A Mother-Son Guide to Overcoming Teen Anxiety - Amber and Ollie Lia

Host Arlene Pellicane welcomes back bestselling author Amber Lia alongside her teenage son Ollie for an inspiring conversation about their new devotional, You Are Seen: 90 Devotions to Encourage Stressed Teens.

Ollie opens up about his freshman-year battles with depression, anxiety, and perfectionism after a major life transition, offering a real-life view of what your kids may be going through. Together with Amber, they reveal faith-centered strategies—like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, box breathing, scripture memorization, and surrendering to God's plan—that helped him find peace and purpose. From miraculous physical healing (Ollie's torn rotator cuff) to building family support systems involving dads and siblings, this duo offers hope and actionable advice for parents and teens navigating mental health struggles --all in this episode. 

05:09 | Ollie's Story: Freshman-Year Struggles with Anxiety, Depression, and Transition

07:58 | Amber's View: Spotting Anxiety in Teens and Starting Empathetic Conversations

10:42 | The Turning Point: Counseling, Spilling It All, and Building Trust

12:10 | Practical Tool: The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique to Stop the Anxiety Spiral 

15:08 | Solo Strategies for School: Box Breathing, Prayer, and Sensory Grounding

19:45 | Real-Life Wins: Texting Mom for Support and Mapping the Day

20:16 | Tackling Perfectionism: Why Teens Compare and How Faith Shifts the Mindset 

24:37 | Testimony of Healing: Ollie's Miraculous Rotator Cuff Recovery 

27:46 | Dad's Role: Building Bonds, Mentoring, and Asking "What's Going On?"

30:43 | Sibling Support and Navigating Quality Time for All Kids

 

Connect with Ollie on Instagram @walkin.with.ollie.

Connect with Amber on Instagram @therealamberlia and on amberlia.com.

Pick up a copy of their new devotional, You Are Seen.

More Resources from Arlene Pellicane:

SUBSCRIBE to Arlene's newsletter "What I'm Learning This Week" and get access to 12 free resources to help you as a parent.

Check out Arlene's BOOKS including Parents Rising, Screen Kids, and Making Marriage Easier.

Go to Arlene's YouTube Channel 

Follow Arlene on Instagram and/or Facebook

How did Arlene's kids adapt to not having phones, video games or social media? Watch the free video, Screen Kids: In Their Own Words.

Have a question for Arlene to address on the podcast? Want to invite Arlene to speak to your group? Email speaking@arlenepellicane.com

Not sure about a smartphone for your child? Check out the Gabb Wireless phone for kids and teens (use the promo code ARLENE).

 

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