She said "I'm fine." You don't believe her. She's not sure she believes herself. I was that girl in the passenger seat. On the way to a basketball game, stomach churning, so tense I thought I might be sick. My mom, who loved me, gave me a pep talk. I didn't say a word back. I shut down and looked out the window the whole rest of the way. She wasn't wrong to try. It just wasn't what I needed. I didn't need to be motivated. I needed somebody to listen. This one's for both of you at the same time, mom and daughter, right there in the car. Because the problem is almost never that she won't talk. It's when you're asking, how you're sitting, and what words you're using. What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• What "I'm fine" actually means, and why it's usually not a lie
• Why the moment you most want to ask is the worst possible time to ask
• The reason hard conversations go better in the car than across the kitchen table
• Why using her slang closes the door instead of opening it
• What a girl needs before she needs advice

Your one step this week: Mom, take one drive and don't ask her anything. Not one question. Her music, eyes on the road, let the quiet sit. Baby sis, one time this week, swap "I'm fine" for "I don't know how to say it yet." Tuesday, we're talking about the girl who calls herself a perfectionist. High standards, likes things done right. Except she can't turn it off and she's exhausted, and what she's calling a personality trait is anxiety in a cute outfit. xo, Kristen 🎧 Follow the show so the next episode shows up for you. LET'S CONNECT! 🕊️ Free PEACE Playbook: anxiouschristianteen.com/peace 🫶🏻 Free community: anxiouschristianteen.com/community ❓ What Type of Anxious Teen Girl Are You?: anxiouschristianteen.com/quiz

Hey doll - be honest for a second. Are you already dreading the first day of school? And are you doing it quietly, where nobody around you would ever guess? I was that girl. Tenth grade, geometry on my schedule, my bestie in a different class, and a zit on my chin I was convinced the entire school was about to notice. And you'd never have known a single bit of it, because I put on a face. I always wore a mask. Here's what kept me stuck the longest: I thought my face was working, and I thought everybody else's face was real. In this episode I'm walking you through two things - why nobody in that building is watching you as closely as you're watching yourself, and what to do with the parts of your schedule that didn't go your way. What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why the girls who look the most "fine" are often the ones struggling the most
• What's actually running through your head the morning you walk in looking totally normal
• Why the girl you're sure has it all together is doing the exact same math about you
• How to flip the script on the schedule, locker, or lunch period you didn't want
• The baby steps that absolutely count as brave when you're already managing anxiety

This week, pick one baby step for day one. Eye contact. Saying hi first. Answering somebody's question kindly. One - not three. And come back Friday, but bring your mom. We're talking about two words: I'm fine and what you mean when you say them. That one's meant to be listened to together. xo, Kristen 🎧 Loving the podcast? Follow/subscribe so every new episode lands right in your feed - and it helps more anxious girls find their way here. LET'S CONNECT! Free PEACE Plan Playbook: anxiouschristianteen.com/peace Free community: anxiouschristianteen.com/community What Type of Anxious Teen Girl Are You?: anxiouschristianteen.com/quiz

Hey doll, if the night before school has had you lying in bed running through every worst-case scenario - who you're gonna sit with, whether your friend group is even still your friend group, what everybody's gonna think of your fit on day one - you are so not alone. That stomach-drop feeling? I hosted a live training all about it, and today I'm bringing you the recap, straight to your earbuds. In this episode, I'm walking you through the exact framework I taught live: five simple steps you can use anywhere, anytime, and nobody even has to know you're using them. I'm also telling you about The Peace Plan - my brand new group coaching program - for a price that's never gonna be this low again. Grab your spot at anxiouschristianteen.com/b2s before it's gone.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The PEACE Plan - my five-step, in-the-moment framework for anxious feelings: Pause the Proving, Express the Hard Thing, Anchor in Truth, Choose Your Next Move, and Enter Everyday Peace
• The full scoop on The Peace Plan group coaching - six weeks, ten spots, and a deal that won't come back around

This one's mostly just you and me working through it together - your mom gets looped in for a couple of the steps along the way, but the bulk of it is time between us. This week: Pick one anxious thought that's been running on repeat and try the Express + Anchor steps. Say it out loud or write it down exactly as it is - "God, I'm scared that..." - then answer it back with something true. 2 Timothy 1:7 or Psalm 46:1 are great places to start. That's it. That's your one step. xo, Kristen 🎧 Follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! LET'S CONNECT!

• The Peace Plan (brand new group coaching!): anxiouschristianteen.com/b2s - 6 live coaching calls plus faith-based tools and teachings, just $197, and you can bring a friend for free (totally optional - split the cost if you want!). Only 10 spots available, and doors close Monday, 8/3/26.
• Free PEACE Plan one-pager: anxiouschristianteen.com/peace

There's a countdown running in the back of your head, isn't there? Who's in my classes. What am I wearing the first day. Is it gonna be weird with her now. What if there's nowhere to sit. That's not you being dramatic — that's your body doing what bodies do when something big and unknown is coming. Today I'm giving you three things you can actually do this week so you walk into the first day steady instead of guessing. Plus, tomorrow night we're getting in a room together — and I've got something new I'm revealing live. What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why the back-to-school spiral isn't really about school
• The difference between an unknown and a bad outcome — and why your brain keeps confusing them
• "Feet, Breath, True Thing" — a 30-second tool nobody will notice you using
• Three specific things to do before the first day of school
• What's happening at tomorrow's free Ditch Back-to-School Anxiety masterclass

Your action step this week: send one text. One friend, one lunch, first day — "hey, lunch first day?" That's the whole assignment. Then come hang out with me tomorrow night, Wednesday, July 29th at 8PM EST, for the free Ditch Back-to-School Anxiety masterclass. One hour max, camera totally optional, zero pressure. We're on Google Meet now (change from the original emails — link's coming in your reminders), I'm drawing for an Owala FreeSip for someone who stays till the end, and I'm revealing something new I've been working on just for you. Last call — grab your spot at anxiouschristianteen.com/back2school xo, Kristen 🎧 Loving the show? Hit follow so the next episode finds you — and if you've got a second, a review helps another anxious girl find us. LET'S CONNECT!

🎉 FREE Masterclass — Ditch Back-to-School Anxiety: anxiouschristianteen.com/back2school

💛 Free community: anxiouschristianteen.com/community

✨ What Type of Anxious Teen Girl Are You?: anxiouschristianteen.com/quiz

You open the group chat and you just know — before anyone says a word — that something's changed. No fight, no explanation. Just quiet, and a lunch table that suddenly feels different. In this episode, we're naming that specific gut-punch of being frozen out by your friend group — and walking through exactly what to do with it, so you can find real peace that isn't hanging on whether you got invited this weekend. What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why getting frozen out feels so disorienting — and why your brain treats it like a real threat
• How silence gets filled in with the worst version of the story (and how to catch it)
• A simple tool — Real or Likely? — to use the moment the spiral starts
• Three things to do when you're suddenly on the outside
• How to let God, not the group chat, define where you belong

This week, the next time you catch yourself spiraling on what a friend "really meant," stop and run it through Real or Likely, and see what's actually true. You don't have to have it all figured out today — just take the next right step, and let God's peace lead instead of the fear. xo, Kristen Love this episode? Follow and subscribe so you never miss what's coming next 🎧 LET'S CONNECT!

• Ditch Back-to-School Anxiety - FREE Masterclass - anxiouschristianteen.com/back2school
• Free community: anxiouschristianteen.com/community
• What Type of Anxious Teen Girl Are You?: anxiouschristianteen.com/quiz

You finally like someone — or someone likes you — and instead of feeling giddy, you're anxious all the time? Overthinking every text, reading into every silence, bracing for it to fall apart before it's even started? You're not clingy, and you're not "too much." Your anxiety just climbed into the driver's seat of something good. In this episode we talk about why dating anxiety spirals, one tool to stop it mid-scroll, and three truths that let you enjoy liking someone instead of just surviving it. What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why liking someone can make your anxiety louder, not quieter
• The spiral that turns a slow text into a worst-case story
• The "Real or Likely?" tool to stop overthinking in the moment
• Why reassurance-seeking backfires — and what to do instead
• How to date without editing yourself down to keep someone interested

This week, your one brave thing: the next time your brain spirals over a text, run it through Real or Likely? before you send anything — then let the silence just be silence. His response time is not a verdict on your worth, doll. That was settled by God a long time ago. xo, Kristen 🎧 If this hit home, follow/subscribe so the next episode finds you too. LET'S CONNECT! 🎓 Free Ditch Back-to-School Anxiety: anxiouschristianteen.com/back2school 💛 Free community: anxiouschristianteen.com/community ❓ What Type of Anxious Teen Girl Are You? Quiz: anxiouschristianteen.com/quiz ✨ Teen Anxiety Coaching: anxiouschristianteen.com/coaching

Ever been overwhelmed by everything at once — the group chat, the test, the friend who went quiet — and had someone tell you to "just have peace about it"? Like peace is a switch and you're the only one who never found it? In this episode we sit in Philippians 4:6-7 and talk about the kind of peace that doesn't make sense on paper — the calm that shows up while everything is still messy — plus a simple tool to calm the anxiety the second it hits. What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why "just calm down" never works when you're overwhelmed
• Why feeling anxious doesn't mean your faith is weak
• What Philippians 4:6-7 actually says about peace (hint: it's an invitation, not a scolding)
• The "Name It and Hand It" tool for the moment the wave hits
• Why God's peace is a guard, not a mood you have to force

This week, your one brave thing: the next time everything feels like too much, don't try to fix it all — name it, and hand it over to God, out loud. You're not a weak Christian for feeling overwhelmed. You're a girl learning to hand it over — and that's strength, not failure. xo, Kristen

🎧 Follow/subscribe so you don't miss a thing. LET'S CONNECT!

🎓 Save your seat for the FREE Ditch Back-to-School Anxiety Masterclass: anxiouschristianteen.com/back2school (7/29/26 at 7pm CST)

🫶🏻 Free community: anxiouschristianteen.com/community

❓ What Type of Anxious Teen Girl Are You? Take the quiz to find out: anxiouschristianteen.com/quiz

Have you ever been the girl who looks totally fine on the outside — smiling, showing up, holding it all together — while inside you're panicking and praying nobody notices? My guest this week, Ashanti Watson, lived exactly that. She was the sunshine in every room while quietly having four and five panic attacks a day, carrying a shame she thought she had to hide. In this episode, Ashanti shares the moment everything shifted — a breakdown in her car that became a turning point — and the simple, powerful tools she used to trade fear-based thinking for faith-based thinking. If your brain runs on "what if," this one's going to feel like a breath of fresh air. What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why anxiety can hide behind a smile — and why "just pray about it" leaves so many faith-filled girls feeling ashamed instead of helped
• How people-pleasing and "good girl syndrome" quietly get fueled by the fear of rejection
• The "what if" → "even if" reframe (straight out of Daniel 3) that settles anxiety in the moment
• A simple self-awareness question — "What is good right now?" — to ground yourself when panic rises and you can't even name why
• What real faith actually looks like (hint: it's not being happy and positive all the time)
• The line worth framing: "Do your best and let God handle the rest."

Take This Into Your Week The next time your mind starts spinning out with "what if she doesn't like me" or "what if it all goes wrong," try catching that thought and swapping in "even if." Even if it doesn't work out, God's got another plan. Even if it's hard, you're still going to be okay. You don't have to control the outcome — that part was never yours to carry. Do your best, and let God handle the rest. xo, Kristen 🎧 If this episode spoke to you, follow the show so you never miss one, and share it with a friend who needs to hear it. CONNECT WITH ASHANTI WATSON:

Podcast: Get Free from Anxiety

Check out the episode mentioned in today's episode:

136 | How to Stop the “What If” Spiral Before It Begins and Keep It From Coming Back

Facebook group: Anxiety Support for Christian Women

Her weekly email newsletter — real, faith-based tips for changing your thinking and growing your faith

If you have a mom, aunt, or another woman in your life who struggles with anxiety, Ashanti is my number-one recommendation for her! CONNECT WITH KRISTEN

Ready for support that gets it? 1:1 coaching → anxiouschristianteen.com/coaching

Facebook group → anxiouschristianteen.com/community

What Type of Anxious Teen Girl Are You? Take the quiz → anxiouschristianteen.com/quiz