Joyful Courage

"Give yourself some grace." Susan Notis said this near the end of our conversation, and it's the part I keep coming back to.

When your teen is struggling, it's easy to keep score of everything you're getting wrong. But this work is big, and it doesn't turn on one dramatic conversation. It turns on tiny steps, taken over and over, for longer than feels fair.

And here's the thing she wants you to hear: you're taking those steps. That matters. So many parents aren't.

A couple of questions for your day: What are you giving yourself zero credit for right now? And what shifts when you measure progress in inches instead of miles?

The full episode is full of grace like this, plus real tools— link in bio, go to https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-662-part-two-of-teen-cannabin-use-with-susan-notis/ or search "joyful courage eps 662" wherever you listen to pods 🌱

Find Susan:
Website || https://inbalancelifeandparentcoaching.com
Instagram ||
Facebook || balance life and parent coaching

That heavy backpack of shame and guilt you've been carrying about your teen's cannabis use? Susan Notis wants to help you set it down.

She starts in an unexpected place. Their use makes sense. If something feels good and works, we repeat it, all of us. The catch is that the part of the brain that helps us pump the brakes isn't fully online for a teenager yet. They can't self-limit the way we can, even when they want to.

Understanding that doesn't excuse the behavior. It just opens the door to empathy, and empathy is where real change tends to begin.

Worth reflecting on: how much are you carrying that isn't actually yours to hold? And what becomes possible when you lead with curiosity instead of blame?

There's so much more in the full episode. Come have a listen— link in bio, go to https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-662-part-two-of-teen-cannabin-use-with-susan-notis/ or search "joyful courage eps 662" wherever you listen to pods 🌱

Find Susan:
Website || https://inbalancelifeandparentcoaching.com
Instagram ||
Facebook || balance life and parent coaching

"They can't have everything they want."

We say it about our kids without blinking. But have you ever turned it around on yourself?

Because we want things too. We want our teen to make the choice we'd make. To talk to us more. To be further along than they are. And when they're not — that ache, that wanting and not having — is real.

Diane Sorensen and I get into this on this week's episode. Learning to sit with that discomfort instead of pushing to fix it is its own kind of growth.

What are you wanting from your kid right now that isn't yours to control? Can you let it be hard without making it their job to make it better?

The whole conversation is live now. 🎧 Tune in — link in bio, go to https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-661-diane-sorensen-on-lifelong-motherhood/ or search "joyful courage eps 661" wherever you listen to pods 🌱

Find Diane:
Website || https://www.dianesorensen.net/
Instagram || .bb
Facebook || in Behavior

Next time your teen's behavior sends you spinning, try this:
Instead of "how do I make this stop?" ask "what is this telling me?"

It's a small shift that will make a big impact. Because behavior is communication. The meltdown, the silence, the back talk... it's all the tip of the iceberg. The real stuff is underneath, where we can't see it yet.

On this week's episode, Diane Sorensen and I talk about what it means to listen to behavior instead of shaping it. What are you not seeing? What's being revealed? And what becomes possible when you stop reacting to the surface and get curious about the depths?

Full conversation is live now. 🎧 Tune in — link in bio, go to https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-661-diane-sorensen-on-lifelong-motherhood/ or search "joyful courage eps 661" wherever you listen to pods 🌱

Find Diane:
Website || https://www.dianesorensen.net/
Instagram || .bb
Facebook || in Behavior