

Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens
Casey O'Roarty
Welcome to the Joyful Courage Podcast - a place where parents of tweens and teens come to find inspiration, information and encouragement in the messy terrain of adolescenceThis season of parenting is no joke - and while the details of what we are all moving through might be slightly different, we are having a collective experience.This is a space where we center building relationship, nurturing life skills, and leaning into our own personal growth.My name is Casey O’Roarty, I am a parent coach, Positive Discipline LEad Trainer, and captain of the adolescent ship over at Sproutable. I am also a speaker and published author. I have been working with parents and families for over 20 years and continue to navigate being a mom with my own two young adult kids.I am honored that you are here… Please give back to the pod by sharing it with friends, or on social media, and rate and review on Apple or Spotify - work of mouth is how we grow!Thanks - enjoy the show!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 28, 2023 • 56min
Eps 413: Nonviolent communication with Dr. Matthew Lederman
Dr. Matthew Lederman, a communication specialist, discusses nonviolent communication, common unmet needs in children, staying connected when triggered, rebuilding trust, meeting our own needs for health and safety. Takeaways: nonviolent communication, being resourced, communicating with adolescents, common unmet needs in children, staying connected when triggered, rebuilding trust, welcoming feedback from our kids, why teens pull away from their parents, meeting our own needs for health and safety.

Aug 24, 2023 • 38min
Eps 412: Joyful Courage Book Club - Chapter Six
Join me in chapter six of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 21, 2023 • 43min
Eps 411: Adulting update with my girl Rowan
I’m so excited about my guest today, Rowan O’Roarty, my daughter! Rowan is back and shares updates on what’s been going on since last time she was on, like working as an esthetician and moving out & living on her own. We talk about how often we check-in with each other, how Rowan’s anxiety & depression are showing up recently, and how she manages them. She shares her thoughts on how parents can best support their adolescents and young adults when they’re struggling with depression. Rowan ends by sharing a poem about motherhood that resonated with her recently.Takeaways from the show
Job interviews
Moving out
How frequently should we check-in with each other?
Managing anxiety & depression
Supporting adolescents & young adults with depression
What emerging adults need/want from their parents
For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 17, 2023 • 37min
Eps 410: Joyful Courage Book Club - Chapter Five
Join me in chapter five of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out.For more show notes and info on our advertisers, go to https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/joyful-courage-book-chapter-five Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 14, 2023 • 54min
Eps 409: Reimagining the school experience with Dr. Kristan Rodriguez
My guest today is Dr. Kristan Rodriguez. Dr. Rodriguez shares a bit about her background in education & parenting and how that drives her to work on transforming education. We touch on many different methodologies: world schooling, homeschooling, unschooling, and IB & AP programs. Dr. Rodriguez shares some things that need to be taught aside from academics like financial literacy, art & music, and entrepreneurial skills. I ask if she sees that schools are willing to make changes and try less traditional methodologies - do kids need to know and regurgitate “The Canterbury Tales” more than they need authentic real-life learning experiences? I also ask what parents can do to help sway their administrators to make changes (spoiler: get involved & participate!). We agree that checking-in and setting goals with your teen before a new school year starts is a good plan, as well as empowering our kids to see where they have control. We touch on how to scaffold and facilitate hard conversations for your adolescent (while not having those tricky conversations for them). Dr. Rodriguez and I end by discussing how schools are supporting mental health for their students. Takeaways from the show
Meeting individual needs in a school setting
AP & IB programs, world schooling, homeschooling, & unschooling
What should be taught in addition to traditional academics?
Are we adequately preparing adolescents for careers?
Schools are more willing to try less traditional methodologies
What life-skills actually need to be taught in 2023?
How can parents encourage their administrators to make changes?
Checking-in and goal-setting with teens before a new school year
Facilitating hard conversations for your adolescent
How are schools supporting mental health?
Engaging students outside of academia
For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 10, 2023 • 37min
Eps 408: Joyful Courage Book Club - Chapter Four
Join me in Chapter Four of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out.Get the full show notes and find out more about our sponsors by visiting our website:https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/joyful-courage-book-chapter-four/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 7, 2023 • 50min
Eps 407: Raising strong-willed children with Wendy Snyder
My guest today is Wendy Snyder. I’m so excited to have her here because our stories are so similar, especially the “early-years overwhelm,” leading us to find something that does work. Wendy shares her background and what “raising strong-willed children with integrity” means to her. We agree on so much around kids being our teachers and the importance of childrens’ dignity. Wendy and I talk about what happens when we can start letting go of expectations and focus on creating the best environment for our kids instead while still being the leader of our home. I ask Wendy what’s been surprising to her about navigating the teen years with her own kiddos, and that leads us to identifying missing life skills, modeling sobriety, and harm reduction. Wendy shares her thoughts on some starter steps to mend and nurture our relationships with older kids, how to establish firm boundaries, and how to respond when those boundaries are crossed. Takeaways from the show
Raising strong-willed children with integrity
Firm kindness
Creating the best environment for your child
Inviting collaboration, cooperation, and contribution
Teens experimenting with drugs & alcohol
Identifying missing skills
Starter steps to mend and nurture relationship with older kids
Moving away from punishment
Viewing mistakes as opportunities to learn
Establishing boundaries (and what happens when they do not adhere to those boundaries)
For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 3, 2023 • 44min
Eps 406: Joyful Courage Book Club - Chapter Three
Join me in Chapter Three of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out.Find out more and learn about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/joyful-courage-book-chapter-three/Learn more about your ad choices - visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 31, 2023 • 54min
Eps 405: The Parallel Parenting Process with Krissy Pozatek
My guest today is Krissy Pozatek, and she’s here to teach us all about her parallel process method of parenting. Krissy starts by sharing how she found herself working with teens in the woods. I ask Krissy how parents decide on wilderness therapy and what it’s really like there. Next, we get into what Krissy’s four foundational principles of parallel process are, including what the adults’ roles are, valuing emotions, keeping & holding boundaries for safety, and how much struggle we allow for our adolescents to experience. I ask Krissy where in her process parents can discover their teen’s belief behind their behavior. We discuss accountability & teaching skills, why we don’t use punishment, and how hard it can be to resist rescuing our adolescents. We wrap up circling back to enmeshment patterns and how it can backfire when you’re fixing everything for your child. Takeaways from the show:
What is parallel process?
What is wilderness therapy?
Enmeshment between teens & their parents
The four foundational principles of parallel process
Emotional attunement (connection)
Uncovering the feeling (belief) behind the behavior
The differences between accountability, teaching skills, & punishments
The skills learned & benefits that come from safe struggles
Resisting the urge to rescue our adolescents
Grounding & awareness
For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 27, 2023 • 52min
Eps 404: Joyful Courage Book Club - Chapter Two
Join me in Chapter Two of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out.Find out more and learn about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/joyful-courage-book-chapter-two/Learn more about your ad choices - visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices