Teen Esteem Council Podcast

Today we discuss how to avoid the awkward silence when you are on a date or talking on the phone. We also talk about the new phenominon of the awkward silence in a txt or facebook conversation.

We have talked about internet safety before, but as social media evolves so do the hazards of spending time online. Today we talk about one social media site cal omegle.com. It is a site where people go to talk to complete strangers. As with most social media sites, on the surface this is not necessarily bad, but there are potential hazards. We talk about what those hazards are and we share steps that our council members have taken to keep themselves safe on the internet. We apologize that the audio on this podcast is not ideal.

The sun is shining more, the days are longer, and the thoughts of summer vacation are filling the minds of students all over the country. Mat and Summer talk about some of the reasons that people can start to act differently when there is a change from dreary winter to a bright spring.

We have all been angry and held on to that anger for too long. This podcast talks about why letting go of grudges is the best thing that you can do for yourself.

A few years ago we had a conversation about teen girls and how they often have strained relationships with their mothers. Today we decided to do the opposite and talk about relationships between moms and teen girls that get along with each other. McKenzee shares how she keeps the great relationship that she has with her mom going and gives some tips on how you can have a great relationship with your mom too.

This piece of advice is commonly given. "Just kill them with kindness." Today we talk about whether or not this advice really works.

Today we go way back to the very beginning of our podcast. We are talking about paradigms and worldviews. What ideas do you have about the way the world works is holding you back from doing things that you really want to do and having things that you would really like to have? Most of think that the way we see the world is the way that the world is. We actually see the world the way that WE are. Today we talk about why understanding that truth is important to your happiness.

Last week we discussed how you can be happy without having a boyfriend. One of the suggestions from that podcasts was to focus on your own talents and interests. You may be asking, "What if I don't know what my talents are?" We are going to give you some suggestions on how you can discover them. One hint: You may be surprised that the things that are easy for you are probably things that people that recognize as your talents... start looking there.

Last week we talked about how you can be happy without having a boyfriend. This week a few members of the Council get together to discuss the importance of being happy for others. We also talk about why it can be hard to be happy for others when good things happen for them in their lives. McKenzee and Chantel share some moments that they have experienced recently where it was difficult for them to choose to be happy for the other person. One thing that is important that is pointed out in today's podcast is that it is OK to be disappointed and still be happy for the other person. Send us your stories of when someone that you know experienced success and you were really happy for them.

*NOTICE* Do not be alarmed by the cackling laugh that Summer does at the beginning of this podcast. Nor at any of the other odd behavior that is exhibited by the podcast members. We thought it would be fun to give each of the members a 'curse' that they had to do throughout the podcast.  Just FYI, the curses came from a game called Curses which can be purchased here. Even though we are joking about the curses... we are really serious about out topic. Everytime we talk to teen girls and ask them about the challenges that teen girls face, boys are always on the list of the top 3. So, today we wanted to share some insights that can help you be happy, even if, or especially if you don't have a boyfriend.

Today is probably the most negative podcast that you will hear from the Teen Esteem Council. We were sitting around before we started recording and were talking about some of the things that bug us and we decided to record the conversation. So listen in to find out what bothers our girls, that you would never know, because they are too nice to say it out loud. There are some life lessons in there too.

What do you think about when you hear the phrase 'Going the Extra Mile'? Listen in as the TEC chats about what this phrase means to them.

Today is our final podcast with Heather. We discuss the important role that her friend played in her life during her teenage and highschool years. She also talks more about the breakup with her boyfriend in highschool and the great relationship that she has with her husband.  We want to thank Heather for coming on the podcast with us. Her story offers hope of a better life for those who are going through a similar situation to what she went through. 

Our podcast with Heather continues as she talks about what family life was like before her parents were divorced. She discusses the constant fighting  and the physical and verbal abuse that happened to her mother. Heather also talks about what her wonderful mother did to keep the kids together and to make sure that they knew they were important and were loved. Another topic of conversation was about her dad, specifically how he lived a different life outside of the home and gave people a completely different impression about him.  Heather lets us know about the jerk boyfriend she was dating in high school and why she decided to break up with him after 3 years of dating. She also talks about the positive role models that she had during those high school years. There is a lot of great stuff in this podcast. Once again we are very grateful to Heather for sharing her story with us.

When I heard about Heather's story of overcoming the challenges that her parents fighting and eventual divorce caused, I could not believe that in all the time that we have been doing our podcasts we have not really talked about divorce. We asked Heather to come on the podcast and talk about how she was able to work through those trying circumstances and create an amazing life for herself. Today's podcast focuses on the background of her story and the things that wrre happening in her life before the divorce and discusses how her mother was an amazing support for Heather and her siblings. This is an inspiring story that you should not miss hearing if you or someone you know has been through their parents getting divorced.

Today we review a DVD/Book package called 'The Way to Happiness'. The book and film presents 21 precepts of the world's common sense moral code.  We agree that if a person does live by these precepts they will find greater happiness in life. We have some interesting conversation and debate around what precepts that we think are most important though. We do not always agree with each other or with the author about which precepts are most important. You can find the book and DVD here. You can preview the video of a few of the precepts there.

We have talked about this before, but getting input from 3 girls who have made exercise a consistent part of their lives is powerful stuff. 

There has been a lot of news about Lance Armstrong and Manti Teo in the news lately. Today our discussion was going to be about honesty and the importance of telling the truth, but we end up talking about avoiding hero worship and what some of the ramifications are of becoming to attached to people that you idolize. Self esteem comes from within and from the things that we do every single day. We can't borrow our self image from idolizing someone else.

Today's podcast comes from a personal experience the McKenzee had. No, she was not the cheater, but she did get caught up in an unfortunate situation. This leads us to discuss different ways you can handle a situation if someone is trying to cheat off you. We also talk about the importance of letting people know what your boundaries are and how you can let people know when they are crossing your boundaries.

We don't even mention that the world did not end in the year 2012. We do talk about our favorite movies, music, personal accomplishments from this year. One of the takeaways from this podcast is that reflection about your life or reflection on your life is important.take some time over this next week before the year ends to reflect on your 2012 and let us know what major events helped your life move forward this year.