Parent Compass on SmartSocial Podcast
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guests Sue Borison and Stephanie Silverman
Episode 273
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Cindy Muchnick and Jenn Curtis interview Susan Borison and Stephanie Silverman, co-founders and editors of the Your Teen Media platform, who chat about the gap in support for parents of teens that led them to create their valuable platform. They dive into their thoughts on raising tweens and teens, offering wisdom gleaned from parenting a combined 8 of their own.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guest William Deresiewicz
Episode 272
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Cindy Muchnick and Jenn Curtis interview Bill Deresiewicz, New York Times Best-Selling Author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, about the challenges students are facing on elite college campuses. The author chronicles conversations, statistics, and anecdotes from his boots-on-the-ground experience as a former Yale professor and Columbia instructor; he shares his observations of his own students and others he interviewed at dozens of college campuses around the country. Bill discusses the theme of pursuing purpose and why liberal arts majors are relevant. The episode also explores “overbearing parents” and why many college students are unable to think for themselves and are depleted, exhausted, and unenthused about learning for learning’s sake.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guest Lori Gottlieb
Episode 271
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Cindy Muchnick and Jenn Curtis interview Lori Gottlieb, author of the New York Times best selling book and memoir Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. A therapist, Lori shares her advice for parenting teens and navigating the tween and teen experience with empathy.
Lori chats about the power of human connection and how parents can connect better with their teens. She touches on the importance of presence in our interactions with our kids and on better tools to communicate with them, cautioning that anxiety can be contagious. Lori also shares her experience as the mother of a teenager and even reflects on her own years as a teen.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guest Jessica Lahey
Episode 267
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Jenn Curtis and Cindy Muchnick interview best-selling author Jessica Lahey about how failure can be the best thing for kids to experience. Jessica discusses how we can instill intrinsic motivation in our kids instead of priming them to thrive off of external validation, and she touches on how to approach chores and what she thinks about quitting. She talks about the damaging effects of "outcome love"—the kind of love that shows up when kids have accomplished something. She encourages parents instead to focus on the long haul—on the learning and the growth that kids experience throughout their childhood and adolescence. She gives great advice on developing positive relationships with teachers, expressing gratitude, and even the benefits of quitting.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guest Kelly Corrigan
Episode 260
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Jenn Curtis and Cindy Muchnick interview interview best-selling author Kelly Corrigan about life, parenting, and the invaluable lessons she's learned along the way. Kelly talks about really listening to our kids and the importance of doing so without the goal of fixing. While it is soothing for us, she says, to solve problems for our kids, it is ten times more soothing to know that they can problem solve for themselves. Truly listening allows parents to get to "the thing behind the thing behind the thing"—what kids are really trying to convey. Kelly tackles the power of saying "no" and reflects on how developing this skill has added so much freedom to her life, and she gets candid about looking back on the way she was raised to inform her own parenting. She delivers her musings, observations, and wisdom with humility, humor, and a great talent for relatability.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guest Ted O'Neill
Episode 257
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Jenn Curtis and Cindy Muchnick interview Ted O'Neill, affectionately known as "guru," "philosopher king," and the "god of admissions." Ted joins Jenn and Cindy to chat about the changes in college admission over the span of his long career and to offer advice for those navigating through it. He gets candid about what changed in the college admission process during his 40-year tenure in admissions at the University of Chicago: what he refers to as a natural growth and an unnatural growth. He discusses how college rankings lists have impacted the college admission process, he offers parenting advice for those trying to navigate the admissions journey, and he gives his perspective on the value of a holistic and personalized admission approach.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guests
Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg
Episode 255
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Jenn Curtis and Cindy Muchnick interview Eric Furda, Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jacques Steinberg, NYT bestselling author and former New York Times education journalist. Eric and Jacques discuss their new book, The College Conversation. they urge families to approach the college admission process with an open mind, espousing the value of open lines of communication among family members during the stressful process of applying to college. Their 5 conversations give families the roadmap to approach it with intention, setting appropriate boundaries as they do so.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guest Christine Carter
Episode 251
Jenn Curtis and Cindy Muchnick interview Christine Carter, author of The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction. Christine candidly talks about the intersection between her research as a sociologist and her experiences as a parent. She discusses the impacts technology is having on teen mental health, how not to nag, and how to effectively approach drugs and alcohol with teens.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guest Catherine Newman
Episode 246
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Jenn Curtis and Cindy Muchnick interview Catherine Newman, author of How to Be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up. Catherine chats about what gave her the idea to write this essential title, her take on independence and interdependence and why they're both important, and the value of resilience.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast with Guests
Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz
Episode 243
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Hosts Jenn Curtis and Cindy Muchnick interview The Wall Street Journal reporters and co-authors of Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit, and the Making of the College Admissions Scandal, Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz. "UNACCEPTABLE is the definitive story of the college admissions scandal that shocked the nation and shattered myths about meritocracy." Levitz and Korn chat about their unprecedented access to the families wrapped up in the scandal, their thoughts on the repercussions, and lessons that all parents can take away from the fallout.
Parent Compass on the Smart Social Podcast
Episode 237
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In this episode of Parent Compass on the SmartSocial.com Podcast, Jenn and Cindy share their thoughts on tutoring (or rather the trend of "over tutoring") and how it relates to self-advocacy. They also discuss the necessity for parents to practice self-examination--to take a good, hard look at why they parent the way that they parent and how their own upbringing might affect their desires for their kids. And lastly, they offer some advice on navigating the admission process during the current global pandemic.