This Teenage Life

Climate change is the biggest issue facing our world today, and has a special significance for young people as the generations most in need of change yet often without the opportunities to make change. In today’s episode, Molly and Olivia discuss climate change from a young person’s perspective.

Here at This Teenage Life, we’ve uncovered a phenomenon called “too muchness.” It’s a fear of being “too much” that can lead to self policing that holds us back from being our authentic selves. In this episode, we talk about our fears and critiques of “too muchness,” how it feels, and where we think it comes from.

It's a tough time. Fires. A pandemic. Political turmoil. When we're at home and feeling sad, angry, or anxious, what are some strategies we use to comfort ourselves? In this episode of This Teenage Life, we discuss what we do to make ourselves feel better.

Right now, many students and teachers are going "back to school," which looks very different this year. Many people will be experiencing school remotely, including us here at This Teenage Life. In this episode, we discuss our thoughts about remote learning, and explore our ideal scenarios for remote projects.

This Teenage Life is excited to announce our 10 for a Tee Challenge! If you can get 10 people to rate and subscribe to TTL, then we'll send you a limited edition This Teenage Life T-Shirt (or sticker, if you live internationally). In this episode, you'll hear all the details of the challenge. Thank you so much for listening to This Teenage Life, your support means a lot to us.

This episode was made in collaboration with a group of teens in Kabul, Afghanistan. Together teens in Kabul and California talk about times when they’ve “talked back,” and stood up for what they believe.

This episode was made in collaboration with a group of teens in Kabul, Afghanistan. Together teens in Kabul and California talk about beauty standards and moments when they feel empowered and beautiful.

This episode was made in collaboration with a group of teens in Kabul, Afghanistan. Together teens in Kabul and California talk about perseverance and times when they overcame societal expectations that got in the way of their goals.

Periods can be a sensitive subject. But at This Teenage Life we approach periods, and hopefully all things, with openness and curiosity. In this episode, we talk about our experiences of menstruation and our perception of periods.

In this episode of This Teenage Life, we talk about the phenomena of cancel culture on the internet and share our critiques and reflections.

It’s hard to replicate real life behind a screen. In quarantine, we’ve been trying to be ourselves and stay in touch with friends, but it’s challenging. As we end school and move into summer vacation, we’ve been learning a lot about ourselves, the things we’re struggling with, and the things we miss. In this episode, we give an update on our experiences being quarantined.

After 400 years of oppression and the brutal murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement has swept the nation bringing people to demand an end to racist policing. In this episode, we share our feelings on the recent events and how they have impacted us. To all our black listeners: We stand with you and we love you.  Antiracism Resources: bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES Books related to antiracism: White Fragility, link by Robin Diangelo, Michael Eric DysonMe and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad How to be an Antiracist, link by Ibram X. Kendi Bad Feminist, link by Roxane Gay  Related petitions you can sign (takes less than a minute):  https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor  https://www.change.org/p/glynn-county-distric-attorney-justice-for-ahmaud-arbery A youtube video that has ~1 hr of music and art from black creators — the ads (don’t skip them!) generate revenue and are donated to a variety of

Not all of us have a fur baby to cuddle up next to, but for those who do or have had one, I think we can say with certainty that they cause immense joy. During these times where we are spending more time at home, we get to be with them for a lot longer. Sometimes they love that, but some of them might get annoyed. In this episode we take a dive into our relationships with our pets from the past and present and how they are like a family member, vital to our changing realities. 

During these times, many teenagers are stuck at home with their parents — for better or for worse. In today’s episode, Olivia has a conversation with her mom about their relationship, motherhood, and what it means to be a mom during this pandemic.

Adolescence can be messy. 13 is a particularly challenging time — friend groups can be tricky, puberty can be disorienting, and in general, at 13, a lot of people seem to feel insecure about belonging. In this episode, we talk about our experiences being 13.

We only know the voices in our own heads. But most people have some kind of inner monologue. Sometimes our inner monologue can go in circles or be negative, especially when we're alone. And we're alone a lot more these days. In this episode, we share what our inner monologues sound like, and what we do when we want to shift from being negative to having a more positive outlook on the world.

As the routines of our lives shift and we confront the reality of spending weeks, if not months, at home, we talk about how we grapple with and experience boredom and how we use it to start new hobbies and develop new creative projects.

Kindness matters, especially during this dark time, even if what you're doing doesn’t seem like a big deal. In this episode, we talk about small acts of kindness that we’ve noticed recently and how they’ve affected us.

COVID-19 is a global pandemic. We're grateful to be healthy, and are also grappling with staying at home, without school or social interaction with friends. In this episode, we video-chatted to talk about how our thoughts and experiences of COVID-19 have unfolded thus far.

Have you ever wondered what you'll think of yourself when you look back on your teenage years? In this episode, we hear stories from young(ish) adults in their 30s reflecting on their teenage lives.