Early adulthood was supposed to feel like launch—but for many seniors, it feels more like freefall. That unsettling mix of possibility and pressure has a name, and understanding it is the first step toward feeling less alone.

Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the concept of the quarterlife crisis as a powerful framework for high school and college seniors beginning to wonder who they are, where they’re going, and why the next chapter feels so uncertain. Drawing on insights from The Atlantic, Mark Waid’s Superman: Birthright, and the novels of Nick Hornby, this episode reframes the crisis as a natural part of emerging adulthood—less a breakdown than a crossroads, where identity, meaning, and agency begin to take shape.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

Winter break offers juniors something they rarely get during the school year: breathing room. Amid the quiet, students can take their first meaningful steps toward understanding who they are and what they want from the college journey ahead.

Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores how reflection, early exploration, and intentional rest can help juniors align their interests with future opportunities. He discusses how taking stock of extracurriculars, surveying potential colleges, imagining new ways to deepen or expand involvement, reviewing academic footing, and beginning to uncover personal narrative threads can set the stage for a strong senior year. This episode offers a calm, grounded roadmap for students—and the adults who support them—who want to use winter break not as a pressure point, but as a chance to reset, rediscover clarity, and move forward with purpose.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

Some conversations age well because the need behind them never really goes away. As students and schools end the fall semester gear up for a new semester in 2026, this encore episode arrives at exactly the right moment.

ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores the deeper dynamics of student well-being, academic pressure, and school culture in this revisit from Season One. This timely rebroadcast examines the forces that shape how students experience rigor, rest, identity, and expectations—and why leaders must think intentionally about the environments they create. Whether you caught it the first time or are tuning in fresh, this conversation offers perspective worth carrying into the months ahead.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.