's prepared to keep working until they do things perfectly, underlying that drive can be a…
April 16, 2024

85: Perfectionist teens and tweens who can't cope with getting things wrong.

Nobody likes making mistakes, but some of us find it much harder than others. Whilst most of us look on with admiration at the kid who's prepared to keep working until they do things perfectly, underlying that drive can be a…
April 10, 2024

84: Giving teens and tweens an allowance. Does it help them grow, or encourage entitlement?

What we give our kids to spend, and when, is a perennial problem for all parents. Money is a really tricky topic in any relationship; behind it lurks power, responsibility, and freedom. When our kids hit their tween and teen…
April 9, 2024

84: Giving teens and tweens an allowance. Does it help them grow, or encourage entitlement?

What we give our kids to spend, and when, is a perennial problem for all parents. Money is a really tricky topic in any relationship; behind it lurks power, responsibility, and freedom.  When our kids hit their tween and te…
April 3, 2024

83: Having fun with our teens, and the bonding power of laughter.

Many teenagers say their relationship with their parents is very stressful and they yearn to be able to get along better. They often feel that their parents are on their case all of the time and that they never talk about an…
April 2, 2024

83: Having fun with our teens, and the bonding power of laughter.

Many teenagers say their relationship with their parents is very stressful and they yearn to be able to get along better. They often feel that their parents are on their case all of the time and that they never talk about an…
April 1, 2024

Teen anxiety has been on the rise for many years.

The latest book by Jonathan Haidt makes a powerful case for why we need to “end the phone-based childhood now.”
March 27, 2024

82: Growing Resilience In Teens, or GRIT. An interview with Dr Louise Randall

Grit is the ability to keep going toward a goal, even in spite of significant obstacles and distractions. It's a very apt name for the charity created by Dr Louise Randall, who was seeing many kids coming into her doctor's s…
March 27, 2024

Growing Resilience In Teens, or GRIT. An interview with Dr Louise Randall

Grit is the ability to keep going toward a goal, even in spite of significant obstacles and distractions. It's a very apt name for the charity created by Dr Louise Randall, who was seeing many kids coming into her doctor's s…
March 26, 2024

82: Growing Resilience In Teens, or GRIT. An interview with Dr Louise Randall

Grit is the ability to keep going toward a goal, even in spite of significant obstacles and distractions. It's a very apt name for the charity created by Dr Louise Randall, who was seeing many kids coming into her doctor's s…

Recent Blog Posts

Fearless parenting

The 'do hard things', or 'less validation' model. The whole point of my podcast is to hand back some agency to parents who've grown accustomed to thinking they don't really know what they're doing, or that they know exactly what they're doing and w…

Setting expectations without piling on the pressure

Every loving parent wants their kid to succeed and be happy. The difficulty is that success and happiness are ephemeral concepts.  Sure, there are lots of books and articles about children who’ve achieved great things, and the parents tha…

Ch, ch, ch, ch, changes: Be the person you want to be, not the person others think you should be, and take time to appreciate all of your wins.

If you recognise the song from my title then you may well be as old as I am, which means we've had a lot of time to evolve over the years. Still, making changes that stick is so difficult that it's a wonder many of us begin afresh every new year wit…

About the Hosts

Rachel RichardsProfile Photo

Rachel Richards

Host

My main career was as a BBC Correspondent, World News Anchor for CNBC Europe, BBC World New Radio, and roving reporter/newsreader on local radio.

I’ve always been fascinated by parenting so loved being a Parenting Supercoach for Parent Gym, working in the most deprived boroughs of London.

I’m now the mother of two step-daughters and two teenagers. A failed dog-trainer (you try it in a house where everyone else gives them cheese) and terrible, but enthusiastic, gardener. I’m a long time lover of Ashtanga yoga, jogging, hiking, skiing, reading, music, and all types of adventurous travel.

I was born in Zambia and lived in six different countries by the age of ten, before settling in the UK.

Susie AsliProfile Photo

Susie Asli

Co-host

https://www.amindful-life.co.uk
Susie started practising mindfulness over a decade ago, after a particularly stressful time in her life. It was so effective that she decided to train in Mindfulness with the NHS and the Mindfulness in Schools project to become a Paws b and dot b practitioner, which enables her to teach mindfulness both to primary and secondary school children.

Susie teaches adult groups, 1:1s, families, in schools (children & teachers) and students (at the Guildhall College of Music & Drama).

She's also a qualified psychotherapist (from the Psychotherapeutic Institute in Copenhagen) and a trained musician (working and playing as a freelance viola player and chamber musician, as well as teaching children and adults).

Susie is mum to three children whom she has parented alone for 12 years