Show Notes

Life Skills Expert

Part of my journey into the podcasting world has meant journeying into the great unknown of social media. It has been so fun to connect with people around the world who have a passion for serving teens and the people who love them.

Noelle Ward is one of those people – actually, it would be more accurate to say she is a leader in that community.

I invited Noelle to have a discussion on what it means to “begin with the end in mind” when it comes to our teens. With my oldest quickly approaching the time to fly the nest, I’m looking at all the things he needs to know before we launch him into the world, and  Noelle is an expert in knowing how to do that.

Not what I expected

What I love about the conversation I had with Noelle is that it went in a completely different direction than I had imagined – I was thinking more along the lines of learning how to do laundry, and pay bills and manage study time well.

And she does talk about those things – but in a much bigger context. I’m so impressed with the way she is able to identify the areas where our teens might have a knowledge gap and organize information in a way that’s easy for them to pick up and master, quickly.

Our Conversation

Here are some of the things we talk about:

• There are several life skills your teen won’t learn in school (i.e. taking the initiative and being resourceful.)
• It’s best to be deliberate and intentional about teaching your teen the necessary life skills (they won’t necessarily pick them up just by watching you.)
• Your teen may look like an adult and often act like an adult, but she has to work on developing her executive function because it’s not fully matured until the early 20’s – it doesn’t come naturally without training.
• Noelle Ward shares the top 5 things to start working on with your teen now.
• She also shares the top concerns she hears from parents and teens (hint: they’re not the same!)
• There are some interesting new trends in post-secondary education.

Thank you, Noelle, for sharing your insight and wisdom with us! I am so motivated to start talking to my two teens about how to communicate in an assertive way, and how to handle their money well, and just, all the things!

Links to all of Noelle’s courses and to her freebie “27 Tips, Tricks, Hacks & Life Skills Every Teen Must Master Before They Leave for College” are available below.