In this episode of the Self Driven Child podcast, I'm thrilled to welcome back one of my favorite voices in parenting, Jess Lahey. Jess is a New York Times bestselling author, an educator, and someone who's been on the front lines of both teaching and parenting. We discuss the emotional rollercoaster that is the transition from high school to college—not jus ... Show More
Today
Let’s Play! An interview with Dr. William Stixrud on the neuroscience of play, the critical ingredient for a child’s resilience and motivation
What if one of the most important things we can do to raise confident, resilient, and motivated kids is simply to let them play? And I don't mean organized sports, adult-supervised activities, or structured playdates. I'm talking about good old-fashioned, kid-directed play. The k ... Show More
40m 18s
Sep 17
Why Children Need More Freedom to Thrive with Dr. Peter Gray
Maybe it wasn’t all about the cell phones after all.In this episode, I’m joined by eminent psychologist, researcher, and author Dr. Peter Gray to explore what may really be driving the decline in children’s mental health. While smartphones and social media often take center stage ... Show More
54m 40s
Aug 11
An interview with Juliette Blake: the teen tech founder who became a mom and built a safer social media platform for girls
All of us worry about the potentially negative impacts of technology. We worry our kids are online too much, that social media is disrupting their sleep, academics, mental health, and relationships—and frankly, taking away good time outdoors. And it doesn’t feel good to have the ... Show More
57m 39s
Apr 2021
'Just Say No' Doesn't Work
Jessica Lahey, writer, teacher, and public speaker, opens up about her lifelong relationship with alcohol: growing up with an alcoholic parent, becoming an alcohol peer counselor in college, and realizing that she, too, had become an alcoholic in her 40s. “It's really hard to adm ... Show More
15m 45s
Feb 2025
How to build resilience in children by allowing them to fail with Jessica Lahey
Send us Fan MailWe discuss the essential balance of parenting, focusing on how allowing children to fail fosters resilience and independence. Jessica Leahy shares insights from her book, The Gift of Failure, highlighting the dangers of over-parenting and the need to embrace failu ... Show More
1h 12m