Chris Balme, Finding the Magic in Middle School (022)

On May’s episode of PrepTalks, Ned speaks with Katey McPherson, an Arizona-based educational advocate with more than 25 years of experience as a teacher, guidance counselor, and school administrator. They talk about strategies for addressing the anxiety that so many of our middle and high school students suffer from, including the importance of parents and school staff providing a non-anxious presence (or NAP). They also dive into the need to cultivate resilience rather than taking it for granted, and how showing vulnerability and validating our teens’ and tweens’ emotions is critical for building authentic connections. Likewise, Ned and Katey discuss how important it is to allow students the space to develop skills in moving through conflict rather than sweeping it away or just ignoring it. Follow Ned at @nedjohnson and Katey at @KateyAZ1 on Twitter.

On April’s episode of PrepTalks, Ned speaks with Nefertiti Austin, author of Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America. Ned and Nefertiti talk about her journey, as a single African American woman, to adopt a Black son out of the foster care system. Along the way, she found out how deeply American culture sees motherhood through a white lens, discovered how to navigate the bureaucracies and cultural assumptions around adoption, and learned a great deal about intergenerational healing from trauma. Follow Ned at @nedjohnson and Nefertiti at @NefertitiAustin on Twitter.

On the March episode of PrepTalks, Ned chats with Chris Balme, co-founder of Argonaut, a live, online program that brings together small groups of middle schoolers to discover their strengths, explore their identity, and find ways to contribute to the world. Chris was previously co-founder and Head of The Millennium School, an independent, progressive laboratory middle school in San Francisco. His new book, Finding the Magic in Middle School, will be published later in 2022. They talk about a period of life that is often very challenging for adolescents but that holds all sorts of potential for growth, as well as about how parents and teachers can make middle school awesome. Follow Ned at @nedjohnson and Chris at @chrisbalme on Twitter.

On February’s PrepTalks, Ned talks with Dr. Eli Lebowitz, Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center and founder of the SPACE program, a parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD, and related problems. They chat about Eli’s 2021 book, Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD: A Scientifically Proven Program for Parents, which is geared towards helping parents learn how to implement the SPACE program and become a valuable resource for their children. Follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson.

On January’s episode of PrepTalks, Ned talks with Michele Borba, expert parenting consultant and the author of 25 books, most recently, Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine (coming out in paperback in March). They dive into Michele’s research into the seven traits — confidence, empathy, self-control, integrity, curiosity, perseverance, and optimism — that allow kids to roll with the punches, navigate our challenging times, and succeed in life. They also discuss the important point that these traits can be taught to children and young adults, and indeed, that it’s essential that parents and educators do teach these skills. Follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson and Michele at @micheleborba.

PrepTalks finishes 2021 with a great conversation between Ned and Aviva Legatt talking about the principles behind her new book, Get Real and Get In: How to Get Into the College of Your Dreams by Being Your Authentic Self. Wishing all our listeners Happy Holidays & the best for the new year!

On November’s episode of PrepTalks, Ned talks with Dr. Madeline Levine, author of several books, most recently, Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World. Ned and Madeline discuss how parents who define success in terms of good grades, test scores, and admissions to elite colleges, and who are determined to shelter children from discomfort and anxiety, are setting future generations up to fail spectacularly. At the same time, they dive into the skills that children will need to remain resilient, confident, and optimistic through rapidly changing and challenging times. Follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson and Madeline at @DrMadelineL.

We’ve got a special episode of PrepTalks this month! I’m in the hot seat today, as Katy Dunn, Director of Educational Planning at PrepMatters, interviews me about my new book, “What Do You Say?,” co-authored with Dr. William Stixrud. In “What Do You Say?,” Bill and I offer all sorts of practical advice for parents communicate more effectively with their kids, as we look to help parents raise motivated, resilient children. Follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson and Katy at @moxadoodle

On September’s PrepTalks, Ned chats with NPR reporter Michaeleen Doucleff about her recent New York Times bestseller, Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans. They discuss what Michaeleen learned by taking her three-year-old daughter to learn parenting strategies from three indigenous communities: the Maya in Yucatán, the Inuit above the Arctic Circle, and the Hadzabe in Tanzania. She talks about finding parenting relationships based on cooperation rather than control, trust instead of fear, and personalized guidance rather than standardized expectations. Follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson and Michaeleen at @FoodieScience.

On the new PrepTalks, Ned Johnson chats with Becky Munsterer Sabky about her brand-new book, Valedictorians at the Gate, an indispensable guide for parents & students applying to college – and staying sane in the process.