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

By Rachel Richards

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Category: Parenting

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Subscribers: 17
Reviews: 0
Episodes: 155

Description

Welcome to your weekly audio hug where no question is a bad question, and curiosity beats judgment every time.

I'm a former BBC Correspondent, and mum, on a mission to bring parents of tweens and teens stability, calm and humour. Most of all, I want to help us all get better at connecting with our teens so we can genuinely enjoy parenting them. 

Each week, I take a topic, research it, and find you the best answers. Whether interviewing experts, chatting with my friend Susie, or getting the lowdown from my own teenagers. 

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 so ditch perfection and choose connection. 


💌 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


Episode Date
Sunday Service Community Catch Up
Aug 31, 2025
Mental Health, and Teen Phone Use with Oxford Psychologist Lucy Foulkes. 157
Aug 27, 2025
Lessons in parenting from adult kids who go no contact: 156
Aug 20, 2025
Teens, screens and mobiles: bans and boundaries: 155
Aug 13, 2025
Criticism and judgement. Is it possible to offer support without making parents feel bad? 154
Aug 06, 2025
Why Mothers Aren't Happy: Burnout, Mental Load and the Second Shift. 153
Jul 30, 2025
Angry teenagers: How to parent tweens and teens through their anger - Vintage. 152
Jul 23, 2025
How to Set Boundaries That Actually Work With Teens: Vintage. 151
Jul 16, 2025
Motivation: How to motivate a young person, teen or tween: Vintage. 150
Jul 09, 2025
Alcohol. A Smart Parents' Guide to Helping Teens Take a Healthy Approach - 149
Jul 02, 2025
Vintage: How to talk so your teenager will listen, and teens wanting to sleep together. 148
Jun 25, 2025
Puberty, toxic friendships, 'Pick me' girls - top tips for parenting teenagers from teenagers. 147
Jun 18, 2025
Support Your Teen Starting University: Including the thing that makes all the difference. 146
Jun 11, 2025
145: How to stop a downward spiral before it happens with Dr Greg Walton 'One of psychology's greatest'
Jun 04, 2025
144: First love, breakups & LGBTQ. How to support your teen.
May 28, 2025
143: Underage sex, loneliness, puberty and finding hobbies. Support for you and your teen.
May 21, 2025
142: Why school exam systems need to change and how to support our own kids now
May 14, 2025
141: Success: What really shapes who we become and are parents that important?
May 06, 2025
140: Respect, artifical intelligence and toxic femininity - the teenage view
Apr 30, 2025
139: Secondary school, friendship groups, and those awkward talks about porn and sexting
Apr 23, 2025
138: How to get your teenager out of their bedroom - even one who's into gaming.
Apr 16, 2025
137: Identity formation - the main job of a teenager?
Apr 09, 2025
136: Are education and hard work less important now than parents?
Apr 02, 2025
135: Adolescence: Help for parents with the core themes. How to discuss and connect with our kids
Apr 01, 2025
133: How to plan ahead for an empty nest that's full of possibility
Mar 11, 2025
132: Work: What we parents can do to help our kids end up with a meaningful role in society.
Mar 05, 2025
131: Accepting our kids for who they are, not what our culture tells us they should be.
Feb 26, 2025
130: Worries about skin care obsessions? The social media 'Sephora' kid craze from a teen perspective
Feb 19, 2025
129: Parenting stages: Coaching and mentoring teens and young adults
Feb 12, 2025
128: Life skills: How to supercharge them with a working holiday.
Feb 05, 2025
127: How to be a good parent to teenagers, using evidence. An interview with Matilda Gosling
Jan 29, 2025
126: Momguilt: reducing the overwhelming mental load to decrease stress. An interview with Sam Kelly
Jan 22, 2025
125: How to motivate our teens to love learning and why parents are the missing piece of the puzzle.
Jan 15, 2025
124: Enduring sibling relationships: Why some last and others fall apart, and how we parents can help
Jan 08, 2025
123: New Year 2025: resolutions, stress, being more fun, most interesting books, and most downloaded.
Jan 01, 2025
122: Family gatherings without the fireworks, and staying connected with your young teen
Dec 23, 2024
121: Suicide: How to talk about it with teens, and offer proper support.
Dec 18, 2024
120: Support: It takes a village to raise a child... as long they do it my way.
Dec 11, 2024
119: Girls: Sexism, beauty standards, entitlement and misogyny an interview with Jo-Ann Finkelstein
Dec 04, 2024
118: Cancel culture. Bullying or bravery?
Nov 27, 2024
117: Friendships, frenemies and banter. What to expect and why.
Nov 20, 2024
116: The damage of an emotionally immature parent
Nov 13, 2024
115: Masculinity and image: the Looksmaxxing hashtag that boys follow but parents don't see
Nov 06, 2024
114: Boundaries: How to set them and why they’re so important.
Oct 30, 2024
113: Motivation: How to motivate your teenager. An interview with eminent Psychologist David Yeager
Oct 23, 2024
112: Stress - the major health issue for parents in our 'culture of comparison'.
Oct 16, 2024
111: How to parent complex kids with ADHD or other differences
Oct 09, 2024
110: The hardest part of parenting a teen? We discuss the 18-22 year stage.
Oct 02, 2024
109: Therapy. Should all teens get it? Also, do boys actually need male role models?
Sep 25, 2024
108: How grades harm school students and what we parents can do about it and nterview with Josh Eyler
Sep 18, 2024
107: Teen weight and body image: Mother and daughter explore the issues.
Sep 11, 2024
106: Reading Festival tips - straight from the mouths of teenagers.
Sep 04, 2024
105: Grades. Our obsession with them fails everyone. An interview with Exam Nation author Sammy Wright
Aug 28, 2024
104: Driving lessons - Top tips for a smooth road ahead
Aug 21, 2024
100: Rachel's top ten lessons to celebrate 100 episodes!
Aug 14, 2024
103: Exams: how to cope with boys who fail them and seem apathetic. Email from a step-parent
Aug 07, 2024
102: Boys: Emotions, masculinity vaccinations, and online influencers an interview with Brendan Kwiatkoswski
Jul 31, 2024
101: Shyness: How to support a teen who lacks self-belief and confidence.
Jul 24, 2024
99: Sleeping in until late during the holidays. Tips for coping with teens and tweens who're waking up later and later.
Jul 17, 2024
98: Public displays of affection and sex in your home. Listener email.
Jul 10, 2024
97: Switching parental gears for their new school year.
Jul 03, 2024
96: Screen time for tweens and teens: The latest on what works and what doesn't.
Jun 26, 2024
Summer flip or summer flop? What will your teen be doing with their summer, and does it really matter? 94
Jun 19, 2024
Is your teen being lazy, or could they be lacking a key executive skill? 93
Jun 12, 2024
Values, and how being strong about our own can help teens navigate a society of desires. Listener email. 92
Jun 05, 2024
Exams, depression, work, national service, Sigma and Bigorexia, we cover it all in our May chat. 91
May 29, 2024
Failure to launch: What we can learn from struggling young adults about how to help our teens.90
May 22, 2024
Missing out: The pain of FOMO. Why it’s particularly bad for teens, and how to help your teen. 89
May 15, 2024
Nagging: Reducing the friction using the magic of routine. 88
May 08, 2024
School: Angry kids, bad behaviour, and school avoidance. What can parents and teachers do? 87
May 01, 2024
Where’s my village? The stress of parenting in the ‘sandwich generation’.86
Apr 24, 2024
Perfectionism: Help your teen, and yourself, overcome the need to be perfect. 85
Apr 17, 2024
Money: Giving teens and tweens an allowance. Two years on. 84
Apr 10, 2024
Fun: Having fun with our teens, and the bonding power of laughter. 83
Apr 03, 2024
Resilience: Growing Resilience In Teens, or GRIT. An interview with Dr Louise Randall. 82
Mar 27, 2024
Concentration, and the troubling effect of too many choices. 81
Mar 20, 2024
Eldest daughter 'syndrome' and the trouble with parentification. 80
Mar 13, 2024
Taking things personally, coping with adversity, teen love and changing our minds when we get new information. 79
Mar 06, 2024
Manners: Parenting to help teens succeed in life by teaching the importance of good manners. 78
Feb 28, 2024
Admitting our mistakes - talking to our kids about our own sex and drugs and rock and roll teen years. 77
Feb 21, 2024
Standards: Setting high expectations without the pressure. 76
Feb 14, 2024
Social media and girls posting bikini photos. Help! 75
Feb 07, 2024
Diet: Does my teen need to lose weight? How to navigate diet culture with Elyse Resch. 74
Jan 31, 2024
Regrets? Things we parents would do differently. 73
Jan 24, 2024
Unreliable parents: The absent or inconsistent parent who’s alcoholic. Also, supporting your teen back to school. 72
Jan 17, 2024
Back to school, third places, manners and our favourite podcasts, shows, books and apps. 71
Jan 10, 2024
New year's resolutions. Love them or loathe them the question is how can we make them work for us? 70
Jan 01, 2024
Presents: Why is my teen so ungrateful? 69
Dec 27, 2023
Parenting teenagers two years on: Online, education, anxiety, consequences, and the pressures of parenting. 68
Dec 13, 2023
Online grooming and sextortion: protecting our teens and tweens. 67
Dec 06, 2023
Eating disorders: An interview with Beat representative Umairah Malik. 66
Nov 29, 2023
Parenting styles that enable teens to grow into capable adults.65
Nov 22, 2023
How to Talk to Your Teen About Porn Without Shame or Panic. 64
Nov 15, 2023
Charging rent: should you charge your teens and young adults rent? 63
Nov 08, 2023
Exercise: are teens doing enough, and what can we do to encourage them? 62
Nov 01, 2023
‘Trans’ and gender confusion: what to say to teens when we’re often more confused than they are. An interview with expert psychotherapist Stella O'Malley. 61
Oct 25, 2023
Triggers and emotional spirals, also mobile phone bans and do schools know what to teach kids anymore? 60
Oct 18, 2023
Divorce: Marriage problems; how to talk to a teenager about what’s happening. 59
Oct 11, 2023
Teen dating. Talking about relationships or 'help, my son's come home with a hickey!' 58
Oct 04, 2023
Emotional intelligence and how we can help ourselves, and our teens to develop it. 57
Sep 27, 2023
Gap years: What is a gap year and should our teens take one? 56
Sep 20, 2023
Grief: Supporting our kids through the worst. 55
Sep 13, 2023
Anxiety: How to help your teen with anxiety, an interview with Renee Mill, Senior Clinical Psychologist. 54
Aug 30, 2023
Christmas and holiday stress with teenagers and tweens. 53
Aug 23, 2023
Transitioning to secondary school: What we wish we'd known about preparing our tweens & teens, and ourselves. 52
Aug 16, 2023
Memory: The critical tool that helps us do far more than pass exams. 51
Aug 10, 2023
Snapchat addiction; the app that's a fantastic way to connect, or a cynical exploitation of your teenager's time? 50
Jul 24, 2023
Bigorexia: Teens eating everything in the house, muscle building, and Bigorexia. 48
Jul 10, 2023
Anger issues: tips for dealing with an explosive and angry teen. 47
Jul 03, 2023
Masculinity, and positive ways of supporting our teenage boys: An interview with Mike Nicholson from Progressive Masculinity. 46
Jun 26, 2023
New relationships: Introducing your new partner to your teen.45
Jun 19, 2023
Risk-taking teens; the good news about bad behaviour.. 44
Jun 12, 2023
Teenagers Untangled: Who we are and how you can use the podcast.
Jun 07, 2023
Social media, and how to help your teens be their best selves online, with Natasha Devon MBE. 43
Jun 05, 2023
Sleep; the free performance enhancer for our teens with no side effects. 42
Jun 01, 2023
Conflict resolution skills can deepen your relationship with your teen; here's how. 41
May 10, 2023
40: Exam revision - Parenting through the pressure.
Apr 28, 2023
Relationships and sex: how young is too young? 39
Apr 18, 2023
Teachers: how, and why, we should talk to our teenager's teachers. 38
Mar 27, 2023
Emotional issues. How to not overreact. 37
Mar 17, 2023
Stress: Techniques for dealing with the pressures of parenting. 36
Mar 03, 2023
Vaping teens. How to educate and discourage them. 35
Feb 23, 2023
School avoidance: what to do if your teen is missing school. 34
Feb 08, 2023
Masculine role models: Andrew Tate, misogyny, red pills, and the manosphere. 33
Feb 03, 2023
Rules: Consequences, and the teen who doesn't seem to care. 32
Jan 26, 2023
Make habit changes that actually work. 31
Jan 19, 2023
Step-children. Coping, and thriving, with a blended family. 29
Dec 12, 2022
Parties for teens and tweens. Invitations, gatecrashers and alcohol. 28
Dec 07, 2022
Christmas presents: is your teen ungrateful? 27
Nov 28, 2022
Friendships: How to support your ‘generation isolation’ teens to build their social skills. 26
Nov 11, 2022
Entitled teens: How do I stop my teenager from being entitled? 25
Nov 09, 2022
Why identity is such an issue for teenagers. Also, stinky teens and what we can do about it. 24
Oct 14, 2022
How to cope with an empty nest. Also do manners matter? 23
Oct 02, 2022
Girls clothing choices, also talking with your teen about a change in your finances. 22
Sep 22, 2022
Disagreements over parenting styles, and future careers. 21
Sep 09, 2022
Drugs: How to talk to my teenager, and divorce and kids staying over. 20
Aug 27, 2022
Mom guilt and when you don’t like your teenager's friends. 19
Jul 25, 2022
Lying teenagers, and sibling comparisons. 18
Jul 06, 2022
Favourite parent; and teenagers trying to ‘express’ themselves? Blue hair? Tattoos anyone? 17
Jun 23, 2022
Boy friendships. Also what the %#*!😳 we should do about swearing? 16
Jun 16, 2022
Self-harm: What can I do if my teen is self-harming? Also, what's your talking style? 15
Jun 06, 2022
What No One Tells You About Teens and Anxiety. 14
May 20, 2022
Pornography:What you need to know before having THAT talk. 13
May 09, 2022
Bullying, and the best way to tackle it. Also, dealing with teenage backchat. 12
Apr 26, 2022
Lone parenting and Understanding Teen Mood Swings. 11
Mar 28, 2022
Friendship: Girls and toxic groups, also resilience: how to get your teen to keep going instead of giving up at the first hurdle. 10
Mar 16, 2022
Screens and teens and healthy eating. 9
Mar 05, 2022
Sibling rivalry and how to deal with it as a parent. Also, the vaping teenager. 8
Feb 24, 2022
Did Covid really have that much of an impact on our teens? and the teenage sleep conundrum. 7
Feb 13, 2022
Body image and getting teens to do chores. 6
Feb 05, 2022
Motivation: How to motivate your teenager when they’re not enjoying school, and what to do when your teenager wants to quit their instrument. 5
Jan 29, 2022
Mobile phone photos/sexting, and money management using an allowance. 4
Jan 21, 2022
Talking: How to talk so your teenager will listen, and dealing with teen sex in your home. 3
Jan 14, 2022
Alcohol: How to discuss it, and staying connected. Should we be letting our teenagers drink and what should we be telling them about it? Also, how to stay connected.
Jan 07, 2022
Your parenting toolbox and tidy teen rooms: Rummaging in your toolbox and how you get your teenager to tidy their room.
Dec 16, 2021