PrepTalks

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.

Trying to figure out what “test-optional” and “test-free” really mean and why they’re important? Concerned about the pervasive structural inequity in standardized testing and college admissions more broadly? On this month’s PrepTalks, Ned dives into these questions with Jenn Jesse (aka Jenn The Tutor), a passionate and experienced teacher and advocate for making higher education accessible to those who might not otherwise see themselves as college material. Jenn is very active on Twitter as @jennthetutor, and you can follow her there or check out her website. You’ll also find Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson.

This month, PrepTalks welcomes Debbie Reber, founder of TiLT Parenting and author of Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World. Ned & Debbie chat about her work to empower parents who are raising “differently wired” kids – children whose neurodifferences might include ADHD, learning differences, giftedness, anxiety, and/or autism spectrum disorder, as well as those with no formal diagnosis but who continue to negotiate a world that wasn’t designed to accommodate their unique gifts. They talk about both her vision for supporting differently wired kids from a place of choice, growth, & joy and the specific tools that parents can use along this journey. Debbie’s website is https://www.debbiereber.com/, and the TiLT parenting community can be found at https://tiltparenting.com/. Check out Debbie on Twitter at @debbiereber and TiLT at @tiltparenting, and follow Ned at @nedjohnson.

This week, Ned talks with Jessica Lahey, whose most recent book, The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence, is just out. They discuss Jessica’s compassionate, practical guide to giving our children the tools to navigate the temptations of substance abuse. Her book builds on the latest scholarship in psychology, neuroscience, and child welfare, as well as her own journey parenting while coming to sobriety herself. Jessica’s website is https://www.jessicalahey.com. Follow Jessica on Twitter @jesslahey and Ned at @nedjohnson.

Today, Ned sits down with Julie Lythcott-Haims, former dean of freshmen at Stanford and author of several books, including Your Turn: How To Be an Adult. He talks with Julie about her just-released book, in which she blends her own experience – as a dean, a mentor, a friend, and a human – with the stories of dozens of twenty- and thirty-somethings she has interviewed about how they launched their adult lives. Her work eschews formulaic notions of adulthood, offering instead compassionate, insightful, and highly practical observations and suggestions, all informed by a rigorous commitment to inclusive, diverse notions of what adulthood can look like. Julie’s website is https://www.julielythcotthaims.com/. Follow Julie on Twitter at @jlythcotthaims and Ned at @nedjohnson.

This month, Ned talks with Mark Salisbury, CEO & co-founder of TuitionFit, which seeks to make college pricing fully transparent. They talk about trends in pricing, what families need to know going into the admissions process, and TuitionFit’s mission to promote transparency so that students can find a range of affordable & accessible schools and thus expand the range of opportunities available to them after graduation. TuitionFit’s website is https://www.tuitionfit.org/. Follow them on Twitter at @tuitionfit_ and Ned at @nedjohnson.

This month, Ned talks with Ron Lieber, the “Your Money” columnist for the New York Times and author of several books, including the just-released The Price You Pay for College. Ron and Ned chat about how the costs of college and the financial aid system have changed in recent years, what you’re actually paying for, and how to navigate the logistics and emotions of what might well be the biggest financial choice a family ever makes. Ron’s website is https://ronlieber.com/. Follow Ron on Twitter at @ronlieber and Ned at @nedjohnson.

In January’s episode of PrepTalks, Ned talks with Katie Hurley, a child & adolescent psychotherapist and the author of several books, most recently, A Year of Positive Thinking for Teens. They chat about the tools teens can develop to boost self-esteem, build confidence, manage expectations productively, and grow a healthy mindset on the road to adulthood. Katie’s website is https://practicalkatie.com/. Follow Katie on Twitter & Instagram at @katiefhurley and follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson.

In December’s PrepTalks, Ned sits down with Phyllis Fagell, school counselor, therapist, Washington Post contributor, and author of Middle School Matters. Ned and Phyllis talk about how the middle school years offers parents the low-stakes, high-reward opportunity to build confidence, character, and resilience and to teach kids the critical skills they’ll need to thrive in the years to come. Follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson and Phyllis at @pfagell.

On this month’s PrepTalks, Ned sits down with Blake Boles, Founder and Director of Unschool Adventures and author of Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School? They talk about how mainstream schooling isn’t for everyone and why parents and educators should support young people in exploring alternative paths grounded in self-directed, experiential learning. Follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson and Blake at @blakeboles.

“A core problem with the SAT right now is the belief in the test and what it measures. The SAT has jumped the shark as a useful tool.” On PrepTalks, Ned Johnson dives deep into questions of equity, justice, and standardized testing with Akil Bello, Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement at FairTest. Follow Ned on Twitter at @nedjohnson and Akil at @akilbello. Read more about FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, at https://www.fairtest.org/.