285: ENCORE: How Do I Help My Kid Develop a Work Ethic?

More from Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life

1. 

   8 Sep 2026 · 37 min

   288: Getting Your Disorganized Teen on Track | Dr. Tori Cordiano

   You may know this scene: your kid forgot practice gear again, an assignment vanished into the void, and you're wondering if your teen is just disorganized — or is there something more serious going on? That mix of exhaustion and frustration is real. Chasing lost details, worrying that you may have dropped the ball, wondering if you're overreacting to normal middle school or high school organization struggles, or missing something bigger — you're allowed to feel all of that without it meaning you're failing anyone. Here's some good news: the part of the brain that handles executive…

2. 

   1 Sep 2026 · 24 min

   287: ENCORE: Best of Ask Lisa: Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Compassion

   If you've ever wondered whether you're doing enough to help your child feel good about themselves, Dr. Lisa Damour has curated her most essential guidance on confidence, self-esteem & self-compassion into one episode for you. This encore “Best of Ask Lisa” compilation offers a research-backed roadmap for raising kids with a solid sense of self-worth — and for parents who want to model that from the inside out. This episode also features conversations with three leading experts: Dr. Tovah Klein, Dr. Sue Varma, and Dr. Traci Baxley. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN: - Why kids' confidence naturally dips at…

3. 

   25 Aug 2026 · 48 min

   286: ENCORE: Getting into College with Rick Clark

   The college admissions process doesn't have to consume your family. If it already feels that way, this episode is exactly what you need. Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their conversation with Rick Clark, higher education leader, co-author of “The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together,” and a career insider in college admissions at Georgia Tech. Rick has spent years helping families cut through the noise, anxiety, and mythology of the admissions process, and his perspective is grounding and genuinely reassuring. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN: - Why there…

4. 

   11 Aug 2026 · 47 min

   284: ENCORE: Screens, Toxic Stress & Staying Connected with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

   You know screens and social media can be risky for your kid. But do you know exactly what harm looks like… and what actually protects them from it? Dr. Lisa Damour revisits her conversation with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, pioneering pediatrician, author, and California's first Surgeon General, recorded live at the Common Sense Summit on Kids and Families. A globally recognized expert on Adverse Childhood Experiences and toxic stress, Dr. Burke Harris has spent her career studying what harms children and what heals them. Her answer to the screen time crisis might surprise you: the most powerful…

5. 

   4 Aug 2026 · 24 min

   283: ENCORE: Best of Ask Lisa: Friendship Breakups & Conflict

   Your kid comes home devastated after being left out, dropped, or caught in the middle of a friendship blowup. You may want to help, but don’t know what to say—or whether you should step in at all. Take heart: this episode will help you navigate the situation with confidence. In this encore “Best of Ask Lisa” compilation, Dr. Lisa Damour has curated her most essential guidance on friendship conflict, bullying, and social drama — the stuff that can make the tween and teen years so painful for kids and so hard to watch as a parent. Whether your child is being targeted by peers, doing the…

6. 

   28 Jul 2026 · 37 min

   282: ENCORE: How to Help Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Food

   If mealtimes in your home feel like a power struggle, or you're exhausted from worrying whether your kid is eating well, this episode will come as a relief. Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan revisit their conversation with Dr. Reshma Shah, a Stanford-affiliated pediatrician, public health expert, and co-author of the award-winning book “Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families.” With over 20 years of experience in academic and clinical pediatrics and a deep commitment to family-centered approaches to food and wellbeing, Dr. Shah offers a low-pressure, evidence-based…

7. 

   6 Oct 2026 · 29 min

   292: How Pornographic Content Harms Sexual Development | Dr. Tori Cordiano

   Right now, a lot of families are thinking about how to talk with their kids — especially their sons — about consent and how sexual partners deserve to be treated. And if you find something graphic on your teen's screen, you face another challenging question: what is this actually teaching my teen, and is it already too late to do something about it? Here's what makes this conversation more important than ever: according to Common Sense Media, 73% of U.S. teens have seen online pornography by age 17 — boys and girls encounter it at nearly the same rate, but boys are considerably more likely…

8. 

   29 Sep 2026 · 30 min

   291: How Your Kid’s Exclusion Hurts You Too | Michelle Icard

   Your sobbing middle schooler has just seen a Snapchat of their friend group hanging out without them and feels devastated …and you have no idea whether you should call the other parents, try to help your child cheer up, or just stay out of it. Watching kids be excluded by friends they’ve had for years often leaves parents feeling bewildered, upset, helpless - or all of the above. Feeling angry on your kid’s behalf and wanting to rush to the rescue are completely understandable reactions. But you’ll want to take a beat and listen to this episode before acting. Michelle Icard joins us today to…

9. 

   22 Sep 2026 · 44 min

   290: How to Prevent Failure to Launch | Dr. Mark McConville

   Perhaps your kid has left college before graduation and seems to be drifting along. Or maybe your high school student doesn’t seem to be “lit up” about anything. If this is your teen, every well-meaning "how's your kid doing?" from a friend can feel like it’s poking at an emotional bruise. Are you worrying too much, or is this actually a problem? Is your kid “failing to launch” or have they simply hit a rough patch? While the answer may not be clear, one thing is: you’re not the only parent losing sleep about it. In this episode Dr. Mark McConville walks us through what's actually going on…

10. 

    15 Sep 2026 · 34 min

    289: Signs Your Teen is Heading Towards an Eating Disorder | Dr. Kelly Bhatnagar

    Your kid announces they’re cutting out sugar. No cookies or dessert, just carrots and hummus for lunch on repeat. You notice they’ve lost a little weight. And somewhere in the back of your mind, a voice keeps asking: is this fine, or is this not fine? Are you being anxious, or are you being appropriately worried? That in-between space is exhausting. If that’s where you are right now, you’re not overreacting, and you’re not alone. Dr. Kelly Bhatnagar walks us through what actually separates a “healthy eating” phase from something worth a closer look — and why the kids who need the most…

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