Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens

In this thought-provoking episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with educator and author Dr. Deborah Kenny to explore what it really means to raise a well-educated teen in today’s world. While many parents feel pressure around grades, test scores, college resumes, and performance, Dr. Kenny offers a much deeper and more meaningful vision of education.

She explains that a truly good education is not just about getting A’s or doing well on standardized tests—it’s about helping kids become thoughtful, curious, morally grounded, independent thinkers. Together, Colleen and Dr. Kenny talk about how parents can look beyond GPA and begin asking bigger questions: Is my teen learning how to think? Can they write well? Can they have respectful disagreement? Are they developing purpose, leadership, and character?

Dr. Kenny also discusses the limitations of today’s education system, the importance of cultivating agency and ethical purpose, and how moms can fill in the gaps at home when schools focus too heavily on performance over deeper learning. The conversation also touches on technology, AI, and how to help teens develop critical thinking in a world full of noise, distraction, and shallow messages.

This episode is a powerful reminder that what matters most is not just whether our teens are successful on paper—but whether they are becoming wise, capable, grounded young adults.

3 Takeaways from the Episode

1. A good education is about much more than grades.

A truly well-educated teen is not just high-achieving—they are curious, thoughtful, compassionate, and able to think independently. Parents can help shift the focus from “How did you do?” to “What are you learning?”

2. Writing, discussion, and deep thinking matter.

Dr. Kenny emphasizes that writing is “thinking on paper.” If teens aren’t being taught to write carefully, revise thoughtfully, and engage with ideas deeply, they may be missing one of the most important parts of a strong education.

3. Moms can shape a deeper kind of learning at home.

Even if schools are focused on test scores and performance, moms can still cultivate meaningful education by encouraging curiosity, purpose, ethical reflection, reading, and thoughtful conversations about the world around them—including AI and technology.

Memorable Quote

“Focus on the learning, the grades will come.”

Guest Bio

Dr. Deborah Kenny is the founder of Harlem Village Academies and the Deeper Learning Institute, and one of the most influential educators in the country. She has been honored with the Columbia University Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award and was named on Oprah’s Power List and Esquire’s Best and Brightest. She holds a PhD in Comparative International Education from Columbia University and is the author of The Well-Educated Child. She is also the mother of three grown children and lives in New York City.

Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/deborahkennyhva/?hl=en

Learn More at: https://www.thewelleducatedchild.org/

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368 Handling Big Mom Emotions

In this powerful and deeply validating episode, Colleen O’Grady talks with returning guest Eli Harwood, licensed therapist, attachment expert, bestselling author, and founder of Attachment Nerd. Eli shares insights from her new book, How to Deal with Your ______ So Your Kids Don’t Have To, and helps moms understand why their own emotions matter so much in parenting.

Together, Colleen and Eli explore how feelings like anger, anxiety, loneliness, judgment, and control can quietly shape the way we show up with our tweens, teens, and young adults. Eli explains that parenting doesn’t just shape our kids—it also sharpens and develops us. She offers a compassionate framework for understanding our emotional habits, attachment patterns, and the ways our own childhood experiences can affect our parenting today.

This conversation is full of hope, practical wisdom, and powerful reminders that you do not have to be a perfect mom to create a secure, connected relationship with your child. What matters most is your willingness to reflect, repair, and keep growing.

3 Takeaways from the Episode


Your emotions matter more than you think.
The way you handle your own feelings teaches your teen how to handle theirs.


Control can cost connection.
When moms parent from fear and control, it often creates more distance instead of influence.


Repair is more powerful than perfection.
You don’t have to get it right all the time—what matters most is coming back, owning it, and reconnecting.

About Eli Harwood

Eli Harwood, MA, LPC is a licensed therapist, bestselling author, educator, and widely respected attachment expert who has spent nearly two decades helping people build secure, healthy relationships. She is the author of Securely Attached, Raising Securely Attached Kids, Uniquely Us, and How to Deal with Your Blank So Your Kids Don’t Have To. Eli is passionate about helping parents become more emotionally aware and connected so they can create the kind of relationships their kids can truly feel safe in. She is also the creator of the popular platform Attachment Nerd. Eli is a mom of three and brings both professional expertise and real-life parenting experience to this conversation.

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attachmentnerd/?hl=en

Learn More at: https://www.attachmentnerd.com/
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Do you think you can maintain your calm and parent a teen? Well Hesha Abrams believes you can. In fact, she believes you can "Hold the Calm".

⁠Hesha Abrams ⁠is on a mission to help people from all walks of life to find a solution when it seems impossible. A recipient of the Brutsche Award for Excellence in Mediation and 2021 Women Leaders in The Law, Hesha is an internationally recognized attorney, mediator and negotiator for crafting highly creative settlements and resolutions in very difficult matters. She has successfully mediated thousands of parties and was an innovator in the mediation field serving on the legislative task force that drafted landmark ADR laws and taught mediation and negotiation at the 2001 International Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in The Hague.

Hesha recently published, Holding the Calm the Secret to Resolving Conflict and Defusing Tension. And we are going to discuss the secret in this episode. So if you would like to resolve conflict and defuse tension in your family then listen to this episode.

Contact Hesha at ⁠https://www.holdingthecalm.com/
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Are you a mom who feels like you’ve lost your spark—like so much of your life has been poured into raising your teen that you’re no longer sure what lights you up?

In this episode, I sit down with Laura Best, author of Born to Buzz, to talk about how moms can reconnect with their passions without blowing up their lives to do it. Laura shares a refreshing and realistic approach: you don’t have to quit everything—you can rediscover your energy and purpose right where you are.

Laura Best is a motivational keynote speaker, bestselling author, and founder of Passion Collective—a global community helping people reconnect with what they love. With over 25 years of experience as a corporate marketing leader, she has worked with major brands like U.S. Bank and now helps individuals and organizations unlock passion to drive energy, engagement, and fulfillment in both work and life.

We explore why so many moms feel disconnected from themselves during the teen years, how guilt keeps us stuck, and why prioritizing your own fulfillment isn’t selfish—it actually makes you a better parent. Laura offers practical tools to help you reconnect with what you love, even if you’ve completely lost touch with it.

If you’ve been feeling flat, burned out, or like you’ve disappeared somewhere along the way—this episode is your invitation to come back to life.

✨ 3 Takeaways

1. It’s not selfish to prioritize yourself—it’s necessary.
When moms engage in what lights them up, they show up calmer, more present, and more connected. Taking care of yourself benefits your teen too.

2. You don’t need a big life change—start small.
You don’t have to quit your job or overhaul your life. Reconnecting with passion can begin with small, consistent moments that bring you joy.

3. Look back to move forward.
If you feel lost, think about a time when you felt most like yourself. What were you doing? That’s a clue to what still matters to you—and what you can bring back into your life.

Learn More at: https://www.passioncollective.co/book

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passioncollective/
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Were you a “good kid” growing up—and did anyone ever ask how you were really doing on the inside?

In this eye-opening episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with trauma therapist and author Maggie Nick to explore the hidden cost of being the “good kid.” While these kids are often praised for being easy, responsible, and well-behaved, many are silently struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, and a deep fear of disappointing others.

Maggie shares her personal story of being a lifelong people-pleaser who looked “sunshine and rainbows” on the outside but felt intense pressure and self-criticism on the inside. Through her own healing journey, she discovered that shame—not behavior—is often at the root of the good kid pattern.

This conversation helps parents understand how well-intentioned parenting, combined with a child’s temperament and sensitivity, can unintentionally create kids who disconnect from their own needs in order to feel loved and accepted.

💡 3 Key Takeaways

1. “Good” Behavior Can Hide Internal Struggles
Good kids often look like they’re thriving—but many are anxious, self-critical, and disconnected from their own wants and needs. They’ve learned to focus outward—keeping others happy—while losing touch with themselves.

2. Shame Shapes Identity More Than We Realize
When kids receive messages like “I expected more from you” or “What’s wrong with you,” they don’t just change behavior—they internalize it. The takeaway becomes: “Something is wrong with me.” This can follow them into adulthood.

3. Small Parenting Shifts Can Break the Cycle
You don’t have to overhaul your parenting—just adjust your approach:

Move from criticism to curiosity

Allow your child to struggle without shame

Stay connected: “I don’t like the behavior, but I’m always on your side”

These small shifts help your teen stay connected to themselves—and to you.

Learn More at: https://www.instagram.com/maggiewithperspectacles?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/maggiewithperspectacles?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D
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