

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

5 snips
Sep 9, 2024 • 49min
Eps 513: Growing our teen’s awareness around sexism with Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein
Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein, a clinical psychologist and expert on sexism, shares her personal journey of confronting gender bias. She highlights the intergenerational transmission of sexism and deconstructs common parenting dilemmas, like the clothing conversations with daughters. The discussion emphasizes fostering empowerment in young women amidst societal pressures, teaching them to stand up for themselves without fear. Dr. Finkelstein also addresses the critical role of open dialogues with boys and men to combat systemic sexism, urging parents to be allies in this ongoing battle.

Sep 5, 2024 • 33min
Eps 512: Trusting our teen's development
I am back with a brand new solo show! I loved my convo with Dr. Tina Bryson (Eps 511) and was inspired to go deeper into trusting our teen’s development. This show goes into what is happening in the teen brain and how to work WITH our kids to promote relationship and autonomy over time. Enjoy!Find full show notes and information about our sponsors at: www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-512-trusting-our-teens-development Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 2, 2024 • 47min
Eps 511: Avoiding fear-based parenting with Dr. Tina Bryson
Dr. Tina Bryson is BACK today! I love her work, and I’m so excited she’s here to talk about launching our teens, which is incredibly timely after I dropped my youngest child off at college yesterday! Dr. Bryson shares her wisdom on avoiding fear-based parenting & reminds us that development & maturation happens no matter what - maybe we don’t need to worry quite so much. She explains what the “right” amount of support is and why kids need to make mistakes & take risks to become wiser and more responsible. Dr. Bryson shares her own personal stories about launching two of her teens to college and how & why they were so different. Dr. Bryson wraps us up by giving dos & don'ts for when your adolescent is in distress. We want to problem solve, criticize, or minimize, but instead, we can respond in a way that invites them to keep sharing things with us: by offering empathy & letting them solve their own problem. Takeaways from the show
How do you know when & what you need to really worry about regarding your child(ren)? When are you wasting energy?
Avoiding fear-based parenting
Kids have to make mistakes & take risks in service of becoming wiser and more responsible
“The way our children build resilience is through adversity with the right amount of support from us”
Not burdening our teens with our feelings
The excitement & hopes we have for our adolescents and the grief & anxiety we have when they leave
How to respond (and how not to respond) when your adolescent reaches out to you in distress
We’re not launching full formed adults - we’re launching baby adults who will keep learning & developing
For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 29, 2024 • 39min
Summer throwback - Eps 460: Get past resistance and focus on relationship with your teen
This show was a no-brainer to reshare with you all. When I recorded it, I was so fired up, and had our boys on the brain. So many of my clients and people in the community struggle with their boys. Not only struggling with their boys, but struggling to soften to the idea that the hard time the family is moving through is really a call for deeper relationship. Listen in to hear more – and don’t worry, no matter the gender your child identifies as, you will still find value in this conversation.For more info on our sponsors and show notes, go to: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-460-get-past-your-resistance-and-focus-on-relationship-with-your-teen/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 26, 2024 • 1h 3min
Eps 510: Somatic tools for our nervous system with Katie Connolly
Katie Connolly, a Somatic Parenting Coach, teaches me a whole lot about our nervous system and somatic tools when she drops by this week. Katie explains how our nervous system and birthing experiences tie-in to our personal growth, who highly-sensitive people are & indicators, and why we’re able to better navigate experiences and stay connected in our bodies when we nourish our nervous system. We hit on so much this week: breathing exercises, meditation, scheduling-in time for ourselves, overstimulation, trauma, adoption, boundaries, co-regulation, and more. Katie ends by sharing specific tools and breathing patterns to try out at home. Takeaways from the show
Understanding & supporting our nervous system and how that fits in with self-growth
Traumatic birthing experiences
Sympathetic nervous system versus parasympathetic nervous system
Each parent-child relationship is completely unique
Highly-sensitive people & indicators
Everyone has trauma in their lineage
Different breathing exercises & patterns
Short meditations
Nourishing & making time for yourself realistically
Co-regulation & the family nervous system
For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 22, 2024 • 34min
Summer throwback - Eps 434: Navigating challenges while also having faith in our teens
This summer throwback revisits how parenting teens keeps coming back to owning our own sh@t. This is the juicy spot. This is where the real transformational space of parenting exists. This is where we get to nurture AN ENVIRONMENT that is safe for our kids to step into. This is where we can start to dismantle the walls that have been built over time and make room for connection.Find more show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-434-navigating-challenges-while-having-faith-in-teens/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 19, 2024 • 44min
Eps 509: How to discuss fake news with teens with Alex Edmans
My guest today is Alex Edmans, and we’re hitting a super important topic this week: how to discuss fake news and social media with our teens. Alex starts by explaining the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 of Fake News, and I ask what to do (and why) our teens bring up conspiracy theories. I ask Alex how we can nurture adolescents to fine tune their questioning, look for expertise, and teach them to look for peoples’ incentives while they’re consuming social media without making them feel defensive. Later we talk about sextortion. How can we keep our teens from falling for scams, when their teenage brains are certain they’d never fall for one? Alex ends on a happy, hopeful note and shares an easy strategy to challenge your own confirmation biases. Takeaways from the show
Level 1 fake news (provably false statements) versus Level 2 fake news (factually correct but misleading)
What to say when our teens bring up conspiracy theories
Why do people share fake news?
Teaching teens to be discerning & leverage their own knowledge
Asking yourself: What is the incentive this person has to post this? Are they an expert?
Sextortion - anyone can be scammed online
Teens absolutely must believe they can come to you in an “oh shit” moment
How discerning are you on your social media?
For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 15, 2024 • 1h 1min
Summer Throwback - Eps 424: When it feels like your teen is holding you hostage
A powerful relisten!!! You have a great relationship with your teen and they are STILL getting into ALL the mischief? You aren't alone. In this episode, I tease this apart and remind you what the most important thing to consider is.See all the show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-424-when-it-feels-like-your-teen-is-holding-you-hostage/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 12, 2024 • 59min
Eps 508: Raising neurodivergent teens with Dr. Matt Zakreski
My guest today is Dr. Matt Zakreski, an expert on neurodivergency with an eclectic approach. Dr. Matt tells me about growing up as a twice-exceptional kid himself and what he’s seeing with the teens he works with now. I ask Dr. Matt what parents can do about the emotional intensity that comes with raising teens, especially neurodivergent teens. He reminds us that “emotions can’t be wrong,” and you know I loved it when Dr. Matt reminds us to get curious about our teen’s feelings. Dr. Matt brings up perfectionism and why we might see more rigidity & anxiety spike during stressful times. We dig into trapdoor perfectionism, how we can invite kids to accept coaching, help, & practice when they’re resistant, and handing over energetic responsibility. Takeaways from the show
The Performance Cliff
Asynchronous development & high emotional intensity
Raising neurodivergent kids with neurotypical siblings
Neurodivergent behavior versus typical teen behavior
“Emotions can’t be wrong”
You don’t have to understand to show up well
3 directions of perfectionism
Should = could + shame
Trapdoor perfectionism
Validating our teens gives them permission to show up authentically as themselves
Kids do as well as they can with the tools they have in that moment
For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 8, 2024 • 40min
Summer throwback - Eps 386: Limiting beliefs and our two selves
Today's summer throwback is another intimate exploration of what it means to be human WHILE raising teenagers. We are deep diving (yet again) into our own stuff. This week focusing on the limiting beliefs we may be holding that keeps our kids small, and the war between our two selves. Join me for some personal growth and discovery!Find all the shownotes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-386-limiting-beliefs-our-two-selves/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices