We’ve all been there: standing at the crossroads of a parenting decision and wondering, am I making the wrong call? For many of us, the idea of letting our kids quit an activity feels like giving in—or worse, failing them. But what if the word “quit” is the problem in the first place?

In this episode, Leslie Randolph sits down with psychologist Dr. Emily Gordon to reframe what’s really going on when kids want out of something. Together, they swap “quitting” for a new lens: detours, decisions, and opportunities to choose differently. The conversation is equal parts practical and freeing, with guiding questions parents can ask themselves and their kids to figure out whether an activity is helping or hurting, whether resistance is about the activity itself or just the transition into it, and how to know when it’s time to stay the course, or turn down a new road.

They also talk about the deeper goal behind these decisions: raising confident teens who know how to check in with themselves, build resilience, and trust their own judgment. From family values to tween autonomy to the lifelong practice of self-confidence, this episode shows how even small parenting choices can strengthen the foundation for confident women in the future.

The takeaway? There’s no universal “right” answer. There’s only the right decision for you and your family, right now.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Letting Kids Quit: Why It Feels So Hard

03:02 Meet Dr. Emily Gordon

05:03 Reframing Quitting as Taking a Detour

07:18 A Framework for Making Parenting Decisions

12:07 Parental Pressure, Fear, and Self-Confidence

14:22 How to Help Adolescents Name Their Feelings

17:09 Anxiety, Transitions, and Building Resilience

20:03 Balancing Parental Control and Tween Autonomy

29:07 Weighing Benefits, Costs, and Family Values

31:08 Protecting the Parent-Child Relationship

34:48 Confidence, Resilience, and Growth

Connect with Dr. Emily Gordon:

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Help Your Teen Cultivate Confidence

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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

We all crave comfort. But the truth is, self-confidence isn’t built in comfort zones, it’s built in the moments when we’re willing to be uncomfortable.

Leslie Randolph introduces the idea of deliberate discomfort and why it’s the key to both confident teens and confident women. Drawing from her own life and her coaching work, Leslie unpacks how stretching beyond what feels easy builds the emotional resilience we need to face challenges, pursue big goals, and show up with confidence in everyday life.

What if nothing changes because nothing changes? What if growth, joy, and genuine self-confidence all live on the other side of discomfort? Whether you’re raising a teen girl or navigating your own season of change, this episode will remind you that confidence isn’t about avoiding fear or struggle, it’s about the willingness to walk through it.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why Comfort Zones Don’t Build Confidence

03:17 How Health Challenges Sparked a Wake-Up Call

05:56 Resistance to Change and Why It Feels So Hard

09:00 What Deliberate Discomfort Really Means

12:24 How Discomfort Builds Emotional Resilience

14:00 Everyday Examples of Practicing Discomfort

18:02 Asking for Help as a Confidence Skill

20:54 Strength, Growth, and True Self-Confidence

Links

The Tween Empowerment Summit

Connect With Leslie:

Help Your Teen Cultivate Confidence

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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Some days feel heavier than others. Whether it’s a personal heartbreak or a tragedy in the news, the weight of the world can be a lot to carry. And if you’re someone who feels deeply, it’s not always clear how to keep moving forward.

In this episode, Leslie Randolph offers a thoughtful perspective on what it means to live with sadness, anger, and grief without letting them take over. She shares how self-confidence plays a role even in the hardest moments, not as a way to power through or shut emotions down, but as the quiet willingness to feel it all. What if confidence isn’t about being fearless or upbeat, but about staying present when things are messy? What happens when we let go of the idea that we’re supposed to be happy all the time?

Leslie invites us to stop “shoulding” ourselves into silence or shame. There’s no timeline for healing and no perfect way to process pain. Whether you’re a teenager building confidence for the first time or a grown woman learning how to trust yourself again, this episode will meet you where you are with compassion, clarity, and a few tools to help you keep going.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why We Need Tools for the Hard Days 01:17 Accepting That Sadness Is Part of Life 03:03 Why Asking “Why” Doesn’t Always Help 05:12 You Have to Feel It to Heal It 06:48 The Pressure to Be Happy All the Time 08:12 Confidence Means Feeling the Hard Stuff Too 10:04 Avoiding Discomfort Isn’t the Same as Staying Safe 11:28 Compassion Over Comparison During Grief 13:18 How to Stay Connected When Everything Feels Heavy 14:56 Big Feelings Don’t Last Forever Even When It Feels Like They Might

Connect With Leslie:

Help Your Teen Cultivate Confidence

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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

At every age and stage, we long to belong. But too often, that desire comes at the cost of abandoning parts of ourselves. True friendship isn’t about fitting in - it’s about finding your people: the ones you like, and the ones you feel good being around.

Leslie Randolph is joined by friendship expert and advice columnist Nina Badzin for a conversation about friendship and friend groups, especially during the tween and teen years. But the truths they explore reach well beyond middle school. How do we recognize a real friend versus someone we’re just trying to impress? Why do so many of us stay in groups that drain us? And how can we help kids build friendships that reflect who they are, not who they think they’re supposed to be?

Nina shares what she’s learned from years of listening to people wrestle with connection, exclusion, and the pressure to belong. Together, Leslie and Nine unpack the difference between fitting in and finding true friendship, the quiet harm of chasing the “right” group, and the role adults play, often unintentionally, in keeping those patterns alive. They also talk about the value of community and how spaces like family dinners, extracurriculars, and youth groups can offer kids a sense of belonging that isn’t dependent on social status.

This episode is a gentle reminder that strong friendships aren’t built on proximity or history alone. They’re built on trust, emotional safety, and mutual effort. And that’s true at any age.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Friendship and Confidence

03:04 Meet Nina Badzin: Friendship Columnist and Expert

05:00 The Myth of the Perfect Friend Group

08:09 Fitting In vs. Authentic Friendship

11:12 How Parents Shape Social Pressure

15:04 What Makes a Friendship Real

20:10 Trust, Safety, and Showing Up as Yourself

24:05 Building Social Confidence Through Multiple Buckets

28:02 Where to Find Belonging Beyond School

30:12 Friendship vs. Community: Why Both Matter

38:09 Practical Advice for Building Real Friendships

41:00 Letting Go and Moving On with Openness

Connect with Nina Badzin:

See Nina in Highland Park

Listen to Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship

Subscribe to the Dear Nina newsletter

Join the Facebook Group

Follow on IG

Connect With Leslie:

Help Your Teen Cultivate Confidence

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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Heading to summer camp? Confidence is the most important thing you can pack. Leslie Randolph speaks directly to girls (and their moms) navigating the nerves that come with starting something new, whether it’s sleepaway camp or a big life transition. Some girls are counting down the days with excitement. Others feel anxious, unsure, or like they’re heading off against their will. All of that is normal, Leslie says, and it’s exactly why building self-confidence matters.

Leslie breaks down how self-confidence isn’t about having zero fear. It’s about moving forward with the fear and choosing how you want to show up anyway. She offers mindset shifts to help girls challenge worst-case-scenario thinking and reframe those “what if” worries. Confidence starts by recognizing that you can’t control who likes you, but you can decide how you show up, how you treat others, and what kind of camper you want to be.

From embracing your interests (even if no one else is into archery!) to staying open to new friendships and new experiences, this episode is a permission slip to be yourself bravely, and without apology. Whether your daughter’s headed to camp, starting high school, or trying something new for the first time, Leslie offers a confidence care package for the road ahead!

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Welcome to Why Didn’t They Tell Us

01:49 Why Camp Brings Up Big Feelings

03:45 How to Normalize Nerves and Build Confidence

05:01 Stop the Spiral: Rethinking Worst-Case Thinking

08:12 Confidence Starts with Knowing Yourself

13:24 Be Open to New Things (Even If You’re Bad at First)

15:12 Confidence Is a Skill, Not a Trait

Connect With Leslie:

Help Your Teen Cultivate Confidence

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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most people wait for a crisis to start living with intention. This episode is your invitation to stop waiting.

After attending a funeral for someone who lived with “no wasted days,” Leslie Randolph reflects on how easily moms can slip into autopilot – checking boxes, managing schedules, and losing sight of their own joy. She shares how the loss of her father during the height of COVID became a turning point, waking her up to the difference between managing life and actually living it.

This episode is a call to trade burnout and disconnection for intentional living. Leslie walks listeners through the first, often overlooked step: self-awareness. She offers strategies to help moms get honest about how they’re feeling, notice what they need, and take small but powerful actions toward a more fulfilling life.

From setting boundaries to rediscovering joy in the everyday, Leslie offers a roadmap for moms who are ready to stop going through the motions and start showing up on purpose for themselves and the people they love.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Living with Intention vs. Autopilot

02:10 Personal Wake-Up Call After Loss

06:58 How Moms Can Start Living More Intentionally

09:51 Responding to Your Needs with Small, Powerful Shifts

12:02 Why Awareness Without Action Doesn’t Work

14:54 Building a Life of Connection and Purpose

Connect With Leslie:

The Summer of Self-Love

Help Your Teen Cultivate Confidence

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Your daughter’s self-confidence starts with yours because she’s watching more than she’s listening.

If you’re a mom raising teens, especially confident girls, in a world that constantly tells them they’re not enough, I recorded this episode for you. I want to help you see how your words, your actions, and even the way you talk to yourself can shape how your daughter sees herself.

I share what I’ve learned through coaching, parenting, and plenty of personal trial and error. I talk about what it means to go first, to take risks, to feel big feelings, and to let your daughter see all of it. Because what if your willingness to feel fear, embarrassment, or disappointment is exactly what helps her feel brave?

I walk through some of my favorite tools, like how to change the conversation around family photos, how to celebrate your strengths out loud, and how to sit with your daughter’s feelings without jumping in to fix them. I also explain the “powerful pause,” and how it’s helped me regulate my own emotions and model something better in tough moments.

If you’ve ever wondered how to help your daughter grow into a confident, self-assured young woman without pushing or preaching, I hope this episode gives you both the reassurance and the tools to do just that.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why Moms Matter

01:16 What Teens Are Facing Today

03:04 Why Self-Confidence Starts With You

05:11 Modeling Risk-Taking and Emotional Honesty

06:48 Sharing Big Feelings With Your Kids

10:10 Practicing Positive Self-Talk Out Loud

11:13 Rethinking Body Image and Family Photos

13:35 Helping Teens Feel Without Fixing

17:00 The “Vent or Advice” Question

19:08 The Power of the Pause

21:16 Boosting Your Confidence While Raising Theirs

Links: The Summer of Self-Love

Connect With Leslie:

Help Your Teen Cultivate Confidence

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Facebook

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

When your calendar is packed and your energy is drained, where does self-care even begin, especially for moms who are juggling so much and still feeling behind?

Leslie Randolph is joined by Whitney Baker, the founder of Electric Ideas and a self-connection coach who helps women trade burnout for clarity and creativity. Together, they unpack the tension between loving your work and feeling overwhelmed by it, and the quiet guilt that creeps in when you’re doing “all the right things” but still feel off.

Whitney shares how she rebuilt her life after leaving a high-powered job that no longer fit, and how small, intentional practices helped her reconnect with her own spark. From setting honest boundaries to creating buffer time in your day, she offers strategies for women who are tired of pouring from an empty cup.

What if tending to yourself is the most generous thing you can do for your family? What if balance isn’t something to chase, but something you create with choice? If you’re a mom rethinking how you care for yourself, or wondering why burnout still lingers even when you “should” feel grateful, this conversation is a breath of fresh air.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Balance, Burnout, and a Coach’s Confession

02:00 Meet Whitney Baker of Electric Ideas

03:35 What Is an “Electric Idea”?

05:16 Reigniting Your Spark After Burnout

09:16 The Power of Saying No

11:06 Setting Boundaries That Actually Work

13:34 Creating Buffer Time and “Right After Work” Rituals

22:32 Identity Shifts and Letting Go of Old Labels

25:03 Energy Audits and Real-Life Self-Care

30:09 Morning Routines That Support You

34:17 Why Self-Care Isn’t Optional

39:08 Permission to Be Imperfect

Connect with Whitney Baker:

Learn: https://myelectricideas.com/

Like: https://www.instagram.com/whitneywoman/?hl=en

Listen: https://myelectricideas.com/podcast/

Connect With Leslie:

Help Your Teen Cultivate Confidence

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm