This episode is for parents. Sophia explores her professional insights from working in clinical and school settings, to help anxious teens. If you are a parent, you'll get practical skills and ideas to help any stressed out teens in your home.

Guest:
Sophia Vale Galano is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private therapy practice in Los Angeles, California. Sophia has been working with teens and their families for over a decade, and is the author of the book “Calming Teenage Anxiety: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Teenager Cope with Worry” on the 7th of October.

Sophia provided counseling to students at a large public high school, and offered both case management and group therapy at a psychiatric hospital. Sophia has extensive experience working as a therapist in residential, inpatient, outpatient and educational settings. She also served as a primary therapist for young adult males in a long-term, highly structured treatment center for substance use. She now provides mental health services in the Los Angeles Area. Sophia’s first book “Calming Teenage Anxiety” was published in 2025, and available from multiple online booksellers.

To learn more about Sophia and her book Calming Teenage Anxiety, please visit:
https://sophiagalano.com/book/
https://sophiagalano.com/

Timestamps:
3:00 – Personal Story – How Sophia Found Work on Teen Anxiety
5:00 – Generational Differences for Anxiety – Technology, Social Media, Academic Pressure
8:40 – Concept – Anxiety & Social Media
10:15 – Concept – Not Restrict, Discuss and Modify Use
12:30 – Parent Strategy – Sprinkle Social Media Use Suggestions as a Coach
14:15 – Concept – How to Approach Dialogue with Your Teen
14:30 – Parent Strategy – Come from a Place of Learning, Not Fixing
16:00 – Parent Strategy – Initiating Conversations in Casual Spaces
17:30 – Parent Strategy – Revisit Conversations
22:30 – Concept – Rise in Academic Pressure + Increased Competition
25:30 – Parent Strategy – Lead By Example About Pressure (Modeling)
29:00 – Concept – Exploring Regular Stress vs. Anxiety
29:50 – Parent Strategy – Monitor How Often Their Teen is Feeling Anxious
31:45 – Concept – Helpful Ideas for Supporting Students with High Anxiety
33:45 – Concept – What’s Happening Under the Surface in Dialogue w/ Teens
39:15 – Parent Strategy – Self Care and Self Awareness
41:00 – Study - Secure Base Provision: A New Approach to Examining Links Between Maternal Caregiving and Infant Attachment (Woodhouse et al., 2020)
41:00 – Concept – “Good Enough Parent” and 50% of the Time
42:00 – Parent Strategy – Try Lots of Different Approaches

Special thanks to musical artists:
Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/
Chris Keys: https://chriskeys.bandcamp.com/

To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:
present-mind.org/podcast

In this In Practice Episode, Lawrence shares he personal journey to self love. Taking his own life experiences as a teacher, he explores the ideas that helped him transform to a meaningful life of self-love.

Guest:
Lawrence C. Harris is a nationally recognized Youth Empowerment Speaker who helps teens and young adults break limiting beliefs, build unshakable self-worth, and rise above challenges. Drawing from his own lived experience overcoming childhood abuse, Autism, and C-PTSD, Lawrence shares powerful messages that resonate deeply with young people and the adults who support them.

To learn more about Lawrence, please visit:
https://lawrencecharris.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-harris-8b0177324
https://youtu.be/BHNS_D2PFoc?si=-ePvfKRSlkBFvLOT
Eventbrite: New Belief New You
Instagram: Lawrencecempowers

Timestamps:
3:30 – Personal Story – How Did You Get to Exploring Self-Love
8:10 – Concept – Exploring Healthy and Unhealthy Self-Love
9:30 – Strategy – Taking Yourself on a Date
11:20 – Concept – Showing Care For Others at Expense of Self
13:00 – Concept – Exploring Should Messages
16:30 – Concept – Connecting with Others for Self-Worth
17:00 – Prior Episode – Bowers Episode XX
18:00 Concept – Good Relationships Start with Loving Yourself
22:00 – Self Love Strategy – Journaling to Build Awareness
24:50 – Self Love Practice – Learning to Say No
27:20 – Personal Example – Learning to Say No
31:00 – Parent Strategy – Sprinkle Self-Care Strategies
32:40 – Parent Strategy – Plant Seeds, See How They Grow
34:20 – Concepts – Seeds Planted That are Actually Weeds
48:30 – Self Love Strategy – Make Your 10 and 80 Year old Self Proud

Special thanks to musical artists:
Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/
Probably Not Famous IV: https://www.probablynotfamous.com/

To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:
present-mind.org/podcast

David explores personal stories that led him and his wife into marriage and business coaching. His stories shed light into strategies for successful relationships in dating, school, and friendships. We explore conflicts, awareness, and yes... lasagna!

Guest:
David Kiwimagi is the co-founder of Kiwi Coaching, dedicated to helping couples who want to work together strengthen their relationships and thrive as partners. David and his wife Alexis have built a thriving coaching business and marriage. The proven methods they share have helped hundreds of couples from feeling stuck and disconnected to deeply connected and thriving in both business and marriage.

3:30 – Personal Story – How Did David Find Coaching Relationships
8:13 – Helpful Relationship Ideas – Turn Unspoken Expectations into Agreements
8:40 – Helpful Relationship Ideas – His Business, Her, Business, Not Your Business
8:13 – Helpful Relationship Ideas – How to Win Every Argument
9:40 – Unspoken Expectations – Talk Outside of High Emotions
18:30 – Parent Strategies – Explore Expectations Before You Need Something
21:00 – Concept – His Business, Her, Business, Not Your Business
23:00 – Strategy – Making an Environment Where Someone Can Feel Welcome
26:00 – Concept – Focus on What You Can Control
32:00 – Concept – You and Me vs. The Problem (Not You’re Wrong)
37:00 – Concept – Reframing Problems
38:30 – How to Slow Heated Arguments – Take a Breath Break
39:46 – Concept – Most Arguments Rooted in Unsaid Expectations
42:00 – Idea – People Can Be Drains and Fountains
49:39 – Personal Practice – Not About Being Perfect
49:39 – Personal Practice – Learning Everyone’s Not Like Me

Special thanks to musical artists:
Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/
Homage: https://homagebeats.bandcamp.com/

To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:
present-mind.org/podcast

In this In Practice Episode, Dr. Cottone and I talk about rivalries in sports and how sometimes they get more serious than intended. We connect our favorite rivalries to the concepts of Tribalism, to unpack how it shows up in sports fandom.

Guest:
John G. Cottone, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry within the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. His research—on psychotherapy outcome, executive functioning and the neurological correlates of schizophrenia—has been published in acclaimed peer-reviewed journals, including Archives of General Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. He has a youtube channel called MindCube 3D. He has contributed to Psychology Today, The New York Times, and The Washington Post and is the author of several books included: Who Are You? Essential Questions for Hitchhikers on the Road of Truth and Z-score: How a Statistic Used in Psychology Will Revolutionize Baseball.

To learn more about Dr. Cottone, please visit:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-cube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcuWgaynspx77K4vavXIRfw
mindcube3d@gmail.com

Timestamps:
4:00 – Idea – Adopting Stories of Teams You Root Foor
6:40 – Rivalries – Yankees and Mets
8:00 – Rivalries – Georgia and Alabama
9:30 – Idea – Big Brother Little Brother (Family Dynamics Play Out in Rivalries)
11:20 – Concept – Bringing Personal Attributes to Tribes/Teams
12:40 – Tribal Mentality – Wake Forest at Louisville
16:20 – Research - Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Experiment (Elliott, 1986)
17:45 – Heated Games – Georgia and LSU
19:30 – Idea – Connecting Rivalries to Politics
21:00 – Rivalries – Rangers and Islanders
16:00 – Connection Mentality – Tribalism can lead to connecting with people
27:00 – Concept – Dissonance within a Tribe
29:00 – Research - More Than a Game: Football Fans and
Marriage Equality (Harrison, 2016)
33:00 – Concept – Prioritizing Truth vs. Aligning with a Tribe
33:30 – Concept – Seeing Different Perspectives
35:00 – Concept – Reductionism in Tribalism
35:45 – Best Rivalries – Michigan v. Ohio State
35:45 – Best Rivalries – Celtics v. Lakers
36:50 – Best Rivalries – Alabama v. Auburn
35:45 – Best Rivalries – Cavaliers v. Warriors

Special thanks to musical artists:
Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/
G Mills: https://gmills.bandcamp.com/

To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:
present-mind.org/podcast

Benny Voncken highlights his personal experience using stoicism to live a present, exploring his true nature. He unpacks key ideas of Stoicism to help people life a grounded life of virtue, using emotions to inform reason, and find more joy (eudemonia) in daily life.

Guest:
Benny Voncken is the co-founder of Via Stoica and the Via Stoica Podcast. He and his team offer Stoic life coaching, corporate training, motivational speaking, and workshops. Our mission is to help people live better lives through the creation and application of a philosophy of Life, mainly based on Stoicism. Benny is from the Netherlands and has lived abroad for over 15 years. After teaching for almost 12 years, he focused on Stoicism and coaching to improve my life and to help as many people discover who they are and find their path and purpose in life.
You can find Benny on

To learn more about Benny, please visit:
https://viastoica.com/
https://es.linkedin.com/in/bennyvoncken

3:00 – Personal Story – How Did Benny Find Stoicism
5:00 – Research – Misunderstood Stoicism: The negative Association Between Stoic Ideology and well-Being (Karl et al., 2022)
5:50 – Stoicism Principles – Outcome: To Reach Eudemonia
6:30 – Stoicism Principles – Live in Accordance with Nature
5:50 – Stoicism Principles – 4 Cardinal Virtues (Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Temperance)
7:20 – Stoicism Principles – Guide By Reason, Live in Positive Emotions
8:30 – Stoicism Principles – Reflecting on Impulsive Emotions
9:45 – Concept – Reflecting on Emotions is Key to Using Reason
12:30 – Past Episode – Episode 17: Consent and Becoming an Adult with Sarah Casper
13:30 – Example – Rain and Perspective Taking within Stoicism
14:45 – History – Timeline of Stoicism
15:20 – Concept – Dichotomy of Control
16:45 – Concept – Dealing with Setbacks
22:20 – Concept – Living in Accordance with Nature
26:00 – Student Strategies – Explore Your Philosophy for Life (What are you supposed to do?)
28:55 – Student Strategies – Exploring Your Nature (Listening to Internals and Externals)
33:30 – Parent Strategies – “We have one mouth and two ears, so we should listen more and speak less.” (Xeno)
34:40 – Parent Strategies – Listen to a child, without absorbing all their feelings
36:20 – Research - Prediction error determines how memories are organized in the brain (Kennedy et al., 2024)
39:10 – Stoicism Practice – Journaling
46:00 – Personal Practice – Journaling. Getting Things on Paper. Poetry.

Special thanks to musical artists:
Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/
Jinsang: https://jinsangbeats.bandcamp.com/

To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:
present-mind.org/podcast

Dr. Muller shares his professional experience on the power of relationships. He highlights how relationships are important as a foundation for personal growth. Strategies for parents and young adults are shared to build positive relationships.

Guest:
Robert T. Muller, Ph.D. completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, was on faculty at the University of Massachusetts, and is currently a professor at York University in Toronto. Dr. Muller is a fellow and member of several scientific societies, and is the 2024 recipient of the Pierre Janet Award for his scholarship on trauma. His most recent psychotherapy book, "Trauma & the Struggle to Open Up" was given the 2019 Written Media Award, for the year's best written work on trauma. And his award-winning bestseller, "Trauma & the Avoidant Client" has been translated widely. As lead investigator on several multi-site programs to treat interpersonal trauma, Dr. Muller has lectured internationally. He founded an online magazine, "The Trauma & Mental Health Report," that is now visited by over 100,000 readers a year. With over 30 years in the field, he practices in Toronto.

To learn more about Dr. Muller, please visit:
https://psychotherapytoronto.ca/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-trauma
https://www.youtube.com/user/thetraumareport

To learn more about Trauma Practice for Healthy Communities
https://traumapractice.org/

4:00 – Personal Story – How Dr. Muller Became Interested in Shame Research
10:23 – Concept – What’s Important About a Therapeutic Relationship
11:00 – Common Factors for Good Therapy – Therapeutic Relationship, Readiness for Change, Hopefulness
20:30 – Concepts – Relationships as a Source of Healing and Pain
26:00 – Concepts – Therapeutic Space is a Ground to Explore Interpersonal Dynamics
28:00 – Ways of Coping – Avoidance and Trauma
30:00 – Ways of Coping – Humor to Avoid Emotions
33:40 – Idea – Compass of Shame (Dr. Donald L. Nathanson)
35:30 – Student Strategies to Explore Intense Feelings – Journaling
39:50 – Ways of Coping – Oversharing, Dissociating
41:00 – College Resources – Most College Counseling Centers are Free
42:00 – Free Resources - Trauma Practice for Healthy Communities
44:00 – Free Resources – Trauma Informed Yoga
45:50 – Concept – There are a Lot of Ways to Bring About Healing
47:15 – Personal Strategies – Hanging with Granddaughter, Music, Cooking (Hungarian Food)
50:30 – Parent Strategies to Support Child Traumatic Experiences – Reacting with Support and Empathy
58:30 – Therapist Strategy – Trauma Work Can’t be done Alone (Be Part of a Process Group)

Special thanks to musical artists:
Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/
Joseph Jacobs: https://josephjacobsmusic.bandcamp.com/music

To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:
present-mind.org/podcast

Dr. Benau explores relational trauma and how shame and pride influence connecting with others. He highlights his research, professional experience, and personal stories to highlight how we can transcend shame to connect with others.

Guest:
Dr. Ken Benau Ph.D. has been a licensed clinical psychologist since 1990, and maintains a private practice in Kensington, CA, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Benau has expertise in working with children and adults with various learning and developmental differences, including those living with LD, ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has a special interest and expertise in shame and pride-informed psychotherapy with survivors of relational trauma. Dr. Benau has presented his ideas about shame, pride, and dissociation and their therapeutic applications in psychotherapy with relational trauma survivors at various international conferences, webinars and podcasts. He has also written several peer reviewed articles with that same theme, where he introduced the concept and phenomena of pro-being pride, a powerful antidote to traumatic shame states. Pro-being pride is the experience of taking delight in one’s unique ways of being and relating to oneself, others, and in the world. Dr. Benau’s book, Shame, Pride, and Relational Trauma: Concepts and Psychotherapy, was published by Routledge in March, 2022.

To learn more about Dr. Benau, please visit:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ken-benau-kensington-ca/279286

5:00 – Work History – Understanding Pride and Pro-Being
7:30 – Concepts – Relational Trauma
9:00 – Concept – How Pro-Being, Shame, and Pride Interact
11:30 – Concept – Attunement, Rupture, and Repair
14:50 – Concept – The Good Enough Parent (D.W. Winnicott)
20:30 – Concept – How Ignoring Can Lead to Relational Trauma
21:20 – Concept – How Shame Can Show in Relationships
22:30 – Idea – Shame State
25:00 – Idea – How Does Shame Show Up: Perfectionism, Anger, Anxiety
30:00 – Concept – Guilt vs. Shame
34:50 – Adult Strategy – Verbalize and Show Non-Judgement
36:30 – Concept – Shame is Protective
37:25 – Strategies to Heal from Shame – Building Connections
42:45 – Concept – The Emotional Bank
45:40 – Strategies to Heal from Shame – Building Confidence
48:30 – Strategies to Heal from Shame – Listening
50:00 – Idea – Affects are on a Spectrum (Sylvan Thompkins)
52:30 – Parent Strategies for ProBeing – Curiosity Around Parenting
52:30 – Parent Strategies for ProBeing – Building Connections
58:30 – Student Strategies for ProBeing – Watching for How People Make Connections
68:00 – Previous Episode – Purpose & Happiness (Tracy Bower)
69:00 – Personal Wellness Strategies – Hanging with Friends

Special thanks to musical artists:
Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/
Open Concept: https://opencontact.bandcamp.com/

To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:
present-mind.org/podcast

Ashley Leonard highlights her extensive experience leading mentoring programs in chicago, and how it builds connection and belonging in students and teachers. We explore the benefits of mentoring and its relationship to improved academic and emotional outcomes for adolescents.

Guest:
Ashley Leonard. Education for 23 years. Counselor at Langston Hughes in Roseland Neighborhood of Chicago, IL. She has been a counselor for 15 years. Program Ambassador for Erika's Lighthouse. Speaks for their program which is free. Also do part time therapy, at Olive Branch Associates.

To connect with Ashley, please email:
aleonard3@uchicago.edu

To learn more about mentoring, please explore the following:
https://toandthrough.uchicago.edu/research

Timestamps:
4:00 – Personal Story – What Led You to Exploring Mentorship?
7:30 – Concept – Social Capital to Connect to Experiences
9:45 – Personal Story – How did you start the To & Through Program?
13:15 – Concept – Adolescence is the 2nd Most Important for Child development
13:15 – Research - Life course epidemiology: recognizing the importance of adolescence (Viner et al., 2015)
17:22 – Concept – What can mentorship look like in a high school?
18:30 – Concept – Mentors Need Understanding Adolescent Issues
19:22 – Concept – Mentors Benefit from Encouraging While Having High Expectations
20:00 – Concept – Mentoring Takes Time Commitment
21:20 – Benefits – Relationships (Belonging) are the Foundation for Success Academically
22:00 – Research - The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research - Foundations for Young Adult Success Report
22:00 – Research - The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research - Investing in Adolescents
24:20 – Strategy – Strength Based Conferences
27:00 – Research – The Impact of Student–Teacher Relationships on Black Middle School Boys (Leverett et al., 2022)
28:30 – Student Strategy – Finding Mentors – Ask For Help!
28:30 – Parent Strategy – Exploring Mentors – Formal Mentorship Programs Help, Especially for Post-Secondary Work
34:20 – Parent Strategy – Exploring Mentors – Ask Other Parents about Partnerships
38:30 – Student Strategy – Build Your Board of Directors
46:00 – Idea – How to Start a Mentorship Program
47:10 – Personal Strategy – Music & Walks

Special thanks to musical artists:
Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/

Korey Wade:
@koreywade / @sphereofhiphop
Available now wherever you stream/download music.
Bandcamp: https://sphereofhiphop.bandcamp.com

To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:
present-mind.org/podcast