

This Is So Awkward
Peoples Media, This Is So Awkward
This is so awkward…but it doesn’t have to be. These days, puberty starts earlier, lasts longer, and happens with a cellphone in hand. The most trusted voices on puberty, Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, are here to remove cringe from this stage of life – not just for kids going through it but also the adults who care about them. With science, guidance and humor, they cover all the physical, emotional, and social changes that happen between ages 8-18 and beyond.Watch the full episodes on Youtube!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 29, 2025 • 47min
We MUST Talk to Kids About Fentanyl. Here’s How
Fentanyl is a truly terrifying drug because even a tiny amount can be deadly. When fentanyl is added to illicit drugs (like cocaine) and counterfeit prescription “medications” (xanax purchased online, for instance), unknowing users can ingest tiny – but fatal – doses. Listen to the expert advice of Marcia Lee Taylor, strategy advisor to Song for Charlie and the former President and CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. She explains not just how fentanyl gets into the drug supply and how it affects the body, but also how to talk about it in ways your kids can hear.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderSong for Charlie Signs of an OverdoseDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 25, 2025 • 47min
Prom, Grad Night, and All the End-of-Year Celebrations
April, May, and June are packed with big (and small) celebratory events. While these rites of passage often build wonderful memories, they’re not without complications. This episode offers lots of ways to get ahead of any worries about safety, how to navigate complex family dynamics, and ways to manage our own big emotions. All of this helps us have the important conversations our kids need. Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 22, 2025 • 52min
ADHD, Hormones + the Adolescent Brain
Thanks to hormones and rapid brain development, tweens and teens can be explosive, make impulsive decisions, or struggle to get organized. Layer on top of that a brain with ADHD and the picture looks even more complex. To illuminate the interplay of the neurobiological factors of ADHD and puberty is clinical neuropsychologist Karen Wilson, PhD.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderVisit equip.health/AWKWARD to get a free consultation from EquipUnderstood.orgDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 18, 2025 • 44min
The Far-Reaching Impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
A set of challenges called ACEs – short for Adverse Childhood Experiences – tether directly to all sorts of physical and emotional consequences. These stressors range from violence to food insecurity to natural disasters, outcomes backed by 30 years of research. We’ll explain how, even though the ACEs create their own downstream issues, these aren’t inevitable.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderVisit equip.health/AWKWARD to get a free consultation from EquipCDC on ACESCleveland Clinic on ACESDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 15, 2025 • 56min
ADHD + Teen Relationships with Dr. Ari Tuckman
At long last! An episode dedicated to how ADHD can impact tweens + teens relationships, romantic lives, and sexual behaviors. Dr. Ari Tuckman 25 years’ working with kids and adults who have ADHD provides a deep understanding of the ways their social interactions can be affected by their differently wired brains.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderVisit equip.health/AWKWARD to get a free consultation from Equipunderstood.orgDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 11, 2025 • 53min
How to Talk About How Babies are Made
When it comes to educating kids about sex, reproduction, and all the rest, there’s lots of information out there. What there doesn’t seem to be is a wealth of information about – at least for younger kids on the front end of this learning curve – is a ton of accessible information about the different ways babies can be made. A mom reached out after we spoke at her school, explaining that she used an egg donor and hasn’t talked to her kid about it yet. She’s searched for resources, but can’t find any age-appropriate ones. So, voila! We did a podcast about it.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderVisit equip.health/AWKWARD to get a free consultation from EquipDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 8, 2025 • 54min
Future Fertility
Answers to so many questions about fertility incoming! How do female and male fertility cycles work? What’s the long-term impact of contraception on fertility? How about STIs? Or autoimmune disease? And what are the arguments for and against freezing eggs at increasingly young ages? We cover it all (and so much more) with reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Jaime Knopman.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderVisit equip.health/AWKWARD to get a free consultation from EquipJaime Knopman on InstagramChick missionDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 4, 2025 • 49min
Netflix’s Adolescence Forces Us to Talk About Hard Things
There is so much buzz (and fear) springing from Netflix’s Adolescence. Many are trying to make sense of the heady topics it covers… others have opted to avoid watching altogether. Our advice: It’s must see TV. While its premise is extreme, its themes – social media + tech use, toxic masculinity, bullying, loneliness and more – are universal to today’s youth. There’s no turning a blind eye.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderVisit equip.health/AWKWARD to get a free consultation from EquipDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardUnderstanding Boys with Ruth WhippmanRaising a Healthy Gamer with Alok KanojiaCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 1, 2025 • 53min
Tovah Klein on Raising Resilience
Resilience is a buzzy word in the world of “good parenting,” but what does resilience even mean and how do adults help kids get there? Psychologist, researcher, and professor Tovah Klein unpacks what resilience truly is and the critical role parents and trusted adults play in building this skill.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderVisit equip.health/AWKWARD to get a free consultation from EquipRaising ResilienceDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 28, 2025 • 56min
We Can't Force Our Kids
The list of things we want or need or hope our kids will do is long and ever-growing. It might start with brushing their teeth twice a day and making their beds, but it inevitably expands to include things like getting themselves out of toxic friendships and calling us when they’re in trouble. Much to our frustration (and even though we know better), we cannot force them to do any of these things. We can nudge, bribe, ask, beg, even yell… this episode covers these and other ways we try to point them in the right direction and eventually empower them to make good choices on their own.Show Notes:Join our LESS AWKWARD ESSENTIALSGo to Quince.com/awkward for free shipping and 365-day returnsHead to phyla.com and use code PUBERTY for 25% off your first orderVisit equip.health/AWKWARD to get a free consultation from EquipDownload the FREE Playbook for Getting Your Kid to TalkOrder our book This Is So AwkwardCheck out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.comTo bring us to your school or community email operations@lessawkward.comTo submit listener questions email podcast@lessawkward.comWatch the full episode on Youtube!Produced by Peoples Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices