If you're a high school senior who just committed to a college, or you've already graduated and you're heading to your freshman year, this one is for you. You did it. You got in. You made the call. And the next chapter is genuinely one of the wildest, most growth filled seasons of your entire life. New city, new people, new freedom, new version of you. It's exciting.

Here's what almost nobody is telling you. The academic prep, the dorm shopping, the roommate matching, all of that gets covered constantly. The part that actually trips most freshmen up has nothing to do with classes or grades. Nearly 30% of college freshmen do not return for their sophomore year. The reasons usually aren't grades. They aren't money. It's mental health. It's loneliness. It's feeling like they don't belong on that campus. And almost none of those students were less capable than anyone else. They were just unprepared for the LIFE part of college.

This episode is about the five pillars that change everything. The exact things that separate the freshmen who thrive from the ones who quietly struggle. You'll hear why those first six weeks set the entire tone, why the habits that worked in high school are about to stop working, and what you can actually build right now before you ever step on campus. If you're somewhere between "I cannot wait" and "I'm low key terrified," that's exactly where you're supposed to be. The goal is not to feel less of either of those. The goal is to walk in with the tools to handle both.

• Why being both excited and nervous about college is exactly where you should be
• What changes overnight the day your parents drive away from your dorm
• The real reason nearly 30% of freshmen don't return for sophomore year and how to not be one of them
• How to actually make real friends in college, because the lasting ones don't just happen
• Why sleep, active rest, and movement are the foundation that everything else gets built on
• How to fuel your brain in a dining hall full of midnight waffles and 2 PM pizza
• What to do at 2 AM when everything feels like too much and a deadline is looming
• The campus support and resources nobody is going to tell you about and why to use them early
• What life looks like in October when you've actually been preparing
• How to walk into your freshman year with clarity, confidence, and a real plan

Parents: This one is for you too. If you have a high school senior or recent grad heading to college, the gap between "academically ready" and "life ready" is the one most families don't see coming. You'll hear the patterns that lead nearly 30% of freshmen home before sophomore year, and what actually protects your student in their first six weeks on campus. Listen with them if you can. Then talk through which of the five pillars they feel most ready for and where they want more support before move in day.

Ready to give yourself or your student a real foundation for freshman year? The Freshman Formula is a five day video mini series built specifically for incoming college freshmen. Each day covers one of the five pillars with worksheets, checklists, and habit building tools you can start using before you ever set foot on campus. Plus a one on one coaching session built around your specific goals, your specific campus, and your specific stressors. Once you finish the five days, all the content stays accessible so you can come back to it during that first month when you'll need it most. Grab it at the introductory price below before it goes up.

Sign up for the Freshman Formula

Connect with Leslie:

Parents: Schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie here to help your teen or young adult resolve weight and unhealthy eating habits, while improving body image and self-esteem.

Grab Leslie's free guide: The Ultimate College Move-In Checklist

• Website: leslierosecoaching.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/leslierosecoaching
• Facebook: facebook.com/leslierosecoaching

Disclaimer

Heads up, this episode talks openly about eating disorders, disordered eating, and diet culture. If any of that is hard for you right now, please take care of yourself and come back when you're ready.

If you're a teen who thinks losing weight is the goal, today's episode might change how you see food, your body, and what "healthy" actually means. Diet culture has been lying to every single one of us for a long time. The corset you didn't know you were wearing. The caloric deficit you've been taught to chase. The size you think will finally make you feel enough. None of it is what it told you it was.

Carrie Lupoli is a nutrition education expert, founder of Diet Disruptors, host of a top nutrition podcast, and co-creator of PFC Pals, a program that teaches young people how to fuel their bodies with protein, fat, and carbs for real energy, focus, and confidence. Carrie has been featured on Today, ABC, NBC, and CBS. She wrote the book From Corset to Crown for women of every age who are ready to stop shrinking, and she's raising two daughters while running a private practice called Disruptive Nutrition.

In this conversation you'll hear why "caloric deficit" is a dumb measurement that's quietly wrecking teen bodies, why carbs and fat are not the enemies you've been told they are, and why the number on the scale is the wrong thing to chase. You'll also hear Carrie's framework for figuring out who you really are before going after any goal (hint: it starts with four questions on a folded piece of paper) and why the friends you're trying so hard to impress are not the voices you should be asking up to.

• Why "health" and "weight loss" are two completely different things
• The truth about caloric deficit thinking and what it does to teen bodies over time
• What the PFC Pals (protein, fat, carbs) actually do for your energy, focus, and mood
• Why calories are a "dumb" measurement and what matters more
• How to figure out what you actually want and why you want it before chasing any goal
• Carrie's Do, Say, Think, Believe framework for becoming your healthiest self
• Why your friends are not the right people to ask about food, body, or confidence
• The "corset to crown" shift every teen girl deserves to know about
• How five minutes of morning reflection can change how you show up for your whole day
• Why self consciousness is a disease but self awareness is health

Parents: This one is for you too. Carrie shares her own story of recovering from an eating disorder while raising daughters, and the practical shifts that changed the conversation in her home. You'll also hear why the "she's so small, she's fine" mindset misses the real issue and what actually protects a teen's relationship with food, their body, and their sense of worth. If you've ever caught yourself passing down diet culture beliefs you didn't even realize you were holding, this episode is a gift.

Parents, if you want a practical place to start, grab Leslie's free guide, 5 Ways to Help Your Teen Eat Better Without Making Things Worse, at cc.leslierosecoaching.com/eat-healthier-5-steps. Five steps you can use this week.

Connect with Carrie:

Websites:

https://www.carrielupoli.com/

https://www.disruptivenutrition.com/

Podcast - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CarrieLupoliOfficial/podcasts

Pre-Order her book: https://www.carrielupoli.com/corsettocrown

Connect with Leslie:

Parents: Schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie here to help your teen or young adult resolve weight and unhealthy eating habits, while improving body image and self-esteem.

Grab Leslie's free guide: 5 Ways to Help Your Teen Eat Better Without Making Things Worse

• Website: leslierosecoaching.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/leslierosecoaching
• Facebook: facebook.com/leslierosecoaching

Disclaimer

If staying focused, getting started on tasks, or managing everything on your plate feels impossible, you are not broken and you are not behind. In this episode, Leslie sits down with executive function coach Lauran Kerr-Heraly to break down what executive function skills actually are and why they are something every teen can learn regardless of where they are starting from.

From procrastination to planning to keeping your focus when your phone is right there calling your name, Lauran walks through practical, low-pressure strategies you can start using today. Whether you are neurodivergent, buried in college prep, or just trying to get through your week without burning out, this episode is full of tools that work with how teen brains are actually built right now.

Parents: Lauran also gets into the unique pressure teens are carrying and what you can do to support your teen without taking over. From asking for help the right way to rethinking the college prep grind, this is a conversation worth sharing.

• Why procrastination is not a character flaw and what is actually driving it for most teens
• What "low stakes experiments" are and how they help your brain build new habits without the pressure
• How body doubling and habit bundling make it easier to focus without making everything feel miserable
• What a helpful morning and evening routine actually looks like when you are overwhelmed and short on time
• Why junior year of high school is the hardest and how to protect your mental health while still showing up
• What one small habit you can start today to begin building your executive function from the ground up

Connect with Lauran:

Website: https://alteringcourse.com

Connect with Leslie:

Parents: Schedule a free Clarity Call with Leslie here to help your teen or young adult resolve weight and unhealthy eating habits, while improving body image and self-esteem.

Grab Leslie's free guide: 5 Ways to Help Your Teen Eat Better Without Making Things Worse

• Website: leslierosecoaching.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/leslierosecoaching
• Facebook: facebook.com/leslierosecoaching

Disclaimer