Through our teenage and young adult years, we begin to take the steps to discover our true identities and passions. Discovering who our true selves are makes an incredible difference in our everyday lives, but sometimes that journey of discovery is incredibly rough. The components of life get thrown into the mix, and sometimes we lose who we are supposed to be along the way. To help us discuss how to find our true passions in life and ourselves is Julie Lythcott-Haims.

I’m thrilled to welcome today’s guest for our first episode of the newest PoWoPoPe series, Change Starts Small. Nate Wilbourne is a youth and nature advocate from New Zealand. Nate has done incredible work in environmental conservation, climate justice, and youth empowerment.

As we develop into our teenage years, life begins to move at lightning speed. School becomes more demanding, extracurriculars fill up our afternoons, and social pressures seem to grow by the day. Amid all of this, the simple acts of kindness and selflessness that once felt natural can begin to fade. It’s not that we care any less; it’s that life gets busier, and sometimes kindness unintentionally gets pushed aside. With this, I wanted to explore how teenagers can stay kind beyond these stressful years and ensure that it becomes part of who they are. With that in mind, I have invited Dr. Karen Bluth to the podcast.

As we begin our teenage years, schoolwork begins to pile up, activities become more demanding, and thoughts about college consume every waking minute. In all, life becomes more anxiety-inducing and sometimes frightening. Thinking about all this, I wanted to discover techniques teenagers can begin to use to control their anxiety and start to learn ways to advocate for themselves when life becomes too overwhelming. With this in mind, I have invited Dr. Amanda Jensen-Doss to the podcast.