Are you actually enjoying your life—and your relationship with your kids?

The teenage years can leave parents wondering what happened to the child they used to know. Attitudes change, emotions intensify, conflict increases, and suddenly the parenting strategies that worked when they were younger don't seem to work anymore.

In this episode of The 5 Star Life Show, Coach Seth and Coach Mia unpack what's happening during adolescence and why parents have to adjust the way they communicate, respond, and connect as their children grow.

They discuss how staying calm can help regulate your child, why fear can distort the way you see your teenager, and why constantly solving their problems can actually keep them from developing the confidence they need to thrive.

Most importantly, Coach Seth challenges parents to stop parenting from the worst-case scenario and start believing again in who their child is capable of becoming.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why so many people struggle to actually enjoy their lives
• How being present changes your relationship with your family
• Why adolescence can feel like the toddler years all over again
• Why parenting strategies have to change as kids become teenagers
• How your emotional state affects your child's emotional state
• Why parents should pay attention to what their bodies are telling them
• How fear can change the way you see and respond to your child
• Why teenagers need opportunities to solve their own problems
• The danger of constantly projecting your fear onto your kids
• How asking “How do you feel?” can completely change a conversation
• Why your teenager needs to see that you still believe in them
• How to help kids develop confidence and self-efficacy
• Why being present matters more than parents realize
• Two powerful questions every parent should ask their teenager

THE CHALLENGE:

1. Ask your teenager:
   1. 2.“What is one thing you wish I would stop doing?”
2. Then ask:
   1. “What is one thing you wish I would start doing?”
3. And then—listen.
   1. Your teenager is growing and changing. Your relationship with them can grow and change too.

The mission at Five Star Life :

Transforming Students' Lives by Challenging the Way they Think, Act, and Lead.

Go to fivestarlife.org to learn more about how we’re changing students' lives.

The Five Star Life App: Download "Five Star Life" on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on mindset, personal leadership, emotional intelligence, parenting, and the power of rising above your circumstances.

Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms @TheFiveStarLife

When your child makes a bad decision, falls behind in school, talks back, or simply refuses to listen—what happens next?

Do you react, or do you respond?

In this episode of The 5 Star Life Show, Coach Seth and Coach Mia have an honest conversation about one of the biggest challenges parents face: staying calm, clear, and intentional when raising kids gets difficult.

As children move into adolescence, their natural desire for independence grows. But when parents respond by tightening control, nagging, fixing every problem, or parenting from fear, it can unintentionally create even more resistance.

Coach Seth shares real examples from Five Star Life's LIFT program and explains why a child's past mistakes shouldn't become the lens through which parents see their future. Instead of constantly reminding kids of what they've done wrong, parents can learn to ask better questions, create space for them to think, and allow consequences and failures to become opportunities for growth.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The difference between reacting and responding
• Why adolescence naturally brings a desire for independence
• How too much parental control can create more resistance
• Why parents need to choose which battles are actually worth fighting
• How fear about your child's future affects the way you parent today
• Why nagging can turn a child's decisions into a battle with their parents
• How asking questions can be more powerful than giving another lecture
• Why you shouldn't hold your child hostage to their past mistakes
• How failure can become one of life's greatest teachers
• Why parents shouldn't immediately fix every problem for their children
• How to create a safe place for your child when they fail
• The importance of believing in who your child can become
• How emotional regulation changes the way you parent
• Why parents need to extend the same grace and belief to themselves
• Your child's mistakes don't have to define their future—and your fear doesn't have to determine the way you parent them.

The mission at Five Star Life :

Transforming Students' Lives by Challenging the Way they Think, Act, and Lead.

Go to fivestarlife.org to learn more about how we’re changing students' lives.

The Five Star Life App: Download "Five Star Life" on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on mindset, personal leadership, emotional intelligence, parenting, and the power of rising above your circumstances.

Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms @TheFiveStarLife

What if the biggest problem in your communication isn't the other person?

In this episode of The 5 Star Life Show, Coach Seth sits down with Cherri Kulp of Internal Garden Coaching & Leadership Solutions for an honest conversation about why communication breaks down—and what our words can reveal about what's happening inside of us.

Cherri shares a deeply personal realization from her own life: she recognized that unresolved pain was causing her to "bleed" onto someone she loved. That moment forced her to choose between protecting her pride and protecting the relationship.

Together, Coach Seth and Cherri explore how pride, past experiences, trauma, fear, emotional states, and the need to be heard can quietly influence the way we communicate. They discuss why listening matters just as much as speaking, how psychological safety changes conversations, why vulnerability can be a strength, and how healthy conflict can actually deepen relationships instead of destroying them.

They also unpack the role faith plays in communication and why understanding your own heart may be one of the most important steps toward changing the way you relate to others.

• Why good communication is about more than choosing the right words
• How emotions affect the way a message is delivered and received
• Why there's "power in the pause"
• How unresolved pain can cause us to bleed onto the people around us
• Why Cherri had to choose between her pride and an important relationship
• The connection between emotional regulation and healthy communication
• Why psychological safety matters before difficult conversations happen
• How body language, tone, cadence, and nonverbal cues affect communication
• Why vulnerability can be a strength instead of a weakness
• How your past experiences can shape the way you respond to conflict
• Why healthy conflict can create deeper connection and growth
• How criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling damage relationships
• Why asking questions can be more powerful than defending your position
• The importance of taking responsibility for your own words
• How faith, identity, humility, and self-awareness can transform the way we communicate
• Healthy communication doesn't begin with changing the other person. Sometimes it begins by having the courage to look inward.

Cherri Kulp is the founder of Internal Garden Coaching & Leadership Solutions, where she helps individuals, leaders, and organizations cultivate healthier mindsets, stronger leadership, and lasting personal growth. Drawing from neuroscience, leadership development, sociology, and faith, Cherri equips people with practical tools to overcome limiting beliefs, regulate emotions, and lead with authenticity and confidence.

Instagram: @UnearthedCC

C#: 574-213-2143

E: info@internalgardencoaching.com

W: https://www.internalgardencoaching.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherrikulp/

The mission at Five Star Life :

Transforming Students' Lives by Challenging the Way they Think, Act, and Lead.

Go to fivestarlife.org to learn more about how we’re changing students' lives.

The Five Star Life App: Download "Five Star Life" on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on mindset, personal leadership, emotional intelligence, parenting, and the power of rising above your circumstances.

Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms @TheFiveStarLife

What happens when a child is told what they’ll never become—and refuses to let that label define their future?

Fifteen years ago, Audri Leer entered middle school with an IEP, a learning disability, low confidence, and people telling her family she may never graduate high school, attend college, drive, or live independently. But Audri had something more powerful than those predictions: a family that believed in her, mentors who poured into her, and a growing belief that her circumstances did not have to determine her future.

Today, Audri is a college graduate, a graduate student pursuing social work, a full-time case manager, and someone who now pours the same hope she received into the lives of others.

In this episode of The 5 Star Life Show, Coach Seth sits down with former Five Star Life student Audri Leer to look back at where her journey began—and what can happen when a young person has people in their corner who refuse to give up on them.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What Audri was told about her future as a young student
• How her parents refused to let a diagnosis or label determine her potential
• Audri's struggle with confidence, identity, and fitting in during middle school
• The impact Five Star Life and Coach Ashley had on her life
• Why having adults who believe in a student can change their trajectory
• How Audri went from being told she wouldn't graduate to earning a bachelor's degree and attending graduate school
• Why she chose a career helping others through social work
• What Audri would tell students who feel limited by labels
• Her message to parents raising a struggling child
• Why teachers, coaches, mentors, and volunteers can have an impact that lasts for decades
• How the encouragement Audri received as a student is now being passed on to the next generation

Audri's story is a reminder that a label can describe where a student is today—but it doesn't have to determine where they go tomorrow.

The mission at Five Star Life :

Transforming Students' Lives by Challenging the Way they Think, Act, and Lead.

Go to fivestarlife.org to learn more about how we’re changing students' lives.

The Five Star Life App: Download "Five Star Life" on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on mindset, personal leadership, emotional intelligence, parenting, and the power of rising above your circumstances.

Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms @TheFiveStarLife

At just 15 years old, Tyler Brown's life changed in an instant. After leaving basketball practice and spending time with his dad, Tyler was caught in a case of mistaken identity when dozens of gunshots were fired into their vehicle. One bullet struck Tyler in the head. Doctors warned his family that he might not survive—and that even if he did, he could be left severely impaired. But Tyler's story wasn't over.

In this powerful episode of The Five Star Life Show, Coach Seth sits down with Tyler to revisit the shooting, the prayers that surrounded him, the moment he opened his eyes, and the long road of recovery that followed. Tyler shares what it was like to relearn how to walk, talk, eat, drink, and use his body—all while holding onto his dream of playing basketball again.

Tyler also opens up about the emotional side of survival: depression, anger, seeing the man involved in the shooting in court, learning to forgive, losing the future he once imagined, and searching for the purpose behind why he's still here.

In the final segment, Coach Mia joins Coach Seth to reflect on Tyler's journey, the power of gratitude, the role basketball played in his recovery, and what his story can teach all of us about perspective, resilience, faith, and purpose.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The night Tyler Brown was shot in the head at 15 years old
• How a case of mistaken identity changed his life forever
• His mother's unwavering faith when doctors gave devastating news
• Waking up unable to walk, talk, eat, or communicate
• Relearning basic functions and beginning the road back to basketball
• The depression and emotional struggle that followed his recovery
• Facing the man involved in the shooting in court
• Tyler's journey toward forgiveness
• How faith helped Tyler process what happened to him
• Losing one version of his dream while searching for a new purpose
• How Tyler's tragedy helped become a catalyst for Five Star Life's LIFT Program
• Coach Seth and Coach Mia's reflections on gratitude, trauma, resilience, and finding your "why"

The mission at Five Star Life :

Transforming Students' Lives by Challenging the Way they Think, Act, and Lead.

Go to fivestarlife.org to learn more about how we’re changing students' lives.

The Five Star Life App: Download "Five Star Life" on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on mindset, personal leadership, emotional intelligence, parenting, and the power of rising above your circumstances.

Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms @TheFiveStarLife

What if the behavior frustrating you most isn't actually the problem—but a signal that something deeper is happening? In this episode, Coach Seth and Coach Keenan challenge parents, educators, coaches, and leaders to look beyond a child's behavior and understand what may be happening underneath the surface.

Through the lens of nervous-system regulation and Polyvagal Theory, Coach Seth breaks down what happens when kids move from feeling safe and connected into fight, flight, or shutdown—and why adults can either help regulate that response or unintentionally make it worse. From a powerful story of a student running away during a Summit experience to real examples from Five Star Life's LIFT program, this conversation provides practical tools for replacing shame and control with curiosity, connection, accountability, and intentional leadership.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why "bad behavior" may actually be communication from a dysregulated nervous system • A simple breakdown of Polyvagal Theory and the different nervous-system states • Why adults must regulate themselves before trying to regulate a child • The powerful question: "What's happening inside of you right now?" • Coach Seth's story of responding differently when a student ran away during a Summit experience • How curiosity can uncover what's actually driving anger, fear, shutdown, or defiance • Why shame and embarrassment can push kids further into survival mode • A powerful example from Five Star Life's LIFT program showing what happens when an adult chooses regulation over reaction • Why these principles apply far beyond parenting—to classrooms, coaching, leadership, marriage, and the workplace • How Five Star Life is helping educators and volunteers create environments where students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn

The mission at Five Star Life :

Transforming Students' Lives by Challenging the Way they Think, Act, and Lead.

Go to fivestarlife.org to learn more about how we’re changing students' lives.

The Five Star Life App: Download "Five Star Life" on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on mindset, personal leadership, emotional intelligence, parenting, and the power of rising above your circumstances.

Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms @TheFiveStarLife

What does real public service look like? In this episode of The Five Star Life Show, Coach Seth sits down with Indiana State Representative Dale DeVon for a personal conversation about faith, family, leadership, public service, and the responsibility we all share to fight for vulnerable children.

Dale shares how growing up in a hardworking South Bend family led him into the construction and home-building industries before an unexpected journey into government. He discusses his years of working with young people in the juvenile justice system, the heartbreaking realities facing children without strong support systems, and why helping the next generation has become one of the greatest passions of his life.

Coach Seth and Dale also discuss education, foster care, affordable housing, the role of churches and community organizations, and why the government cannot solve every problem alone. Dale explains why strong families, caring adults, effective nonprofits, schools, churches, and community partners must work together to give young people hope and a better future.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Dale DeVon’s journey from construction and home building to public service • How faith influenced his decision to enter government • Why helping vulnerable children became his personal mission • What Dale learned from spending years with youth in the juvenile justice system • The importance of strong families and positive adult role models • Why teachers need greater support from families and communities • The challenges facing children in foster care and unstable homes • Why government cannot solve every community problem alone • The role of churches, nonprofits and community organizations • Why Dale chose to support the mission of Five Star Life • What real servant leadership looks like

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Dale DeVon is an Indiana State Representative, longtime home builder, husband, father and grandfather. Before entering public service, Dale spent decades working in construction and founded his own construction and home-building businesses.

He previously served on the St. Joseph County Council and has dedicated much of his public-service career to issues involving families, children, education, housing and community development. His passion for young people has also led him to spend years mentoring and encouraging youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

Dale is committed to strengthening families, supporting effective community organizations and helping vulnerable children discover that their lives have value, purpose and hope.

The mission at Five Star Life :

Transforming Students' Lives by Challenging the Way they Think, Act, and Lead.

Go to fivestarlife.org to learn more about how we’re changing students' lives.

The Five Star Life App: Download "Five Star Life" on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on mindset, personal leadership, emotional intelligence, parenting, and the power of rising above your circumstances.

Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms @TheFiveStarLife

What separates people who dream from people who actually build something meaningful? In this episode, Coach Seth sits down with entrepreneur and Anthony Travel founder John Anthony to explore the mindset behind building one of the largest sports travel companies in the country—from nothing more than an idea sketched out over dinner.

John shares why execution always beats ideas, why fear keeps so many people stuck in the starting blocks, and how great leaders build organizations through culture, relationships, and serving people well. Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, or simply trying to take the next step in life, this conversation is packed with timeless leadership principles that will challenge you to stop waiting and start moving.

• Why "ideas are overrated" and execution changes everything
• The story behind building Anthony Travel from a $10,000 investment into an industry leader
• Why successful entrepreneurs don't wait until they have all the answers
• The mindset required to overcome fear and take your first step
• Why culture always beats strategy in great organizations
• The leadership lesson John learned from the person who has influenced him most—his wife
• How serving people well creates lasting business success
• Coach Seth and John discuss why surrounding yourself with the right people changes everything

John Anthony is the Founder of Anthony Travel, one of the nation's leading sports travel management companies serving more than 110 colleges and universities across the United States. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, John has spent more than three decades building a people-first organization known for exceptional service, strong culture, and leadership. His entrepreneurial journey and passion for developing great teams have made him a respected voice in business, leadership, and organizational culture.

W: https://onlocationexp.com/anthony-travel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-anthony-00606b6/

The mission at Five Star Life :

Transforming Students' Lives by Challenging the Way they Think, Act, and Lead.

Go to fivestarlife.org to learn more about how we’re changing students' lives.

The Five Star Life App: Download "Five Star Life" on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on mindset, personal leadership, emotional intelligence, parenting, and the power of rising above your circumstances.

Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms @TheFiveStarLife