How to help teens get comfortable with discomfort and pursue meaningful work (with Joey Mascio)

Teen’s brains are wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy. On top of that their prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed yet, which means they don’t always make decisions that are in their best interest. They’re learning so much about how to navigate relationships and manage their day-to-day lives. Things like:👉Handling setbacks, like not making the sports team or getting the job👉Learning to be comfortable with how they look/sound/act👉Figuring out how to make and keep friends👉Discovering how to delay gratification and work towards long-term goals👉Understanding dating and romantic relationshipsSo many of these things are impacted by neurological development, and I love a good metaphor for explaining complex processes like this. Joey Mascio, my guest for episode 134 of the De Facto Leaders podcast is full of great metaphors to help kids understand how their brains work. Joey is a Teen Life Coach, former teacher, and creator of the SideKick To Hero mindset coaching app for teens. He’s also the host of the Secrets to An Awesome Life podcast. In this episode we talk about helping teens embrace discomfort, navigate the nuances of dating and friendships, and create a personal narrative that helps them reach their goals.In this episode, we discuss: ✅Does self-help focused on relaxation and taking a break help teens find happiness? ✅How he uses Victor Frankl’s 3 ways to find meaning to coach teens, including: meaningful work, connection with others, and having a productive attitude toward unavoidable suffering. ✅Tips for helping teens and tweens handle rejection. ✅How to help teens navigate the nuances of friendships and dating✅Ways to help teens delay gratification and get comfortable being uncomfortable. In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program for related service providers who want to take a leadership role in implementing executive functioning support. I also give you strategies that support self-directed talk and working memory. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership

Om Podcasten

On the De Facto Leaders podcast, host Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan helps pediatric therapists and educators become better leaders, so they can make a bigger impact with their services. With over 15 years of experience supporting school-age kids with diverse learning needs, Dr. Karen shares up-to-date evidence-based practices, her own experiences and guest interviews designed to help clinicians, teachers, and aspiring school leaders feel more confident in the way they serve their students and clients. She’ll cover a range of topics designed to help you support students' emotional and academic growth and set kids up for success in adulthood, including how to support language, literacy, executive functioning, and how to help IEP teams working together to support kids across the day. Whether you want to learn more effective strategies for your therapy session or classroom, be a more influential leader on your team, or find creative ways to use your skills to advance in your career, Dr. Karen has you covered.