Teen Esteem Council Podcast

Welcome to the year 2011. Thanks for all of the support last year. 2010 was a year of great growth for us and we want to let everyone who follows us know how much we appreciate it. We have been able to reach many more people this year and hope to reach even more in the coming year. One of our biggest accomplishments was the publishing of our book Dropping Him, Finding Me. It is a story of a girl who learns, with the help of a friend, how to build self esteem from within. You can buy the book here. In this poddcast each member of the Council talks about something that they learned last year, something that they accomplished and their favorite movie.  

One of the best parts of the Holiday Season is the giving and receiving of gifts. Today, on Christmas, we wanted to dedicate a podcast to gifts that you can give yourself. We aren't talking about material things... Even though I did buy a pen for myself... we are talking about things that can build your self esteem and the way you see yourself. We are blessed to have all of the Teen Esteem Council together for this podcast! Merry Christmas everyone and may a spirit of gratitude and love fill our hearts.

It is the beginning of the Holiday Break in schools all across the country. Are you going to take full advantage of the break? Today Mat and Summer talk about how to make the most of your holiday break. You will hear great ideas regarding how to give yourself an emotional break, a social break, and a break from the pressures that come from being in school. Use your break to recharge your batteries and get ready for the coming of the rest of the school year.

Everyone has been to the awkward party during the Holiday Season. It's even worse when you are throwing the party and the people who are there think the party is boring. This podcast focuses on games that you can use to liven up any party that you find yourself attending. Aubin brings the word 'also' back into the podcast. Mat has a HORRIBLE idea about meeting people... and gets shot down by the rest of the group... it really was a bad idea. Summer demonizes 'white elephant' games. There should be no excuse to be bored over this holiday season with the many entertaining ideas that we provide in this podcast.

In this podcast Mat reveals the gift idea that never fails. You can't go wrong if you follow his advice in buying gifts. We are in the month of December now and the tradition of buying and giving gifts can weigh heavy on people's minds. We have a few ideas for those of you who may not have a lot of money to spend. We also touch on the dilema of the significant other that buys you an expensive gift. Enjoy giving gifts to others. The saying goes, "It is better to give than receive." That has been our experience. Try it out this holiday season!

Are you living a double life? Do you act differently around your family than you do when you are around your friends? How do you act when you hang out with different groups of friends? Are you the same no matter who you are with? Today's podcast discusses why it is important to be congruent in your life. Living a congruent life means that you know who you are and that you are the same person no matter who you are with. It is exhausting to act one way when you are with certain people, but then act completely different when you change your social group. Each of you have incredible talents and abilities. Put your energy into finding out who YOU are. What are you passionate about? What do you love to do? What goals do you have for yourself? These are some questions that can help you in your effort to find out who you really are. All of these ideas are in today's podcast and there is much more...

This is a little extra recording that Mat and Summer did. The topic is Thanksgiving and why it is important to be thankful. A special thanks to all of our listeners. We truly do appreciate your support.

This is the second Thanksgiving podcast that the Teen Esteem Council has done. We have added a few members to the Council since last year at this time. Today everyone has a chance to express the things that they are Thankful for. Mat shares a life changing story about the quote, "Happiness is a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day." At this time of the year it is important to remember that there are things in your life to be grateful for. Summer explains the idea of keeping a gratitude journal and how keeping one can help you remember to be thankful for little things in your life.

Last week our podcast focused on the drama that inevitably happens in the lives of teenage girls. This week Summer gives you a way to solve problems that come from drama. This process will also help you solve any problem that you are facing in your life. The main points of the strategy that Summer discusses are: Problem - Identify the problem (without blaming) Options - Identify your options Consequences - What are the consequencec attached to each option Solution - After seeing all of the options and their consequences choose the best solution

Question: What is the one thing that is bound to be part of an adolescent girl's life? Answer: Drama! That is our topic for today's podcast. Mat, Summer, and Amanda talk about how you can learn to deal with the drama that goes on in middle school and high school.

We want to wish every one of our listeners a happy and a safe Halloween evening. The theme for today's podcasts is phobias. Do you have one? Listen to us talk about some of the things that we are most afraid of and then listen to us talk about how to overcome some of your fears.

Summer states it very well during this episode, "We all have little weirdities...". Today's podcast talks about some of those weird things that we have experienced that we just can't look past in a relationship. Most of the podcast is hilarious as we talk about the little things that have bugged us about the person that we were dating. Toward the end though we do talk about some of the serious things that should be deal breakers.

Every time you meet someone, they create an impression of you. It only takes a few seconds for them to make an initial judgement about you. It can be very difficult to bounce back from a bad first impression. In today's podcast we share our first impressions of each other and share a few tips on how you can always make a good first impression.

Aubin has been busy traveling the world and starting her higher education. It has been a long while since she has been on a podcast with us. In celebration of her return, she shared her adventures in Europe with us and talks about what it has been like for her to start college. There IS some great advice for those of you who struggle with the rules and expectations that your parents set for you.

In today's podcast Jessica explains why she is nervous to go on a date. Summer, Amanda, and I give her some excellent advice to help her calm her nerves and get ready for the big event.

I found a website that is exclusively for girls and they had a quiz about stress. Summer and I take the quiz and share some facts about stress. We also share some stress management techniques that can help you reduce the stress levels in your life. Here is a link to the website. It is called Being Girl.com

The studio seemed empty this week as all of the girls except summer were busy. So, todays podcast is from the throwback style of only having Summer and Myself. Our topic today is the Fall TV season. It is here and Summer and I give our opinion (not that they matter much) of the shows that will be returning. The entire conversation is not just about what we think about certain TV shows... well, it is, but there is some great stuff that you can take away from listening to this podcast that you can apply in other areas of your life.

Many teen girls spend a lot of time worrying about parts of themselves that they can't change. In this podcast the Council discusses why that kind of thinking is damaging  to self esteem. We also discuss tips that can help you accept those parts about you that you can't change.

A lot of teenage girls earn money by babysitting. In today's podcast we talk about some of the horror stories that we have heard about bad babysitters. We also share some tips on how you can be a better babysitter. PS. we have already set a new record for downloads this month! Thanks for your support!

A couple of weeks ago we talked about being real or fake. That prompted a discussion on why people lie. We decided that would be a good podcast. Today we talk in depth about some of the reasons people lie... Including: Because I don't want to get in trouble Because I don't want to hurt people's feelings Because I want people to like me