Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

By: Rachel Richards and Susie Asli
  • Summary

  • Parenting teens and tweens? Welcome to your weekly audio hug where no question is a bad question, and curiosity beats judgment—every time.


    Each week, I chat with expert guests to figure out what’s really going on in this fast-changing world, and how to connect with our teens so we can actually enjoy parenting them.


    Susie - friend, mindfulness guru, and fellow parent in the trenches - brings her wisdom and personal stories to help us contemplate a different perspective.


    No one has this parenting thing mastered—even parents or experts who seem like they do. Making mistakes isn’t failing, it’s learning. And good parenting? It’s a lifelong journey.


    At the heart of it all, our kids just want to be loved for who they are, not just what they do.


    💌 Do you have a question, a story, or just need to vent? Drop me a line at teenagersuntangled@gmail.com (total privacy, no judgment, promise).

    What the Independent Podcasting Awards Said:

    🗣️ “The advice in this podcast is universally helpful—not just for parents of teenagers.”

    🎙️ “A great mix of personal stories and professional insight—refreshing, informative, and packed with extra resources.”

    😂 “The chemistry between Rachel and Susie is fantastic. It’s like sitting down with smart, funny friends who actually get it.”


    Join the conversation! Find me on Facebook & Instagram.
    Want more from Susie? Check out her courses at www.amindful-life.co.uk

    © 2025 Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.
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Episodes
  • 130: How to plan ahead for an empty nest that's full of possibility
    Mar 11 2025

    Send us a text

    Empty nest syndrome is real, and can be very painful to navigate. I've already discussed it with Susie, including ideas for how we can manage our feelings in a positive way to help us move on.

    • https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/empty-nest-how-to-cope-when-your-teen-moves-out-also-manners-what-are-they-and-what-should-we-te/

    But are we looking at it in the wrong way? Change management specialist, Hanna Bankier, hates the term empty nest because it has such negative connotations. 'How can the nest be empty if I'm still in it?'

    She encourages us mothers to take a pro-active approach to that next stage of life by planning ahead from as early as when our kids turn tween and teen.

    In this discussion, Hanna helps us think differently about this life stage, explains the key mistakes we make and which areas need focus, and how to plan for the nest stage of our life in a really positive, life-affirming way.

    Hanna's top five tips:

    1. Start early: Begin preparing for this transition during your child's teenage years by gradually shifting your parenting style from hands-on to mentorship.
    2. Create a personal plan: Map out your own identity and interests beyond motherhood. Use Hannah's exercise of drawing a circle with your name in the center and identifying activities that energize you.
    3. Build a supportive community: Cultivate female friendships and join groups or activities that interest you. These connections are crucial for emotional support and personal growth.
    4. Communicate openly with your child: Have honest conversations about how your relationship will evolve, setting expectations and creating a new dynamic as they become independent adults.
    5. Embrace the joy of this new chapter: Recognize that this is not an ending, but a new beginning. Celebrate your success in raising an independent child and look forward to the opportunities ahead for both of you.

    The key is to view this transition as a positive opportunity for personal growth and rediscovery, rather than a loss.

    Free tool:

    https://www.birdylauncher.com/freeoffer

    Hanna Bankier:

    https://www.birdylauncher.com/

    • To check out the experiences JENZA offers, visit: www.jenza.com
    • The JENZA Travel Group consists of heritage and dedicated Summer Camp USA brand BUNAC, Irish youth work and travel brand, USIT, and youth-led work and travel brand JENZA. That's over 60 years of experience.
    • Founded in 2023, JENZA arranges flexible working holidays and international internships in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and UK.

    Support the show

    Thank you so much for your support.

    Please hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit. You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom where you can click on a star then you can leave your message.

    I don't have medical training so please seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping.

    My email is teenagersuntangled@gmail.com
    My website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact us:
    www.teenagersuntangled.com
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagersuntangled/
    Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/teenagersuntangled/

    Susie is available for a free 15 minute consultation, and has a great blog:
    www.amindful-life.co.uk

    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • 129: Work: What we parents can do to help our kids end up with a meaningful role in society.
    Mar 5 2025

    Send us a text

    Another day another newspaper headline that says young people aren't working.

    According to the Financial Times newspaper, 13.4 per cent of people in the United Kingdon in the 16 to 24 age group were not in employment education or training - “NEET” - at the end of last year.

    The ONS figures showed a higher rate of young men outside work or training, with 14.4 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds classed as NEET compared with 12.3 per cent of young women. and mental health issues seem to be a rising factor.

    This podcast is all about helping parents see a way through the maze of problems, rather than dwelling in it, so in this episode I decided to put the figures in context and look at what we parents can do to ensure our kids a way to play a meaningful role in society.

    PWC Report:

    https://www.pwc.co.uk/economic-services/assets/youth-employment-index-2024.pdf

    The World Economic Forum - Future of Jobs Report 2025

    What employers consider to be core skills for the workforce:

    1: Analytical thinking

    2: Resilience, flexibility and agility

    3: Leadership and social influence

    4: Creative thinking

    5: Motivation and self-awareness

    6: Technological literacy

    7: Empathy

    8: Active listening

    Support the show

    Thank you so much for your support.

    Please hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit. You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom where you can click on a star then you can leave your message.

    I don't have medical training so please seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping.

    My email is teenagersuntangled@gmail.com
    My website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact us:
    www.teenagersuntangled.com
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagersuntangled/
    Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/teenagersuntangled/

    Susie is available for a free 15 minute consultation, and has a great blog:
    www.amindful-life.co.uk

    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • 128: Culture clash: When the ‘black sheep’ of the family forces us to learn
    Feb 26 2025

    Send us a text

    Parenting is a hard enough, but doing it in a culture that is different from the one we grew up in creates an extra layer of challenges to navigate. When it's our kids who have the greatest connection to that new culture it can be their demands that make us grow the most in our role.

    It might seem strange, because I'm a white woman who always spoke English and had English parents, but arriving in the UK from the African continent aged 10 was a total shock to my system. There were very specific cultural cues that I had to deliberately learn, but obviously the differences were eased by the fact that my parents came from this culture.

    So when I met the podcaster, Amma, I was fascinated by how she and her family have had to navigate living in a country where the language and societal beliefs are so different both inside and outside the family unit, and how Amma was the person who ended up having to coax and cajole her parents to grow into their adopted country.

    We parents can learn so much from her story about what is at the heart of good parenting, and having a relationship that will last into adulthood.

    AMMA BROWN GIRL:

    https://shows.acast.com/amma-brown-girl-1

    https://www.instagram.com/ammabrowngirl/

    • To check out the experiences JENZA offers, visit: www.jenza.com
    • The JENZA Travel Group consists of heritage and dedicated Summer Camp USA brand BUNAC, Irish youth work and travel brand, USIT, and youth-led work and travel brand JENZA. That's over 60 years of experience.
    • Founded in 2023, JENZA arranges flexible working holidays and international internships in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and UK.

    Support the show

    Thank you so much for your support.

    Please hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit. You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom where you can click on a star then you can leave your message.

    I don't have medical training so please seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping.

    My email is teenagersuntangled@gmail.com
    My website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact us:
    www.teenagersuntangled.com
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagersuntangled/
    Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/teenagersuntangled/

    Susie is available for a free 15 minute consultation, and has a great blog:
    www.amindful-life.co.uk

    Show More Show Less
    44 mins

What listeners say about Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

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This is just what I needed today!

Absolutely loved this. I'm a MH social worker, have worked alongside psychiatrists and psychologists for 20 years and think I'm pretty skilled... Then, daughter goes to high school and WHAM, this is a whole new world of chaos and I've been reading, researching and scrolling and today, found this and oh my, this has hit the nail on the head! I feel like I have so much more clarity now and therefore am able to help my daughter through this turbulent time. Brilliant, just brilliant, will be listening to all the episodes and waiting for more. Thank you 🙏

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Research-led Practical Advice for Parents

An invaluable resource for anyone struggling with the challenges of parenting teenagers in these rapidly changing times

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Invaluable for parents of teens

Such a great source of advice - I often find myself nodding along and thinking - yes, you get it! I’d recommend it to anyone parenting teens.

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Thank you 🙏

Thank you to you both. At last I’ve found someone/something to listen to, relate to and be reassured by. Parenting my 12 and 14 year olds is wonderful but also has its difficulties and I’m left feeling drained and confused as to whether I’m actually doing it all ok for them? I thought the episodes regarding screen time and grooming were spot on and informative. I’m actually going to get them both to listen to them with me when we do a longer car journey so they can hear first hand why I put in place restrictions myself. They often make me feel like I’m over the top and too over protective. You have reassured me I’m doing ok. Thank you girls from a very grateful mummy who is also learning on the job and winging it every day! 😊 xx

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