As a teenager, Christina King looked like she was doing everything right — she had good grades, played sports, took advanced classes. But when her mom paused during an argument and asked, “Are you happy?” it changed the course of her life. Today, Christina is a therapist specializing in tween and teen girls, and she shares what’s really happening in the teenage brain, why emotional ups and downs are often developmentally normal, and how parents can stay connected during one of the most intense seasons of growing up.

Note: This episode is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. It includes discussion of teen mental health, including self-harm, in the context of helping parents understand and respond.

1. The question that led her to therapy as a teen
2. What "all gas, no brakes" means for the adolescent brain
3. Why emotional volatility can be a healthy sign
4. Tween girl friendship dynamics and indirect aggression
5. Social media, comparison culture, and feeling left out
6. The difference between venting mode and problem-solving mode
7. Why parents should depersonalize their teen's emotions

1. Christina King Family Therapy
2. Find Christina on Instagram
3. Inside Out 2 (when discussing adolescent emotions)

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Kristen Mardis was 21 years old, fresh out of college, and had just been accepted into graduate school when she found out she was pregnant. With no financial safety net and no health insurance, she had to quickly figure out how she would care for a baby while still pursuing her dream of becoming a speech pathologist. In this episode, Kristen shares what it was like to navigate Medicaid, SNAP benefits, and childcare assistance — and how those programs gave her the foundation she needed to build the life she has today.

1. Finding out she was pregnant just weeks after being accepted into graduate school
2. How Medicaid and SNAP helped her access prenatal care and feed her baby
3. Navigating childcare assistance so she could finish her master’s degree
4. The stigma around government assistance — and the dignity everyone deserves
5. How her experience shaped the way she now serves families in her work as a speech pathologist

1. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
2. Medicaid
3. Childcare assistance programs

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Carol Lin spent her career inside newsrooms built for breaking news. She covered some of the most difficult moments in recent history, including being the first person to report the attacks on September 11. In this conversation, she reflects on her career in journalism and the behind-the-scenes moments that shaped her life. She also discusses what it was like to revisit those experiences while writing her memoir.

Hear Carol talk about:

1. What it’s like inside a newsroom built for breaking news
2. The moment she realized she was going live on September 11 without a script
3. How anchors rely on producers, reporters, and unseen teams during national crises
4. The emotional discipline required to deliver information in uncertain moments
5. The intersection of her career with major personal turning points
6. Why writing her memoir required revisiting both professional and private pain
7. What she hopes readers — and her daughter — take away from her story

Mentioned in this episode:

1. The first moments reporting 9/11 (viewer discretion advised)
2. Carol Lin’s memoir, When News Breaks

Support This Show:

• Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast app
• Leave a rating & review — it helps others find the show
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