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Parents, do you worry about your teen’s emotional well-being and how anxiety may be affecting their daily life? Have you felt helpless or unsure about how to support your teen through their struggles? Are you concerned about the long-term impact of anxiety on your teen’s mental health? Are you looking for guidance and support from experts who understand what you’re going through and can provide practical advice to your teen for navigating this journey? Hi, I’m Monica Crnogorac and I’m so excited that you’re here on Parenting Anxious Teens. Things may seem smooth and easy for me now, but they weren’t always this way. I remember what it felt like to be a teen and feel overwhelmed, alone, confused, and frustrated. Even though I had the awareness of how I was feeling, I still struggled to overcome the heavy emotions because I was afraid of letting anyone in. I was hoping I would be able to ignore it and shove it under the rug without really needing to address it. What happened? My feelings of anxiety and overwhelm intensified and that freaked me out. I needed to find a way to free myself from the hole I dug, so I finally decided to work with someone who helped me let go of the burdens of anxiety I was carrying for years. It wasn’t easy and it made me shed a few tears, but I was able to release the pain and move forward to living a life where anxiety doesn’t have the driver seat. Let me tell you, the time, energy, and money I put towards my own transformation is what inspired me to help teens today. Resolving my own anxiety allowed me to uncover the secret to overcoming big emotions in an easy, manageable, and adaptive way. After falling in love with the self-growth journey, I went to school to get educated and certified so I can empower you and tell you everything I know. Inside this podcast, we explore the nature of non-clinical anxiety, uncovering its triggers, signs and symptoms, and the profound impact it has on a teen’s life. Parents, you will learn how to understand, support, and empower your teens through their struggles with anxiety. You’ll learn actionable steps you can take to create a supportive environment at home and help your teen manage their anxiety effectively. But we don’t stop there. I bring on expert guests, share anxiety hacks, and equip both teens and parents with practical strategies for building resilience, coping with stress, and navigating those turbulent waters with grace and strength. We are going to simplify teenage anxiety for you because I want you see your teen happy, confident, and thriving. I want you to be able to have a strong and supportive relationship with them where everyone feels understood and supported. Most importantly, I want to help them reach their full potential despite what they’re going through. So, grab your favourite drink, get in some comfy clothes and let’s dig in. You can find me here: Instagram: @__consciouscoach Work with me: www.consciouscoach.biz Connect: monica@consciouscoach.biz
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
Hi Parents!
Are you concerned about how your teen is navigating alcohol, especially during the transition from high school to college?
In this episode, Dr. Rob Turrisi, a leading researcher in adolescent health and behavioural decision-making, shares practical, evidence-based strategies that parents can use to help their teens make informed and safe choices. Rob explains how teens make decisions around alcohol, what factors influence those choices, and why understanding these patterns is key for parents. He also discusses the vulnerable transition to college, the importance of teaching protective behaviours, and why allowing teens to drink at home does not prevent risky drinking.
Rob highlights the rising rates of blackout drinking and alcohol use disorder among emerging adults and shares communication strategies, including monitoring, modelling, and balancing warmth with clear expectations, that can influence long-term decisions.
This episode provides actionable advice for parents who want to empower their teens to make smart, healthy choices around alcohol.
If you’d like to read any of Rob's research articles, please click here.
Big hugs,
Monica Crnogorac
Next Steps
Tuesday Jan 27, 2026
Tuesday Jan 27, 2026
Hi Parents!
Pelvic floor health is rarely talked about, but it plays a huge role in overall well-being for both teens and adults. In today's episode, Dr. Sara Reardon, known as The Vagina Whisperer, explains why these conversations are essential and offers practical strategies for parents to approach them confidently.
Sara covers topics like periods, sex, pelvic floor strength, and self-care practices for young athletes and active teens. She explains why awareness and education around pelvic health can prevent pain, discomfort, and long-term issues, while also helping teens feel more in tune with their bodies. Parents will leave this episode with actionable tips for introducing these topics, encouraging healthy habits, and fostering open, shame-free communication with their children.
👉🏻 FREE 7-Day Trial of the V-Hive App
Big hugs,
Monica Crnogorac
Next Steps
Tuesday Jan 20, 2026
Tuesday Jan 20, 2026
Hi Parents!
Do your teens feel intense pressure to perform or struggle with self-doubt?
Today I’m chatting with Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin, a licensed psychologist and executive coach, who shares practical strategies parents can use to support teens navigating high expectations and performance pressure.
Dr. Lisa explains how self-doubt and perfectionism can develop early and why societal pressures can intensify them. She provides tools for parents to help teens manage performance anxiety, shift their focus from perfection to growth, and recover from setbacks without fear of failure. Lisa also offers advice on giving feedback, encouraging healthy risk-taking, and nurturing resilience so teens can thrive in school, sports, and social settings.
This episode has actionable guidance for parents who want to help their teens face challenges confidently, develop a healthy mindset around success, and navigate life’s pressures without being overwhelmed.
Sign up here to get free tools from Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin, including guided exercises, conversation scripts, and strategies from Your Child’s Greatness.
Big hugs,
Monica Crnogorac
Next Steps
Tuesday Jan 13, 2026
Tuesday Jan 13, 2026
Hi Parents!
Today’s episode is one that many parents of teens have been waiting for, especially if the thought of your child getting behind the wheel brings up anxiety, fear, or a constant urge to intervene.
Learning to drive isn’t just about passing a test. For teens, it’s a major developmental milestone tied to independence, confidence, and responsibility. And for parents, it can feel like one of the most nerve-wracking phases of raising an anxious teen.
My guest today is Nigel Tunnacliffe, Co-Founder and CEO of Coastline Academy, the largest driving school in the country and one of the fastest-growing education companies in America. Nigel founded Coastline with a powerful mission: to eradicate car crashes by teaching safe, confident drivers for life. His team has trained over 250,000 teen drivers across multiple states and works closely with parents navigating this exact stage of life.
In this conversation, we talk about why parents play such a critical role in their teen’s driving education, how parental anxiety can unintentionally impact teen confidence, and what actually helps anxious teens develop healthy habits, calm decision-making, and trust behind the wheel.
If you’re parenting a teen who’s nervous about driving or you’re the anxious one, this episode will help you feel more grounded, informed, and confident in how you support them through this milestone.
👉🏻 Want a FREE parent course? Coastline Academy is offering this to the first 10 sign-ups using the coupon code PARENTING - grab your spot today!
Big hugs,
Monica Crnogorac
Next Steps
Tuesday Jan 06, 2026
Tuesday Jan 06, 2026
Hi Parents!
Adolescence is often framed as something parents must survive, but what if the teen years are one of the most powerful developmental opportunities of a lifetime? In this episode, I’m joined by renowned child development expert Ellen Galinsky to reframe how we understand adolescence and what teens truly need from the adults in their lives.
Ellen Galinsky is President of the Families and Work Institute, former Chief Science Officer at the Bezos Family Foundation, and the author of The Breakthrough Years, one of the most highly praised parenting books of 2024. Drawing from decades of research and direct conversations with young people ages nine through nineteen, Ellen explains why teens don’t want to pull away from parents but instead seek a different kind of relationship rooted in collaboration, respect, and trust.
In our conversation, we explore what executive function skills really are and why adolescence is such a critical window for developing them. Ellen shares how parents can nurture these skills without controlling or rescuing, and how everyday conflict can be transformed into shared problem-solving using her Shared Solutions framework. We also talk about anxiety, pressure, and distraction in today’s world, and why positive risk-taking plays such an important role in building competence, confidence, and resilience.
This episode is especially meaningful for parents who feel overwhelmed by their teen’s emotions, behaviour, or motivation and are searching for guidance that feels hopeful, science-backed, and practical. Ellen brings a deeply compassionate and empowering perspective that challenges common myths about teens and invites parents to see adolescence not as a crisis to endure, but as a breakthrough season for connection and growth.
If you’re parenting a tween or teen, supporting an anxious child, or wanting a stronger, healthier relationship with your adolescent, this conversation will leave you with a renewed sense of clarity, possibility, and confidence in what truly helps teens thrive.
Big hugs,
Monica Crnogorac
Next Steps
Tuesday Dec 30, 2025
Tuesday Dec 30, 2025
Hi Parents!
In this solo episode, we’re diving into how you can help your teen step into the new year with a mindset that feels calmer, more confident, and more sustainable. While January often brings big goals, big emotions, and big expectations, it also brings pressure.
Together, we explore why resolutions typically fall apart by the end of the month, how the anxious brain interprets “fresh starts,” and the simple shifts parents can make to help their teens stay motivated without feeling overwhelmed. We walk through why so many teens quit their goals early, how to break down big ambitions into meaningful, achievable steps, and why emotional awareness matters more than the size of the goal itself.
If you’re looking to help your teen build resilience, consistency, and self-trust going into the new year, this episode will give you practical tools, deeper insight, and the encouragement you need.
Big hugs,
Monica Crnogorac
Next Steps
Tuesday Dec 23, 2025
Tuesday Dec 23, 2025
Hi Parents!
Today I sit down with Krista St-Germain to explore the tender, complex reality of supporting a teen through the loss of a parent while also navigating your own grief. Krista is a Master Certified Life Coach, widow, and host of The Widowed Mom Podcast, and her work has helped thousands of women rebuild their lives with compassion, self-trust, and hope after profound loss.
Krista and I dig into where the familiar “five stages of grief” came from and why they were never intended to describe how real people move through loss. We talk about what grief often looks like behind closed doors, how widowhood can reshape your identity, and why learning to trust your emotional process is such an essential part of healing.
We also talk about how teens grieve differently, how to recognize grief beneath certain behaviours, and how to support them without trying to fix the pain. Krista shares guidance on navigating birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays in ways that honour the parent who died while giving everyone space to feel what they feel.
More about Krista:
Krista is a grief and post-traumatic growth expert who rebuilt her life after losing her husband to a drunk driver in 2016. Through therapy, mindset work, and coaching tools, she found a path forward, and now helps widows do the same. Her work has been featured in Psychology Today, Medium, Parents Magazine, and more.
If you’re supporting a grieving teen or grieving yourself, I hope this conversation brings you comfort, clarity, and permission to move at the pace that feels right for you. It’s a conversation I know will support so many.
Big hugs,
Monica Crnogorac
Next Steps
Tuesday Dec 16, 2025
Tuesday Dec 16, 2025
Hi Parents!
In today’s episode, I sit down with international parenting coach Mary Van Geffen to talk honestly about what it means to raise a strong-willed child or as Mary playfully calls it, Parenting A Spicy One. If you have a child who feels everything deeply, pushes back hard, or seems immune to traditional strategies, this conversation will feel like a breath of relief.
Mary and I explore what truly defines a Spicy One and why their behavior can look so different from their peers. We get into why classic discipline often backfires and what actually helps them feel safe, seen, and cooperative. Mary also explains what’s happening beneath the surface during intense moments and how parents can stay calm, kind, and firm even when emotions escalate.
More About Mary:
Mary is an international parenting coach who specializes in helping moms of strong-willed, deeply sensitive kids. Through her training as a Simplicity Parenting counselor and Professional Co-Active Coach and her own lived experience raising a spirited child, Mary teaches parents how to stay regulated, compassionate, and confident when the heat rises. With more than 400,000 parents following her daily insights on Instagram and thousands completing her transformative programs, she’s become a trusted voice for families learning to parent differently.
If you’ve been craving guidance on how to support your strong-willed child, reduce power struggles, and build deeper connection without losing your boundaries, this episode will give you clarity, comfort, and practical tools. I know so many parents will feel seen in this conversation.
Quiz: How Spicy Is Your Household?
Big hugs,
Monica Crnogorac
Next Steps